Thank you NetGalley!

This was a fantastic graphic novel from start to finish!

I loved the art style and the color palette was chef's kiss! I love weird graphic novels and this one hit every box on my checklist, cannot recommend this enough

First off, thank you so much to Anna Meyer, First Second Books, 23rd St. Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this advanced reader copy of Saint Catherine.

Sometimes you go into a story thinking that it is going to hit you in one way, but you soon get blindsided with emotions that you didn't think were there.
I grew up Catholic. The whole bit, Catholic school, Church on Sundays (or maybe Saturday evenings in the summer), uniforms, the ever-present pall of guilt and ever-lasting damnation hanging over my head. So pretty normal, right? I even had the thoughts about becoming a priest, if ya can believe it? This is all to say, I was going into reading Saint Catherine with some preconceived notions. That was my first mistake.
This story had me drawn in right from the start. A lapsed Catholic who moved from the suburbs to the big city, still struggling with past religious trauma. Now add a possible demonic possession, and ya got me hooked.
Though I did read this book with my preconceived notions and life experience at the forefront, I think this book would be enjoyable to people of all backgrounds, religious or otherwise. I look forward to what Anna Meyer has next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Anna Meyer for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This graphic novel was immersive and beautiful. The characters were well fleshed out and lovable, the art style was simple yet detailed at times, and I found myself really connecting with the overall message. As someone who went through bouts of intrusive thoughts from OCD I can really understand Catherine’s urgency to go to church “or else she’ll be damned”. Seeing that manifested the way that it was in this was equal parts wholesome and heart wrenching. Having to come to terms with losing your religion is not an easy task, nor is it always easy to convey and this both captures those feelings and shares them with you with such ease and grace. I think what I’m getting at is this felt so genuinely human and unique. And some of the panels were so gorgeous I can sense that they’re seared onto my brain now. I love this artist’s work and I hope to read more.

I am so thankful to 23rd Street/First Second Books, Anna Meyer, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this title before it hits shelves on April 29, 2025.

I was initially drawn to this one due to its mention of Catholic guilt and relatability, and trust I have tons of that type of guilt lingering over me as I age lol.

Saint Catherine tells the story of Catherine, who has never skipped a day of Mass out of fear that something horrible will happen to her if she does. This irrational fear backs her into a corner through most decisions in her life, including when she’s convinced herself she’s been possessed by a hell-bound demon.

This one was fun and I do wish there was more character development but for a graphic novel it did pretty alright.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and First Second Books for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, so I am OBSESSED with this! The art is stunning. I’m a sucker for horror centered around religious imagery. And I loved the way relationships were handled in this book. There are a lot of themes about how important communication is, as well as the difference between apologizing because you actually care about someone, vs apologizing to assuage your own guilt. Saint Catherine just feels like an idea that was executed perfectly.

Also, I absolutely adored the fact that the main couple stayed broken up in the end. It felt like a really mature decision for both of them. Overall, I was just pleasantly surprised at the amount of nuance that was applied to both topics of religion and relationships.

Trigger warnings for religious trauma, suicide attempt

This is a contemporary story about — as you can see from the blurb — a vaguely religious young woman who skips mass and ends up seeing a demon. But this isn’t a comedy, or even a fantasy, instead it’s a look at how a strong religious upbringing can, however inadvertently, cause difficulties for children growing up. Catherine’s parents seem like good parents, who did their best to raise good, religious children, but there is such a pressure from her mother to always go to church, to always go to Mass. She calls her daughter every Sunday to ask: Did you go to mass? Did you go to church?

Catherine is dutiful, but … going to church isn’t exactly her choice. It’s something she hides from her boyfriend; not because she thinks he’ll be angry, but because he might judge her for it. So skipping Mass for one day, lying to her mother, the pressures of being good, of being an obedient daughter, an obedient Catholic eat at her. The demon isn’t one of possession or debauchery, but guilt. Now she can only see the worst in herself, exacerbated by the lie she is keeping from her boyfriend.

