I've read a lot of manga but not one set in the foster care system. I enjoyed the characters throughout and the budding romance that this series will be focusing on. Looking forward to later volumes!

4.5
I loved this first volume. It was a great introduction to the story and the characters. My usual issue with manga is the characters feel one-dimensional and forgettable. Still, with just this first book, I understand the characters' motivations and struggles, even though I'm sure we've just scratched the surface. I'm so sad knowing I won't get to continue the story right away, but I look forward to the next volumes. It was a great, quick read (like most manga volumes tend to be) but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to people who are just getting into manga and like to read young adult fiction or people who've already consumed some manga in the past. (I've linked a blog post of mine where I talked a little bit about how I felt about the book, not an in-depth review, just general thoughts - you can read just the second paragraph if you want).

Rie Aruga tackles emotional and challenging themes and puts in the research to make sure that what she is representing is as accurate as possible. Yoru's and Tenjaku's lives are different from their peers and yet both are going on two different paths despite being in the same situation. The two have a deep connection that others outside of the group home wouldn't understand, and facing the possibility of no longer being together is forcing Yoru to adapt to something she didn't think would happen so soon. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

Thank you so much for letting me read this manga. This is a very heartfelt story that shows us how people who have it harder in life are seen by the majority of society.

3.5

This was an interesting start to the series. I want to see where it goes before I make a determination though if I like it or not.

I love this beginning. So far I feel like I could best describe the vibe as sweet melancholy. The worry for the future, the uncertainty, existing alongside appreciation for the moment. You are really getting to meet the characters and see their situation in this story, and it leaves me both anticipating and worrying what the future holds alongside the characters. I think this will add some good variety to the library collection, while for myself I am personally invested in what will happen next.

What a different story than I’m used to! I’ll take all the josei. This one about two childhood friends that grew up in a children’s home, now in high school and one of their parents comes back into their lives. Outside of that, I have no idea where i can see this going! A refreshing slice of life that is not your run of the mill, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a sad journey. The art style is great and the way the characters are drawn is one of my favorites! Looking forward to #2!

4 ★ // Sheltering Eaves is a raw, heartfelt story about a pair of same-aged children - Yoru and Tenjaku - who meet at a group home and form an unlikely friendship. Now teenagers, they are in their last year before legally being required to move out of the group home. They must learn to navigate the changes before them, whether it be about their future plans or their feelings for each other.

Similar to her hit manga Perfect World, mangaka Rie Aruga once again creates a story that is more than just that: it is a social commentary on the foster care system in Japan, a glimpse into the lives and minds of these vulnerable children. I greatly appreciate how Aruga uses her artistic talents to shed light on these often misunderstood and underrepresented situations.

I'm really looking forward to reading more about how our two MCs learn to overcome their childhood trauma, how they grow to love each other romantically, and their hopes and dreams for their futures.

First I would like to thank NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for this ARC.

This was a heart-wrenching and heartfelt story.
It's not light-hearted and definitely not "happy", it's heavy, hits close to home, confronting and at times just "rip's your heart out of your chest" painful.
It makes you wonder if there will be a happily ever after both for the characters and for yourself.

It, how ever heavy it may be, is a perfectly fine read.
And, if you love manga, I would definitely recommend.
Could not put it down and was intrigued by both the MMC and FMC their storyline, their personality and I would love to see their personal growth and how their relationships develop.

This is so sad. Like the topic of children growing up in children’s homes or foster families kind of hits home for me since I was adopted and lived with a foster family for a short period. But I also think it makes you stronger and the relationship of these characters and the experiences they’ve endured will make them better people (based on morals exhibited in this first vol). I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series and I hope it gets adapted into an anime someday.

CW: Bullying, Child Abuse (both physical and verbal)

This is a wonderful beginning to a new series. After reading (and loving!) the author's other series, Perfect World, I knew that I would want to read their next series as soon as I could. So when I saw this available to read on NetGalley I was so excited!! And I enjoyed reading this so much. This isn't the most light and fluffy read, but I don't think you should expect fluffy stories from Rie Aruga in general. The story follows Yoru, a young girl in the foster care system, and her relationships and life in the children's home that she lives in. She develops a friendship with a boy in the home named Tenjaku and the two grow up together. This volume begins with the children at age 10, and after a few chapters time-jumps to their second (I think?) year of high school. I found this manga to be surprisingly educational! It seems like the author did a lot of research on children's homes and the foster care system in Japan, and there are a lot of notes about it throughout the volume.

I am really looking forward to following this series as it continues. Rie Aruga does such a good job of telling stories about people that you don't normally see as main characters in manga. It is clear that care is put into writing these stories and I hope they continue to write such beautiful manga.

