Neesha and Gabby are both new in town and during their first day of school they bond over a shared interest in a Manga they both never finished. Together they form a book club and decide to track down all the volumes in the manga to read together!

Firstly I want to thank NetGalley and to Mad Cave Studios for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Navigating with you does a great job of showing strong female characters who aren’t afraid to speak their minds. Both main characters were very unique and wholesome, I enjoyed reading about their relationship.

I liked that the author included panels from the manga the MCs were reading so we could also enjoy along with them.

I will say for them supposedly being seniors in high school they definitely didn’t act like it, it felt more like middle schoolers or freshman. Not necessarily a big deal but it was hard to see them in certain situations because I kept forgetting they’re not thirteen.

Another irksome thing was there were times when scenes would end seemingly abruptly,I would double check to make sure I didn’t skip a page.

I would recommend reading this book, it was a cute story but I wouldn’t read it again.


🏳️‍🌈Representation🏳️‍🌈
-WLW
-Gabby is bisexual
-One of the main characters has CP

⚠️⚠️⚠️
Check Trigger Warnings
-PTSD
-Abusive relationship
-Body Shaming

Thank you Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Navigating With You is a powerful queer story about two girls who start a book club to find missing volumes of their favorite manga. They don't anticipate how this journey will affect their relationship. Neesha is a Black lesbian girl with cerebral palsy, and Gabby is a brown bisexual girl from a challenging background. Their voices speak out about queerness and disabilities, conveying that it is okay to be different, because what matters most is what you love. I loved the little snippets from the manga and the visuals of this graphic novel as a whole. I adored these characters and their story, and I hope it moves others as it did me.
TWs: ableism, death, biphobia

A queer romance between the two new girls at a high school in the South. Whitley handles this so well. But that shouldn't be any surprise. He's written a ton of great comics. Neesha has CP and stands up for herself like most New Yorkers. Gabby is a surfer girl from Florida. They bond over a manga they both never finished, dealing with life's speed bumps along the way. I like how we get little snippets of each volume of this out of print manga as they track them down and read them. Very good stuff.

4.75 stars

This is a really cute graphic novel that tackles some hard issues like accessibility and trauma.

Neesha and Gabby are both brand new to school in North Carolina and decide to create a book club for a manga series they both read but never finished. As they search for and read each book, they fall for each other.

There are so many things to love about this graphic novel. The representation is incredible. Neesha has CP and Gabby has PTSD episodes and anxiety attacks. The story within the story is a cute Sapphic sci fi story. I adore how the girls go from strangers to best friends to lovers. They work together to support each other and problem solve and are so sweet together.

It seems a little strange that two teens were allowed to go on a two-day trip by themselves several hours away, but it is fiction.

Content warnings for death of parent, PTSD, chronic illness, and infidelity.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

This book is awesome. Both main characters have a lot going on with CP and PTSD along with self doubt. Gabby and Neesha try to hide this from each other for a long time until they start trusting each other. I love that Whitley uses a manga scavenger hunt as a means for the characters to get to know each other better. The extra added manga pages from a made up series reminds me a lot of Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl with snippets of the made up Simon Snow series (that she eventually made into a real book series). I highly recommend Navigating with You.

Cute Book! I definitely would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a cute sapphic love story! Definitely a good read !

I got 21% of the way through this and was unable to keep reading because - very frustratingly, particularly given the topic of the book - it wasn’t provided in an accessible format. I normally try not to talk about this in my review, but given the topic of the book it feels particularly important to mention here. As I said in feedback to the publisher, I’d be absolutely thrilled to read this if it was provided in a format which allowed the page to fit to size, so I don’t have to scroll both sideways and vertically in order to read the entire page. Particularly given this is a book that focuses on the barriers to access in society, it would be nice to know that the ARC experience was designed by the publisher with accessibility in mind.

