"Not everyone has to like the stuff you like to be interesting."

Daisy and Agnes are best friends, looking forward to a summer together without anything ruining their time together. This plan quickly changes when Agnes finds out she is moving several hours away at the end of the summer and Daisy gets her first boyfriend. What started out as an endless summer of doing everything together before going back to school together in the fall has turned into a bucket list of trying to get all the last memories in without missing out on time with new people as well.

What I Liked:
-This story of two friends going through growing pains when one of them gets a new boyfriend is a feeling I remember having when I was in high school. I was always on the side of Agnes, watching my friends pairing off with someone new while I was left behind. This is such a classic growing pain of teenage friends and I appreciated seeing this play out on the page for today's teenagers.
-Noah, Daisy's new boyfriend, seemed like a super solid guy. He was supportive of Daisy and seemed to genuinely want what was best for Daisy and Agnes' friendship.
-Agnes and Daisy have some strong single moms. I appreciated seeing parents in this story and seeing how they supported Daisy and Agnes throughout their summer.

What Didn't Work for Me:
-The summer moved so fast. I know the plot typically moves pretty quickly in graphic novels but I wanted to see more of the summer. It felt like June just started and then July was in full swing.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperAlley, and NetGalley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

This book was exactly what summers feel like when a friend is leaving. This book is a great for all ages. I love these goth girls and their friendship and how they are growing together and the aches of growing pains of teen years. The art is perfection and warms my goth girl heart and everything I needed as a kid and still need now.

This was a really cute story about friendship but... I think Daisy was more in the wrong here about the fight the two girls had. Noah seemed like a great guy but I felt like she was giving so much of her time to this boy she barely met instead of hanging out with her best friend who was gong to be leaving soon. I understand the need to want to hang out with there person you're in a relationship with and that Agnes was being a bit overbearing and controlling wanting to follow the list to a 'T' but I really don't think Daisy left enough space for Agnes. Especially since Agnes was the one who helped Daisy and Noah get together. Daisy also lied to Agnes about how she was feeling instead of simply telling her best friend that she wanted to hang out with the boy she liked. I also couldn't understand her reasoning for that. Like, yes it sucks that she wouldn't be able to see him until the weekend but... it isn't that long and she could always stop by the store to see him.too if she really wanted. Agnes also could have talked to her best friend about how she was feeling instead of bottling it up but the girls were able to be honest and present with each other in the end so maybe thats all that really matters.

✨ Review ✨ The History of Everything by Victoria Evans

Thanks to HarperAlley and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

In this coming-of-age YA graphic novel, Agnes is getting ready to move away so she and Daisy are trying to have one more perfect summer together...but Daisy is falling in love. This is a story of balancing your best friend and your first love. As they try to complete their summer bucket list like the good 'ol days as kids, they struggle with their commitment to each other and what their friendship will look like in the future.

This book has gorgeous art, and you will fall in love with Daisy and Agnes’s style! The hair, the clothes, the makeup gives big goth / emo girl vibes (or whatever they call it these days lol).

This dragged a little in places as the characters worked through some of their feelings, but I think that gave it that coming-of-age big emotions sort of feeling. Overall, I enjoyed this read and its really a treat for your eyes!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: YA graphic novel
Setting: small town
Pub Date: Feb 18, 2025

I love the character design - their outfits, hair, rooms, everything! While this type of conflict is not my favorite, I did enjoy seeing how each girl responded to the conflict and the decisions to help yourself feel better and to apologize/forgive!

4.25/5

TL;DR

The vibes were great, I remember the MC’s names, I love them dearly, and I will likely not reread.

The important stuff: The crying rating

😭😭😭=Why would you write this!?
🥲=This is sweet

Agnes and Daisy gave me so much nostalgia. That feeling of being young, fighting with your friends, and not knowing how to make up. These girls go through it trying to make it the best summer possible before Agnes moves away. I do not miss being a teenager.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Evan’s; HarperCollins Children's Books | HarperAlley for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) and provide my honest opinion/review.

