thank you netgalley for giving me an ARC of this graphic novel

falling in love reading a yuri manga is the sapphic dream!!! this graphic novel was one of the best I've ever read. It was sweet but also very emotional, it deals with heavy themes while trying to remain cute and romantic. I love the characters and their romance, one of the healthiest I've ever read!

I loved a lot the art style and the color palette used and I found really cool the manga excerpts

I'm looking forward to read more from this author <3

A POC (people of color) MAIN CHARACTER??? 🫣 SIGN ME UPP !!!

this is absolutely amazing and beautiful 😭 idk why but i cried maybe im overreacting a little bit. this book reminds me so much of my younger self who’s still navigating through life and self identity 🫶🏻

the story felt real and meaningful to me 🥹 it was well written and i love the art style so much ! these characters mean so much to me 😭 AAAA i love them !

goodreads doesn’t have a half star rating system which is so outdated but it gave this a 4.75 star rating ⭐️

Thank you to Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts shared are my own.

This book was a nice slice of life comic. It had great representation and covered issues such as intolerance and grief. It was a bit slow for me but the art was lovely and I would recommend this book to someone else.

4.75/5

This graphic novel follows Neesha and Gabby while they navigate teenage lives, disabilities, sexuality, friendships and relationships.
This was utterly enjoyable to read. Neesha is disabled, has dating trauma, and is a great activist and costume designer. Neesha moved from the city to North Carolina. Gabby moved from Florida to North Carolina. Gabby is a surfer girl. They are both new kids, so they become good and fast friends, 1) because they are new 2) they both realize they are obsessed with the same old manga series. Since neither has the series anymore and never got to read the last book they decide to find them. They build their friendship over find each book in different places like old bookstores, thrift stores and their local library sale.
Along the way they both realize maybe there is more than just friendship going on. They both deal with their own traumas as well.

I enjoyed that the author didn’t stray away from showing the bad sides of different relationships not just the two main characters. But also showed how their love bloomed. The illustrator also includes panels of the manga they were searching for within the story which I thought was brilliantly done as well. I enjoyed this book so much I would love to see more stories in the future from this duo.

I think a lot of queer folk would enjoy this and if you have a child struggling with their sexuality I think this would also be good representation for them as well. I think if I had this as a kid I wouldn't have been as in the closet as I was.

Neesha Sparks, a passionate disabled activist and costume designer, and Gabby Graciana, an optimistic surfer new to town, bond over their shared love for the manga series Navigator Nozomi. What starts as a common interest quickly blossoms into a deep friendship as they embark on a mission across North Carolina to hunt down the missing volumes of their beloved series.

Navigating with You is an immediate favorite— a heartwarming romance with an adventurous quest that will leave you smiling. This is the book I wanted to read growing up -finding friends over a shared love for books and searching for books together. I loved the storytelling and the art palette so much. We also get to read the Navigator Nozomi manga!

Neesha and Gabby's journey isn't just about finding books; it's about finding acceptance and understanding in each other's company. Their growing connection is portrayed with such warmth that you can't help but root for them. The representation of disability, activism, and LGBTQ+ identity is handled with sensitivity, making this book both an enjoyable read and an important addition to diverse reads.

If you like:

-Heartwarming WLW Romance
-Diverse Representation
-Themes of Friendship and Acceptance
-Lovely Art Style or simply crave a feel-good read, Navigating with You ticks all the boxes.
Huge thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Mad Cave Studios for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 stars
A wonderful and heartwarming story about two girls finding each other and falling in love.

Neesha Sparks is a new student in Durham Western High School, North Carolina. Neesha is disabled, she's an activist and she's also a huge geek. In her first day of school, she's determined not to make friends, she wants only to observe and figure out the school dynamics. Enters Gabby Graciana. Gabby is also a new student from Florida. She's a very outspoken, very energetic, very persistent person. And she has decided to be friends with Neesha no matter what. When both of them realise they used to read the same manga when they were younger, they decide to form a book club between the two. However, this old manga is out of print, and the resale value is ridiculous, so they make a competition. They need to find the seven volumes and whoever finds more gets to keep the whole collection. And so, they start a journey through their new town searching for this manga, while getting to know each other and finding comfort and acceptance with one another.