4 ⭐

Two girls just transferred to a new school in North Carolina. Neesha has cerebral palsy, while Gabby is dealing with the death of her mother. They become closer as they both like the same manga called Super Navigator Nozomi. Both girls went on an adventure to find all seven volumes from the series. Neesha and Gabby soon realize that maybe they're more than just friends. The story is cute, I like Nozomi's story too.

Thank You to Mad Cave Studios for the e-ARC!

Navigating with you is a cute little graphic novel about two girls, both in a new city and new school, who bond over an old manga they never finished-- but seeking out the out of print books brings them closer together, and through this they learn to understand each other, their troubles and traumas, and the things that make us just humans in a society not easily built for us.

Neesha is a Black lesbian teen with cerebral palsy while Gabrielle is a Latina teen still learning to cope with her mother's recent death, so there's a good handful of rep (including bi erasure, being treated as a prop when using mobility aids, etc) and an author who really understands the vibe of manga and conventions and honestly that sometimes when you're disabled the best way to make money is by doing commission work (shout out to several friends/acquaintances that have gone this path!).

Also I DID... almost shed a real human tear so there's that!

Good book, please give it a read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios/Maverick for the eARC in exchange for review!

This charming graphic novel offers delightful diversity, showcasing main characters with identities like disability, race, and queerness. The girls' genuine and loving relationship unfolds naturally, though the pacing, covering a full school year, occasionally rushes through moments. Despite these minor issues, it's a heartwarming read, perfect for fans of sweet sapphic romances.

I got an ARC of this book.

When I saw this cover, I thought the surfboard was a coffin. That is clearly on me and it would have drastically changed the tone of this graphic novel. Surfboard works better. Gabby is very much not a coffin kid.

The pros of this are numerous. The disability rep! Neesha has some issues with her disability, but they are not the fact she is disabled, it is how others treat her. She has some baggage from a previous relationship that make her less likely to use her chair. It was wonderfully done. She is clearly a badass activist, but that baggage can run deep. The biphobia that gets addressed! Bisexaul people do exist and it was clear the biphobia was wrong. There is retaliation. It was a power moment. The cute queer characters everywhere. The cute level of queer women around that just sort of make the story more whoelsome. The involvement of the parents. I would not have been surprised in the parents got together, but the way they were busybodies and supportive was perfect. The way that books brought them together. Having a manga bring the girls together was sweet and fitting.

The cons: there were some weird parts. Like what kid makes thousands of dollars doing cosplay sewing to the point of being able to buy a car and get it fitted to with hand controls? What parents let two 16-17 year olds go hours away and rent a B&B, especially after the parents know they are interested in each other and both experiencing disabilities that make this potentially dangerous? The way that the last book was acquried just felt weird and overly done.

Overall, suspend some belief and this is a wonderful read. If you think too hard at certain parts the story will crack. Read it and enjoy the cute, just go with it.

Summary:

Neesha Sparks and Gabby Graciana are two very different young women. While they met by chance, if it wasn't for one common passion, they may never have become so close. That passion? The love of a comic series (Navigator Nozomi).

Together, these two determined fans will hunt down the missing comics to re-read them – and hopefully, track down the conclusion they never got. There will be many adventures and life lessons along the way.

Review:

Navigating With You is not much what I was expecting, but it was a delight to read. It's the story of two passionate young women with vast dreams and a commitment to finding something they love.

In truth, I feel like the core of this plot will resonate with almost any reader—who here doesn't have a book or series they read when they were younger, only to somehow lose it (time, memory, damage, you name it)? I know it hit me hard, and so it wasn't hard to root for Neesha and Gabby.

Likewise, I enjoyed watching their budding friendship grow and transform. It's one of those slow-building (friends-to-lovers) romances but with a lot of heart. There are bumps along the way, which makes the story feel all the more human.

