I Shall Never Fall in Love is a well-rounded Austen-esque graphic novel with a large cast of diverse characters. The graphic novel has a thorough historical primer which added context to various aspects of the story which will be especially helpful for younger readers who may not have come across the existence of historical queer people before. Overall I enjoyed this story, but there were parts that felt a little out of character for Eleanor and dragged a bit. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys graphic novels or queer stories.
Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC in trade for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

After having my eye on this for MONTHS, I finally picked it up and am BEYOND happy that I did!! It's absolutely everything a queer regency fan could hope for. The art was whimsical, gorgeous, and at times made me laugh out loud (the expressions!!). I feel like that's a pretty good description of the plot of this fun, heart-felt, charming graphic novel, too!

I truly loved the way each character fit into each other's lives while still having their own stories to tell. All had different experiences and paths, yet their bonds stayed despite the ups and downs life brought their ways. And for characters who were on the outside of what society deemed "acceptable" and "proper", their difficulties were acknowledged but they were also celebrated in their identities, which I loved!

If you're looking for a funny, feel-good, diverse (and very queer!) Jane Austen-esque book with lovely art, then this should be your next read!

Absolutely BRILLIANT. Hari Conner is a wildly talented & thoughtful writer and artist. I only wish this book were twice as long!

This graphic novel is exactly right for queer rep for teens. It highlights the struggle between what is expected of one and what is truly right for them. Love it!

Inspired by Jane Austen, I Shall Never Fall in Love is like The Prince and the Dressmaker meets historical fiction regency era. Featuring queer representation, I Shall Never Fall in Love balances the opportunities for these queer characters in the past, while also celebrating love. With precious moments, I Shall Never Fall in Love is a delight. There are some beautiful scenes of George finding others, to know we aren't alone, to find a community. For queer folks to figure out how to survive, to make compromises, and to also find their own happiness.

As Jane Austen once said, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Young George Kingsley may not be a man in the traditional sense, but they have just inherited their father's estate - and they'd love a wife, if only 1800s England was more open-minded. Instead, they must dress as a girl and pretend their neighbor Eleanor Woodford is nothing more than a dear friend.

Except... Eleanor has never wanted to marry a man either. And now that George is "too busy" to spend time with Eleanor, she's started to wonder if her feelings for George might go beyond mere friendship.

Set in Surrey and London in 1807, I Shall Never Fall in Love takes on issues of race, class, gender, attraction and mental health, all while maintaining a surprisingly light-hearted tone. The main and supporting cast are (for the most part) endearing, and readers will cheer on their happy endings. Conner's illustrations pair beautifully with the story, featuring expressive characters and colorful backdrops.

All-told, this is a charming historical romance sure to appeal to fans of Heartstopper, The Prince and the Dressmaker, Check, Please!, or even Jane Austen herself.

"The Prince and the Dressmaker goes to Austenland in this historically inspired, joyfully queer, stunningly romantic graphic novel mash-up of Jane Austen novels - where two friends discover their feelings for each other and find a space in their world for their love and identity.

George has major problems: They've just inherited the failing family estate, and the feelings for their best friend, Eleanor, have become more complicated than ever. Not to mention, if anyone found out they were secretly dressing in men's clothes, George is sure it would be ruination for the family name.

Eleanor has always wanted to do everything "right," including falling in love - but she's never met a boy she was interested in. She'd much rather spend time with her best friend, George, and beloved cousin Charlotte. However, when a new suitor comes to town, she finds her closest friendships threatened, forcing her to rethink what "right" means and confront feelings she never knew she had.

Perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Ngozi Ukazu, I Shall Never Fall in Love shines a light on what it means to be true to yourself and rewrites the rules for what makes a happily ever after."

You just mentioned two books I love! SOLD!