The artwork is nice, the colors a little muted, but the text is always easy to read and the action scenes are clear. I liked the demon and how it was presented, how it knew exactly what buttons to push and what cruel words to say to cause the most painful result. The side characters are all supportive and kind, and the story resolves itself in a surprising way.

All in all, an interesting read. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

4.5

thanks to First Second Books and NetGalley for the arc!

a moving and relatable—even as someone with no religious background—tale of a 20something unpacking the baggage of her upbringing while juggling the mundane struggles of young adult life. this is a book that understands that no matter how "over it" you may think you are, childhood can roundhouse kick you in the head when you least expect it

and god (ha) i loved the art style! the full page spreads of catholic imagery were soooo gorgeous

definitely recommend, esp for my religious trauma girlies out there

Catherine's experience resonated with me as a former catholic.
The ending was bittersweet, but I love when stories make me feel that way. It feels grounded in reality.
The artwork was stunning, you could sense the overwhelming emotions in each panel.

Honestly, I wish my demons were as cute and funny as this fella over here.

Overall, it's a beautiful story about a young woman overcoming the religious guilt that is ingrained in those of us who were forced to go to church every Sunday.

Saint Catherine is a visually stunning and emotionally resonant comic book that tells the story of a young woman grappling with her personal beliefs and her relationship with her mother’s steadfast religious views. Through its heartfelt narrative and breathtaking art, the story explores themes of individuality, family dynamics, and spiritual self-discovery in a way that feels deeply personal and universally relatable.

At its core, the comic captures the tension of carving out one’s identity in the shadow of familial expectations. The protagonist’s journey to develop her own ideas about religion—and her struggle to communicate them to her mother—is handled with nuance and authenticity. The mother-daughter dynamic is a key strength of the story, presenting the mother as a figure of unshakable faith and the protagonist as a young woman tentatively navigating her own spiritual path. Their interactions, often fraught with unspoken emotions, will resonate with readers who have faced similar generational or ideological divides.

What truly sets Saint Catherine apart is its masterful use of art to amplify the emotional weight of the story. The visuals are richly symbolic, with the artist using color, texture, and composition to mirror the protagonist’s internal struggles. Warm tones dominate scenes tied to tradition and familial comfort, while cooler, muted hues reflect moments of doubt and introspection. The interplay of light and shadow is particularly striking, with glowing, serene imagery accompanying the mother’s presence and darker, more fragmented visuals illustrating the protagonist’s uncertainty.

Panel layouts shift dynamically throughout the book, alternating between structured grids that echo stability and fluid, abstract designs that evoke emotional turbulence. This approach draws readers deeper into the protagonist’s world, making her inner conflicts feel immediate and tangible. The incorporation of religious motifs—such as candles, stained glass, and open skies—is both subtle and powerful, with their meanings evolving alongside the protagonist’s journey.

The dialogue and pacing also deserve praise. The story deftly balances heavy themes with moments of quiet reflection, ensuring the emotional depth never feels overwhelming or didactic. Instead, it invites readers to engage with the complex interplay of faith, love, and self-definition at their own pace.

In combining poignant storytelling with evocative artwork, Saint Catherine offers an unforgettable reading experience. It is a story about growth, courage, and the complicated love that binds families together, even in moments of discord. Whether you’re drawn to its exploration of identity or its breathtaking visuals, Saint Catherine is a must-read for anyone who appreciates comics that challenge and inspire.

While this wasn’t what I totally expected, I still had a fun time. I enjoyed the art and think a lot of people will also have a good time with this one.

Unnerving and relatable. It was an intriguing story but man oh man I wish they would’ve worked out in the end!!!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This graphic novel explores religious trauma, especially guilt from not being religious after a religious upbringing, in such a fresh and fun way. It's hard to imagine there being a "fun" way to approach religious trauma, but this book truly did it! I really resonated with the main character and her struggles and how they affected the people around her. I also really resonated with her appreciation for saints (one saint in particular, I suppose), even though she is no longer a practicing Catholic. The author's note explaining her connection to Catherine and the struggles she experiences was wonderful.

