I'd previously read 'Sensory: Life on the Spectrum' edited by the same author and was excited to read this book. I enjoyed this one too and love the art style.

I feel seen.

A therapeutic and comforting read that made me feel less alone. The book delves into so many important and relatable topics such as mental health struggles, burnout, toxic positivity, healing and more. That inner critic and voice... accurate or what?!

I adored the purple colour palette and simple yet eye-catching illustrations. The text-to-image ratio was ideal too, making this an even more engaging and enjoyable comics collection that you can turn to for comfort and solace.

Highly recommend this to everyone, whether neurodivergent or not.

Thank you for the ARC! I enjoyed reading this a lot, I liked that each comic was very bite-sized, but because of this it didn't read much like a novel, but more like I was scrolling through an Instagram feed or looking through a portfolio of work. For this reason, I was a bit confused while reading how /if each comic was related to the next one. However, overall it was a very relatable collection of works and told a story in its own way from the beginning to the end! I enjoyed it and would recommend it!

As someone with ADHD, this book really made me feel seen. I’m so happy to see more media from neurodivergent authors for neurodivergent readers.

3.5 stars.

Lavender Clouds is a really lovely collection of comics from Bex Ollerton (aka Schnumn) about neurodivergence and mental health. I'm neurodivergent and have struggled with my mental health most of my life, so I found the collection extremely relatable. Some of the comics are funny or sweet, but a lot of them are honestly quite sad in a way that does get repetitive--they're great to read as individual comics online, but overwhelming to read in a collected form without other content to balance it out. Still, I did really enjoy and relate to this, and I would recommend giving it a go for anyone looking to feel not so alone.

This was a beautiful insightful book. A comforting depiction of mental health and how to cope for people who have mental illness and a window into the experience for those who don’t.

Themes / Representation:
Mental Illness
Depression
Anxiety
ADHD
Neurodivergence
Autism

Lavender Clouds is an emotional yet comforting look into the life of a neurodivergent and anxious young adult with mental health issues.

As someone who is all of the above, these comics really hit hard and made me feel seen. These slice-of-life comics delve into what it’s like living on the spectrum every day and the hurdles to overcome. I think it could be a very valuable tool for a partner or parent wanting to understand what it’s like in the brain of someone they love with a mental illness or who is neurodivergent.

I would love to grab a physical copy on release to flick through when I’m having a particularly tough day. I’m excited to read more from this creator in the future.

Bex Ollerton takes readers on a journey through her mind and struggles with mental health and neurodivergence in this beautifully illustrated graphic novel. The art style and the color palette effectively help convey and deepen the meaning of the text throughout the book. For readers who share Ollerton's struggles, this book may be a source of encouragement and a much needed reminder that they are not alone. For readers who do not share these struggles, this book may help them recognize what is going on below the surface with some of their friends, family, or acquaintances. An important addition to mental health literature and comics.

I will be buying for my library collection. The colours are fantastic, the content is interesting and informative. Great graphic novel.

Incredibly insightful about anxiety, ADD, and all things neurodivergent. I found this collection very relatable and wanted to “dog-ear” almost every page so I could go back and read them again.

Lavender Clouds is a collection of short comics centered on anxiety, depression, neurodivergence and more. I can honestly say it was refreshing that during a lot of this book I was feeling reassured that I'm not the only one who feels the things described in the comics, but also it was quite a shock that everything fit so well. If you deal with any of the issues listed, or anything adjacent to them then this collection will likely speak to you. The comics perfectly capture some of the struggles of anxiety and other conditions and so much of the internal dialogue or struggle. It's great to be seen and I'm so glad to see more books coming out talking about things like anxiety and neurodivergence.

I liked this GN, would read again. I received the eARC from NetGalley and only had to DNF because the file expired before I could get to it/finish it.

The illustration style is soft and calming, balancing the anxiety that's very forward in the content. NDs of many stripes will find something to identify with here. NTs are also welcome!-- everyone experiences anxiety or social awkwardness /sometimes/, and NTs who don't feel a deep connection have the opportunity to empathize and create deeper understanding. A worthwhile addition to any public library, and recommended for readers of Everything Is OK and Thinking of You (but not like in a weird creepy way): A Comic Collection.