I Shall Never Fall In Love is a charming #OwnVoices graphic novel about three friends (or maybe more-than-friends?) coming of age in Regency England. George--someone who today would probably identify as transmasc--is the main character, navigating their gender journey and feelings about marriage and romantic relationships with best friend Eleanor and her cousin Charlotte. All are charming, multidimensional characters, and the few supporting romantic interests and friends are (mostly) well-rounded as well, with a couple of Stereotypical Regency Male Gentry as foils for the girls.

The art is reminiscent of Raina Telgemaier, with a cartoonish aesthetic that could seem a bit anachronistic for a historical setting, but Hari Conner's attention to detail on the clothing and hairstyles keep things feeling authentic. I particularly enjoyed George's outfits, which bore great resemblance to Anne Lister's in the BBC series Gentleman Jack and is fitting as Lister is referenced in the epigram and in the historical notes section. (As an aside, I would buy the book for the historical notes section alone--it's a great, well-researched FAQ for anyone who wants to combat erasure/misconceptions of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people in British history and learn more about some fantastic historical figures.)

And finally, it is FUNNY! Some of the facial expressions alone made me laugh out loud, and the banter between the friends is very witty.

5/5 stars, will buy and recommend to friends.

I Shall Never Fall in Love is a wholesome queer book perfect for fans of Bridgerton! It’s centered around three friends in regency-era England. While society views them as a group of girls, George’s view of themself doesn’t align with this. After finally being given the chance to inherit, George realizes they have long harbored feelings for their friend Elinor, who is busy worrying about being the proper lady that her deceased mother wanted her to be. Amidst their love story, we meet Charlotte, who is trying to marry up in the world to secure her family’s spot in society. This is difficult when you’re black in the midst of a society that is still profiting off of black people’s labor in the Americas. She is often overlooked even though she is the most educated young woman in the room. And on top of this, her own friend won’t even acknowledge that she’s the victim of prejudice. The three friends quarrel and make up and quarrel some more while trying to figure out how to live their lives as themselves in Regency England.

I loved this story! It’s such a cute, wholesome queer tale! And I loved the History Corner at the end! This is perfect for fans of Heartstopper, Bridgerton and the Princess and the Grilled Cheese!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the eARC, but it did not affect my review in any way!

It is truly a pleasure to read about characters discovering their authentic self and watch friendships adapt.

What could be better? I loved the stunning art in this graphic novel. Tensions are high regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, race, and class in this historical setting but covered in a way that feels timeless and timely. Oh, and speaking of tension— the tension between two of the main characters was through the roof! This is very fun while still taking on serious issues that have been present in our society for centuries and are still, unfortunately, pressing matters impacting communities everywhere. Love and grief, joy and fear, growth and apprehension, comfort and agony— it all goes hand-in-hand in this graphic novel and in life. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!!

For some reason I didn’t vibe with this book.

I almost dnf-ed this a few times. I’m not always a big historical fan. I was motivated cause I was excited to read the trans rep. Which honestly was definitely good and I liked George’s story. I was just bored a lot of the time

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and Harper Alley for the chance to review this book, all thoughts are my own.

This lovely YA graphic novel was the perfect combination of charming and engaging and the art was just beautiful!

I Shall Never Fall in Love is described as Jane Austen inspired but I definitely saw Emma as being the main inspiration right away. Emma is my favorite JA novel and I will literally read any and all adaptations. I will say that my favorite retellings are the ones that acknowledge the original (through character names, plot points, etc) but still have their own spin - and this graphic novel fit that perfectly! You saw a lot of the Emma plot points played out and characters that line up with the original but all of George’s storyline felt entirely unique and I loved how seamlessly it fit into the Emma side of the story. (I am not super familiar with the plot points of ALL Jane Austen novels so it’s possible George’s part was inspired by another book).

The art was beautiful, the story was interesting, I loved the different characters, and that it was inclusive but showed the repercussions of not being white/straight/cis in Regency England and addressed real life social issues. I appreciated Ellie being called out for her privilege (while still staying true to that Emma inspired personality). And of course George’s journey to figure out who they are and how to be themselves in an incredibly binary society.