First off, thank you so much to Victoria Evans, HarperAlley, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this advanced reader copy of the history of everything.

So I just finished reading this initially. I was just going to pick it up at about midnight read a little bit and then head to bed. It is currently 130. I have finished the book I have cried. I have laughed and I felt some big feelings. This is an amazing book and Victoria Evans did a marvelous job tapping into the feelings of what Daisy and Agnes were feeling.
When I do these reviews, I like to link it to my life as someone who subscribed to the reader response method of literary criticism I feel that a work intrinsically needs the reader, and with this book it made me feel feelings that I hadn’t felt since I was a teenager. I felt the anxiety that Agnes was feeling and the feelings of loss and missing out. One of the feelings that really bubbled up to the surface was the feeling of being the “3rd wheel“ and it’s a feeling that I know all too well . Going through the beautifully illustrated pages the story made the emotions well up inside me and by the time we get to the ending, I was a mess.. I think I had started crying About halfway in, and it just was a slow drip towards the crescendo of the book. Now this is not to say it was a totally sad book finishing the book. All of those feelings felt cathartic. By the end, I was crying tears of joy.
Victoria Evans has been able to immerse the reader into the lives of the characters. You feel their pain. You feel their elation. You feel their fear of something new. I really look forward to what Victoria has in store for us next.

punk found family, girls being girls together, someone moving during high school, and an adventure book? of course I cried and loved every minute of it

I feel like every best friend duo goes through this once in their lives. They are so used to always being there for each other and being the only one in the other's orbit. But as time goes on, more friends and romances enter the fray and best friends feel replaced. The History of Everything is that in a nutshell. It's nostalgic and made me thing back at old friendships and best friends and how our paths separated or continued to entwine. Beautiful illustrations and the story (while basic) was a fun read.

I loved the goth look and feel of this graphic novel. It felt both retro and contemporary at the same time. An endearing story about navigating
friendship and first love.

4.75 Stars
Thank you NetGalley for early access to this graphic novel. Wow, both beautiful visually and story-wise. I truly can not get past how gorgeous the artwork in this was, Victoria Evan's is truly an amazing illustrator but also a great storyteller. Right off the bat I instantly felt so connected to these characters as they reminded me of my bestest friend and I. Evan's did such a great job capturing the feeling of friendship and the highs and lows that come with it (especially when a crush turned boyfriend is involved). I will be recommending this book to everyone (already making my best friend read it) and will patiently wait for to see what Victoria does next. Also I loved the history of everything in the book (the little scrap book) and this is something I will now be doing in my own personal life. A big thank you to Victoria for making this book, it truly touched my heart.

All opinions below are my own. The History of Everything is the perfect coming of age graphic novel for any kid you know who’s moved around or had friends move.

Victoria Evan’s writes and illustrates a fun and emotional tale of two young girls who have been best friends their whole lives. When Agnes must move away at the end of the summer, she and Daisy decide to fill their memory book with as much as possible. But the fear of moving and being apart, mixed with a new boyfriend, throws some wrenches in Daisy and Agnes’ plans. What will happen before the summer ends?

This story highlights what it feels like to move away and all the heavy emotions that come with it. It also shares the side of the non-mover and how difficult it is to stay behind and make new friends when one is leaving. The trials and tribulations of being a teenager. This was a fabulous story I wish I could’ve read when I was younger and moving around a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the fantastic graphic novel!

An enjoyable, coming-of-age, albeit predictable story of two best friends in high school as one is getting ready to move away permanently, while the other is experiencing first love/boyfriend. Beautiful artwork.