The graphic format is always one of the most compelling ways to share a story. This book portrays the struggles of neurodivergence and pushing through difficulty in our everyday lives. This speaks to a life with Autism, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Though the portrayal is mainly negative, I found a lot of truth within it. There's so much depth within and I hope others will read it as well and know they're not alone.

This book is a very real representation of how neurodivergent people feel about things like responsibilities, social interaction, etc. The art is very fun and cute, while the scenarios described were gut-punchingly relatable. It’s not quite a “self-help” book, more along the lines of relatable comics to read if you don’t want to feel alone in your experiences- but still worth a read!

I absolutely loved this comic. I felt extremely called out by it, which has led me to reflect on some of my personality traits that may be a bit more on the neurodivergent side 😅 The parts about burnout, not being able to start tasks, the fluctuation between being super productive and rotting in paralysis, the executive dysfunction, planning and getting all motivated and then accomplishing nothing, and avoiding all notifications really stuck out to me. “I’m just chasing an idealized version of myself that I can’t live up to.” That hit real hard. This was just such a fun and relatable comic book, and I highly recommend it!

Although relatable I did think some of the comics were repetitive. Nevertheless it was a pretty chill read!

This is a self-help comic that can be quite depressing at times. For this reason I would probably recommend it to people who want to understand mental health problems rather than those who are currently struggling with instability. Although we get a separate summary on each page, the whole thing is woven into one long monologue, which makes it quite compact. The need to conform, procrastination, overextension and the draining social element are all highlighted. Visually it works with the shades of purple, which makes it very harmonious, but I don't like the hairless heads outside the narrator. It is definitely a book to return to, and its thoughts can be a support in difficult times, because it is good to know that you are not alone.

This is such an easy book to read! Just one sitting, quite literally, is all it took me to finish it, but that doesn’t mean it compromises quality. At all. The vignettes are sincere, direct, rawly human, to the point where you can relate to a level you wouldn’t think was possible.

Schnumn has a great style that, while simple, doesn’t skim on details. There’s a perfect balance between the simplicity of the message, the content, the art, and the scripts, making it an even better option if you’re looking for something quick but with lots of substance.

My only complaint, however, is that there are a lot of negative experiences reflected here. I obviously expected them because trauma and mental health are not easy things to handle, but there are good things about having a mental condition. I have Autism, and for a while I also thought I might have ADHD, and there were times when I was able to have fun because of those. I wish this had been included as well.

For me, it was a great reading that helps readers be mindful of other people’s feelings, experiences, and issues. It puts a lot of things in perspective if you’re not familiar with any of the topics explored, while also helping with visibility, representation, and consciousness. Educative and entertaining, a beautiful addition for those interested in mental health.

Full review to be published in my blog on July 15: https://tintanocturna.blogspot.com/2024/07/comic-lavender-clouds.html

Lavender Clouds is a collection of slice-of-life comics centered around mental health and overall well-being. It's one of those comic collections that hits hard for those who have ever felt this way. In that sense, I feel like this book couldn't be more timely (thanks, 2020).

That said, I will admit that this comic collection did end up getting a bit more negative than I expected. Maybe it's my mistake to go into Lavender Clouds expecting something more inspiring or uplifting. It focuses heavily on the bad and the struggles while often not balancing out those elements with more positive bits (which is how these collections usually go, in my defense). While this may be more accurate for some, it makes for a bit of a downer.

Still, I felt that Lavender Clouds was an enjoyable and worthwhile read overall. So go check it out!

Highlights:
Autobiographic
Collection of Comics
Mental Health Related
Slice-of-Life

I was drawn to this book because of the cover and artwork, and I loved that this book deals with mental health and neurodiversity. Representation is so important to me, and I think very important for a young adult audience, so I would recommend it to anyone based on this alone. However, the content can be a bit difficult to deal with, since it may bring out feelings that would trigger someone with mental health issues. I do think it's important to read about this, and this story really hit home, especially when I reflect upon my own experiences with COVID and my anxiety. I appreciate the author's raw, real experience.