Being 14 is such a weird age. Going from middle school to high school, friends getting into their first relationships, figuring out how to deal with new emotions and new experiences, the ups and downs of friendship. This book illustrates all of it wonderfully. It hit especially hard as someone who was a middle schooler during the time this book takes place in, and all of the references to the late 2000s made me feel so nostalgic. It is all drawn so beautifully as well- reading this book was like watching a Studio Ghibli film. Enchanting, whimsical, and so dreamlike. I cannot wait to have a physical copy of this book in my hands.

I enjoyed this graphic novel overall. I wasn't a big fan of the art style at first, but it grew on me as I read. I really loved the use of color throughout the dream sequence especially. I think it did a good job of capturing the tunnel vision that can happen with first loves at the expense of friendships. But I felt as though the ending was rushed, and while I got the overall point of the story I didn't feel I followed how we got to that point. I'm interested in seeing more from this artist in the future, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes surreal art or light love stories without a major plot focus.

Thank you Top Shelf Productions for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

2,75/5

I have some mixed feelings. i had a hard time getting into the story, but after that, I really enjoyed this graphic novel! my first problem was that I was bored by the first chapter. even though it was important in order to introduce the relationships, I feel like it could've been done in a more enticing way, though I'm pretty sure it would be enjoyable to a lot of people. my second issue was with the art style — this is something very personal, as I'm convinced a lot of people will absolutely love it. it was not my cup of tea, and the colors weren't eye catching most of the time to me.

that said, this is a very, very cute and heartwarming story about first love, friendship and finding balance. the dream part of the story, during the sleepover — a big and important part of the story — I absolutely loved : it was creative, and the colors and illustrations were beautiful. the pace, after the first chapters, was great. I didn't love love the dialogue, but they definitely weren't bad.

I would still gladly recommend it to people!

This book was a great read! The story had a great pace and the characters were well developed. It was very easy to get sucked into the story and in just a few sittings, I was done reading the book!

Se me hizo un manga súper interesante! Lo leí rápido y me enganchó al toque. Me gustaría leer más mangas de Dani

I received an ARC from IDW Publishing Group via NetGalley. Fans of Tillie Walden may also like this YA graphic novel that infuses a first love in freshman year and magical realism. This is a quick read about being sucked into relationships and ignoring our normal day to day. Amber and Nico are quirky characters that fit with this style story.

I can remember being a teenager & so wrapped up in your first love that everything else, including all your friends, just fall by the wayside.
Lovely art & a totally relatable story. The dream sequences were very nifty & trippy!

Thanks to netgalley and Top Shelf for the chance to read an early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW publishing for providing an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5/5 rounded down

Dreamover is a debut graphic novel that follows Amber and Nico, a pair of teenagers navigating life, high school and their first relationship.

This is a sweet and simple tale exploring themes of friendship, first love, forgiveness and growing up as well as darker themes like toxic dependency and very briefly domestic abuse. I really enjoyed the art style of this graphic novel, it lended itself to the story very well.

Unfortunately, I think I'm just too old for this book. I enjoyed the story but it didn't make me feel anything. Something I would recommend more to a young teen.

Such a nice little graphic novel. I really enjoyed this, and the artwork is stunning. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the illustrations In this graphic novel. The story is super relatable and enjoyable. Your first love is always magical and this story shows just how magical it is.

A sweet, simple tale about youth, friendship, first love and how easy it is to get carried away with it. The art style lended itself to the material well, and the dialogue was very believable. Aside from the "magic dream share" experience the characters use in the last 3rd or so to come to terms with things, it's a very grounded and real story. Honestly, the fantastical element hardly feel needed. Good read, all told

ARC provided by NetGalley & IDW

Thankyou for the chance to read an ARC and leave a review for this absolutely stunning graphic novel.

The book opens with you meeting a group of friends you immediately want to be part of and then leads you on a magical realism journey with strong messages about friendship and relationships.

This should be in every school for people to read before their first relationship.

Can't wait to have a copy on my shelf.

A beautiful ode to teenage love and friendship, this graphic novel (thank you, publishers and NetGallery for the advance reader copy) is like a cuppa hot chocolate on a nice winter evening.

80/100 or 4.0 stars

This was a great graphic novel about first love and how that can change the dynamics of the friendships and relationships around you. I liked the story and the artwork. I would definitely read another work by Diaz again!