The History of Everything does an excellent job portraying the messiness of life when dealing with change. Agnes finds out she's moving away from her best friend Daisy at the end of the summer, so the two devise a plan to recreate their childhood memories with a to-do list. Things get complicated when Daisy gets a crush on a new boy, and both girls must work through their sticky emotions if they want to end things on a good note. I loved the art style of this graphic novel, and was transported back to my own high school experiences dealing with very similar situations.
Thanks to HarperAlley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book so perfectly encapsulates that feeling of a summer being the "last summer" for whatever reason. I felt like the conflict was super reasonable and liked the resolution (though maybe I wish we had seen them talk just a little more). And the art style is gorgeous, obviously! I also love when there's a fake media property that's a very obvious stand in for a real one, so I really enjoyed that in this book as well. Overall, I had a great time with this.

This coming-of-age graphic novel was a quick and cute read about first boyfriends and friends moving away. I liked the art and how the characters felt more well-rounded than other graphic novels. I think the plot is a little overplayed, but the gothic/emo spin on it helped the story feel more unique. I really wanted this story to be about two best friends going against all odds, but instead, I got the same old story of a boy ruining it all. I'd pick this up for an easy read, but nothing more.

They have one summer to say goodbye.

After the devastating news that her mom got a new job and they’d be moving 12 hours away, Agnes and her best friend Daisy plan to finish the adventure book list they started as kids and have the best (and hopefully not last) summer together.

What starts out as a fun way of doing and remembering all the fun things they’ve done while growing up turns sour after Daisy starts inviting the new boy (and her new crush) in town along with them. The plans they have begin to change which only ignites the fear in Agnes that they are both going in opposite directions. Will their friendship end and this be the last memories they have of each other?

This was incredibly sweet and full of friendship. As a teenager, everything seems a million times worse: the move is the end of the world, you’ll never make another friend, you’ll never see each other again, or something even worse. As an adult we know that if it’s meant to work out, it will. If you want to stay friends, you make the time. You have to be a good friend.

I feel like The History of Everything was very accurate to what friendship is like, especially when one person meets their first love/boyfriend. Love can make people do things that they wouldn’t normally do. You have to speak up and talk honestly. Once they finally did that, it all worked out.

This graphic novel has a wonderful art style, and covers relatable teenage angst in a very natural way. I think teens will really enjoy this read!

"Best friends Agnes and Daisy must learn to say goodbye in this coming-of-age YA graphic novel perfect for fans of Booksmart and Pumpkinheads from debut creator Victoria Evans.

Daisy and Agnes have always had each other.

And that's all they've ever needed - or wanted, at least. So when Agnes's mom drops the bombshell that she and Agnes are moving at the end of the summer, the girls are crushed.

All seems lost until the pair unearth "The History of Everything," an old friendship scrapbook with the ultimate bucket list to make their last summer together unforgettable. But when Daisy starts dating a charming drummer, her social calendar suddenly has less room for her best friend. Insecurities bubble to the surface, and Daisy and Agnes begin to question if their friendship is meant to last the summer, much less forever.

In this tender graphic novel debut, Victoria Evans delves into the heart of a best friendship and explores what it means to grow up without growing apart."

It's hard to hold onto friendships as circumstances change, but if it's meant to be forever it will work out.

The History of Everything is a quick, engaging story about two teenage best friends spending their last summer together. Agnes and Daisy have been friends for what feels like forever. They're both outcasts at school and rely heavily on each other's friendship. When Agnes finds out that she'll be moving away at the end of the summer, the friends decide to make a summer bucket list to complete all the things they've always wanted to do. Things quickly change when Daisy meets a cute boy at the mall and they start dating. Suddenly, Noah seems to be tagging along on all of their adventures and Daisy is quick to change plans to accommodate him. Agnes wants to keep working through their list and feels left behind by Daisy's new relationship. Unfortunately she waits to long to express her feelings and ends up letting her anger take control.

I really enjoyed this story. I think it's a realistic portrayal of friendship and love as a teenage girl. Everything is messy and complicated and feels like the end of the world. Agnes and Daisy have different approaches to life, but both show the struggles and joys of young adulthood. While they both experience ups and downs over the course of this summer, they ultimately come back together and resume their friendship. I liked the art style a lot as well and look forward to reading more from this author!