The pacing was a little weird at some points, but that is my only complaint, and it is quite a minor one.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the author did an excellent job showing the impacts of religious trauma on someone’s life and what it feels like to question that status quo when a person begins deconstructing. I found the characters really enjoyable and relatable! I loved the art style and the depiction of Catherine’s demon.

I love graphic novels and I was so excited when I got approved for this one! The art style was so soft and the color palette fit perfectly. I found Catherine to be such a strong character even when she didn't herself as such.

I had no idea what to expect from this but I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not a religious person but could relate to the guilt in some capacity due being raised to be religious to a certain extent.

This was a fun read!

This was ok! I liked the exploration of religious trauma and I also enjoyed the character design of the demon, but the themes felt surface level.

Catherine feels obligated to attend mass every Sunday despite not wanting to attend. After a couple of decades of never missing mass, she misses one Sunday to spend time with her boyfriend.
Sometimes when emotions, feelings, and thoughts, are not addressed and deeply buried, various illnesses can develop or manifest themselves in other ways. This is what happens to Catherine. A physical formation of her feelings manifests itself to haunt her, which she suspects is due to being a bad Catholic and a bad person.
I felt very connected to Catherine’s character because I also grew up devoutly religious. It is not an easy process to disconnect what you learned as a child to how you want to live your life as an adult (when breaking away from said religion). I think this graphic novel should be read by anyone that has made the difficult choice to split from a religion that has ruled most of their lives. It is worth the read.

I liked this but it didn't wow me. This isn't one that's going to stick with me. I will say that I think reading the ebook was a bit unfair because I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels in the ebook form, and I feel like the ebook allowed me to fly through this book without taking the time to enjoy it. This isn't a short book, but I read it in around an hour, maybe? I really liked the art style, but I feel like the plot lacked substance. I wasn't a huge fan of the demon as a character, and the ending seemed abrupt, though maybe that's on me for missing foreshadowing. I expected it to be more horror, so it was kind of disappointing on that end. It seems like I'm going too hard on this, but I promise I did like it. I'd recommend it to people who are more into graphic novels than I am. 3.5 stars rounded down. Thanks to NetGalley and 23rd St. for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Publishing for the ARC.

As someone who grew up Catholic, I thought this was a beautifully, well told story about overcoming that good ol' Catholic guilt in your adulthood. I thought this might go in a more horror adjacent direction based on the cover, but I loved where it went in instead. I meant to simply start this tonight and ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting. Getting absorbed in this story and characters was incredibly easy.

I absolutely loved the art style and coloring. It feels wrong to say the Prince of Hell had a few very cutely drawn panels, but I'll stand by that. There were quite a few pages that were absolutely stunning.

Very interesting story. I loved the artsyle and the characters. This was a really fun read. The story and characters were relatable.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for a free advanced reader’s copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Saint Catherine is not warm or fuzzy or right or wrong. It’s messy and feels real in a way that’s so terribly human, what else could you get from a literal manifestation of catholic guilt? While I thought the twist at the end was easy to tell, I’m not sure hiding it and making it a secret was the point. The journey our protagonist, Catherine, takes trying to figure out what makes her ‘a good person’ and balancing that with the way her religion exists in her mind was the point and it was really nice seeing that play out on the page. Though there were points where the story dragged a bit, I could understand it’s slow pace and the feeling of uncertainty it was meant to inspire. If I had one criticism, it’d be that all the supporting cast felt too perfect? Too good? Which made the more mundane things Catherine did feel terrible in comparison. While that may have been the point in all this, it had the unintended effect of making all the side characters feel very one dimensional and thin in comparison which also didn’t reflect well on Catherine herself.

Overall, I think this would be a great read for someone who related to Catherine and her journey.