This story is really cute, it's all about friendship, love, and trust. And honestly how could not be with Jeremy Whitley as the writer. When I saw his name, something clicked in my head and I realised he was the author of that beautiful run of The Unstoppable Wasp from years ago. I loved his work then, I love it now too.
Though I can't really talk about disabled rep, or BIPOC queerness, everything was handled with so much care and respect. It's beautifully written. Neesha's struggles, but more importantly, her resilience is inspiring. She has ups and downs but at the end of the day, she just wants to be respected. And Gabby is such a beautiful soul. Her joyful demeanor, however, hides the sadness from this last year of her life. Without spoiling Gabby's struggles, she does suffer from PTSD, and is also facing a lot of problems with her current long distance relationship. However, the way Whitley handles these mature themes makes this story such a precious gem.

The artwork by Cassio Ribeiro is fresh and fun. The character design fits the vibe of the story. Two young girls meeting each other, becoming friends, geeking out about their favorite childhood manga and then opening up and falling in love all in the course of a school year. I think Ribeiro made a great job illustrating both the manga and the main story. Both art styles are of course quite different, yet they fit perfectly together.

If you love coming of age stories, if you love reading about queer love and happy endings, if you want stories with disabled leads, or if you just want a beautifully written slice of life story about two teenage girls, please give this a chance. You won't regret it.
Navigating With You will leave you with a big smile, though you might shed some tears along the way.

Neesha and Gabby, who are both new at their school, discover that they both like the same manga series, Navigator Nozomi, but never finished the series. Together, they become friends and begin a mission to find / finish the whole series together.

THIS BOOK!!!! Everything about these two, their stories, and their journey together is like a comforting hug.

Neesha is a community activist with a passion for sewing/costume design and has CP (cerebral palsy). Gabby is a surfer girl at heart and still struggling to grapple with the loss of her mother. Despite their not so great meeting and Neesha’s initial reluctance to befriend Gabby, the two can’t help but be drawn together.

Beyond being queer, bipoc characters, both girls were well developed with fears, insecurities, passion, and understanding. Seeing Neesha navigate her parent’s divorce and opening about her disability to Gabby felt so real. With Gabby, we see her internal conflict with her boyfriend back home (he’s trash) and her new friendship with Neesha, sprinkled in with tougher episodes of grief. Though I can’t speak on all the rep, it feels like Whitley took great care in telling a story about diverse characters and experiences.

With the manga, we get a glimpse of the actual fictional series and can draw parallels between the manga characters and Neesha and Gabby. This was such a fun mix of media and I loved seeing the hunt for mangas unfold. Seeing their excitement and friendship develop around this series was such a treat (especially if you enjoy friendships where you can gush about books hehe).

Overall, the banter, exploration of family dynamics, grief, past trauma/relationships, the (mostly) well handled communication, vulnerability, acceptance, friendship, food, manga-finding adventures, and genuine care and love this book captures is amazing!! 🫶🏼 I found myself laughing, tearing up, but also super giddy for the sapphic romance (and I’d love to be friends with them irl!) Highly recommend it!!

Thanks NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my arc!

This book is so lovely, I can’t believe it’s going to be another two months until I can get in hard copy and reread immediately. It was so, so cute, and genuine in its depictions of relationships and of fandom and the way the two enrich each other. I was want to draw hearts all over it think about what a good love song it is for all the things I love: girls! manga! girls bonding over manga! 💕

this one was added to my favourite graphic novels immedietaly. it's a diverse story that's very important to many groups of people and it should become a staple of every library. it's a heartwarming comic that makes you tear up multiple times.

Happy Pride Month to Neesha and Gabby! <3 This book has amazing POC & WLW representation that is perfect for the celebration of LGBTQIA+ stories. I love graphic novels, especially those that feature queer characters. Moreso, the disability rep writes cerebral palsy very well. Lastly, this book handles loss and grief in a heartwarming and sweet manner. I loved how Navigating With You is simply about two nerds falling in love because of a famous manga.

⭐ Rating: 5/5 stars
🗓 Publish date: Aug 13, 2024
🌈 Representation: sapphic romance, bisexuality, Black & biracial (Mexican and Puerto Rican), disability and use of mobility aids

CW/TW:
Ableism, Death of parent, Grief, Car accident, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship


I absolutely adored everything about this graphic novel!

There was such a lovely range of representation that was both thoughtful and authentic. I especially found the depictions of bisexuality to be very relatable.

I fell in love with the characters almost immediately and I loved the way the main relationship developed. Neesha and Gabby were both such strong characters on their own, and also worked so well as a pair!

I also loved the way a comic book was able to bring them together. It truly shows the power of stories and positive representation.

I cried, I laughed, I highly recommend!

Thank you to Mad Cave Studios and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts shared are my own.

