(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley. Content warning for homophobia.)

--- 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 where necessary --

When her mom gets a new job in Ashford, Vermont, fifteen-year-old Azar is forced to go ahead with her, leaving her dad in Brooklyn to fix up and sell their house. Stuck in the "ass-end of the upper valley," as her landlord puts it, Azar immediately feels out of place. She's brown (Malaysian), wears a head covering (a burqa? hijab? shayla? her classmates can't tell.), and is queer (though not out to her family yet). Luckily, her landlord Shannon Wathe and his kid Tristan provide a welcoming safe space for Azar; she even moves into their side of the house after an especially vicious fight with her mother.

Azar also takes comfort in THE EXILES OF OVERWORLD, an epic space opera penned by none other than Shannon. Moments in Azar's life are juxtaposed with scenes from the book, and fantasy meets reality when Azar engineers a meeting between an insecure Shannon and his indefatigable agent. Before she knows it, she's accompanying Shannon and Tristan to a comic convention .. and then saying goodbye.

I mostly enjoyed LOW ORBIT, even though the ending was bittersweet and maybe not resolved to my complete satisfaction. Shannon was really never held to account for reneging on his promises to a teenage girl in need. (It was all kind of *shrug.*) Plus, there's the whole plot line with Azar's dad, which I won't get into because of spoilers. Otherwise the story and characters are engaging. The dynamics between Azar, Dina, Shannon, and Tristan are compelling, and I especially loved seeing Tristan blossom in a new environment (i.e., the convention).

I think the story's biggest drawback is also its hook - namely, THE EXILES OF OVERWORLD. The passages from the book are just terrible, but I felt like I had to at least skim them, in case they added anything to the narrative (imho, they don't, feel free to skip 'em).

The formatting of the book with excerpts from the book annoyed me a little bit. Is that what people sound like when they fall into a fandom? Loved the scenes at the con they traveled to. Loved the found family elements. Loved LGBT rep and BIPOC rep. The characters were messy but lovable.

A queer Malaysian teen seeks refuge in the pages of her landlord's epic novel as her family struggles to stay together.

There's a lot I liked about this story. I enjoyed the characters, the artwork, and the challenging themes like burnout, familial trouble, and alcoholism. While I usually love stories within stories, the novel Azar is reading throughout did not catch my attention. While I liked the romance that developed, I was disappointed that there were so few resolutions. Maybe there will be a sequel?

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Fast-read graphic novel about a gay but closeted Malay teenager living in Vermont. Unable to connect with her mother and unsettled by her father's not fully explained absence, she seeks refuge with her much more liberal and seemingly accepting neighbors/landlords only to discover that family has its own problems as well. While the story comes to a conclusion, many subplots are left unresolved and the nature of some of the resolutions for those that do seem so much a product of chance rather that choice. This makes the work feel, to me, unfinished and a bit adrift from any moorings.

Book was alright. It jumped around a lot, but the characters were cool. It almost felt like I was reading a sequel.

A moving story about love, family and acceptance. Azar, Tristan and their families and friends are written with empathy and care, making it easy to connect with and care for them. The relationships are messy and real, but ultimately filled with love and acceptance, making this wonderfully healing book.

Azar is struggling with her relationship with her parents and revealing her true identity. She feels closest to her nonbinary neighbor and their science fiction writer father. When Azar discovers her neighbor's first literary work and falls in love, she utilizes the story to help her in her own life.

I enjoyed Azar's storyline a lot, but I found the incorporation of the science fiction story (almost a story within a story) to be distracting. While I can acknowledge why it was included, it took away from the overall message for me. I also didn't find Azar's relationship with her parents to be believable, and the reconciliation of her parents left a major plot hole. I don't think this is one that I plan on purchasing.

Thank you to Netgalley and IDW Publishing for the e-arc!

Low Orbit follows Azar who is carving out her identity in an uneasy space between friends and family. Azar is a character most can identify with as she is just trying to get back to the way things were but change is inevitable. I felt this had me in the first half but waned by the end. I liked that Azar had the space she needed to figure things out without being chastised. Overall, this read was good but I would recommend it to the teens in my life as it would appeal to them more.

This is a fabulous, understated, gorgeously drawn graphic novel, and I can't wait to recommend it to any and everyone who's even remotely interested in YA. The main character and her life are so well-developed, as is the small-town worldbuilding.

This was adorable. Firstly, the art style is so pretty and i loved the colours but the story was beautiful! This is a must have coming of age story for young adults. A story of learning to embrace who you truly are. I will definitely be recommending this!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I wish the colors would POP a bit more but it also kept it grounded. This graphic novel is fine for HS levels but I would be cautious with it at a junior high. I enjoyed how everyone is still damaged a bit at the end, it was more real.

"Low Orbit" is a young adult graphic novel by Kazimir Lee about a teen girl named Azar. She and her mother have moved to small town Vermont due to her mom's job, while her father stays in NYC to finish his construction job. Azar hasn't made many friends, but she is friends with their landlord's teen Tristan (nonbinary). She wants to come out to her mother as a lesbian, but they have a rocky relationship. She discovers a science fiction book written by her landlord and is enthralled. Many parts of the graphic novel are just Azar reading from the book. "Low Orbit" hits hard emotionally with teen and parent misunderstandings and conflicts. A suggested purchase for YA graphic novel collections.

★ ★ ★.5

so grateful to the author for giving me an arc for this graphic novel

now to the review from the beginning i really liked the art it immediately hooked me in . the story line was so interesting talking about a tough household where you don’t get well with your parents and you cant speak to them about the biggest parts of you life as you are afraid of being judged and casted away even leading you to feeling trapped and lonely . her reading the book and it being a part of the story was very intriguing it added something more to the story . now with all that being said i didn’t like the main character i didn’t feel attached to her . i also wished we saw more of the fathers affairs and his point of view as well as her reconciliation with her friend / love interests (maybe there would be another book finishing up the story i don’t know ?) overall it was enjoyable and so easy to read and get into

again thank you to the author for this arc