Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

It was beautifully illustrated and had a good pace throughout the volume. It isn't so much a romance but it is budding but it about being who you are and trusting that your friends will still love you for just being yourself. I will definitely being recommending this to patrons and can't wait for volume 2!

First thing right off the bat: I am in love with the art in this book. All of the panels are either extremely cute or quite beautiful. I'm also excited we're getting more about some of the side characters and I'm interested in seeing what's going on with Pavão's group of friends. There's a lot of tension there, and I enjoy larger casts of characters that all interact together. I did feel like they were introduced mid storyline that was a little jarring, but I know this started off as a webtoon so I assume things like character profiles/etc may have been shared while the author was releasing the chapters which is definitely a different experience in learning the characters as a reader. I think it's obvious the author has really thought out the characters and their backgrounds and motivations, so I think a lot more will likely be incorporated in future volumes.

I adore a fairytale retelling. Brielle and Bear is a cute one, being set in a fairy tale themed college setting. I loved the colorful art in the book, and the characters' fashion made me wish I could take the outfits straight off of the pages! I unfortunately felt the pacing was a bit clunky and awkward, and I personally really dislike the miscommunication trope in romance novels, which was prominent in this book. There were also way too many characters for me to follow- I know we will probably see more of the other characters in volume 2, but volume 1 went too fast for the number of characters introduced. On a more positive note, I was overjoyed to open the book and see that the font used was OpenDyslexic. And despite its flaws, you could feel the love and care poured into this story and its characters from the introduction to the concept art at the end. While this book is not my favorite, I'm glad I gave it a read.

I want to preface this review by saying that I love graphic novels, though fairy tale retellings are usually not my go-to. This book surprised me though! It was more loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast and I liked seeing what similarities popped up between it and the original tale. I also love the art style! It really brings these characters to life. And what a diverse cast of characters as well!

Now, the reason for my 3-star rating mainly comes down to personal enjoyment. I think this title is perfect for so many readers: those who love bright and colorful graphic novels, are into retellings, enjoy Disney, or are fans of jock/nerd romance, among others. The only main downside for me was the lack of depth in some of the characters. While they were diverse, their main selling point seemed to be their diversity, and we didn’t get to dive deeper into who they truly were.

I received a free eBook/ARC of this title from NetGalley, and all opinions are my own.

Loved this book! Very sweet story with beautiful art and character design! I hope the author can do more books like this and adapt fairytales for the modern era!

This book tells the beginning of a love story between Bear (the shy rugby player) and Brielle (the bookworm). Both carry baggage from their pasts that they help each other work through.

Colorful, brilliantly vibrant to perfectly match a fairytale! I loved this little book. It was cute, sweet, and heart warming. If you are looking for a gorgeous and easy read, then you should pick this one up!

Brielle and Bear is an adorable take on Beauty and the Beast, set in a fairy tale university town. Brielle works in a bookstore and is obsessed with fairy tales, and Bear plays rugby. When the two start weaving a fairy tale of their own, readers can't help but be enchanted.

I fell in love with the story and the art style of this graphic novel. Although some of the panels are crowded and the organization confusing, the story was enough to keep me reading. Can't wait to share this one with students!

Well this was so adorable and fun! I absolutely devoured this in one sitting! The atmosphere the book created was just so warm and cozy. I love the art and the story and can't wait to see what happens next!

I loved this! The illustrations were beautiful, the characters were fun and diverse and overall the story was super cute. I really loved Bear's growth throughout the story and it was great to see him own up to his anger. Excited to see where this story leads.

This was such an adorable YA graphic novel debut by @sa.dokuillo that is a Beauty and the Beast retelling set in a university with a diverse cast, cinnamon roll MMC & stunning FMMC. Perfect for fans of the Fangirl manga by Rainbow Rowell. I can’t wait to read book 2 in 2026!

CW: grief, loss of a parent & grandparent (recounted), bullying (recounted)

The artwork wasn't my favorite and at times it was hard to follow the text on the page to see who was speaking when.