Thank you to Kodansha comics and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. Content warnings for bullying, parental verbal and physical abuse and house fires along with foster homes. Ooooh this author always hits my feels and also tries their best to explain different characters than a typical manga story. I think though it’s going to be a tough read if I keep going. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC! Sheltering Eaves is from Rie Aruga, creator of the powerful Perfect World series. Sheltering Eaves follows Yoru who was sent to a foster home at a young age. There, she meets the fellow residents including Tenjaki, a boy of her age who comes to her defense when she is being teased over keeping the Rubik's cube that her mother gave her. Yoru and Tenjaku remain close as they get older. Now at sixteen, they are approaching their final years at the home and will soon be parting ways. Yoru is struggling with the potential separation and her feelings, while Tenjaku is doing what he can to raise money for the future. As this is the first volume, everything was a setup for the remainer of the series, but this is an impactful start with clear hints at the emotional story to come. It also offers a look into the foster care system of Japan while perhaps inspiring an analysis into our own system of foster care.

Sheltering Eaves is a coming of age manga that focuses on Yoru a young girl who came into the foster care system when she was 10. She lives in a group home with many other kids including Tenjaku, the boy who took her under his wing. They have a year together before Tenjaku leaves and Yoru doesn't want to let him go.

The manga is a sweet story that shows Yoru and some of Tenjaku's history with abusive/negligent parents who let them fall into the foster system. Yoru is a sweet innocent character that you can't help but love and want to protect. All she wants is to be with her family. Tenjaku has an instant affection for Yoru and protects her. They are each others family. Both of the characters have been through some rough times and the author dies an amazing job of illustrating these difficult emotions. The story has some twists and unexpected plots, but ultimately focuses on Yoru and Tenjaku's relationship. Yoru clearly has feelings for Tenjaku, but it is difficult to teoo as of yet, if he reciprocates them. This manga was a quick read that left me wanting more.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
3.5 stars rounded down

While the manga has hints of a blooming romance, it's definitely currently more focused on tackling the struggles of children homes kids. I really liked that aspect, even if it made me T^T I can't say it was the best at showing rather than telling, but it was still very T^T I felt for the kids, and I hate that parentless children situations (orphanages, these children homes, etc) just worked better. It sucked seeing how the children were viewed, and while the caretakers did their best, it would be impossible to give as much attention and care to several kids as they need.

Definitely a deeper romance manga, and I hope to read more of it in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-arc!

Sheltering Eaves is about two teens being raised in the foster care system and their journies of love, family, and friendship. Rie Aruga has done it again. This series as well as their last series continues to showcase stories from marginalized communities. In this volume, I learned about Japan's foster care system and how children are treated. This story was nothing short of compelling and emotional as the main two are finding their way in the world while wanting to stay close to each other. I will be continuing this series and highly recommend checking this out when it is published.

Thank Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.

In volume 1 of the series, we are introduced to Yoru and Tenjaku, who meet as children in a children's home, due to family circumstances, each with their own horrific past.

While this is just the first volume in the series, this is a heartbreaking start, as we are shown that our main characters and those around them are forced to grow up quickly to not only overcome their trauma but also eventually face their past.

I am very much invested in seeing how this story will progress, watching/reading to see the characters grow up and eventually face the adult world, and looking forward to the next volumes.

This was wonderful - a breath of fresh air

I have loved backlist from this author and couldnt wait to read this one.. I was not disappointed

4 stars

Rie Aruga has a way of telling stories about minorities in a beautifully gentle way that I absolutely adore. I loved reading Perfect World and learning so much about the reality of being paralyzed and how stigmatized wheelchair users tend to be. The raw emotions really left an impact, so of course I had to read her latest release.
Sheltering Eaves is just as raw and emotional, and honestly hit a little too close to home. While I’ve never been in the foster care system, I have gone through being placed in the care of strangers during a very turbulent time in my childhood, and have met and temporarily looked after foster kids, so this subject will always be near and dear to me.
Yoru is a wonderful main character. That fear of not knowing where to go in your future, and the fear of being left behind is something I’m sure a lot of people who have gone through traumatic experiences can relate to. A part of me wants her wishes to be fulfilled, but another part of me wants to see her grow to stand on her own two feet.
Tenjaku is just as good a character—a heartbreaking representation of a kid whose been forced to grow up too fast. I love how, despite his past, he’s a good kid at heart and not painted as a wild and dangerous child that is the common idea of what foster kids—or even just kids who have been abused—are like. I’d love to keep reading the series and see him succeed in life—and stay very far, far away from his dad.
There’s so much more I could say but won’t as I don’t want to spoil anything but Sheltering Eaves 1 is a beautiful start to what I’m sure is going to be a series full of roller-coaster emotions that educates on the reality of being a foster kid.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love a book that can tell a story, but also give an insight into the culture and practices in another country. The story follow two kids who grew up in a Japanese childrens home. We get small snippets of what their life was before, and after they went into the childrens home, you can feel their anxiety and feelings of disappointment from their parents through the pages. The things that these children and teens have been through is horrific, and i know it's fiction, but to know that some of these stories may be close to stories children actually live out is horrifying. Knowing that the children would run away for weeks, and resorting to setting fire to the childrens home, in an attempt to get their parents to pay attention to them, breaks my heart.

This is a manga i will try to follow the installments of. I hope and pray that these characters get some form of happy ending, but i am being realistic and preparing for the worst.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange for a free review.