Naigating with you is one of the most gorgeously illustrated and gorgeously told graphic novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

We follow these two compelling main characters each with their own difficulties, griefs and traumas finding each other and realising they both share something connecting them and thus follow the journey to collect and read the graphic novels of a series they both have yet to read. And with that comes learning about each other, their families, their joys and finding love throughout it.

This story has so much atmosphere, personality and heart. Each character was dimensional and their disabilities (physical and mental) were never treated as lesser and were discussed with nuance and warmth. This love story, and this story of joy and hope and finding your person was so warm. So sweet. So wonderful. I love sapphic stories, I love this sapphic story in particular. Going into this with low expectations had me falling for this book all the harder, how wrong I was to doubt it.

Truly delightful, I can't wait to tell everyone to read this and to buy 10 copies for my friends.

This author has created a really interesting book that I would be glad to put on my classroom shelf. I like how they use the graphic novel space to explore adolescence and real life issues. The visuals only enhance the story.

Navigating With You is a fun WLW graphic novel about two young women who meet on their first day of going to a new school, and end up bonding over manga they used to read when they were younger. As their friendship grows, so do their feelings for each other, and throughout the book they go on adventures to hunt down all the volumes of their favourite story.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the fun mix between the two MCs POVs and that the story included scenes from the manga they were reading in the story. The characters were lovable yet flawed and wonderfully human. I loved the disability rep and that both the MCs came from different backgrounds where they had gone through difficult things. I felt the book explored this in a good way.

Thanks Netgalley and Mad Cave Studios for letting me read an early copy of this book. Navigating With You is out 13th of August.

Gah this was such a lovely, wholesome coming of age/love story between two young girls dealing with bucketloads of trauma.

It captures adolescence so perfectly: the way every day emotions are so high-stakes, how fandom can feel so consuming, but also the very real difficulties and darkness that come with being a human (see, facing ableism, PTSD).
Despite being a tight 200 pages, it handles character development so well, allowing space to breathe and landing its emotional beats so perfectly. There is so much tenderness in these two girls showing up for each other.

4.5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

I struggled to connect with this art style.
The ending was a bit odd for me, but I thought that overall this had great representation and there were a lot of things tackled within these pages. At times that was a bit too on the nose for me, but I thought it progressed well and is gonna be an important read for so many people.

(Thank you to Jeremy Whitley, Cassio Ribeiro, Nikki Fox, Mad cave studios, Maverick and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC)

I LOVED this graphic novel! It was so cute and had so much depth to it as well as amazing art. On top of that we had sapphic and disability representation which is an absolute yes in my eyes as well as talks about mental illnesses in a very realistic way.

Loved both Gabby and Neesha and how their friendship evolved as well as how well they cared for each other, and loved the adventure they went on to find all those manga books to finish reading the whole series.

On top of that I loved that we got to read the manga with them and the backstory for the manga was also so cute and made my heart swell!

This graphic novel is absolutely beautiful in many ways, especially if you love queer books with POC characters and disability representation. And of course the most important thing; the story and the art is so beautiful! And I loved every bit of it and all the characters. And I hope that there’ll be a sequel to this book because I need it like now. Highly recommend this!

Absolutely adore sapphic romances, especially when the two in the relationship are both poc! I love all the representation in this graphic novel. It felt so authentic. I also loved the way that the relationship between these two. As someone currently in college, and who was in high school just a few years ago, this is real! And I think it’s something readers will adore. I would also love to see more (series potential).

Sweet, cute, and beautiful. Navigating With You is a stunning little graphic novel for young readers that advocates for the rights of queer, disabled, and POC youth. This did not resonate with me that much, but I am an adult and comfortable in my skin. I know there are thousands of kids out there who would benefit from reading this! Highly recommend.

3.5*
This was adorable!! The characters fit so well together and had some rlly heartwarming moments. But it does not shy away from important issues like PTSD.

It is not my place to say wether the disability was represented well, but I do think whats important about representation is that it is talked about in the stories, but not have to big of a focus on so that it shows it is just normal, which this graphic novel did for that part.

The drawing style wasn’t my favorite. Also the principal scene in the beginning doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think you can threaten your principal that you’re calling your mom if he doesn’t behave right. But it was cute how she defended the other girl.

I liked that we also got pages and the story therefore of the manga they read together. It really tied the story together.
The love confession was so random but so cute.

Plus the quiet girl x yapper duo is such a cute match.

Overall really wholesome graphic novel and would recommend!