1.75 stars

Unfortunately, I don't have too much to say about this book. I really liked the cover and because it's a graphic novel thought that, that was a sign I would enjoy the art style. I did not. The art style in the book itself looks different than the art style on the cover (in my opinion), and was quite frankly terrible and I genuinely hated it. There were some panels where the art style was actually good and I thought "this is why I was attracted to this book. This is more similar to the art of the cover and the back of the book", and then there were some panels that genuinely made me angry because of how bad and amateur looking the artstyle was.

I almost dnfed on the artstyle alone but decided to give it a chance in other areas like plot, characters, and dialogue. But overall the artstyle constantly took me out of it. Other than that, the plot was actually alright, although not what I was expecting it to be. I was expecting more of a psychological, thrillery, disorienting vibe, but it turned out to be more of a whimsical oh let's explore these nice dream worlds in a more escape from reality kind of vibe. And so although it wasn't bad it still wasn't really that entertaining to read about.

The characters were fine I guess, the dialogue was also fine, as well as the pacing. Everything was just fine and so if I wasn't considering the art style I probably would have given this a 2 or 2.5 stars, but because of my aforementioned issues it takes off a couple points. So, my general expirience and enjoyment of this book was just not good. I wouldn't ever buy this and I wouldn't recommend anyone else to read this. I do however acknowledge how difficult it is to write a book and that it took this author five years to do so, and so in that regard I do respect the author and acknowledge their efforts. But sadly, this was a huge disappointment.

Summary:

Amber and Nico are very different people - but that’s why their friendship works. Amber is headstrong, loves joking around, and may have a bit of a temper. Meanwhile, Nico is shy, calm, and self-conscious. They’ve been friends forever.

When Amber’s wish comes true - a wish to share a dream with Nico - they suddenly realize that there might be more to this friendship. Now, they never want the dream to end. They don’t want to go back to reality.

Review:

Dreamover is a cute story with a solid foundation. The core of the world is friendship and connections between individuals. I have always loved a good story that explores these boundaries and how they ebb and flow, so I knew I had to read it.

The story is written on the younger side and designed to appeal to younger audiences. It’s very smart, human, and emotionally intelligent. It’s a great resource to help kids understand their own feelings and relationships.

The artwork really surprised me here. It’s not what I expected, based on the cover. Likewise, the art changes depending on location (reality vs dreamscape), which I appreciate. It’s a nice touch.
If you’re looking for a sweet, semi-magical, and highly emotional graphic novel, you’ve got to check out Dreamover. It’s worth checking out, especially as it’ll tug on your heartstrings.

Highlights:
YA Romance
Friendship & Discovery
Sleepovers & Dreams

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

I really loved the art style of this graphic novel, but the story was a bit lacking. It felt a little slow paced, with the dream sequences not starting until halfway through the book. The main conflict of the story (a pretty typical YA first relationship, interfering with the dynamics of a friendship circle) is definitely relatable to young readers, but might not be engaging enough to hold teen readers' attention. I think this story might have been better served by removing the one reference to characters losing their virginity and really leaning into the more middle grade feel of the novel.

This was an easy, innocent, enjoyable read. The dream artwork and transportation were realistic, and the themes of young love and changing friendship were consistent throughout the storyline.

I really liked the premise of this book. It discusses topics that are very relevant to an adolescent. It shows the importance of expressing your feelings. It also shows the power of friendship and forgiveness. I grew to like the story as it moved along. However, it wasn’t as cohesive as I’d liked it to be. The art style is not my favorite but I did like the parts during the dreams. I’m sure this will resonate nicely for the intended age group. Thank you NetGalley and idwpublishing for the ARC.

i really like how this started.
it was really great to see how amber, nico drew & the rest of the characters got along in the beginning.

i really like how the struggles of amber & nico balancing their first ever relationship with each other was conveyed. they are all moving on to highschool which is already a challenge, then adding their first relationship & not knowing how to maintain & nurture their friendships on top of that is difficult. i really like how the dreamover parts were done, the illustrations were really nice. you could see how nico wanted to make things right sooner than amber, did & how amber wanted to just keep going on adventures with nico. i also think amber was a bit irrational with her outburst.

overall, the message was simple & it was conveyed very well.

i would have liked to see more of how the group dealt with highschool life a bit more & i do wish it was a bit longer.