Highly recommend to Jane Austen fans, historical fiction fans, and of course, fans of queer stories!

4.5*

George is enjoying life as much as they can with their two close friends, Eleanor and Charlotte. Things are good as long as they ignore the fact that they have to wear men’s clothing in secret and dodge their aunt’s attempts at finding them a husband. Meanwhile, Eleanor and Charlotte are excited at facing their marriage prospects, only Eleanor can’t picture falling in love with a man and most of Charlotte’s potential suitors see her as beneath them. As they all reach adulthood, they’re facing their friendships falling apart and learning that what’s considered proper isn’t always right.

I absolutely loved this and the Jane Austen and Little Women vibes it gave. We follow George, Eleanor, and Charlotte through their rotating perspectives, but we mainly follow George and Eleanor. It starts out as following a great friendship between the trio before the cracks start to appear as adulthood and the realities of the pressures of society begin to take their toll. I don’t want to say too much and accidentally spoil the story, but it was an excellent read. The storytelling is wonderful and I especially loved seeing how the characters grew as the story progressed.

The artwork is stunning and I loved seeing some of the concept art at the end of the book. It also includes a crash course in history at the end with some resources for readers to check out! I can’t wait to check out more of Hari Conner's other work because this was amazing.

I feel like saying this is "inspired by Jane Austen" is burying the lede a bit: it's basically an Emma retelling. But the twist is that a couple of the characters were inspired by real life historical figures, including Anne Lister/Gentleman Jack and Dido Elizabeth Belle. I Shall Never Fall in Love is a funny, sweet, and surprisingly emotionally complex story with beautiful artwork. The societal issues of the time period are not ignored, but a hopeful and positive tone is maintained through to the ending. The friends-to-lovers romance was very cute, and the conflicts between Eleanor and George were realistic and well-written. In my mind Eleanor is a-spec, maybe demi, and her "Oh my gosh, I love Josh!" moment was great. The historical research notes included in the back were also appreciated! 4.5 stars

This was wonderful! I picked this up because I saw that is a queer trans YA regency graphic novel and it gave me exactly that and I’m happy for it.

I know it was described as a mashup of Jane Austen novels, but it’s almost entirely based on Emma, which I am NOT complaining about, as that’s my favorite Jane Austen story. The reimagination of Emma and Knightley’s relationship was great; I loooved the friends to lovers storyline with George and Eleanor. The pining between them was so good and I love that Eleanor is the taller one. For some reason the scene of Eleanor teaching George to dance made me TEAR UP. And her realization scene?? Oh my god 🥹

I liked that it addresses Eleanor’s privilege and made that part of what she needed to work through, and although the author didn’t need any justification to include non-white and non-cishet characters, the history corner at the end was a great touch, fact checking what happened in the book and including references!

I loved the funny, slightly meme-y at times tone and the art was very cute and funny; the part where Eleanor tells George about Philip’s proposal made me literally laugh out loud. The chapter intro pages were also especially gorgeous and I’m seriously considering buying a copy of this to own once it comes out!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The story, the art style, the drama, this was such a great read. I loved seeing the characters grow and learn more about themselves and what they believe in throughout the story.

Not bad but I think I’m not the target audience. Also I wanted the author to focus a little more on how race and class would effect the characters.

This book is going to be a MUST READ for any fan of Austen and queer YA graphic novels. The characters were wonderfully messy and the ending was perfection. I definitely need this on my physical shelf so I’m headed to go preorder….if it’s a possibility!! The art style also, was perfect for this story. I really can’t wait to hold this in my hand!

LOVED this graphic novel. The art style is gorgeous, and I loved the characters so so much.

I love how it was able to depict queer joy in an accurate way. It doesn’t shy away from the issues of the times, but gives these characters happy lives and happy endings that suite the setting.

Just from reading, It was clear how much research and care went into crafting this book. and then after following the author online I got a look into just how much work was put into making this a realistic, historical story of queer joy

This book is headed straight to my wish list, I need a copy for my personal library