Great read! This YA graphic novel has fascinating art, it’s an emotional read, and makes you fall in love with the characters.

Amber, Nico, Drew, Stella and Grace have been friends for what seems like forever and have spent their last summer as middle schoolers on a fabulous trip. Now that they all have started high school, the group find that time and commitment variances cause the group to not be as close and tight as they used to be … that is with the exception of Amber and Nico. They have grown much closer, spending every possible moment together, eventually blossoming into a young romance.

One night after falling asleep under a cuddly blanket while watching a movie, they start dreaming together, arriving in fantasy lands and accomplishing unusual feats. However, their dreams turn unpredictable and spin out of control. They must find a way to make the dream over and wake up to reality.

Not being a big fan of fantasy, I didn’t find the story as interesting as I would have liked. I did enjoy the sweet closeness and impending romance between Amber and Nico and the camaraderie they had with their friends. The artwork and coloring were lovely.

Side note: I really enjoyed the illustration early in the book of a well-known beach town in Delaware with its former iconic landmark.

Amber and Nico are an unlikely couple, but the two discover at the end of middle school that they harbor mutual crushes on each other. Their young love gets them through the following summer, but the beginning of high school is a nightmare. Some of it is just typical teen growing pains—moving from a small middle school to a massive freshman class. But Nico and Amber's infatuation with each other has led to them inadvertently shutting out the rest of their friend group.

Amber just wants to run away from it all with Nico... and one night, the two awaken together in a surreal dream that offers them that opportunity. But the world they traverse is littered with reminders of the waking world. Eventually, the two will have to contend with the differences in what they're looking for.

DREAMOVER is an admirable debut graphic novel. The art is not polished perfection, but it's charming and nostalgic. The story itself, plus the way Diaz plays with both the space on the page and the use of fully blank pages, heightens the dreamlike nature of the second half of the book. It's a great read for kids, and one that perfectly encapsulates the earnest but troubled emotions that come with being a young teen.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Dreamover is a YA graphic novel with romantic and emotional undertones. The book follows two main characters who are opposites of each other. Amber is headstrong and has a temper, and Nico is shy and self-concious. The pair have been best friends for years, and both have a love of playing video games. When they go on a school trip, Amber can not contain her feelings any longer and admits to Nico that she loves him. Nico admits he has feelings for her too, and their summer begins as a romance between them. When they return to school and begin high school however, things get complicated and amongst all the changes and new challenges they are both facing they become inseperable and end up losing all their friends and only have each other. One evening, when they're playing a computer game, Amber's wish to fall inside a game comes true, and another adventure begins. But will they stay there and run away forever or return to the real world and tackle their issues once and for all? This was so sweet in places, and I loved the artwork that changed throughout the book, depending on where the story was currently set in. This will be so relatable to many YA navigating changes, high school, friendships, relationships, bullying and navigating feelings and emotions.

Dreamover tells the story of a group of friends as they make the transition from middle school to high school. Our two main characters, Nico and Amber, find themselves sliding into a clingy dynamic that leaves the rest of the friend group out. Through a fantastical shared dream they realize they need to apologize to their friends and find a balance in their relationship. recommended for YA graphic novel collections.

Dreamover is an interesting read, focusing on a fairly undramatic young teen relationship. I appreciate that nothing overtly traumatic happens, the characters just seem to slide into an uncomfortable dynamic with their long term friends. Events feel fairly realistic until the dream begins. I'm not sure how real this imaginative experience is supposed to be, but it does a good job of portraying the tweens emotions. I also appreciate that the resolution is also relatively undramatic.

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!