Highlights:
Young Adult
Coming of Age
LGBT+
Romance
Disability Rep
Book-within-a-book

Thanks to Maverick and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A cute and lighthearted story about two girls falling in live with each other. I loved the diversity presented in the book and overall, it was just a cute little tale that was entertaining and offered some escape from reality. It is very reminiscent of Heartstopper in tone and I really appreciate having this type of story out there in the world. I wish I could have read this when I was much younger. We need more like this.
There were a few times were it became a little too preachy and very clearly pushing a narrative of anti-ableism and anti-lgbt. It was a bit much at times and force-fed to the reader. But aside from that I don't have much to complain about.

The art was absolutely wonderful and I loved the representation, but unfortunately this was not for me as I don’t love stories within stories. I found it hard to read the manga story within the main story arc, but that’s simply a pet peeve of mine. Would still recommend this if you find the synopsis interesting!

Both girls learning how to be vulnerable again and let people in that actually care about them gave the story strong emotion and had me cheering for both girls coming out of it stronger and happier. The parallels between Nozomi and Kazane with Neesha and Gabby added great reflection for both Gabby and the reader that made pivotal characters moments that much better. The convention is my favorite part, just a great nerdy moment with a touch of sweetness and healing.

All in all, this is one graphic novel I would HIGHLY recommend. Cute, fun, mature, sweet, and with two fantastic characters!

An absolutely heartwarming read! This graphic novel follows Neesha and Gabby as they both navigate a new school along with their feelings, past and present. Neesha has CP and is (rightfully) jaded by how people treat her as a result. Gabby is struggling to deal with the recent loss of her mother and an unhealthy relationship with a boy from her hometown. Neesha is the grumpy to Gabby’s sunshine but that quickly changes as they bond over a forgotten manga and begin their book club and adventure to find all the volumes.

I find that a lot of graphic novels, especially at this age level, end up focusing more on the relationship and the other aspects of each character fall to the wayside but was very happy to find an exception in Navigating You! Of course I loved the blossoming relationship between Neesha and Gabby, nerdily fueled by their manga quest, but I also loved the way this story dealt with Neesha’s disability and Gabby’s PTSD. It added so much more depth and complexity to their characters while also making their relationship even stronger.

Strong pacing, a nice art style and believable writing combine to create a wonderfully sweet and emotional story!

Huge thank you to Mad Cave Studios and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the CUTEST DANG THING. Oh my gosh, my heart. I loved everything about it.

I loved the way this book tackled so many heavy topics in such a heartfelt, earnest way. Neesha’s disability, both characters races and sexuality, biphobia, Gabby’s PTSD, all of it felt so thoughtful and planned out. Nothing felt tacked on for the sake of it or under-developed. This book made me so emotional.

I loved the story within a story and the way it really brought these two together. Their quest to find each volume was so much fun and getting the last volume genuinely made me tear up!

The romance is so soft and sweet and full of understanding. Neesha and Gabby have such great, open communication. They just really seem to get each other and are comfortable asking for what they need or offering something the other might need and it just made my heart feel so full.

Honestly, I can’t recommend this one enough.

This graphic novel is so charming and sweet. The book focuses on two young women, Neesha Sparks and Gabby Graciana, who are both new kids at their highschool. The two wind up bonding over a favorite childhood manga, and set out to find all the volumes and find out how the series ends. As the girls grow closer to finding every volume, they also find themselves growing closer to each other.

This was a delightful slice of life comic, that was comforting while also touching on heavier subjects such as trauma and PTSD. The two main girls are both POC, with one suffering from PTSD, and the other one being disabled. The story does a fantastic job of portraying how the girl's disabilities affect them on a day to day basis, and I found that the reactions the minor characters have with Neesha in particular to be very accurate as someone with a disabilty.

Hoping to see more from this writer/illustrator team. Will buy a print copy to reread.

This book was so sweet!
Neesha and Gabby's relationship was adorable, and I loved the progression in it.

The arcs were perfect, the dialogue was cute, flirty, and it was overall really good!

This book had plenty of representation, which made the book even better.

I'd recommend this book to everyone, and while it wasn't my favourite, it was the perfect, cute book for me to read right now.

Happy reading!