Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for me to review!

Wowowowowow I really enjoyed this one, it was beautifully made and the story is adorable!! I also relate to French being very difficult to learn. ;) The watercolour style of the art lent itself very well to the interwoven languages, and the overlapping speech bubbles was genius (although I did wish some of them were less overlapped so I could actually read the text).

(First Netgalley book finished this year!! How will any of the rest compare??)

The artwork was beautiful and vibrant, and the dialog in different languages was incredibly well blended.
The scene at the museum was so relatable!! The way the main character overthinks everything couldn't be better depicted. It felt very realistic, and it was like seeing someone's daily life through their eyes.

As someone who speaks French as a second language and lived in Paris for two short-ish stints, there was a lot about this book that was very relatable. The visual depictions of the animated Paris streets were probably my favourite part. I also appreciated the story this book told about how we experience language - I think that was the most masterful part of the book.

Where the story fell down for me was as in the character and relationship development. Even though we get more time with Sarah and her thoughts, it felt like it was shallowly circling around the same few things and the romance was not clearly seeded. Like I guess it's a friends-to-lovers, bi(gay?) awakening but the jump is awkward. I don't even think it would helped much to have more of Ping's POV, because some of Sarah's more banal interiority could been swapped out for some more insight.

That said, it's a quick read that is visually interesting and I think readers who know some French or can read written Chinese would enjoy the language component.

This graphic novel has my whole heart! Not only is it a sweet and soft sapphic romance, it's also gently but deeply introspective about love, languages and unlocking something profoundly intimate. Two strangers in a strange land, with no common fluent language, push through the communication barrier to foster a friendship that blooms into love. Being a multilingual person, who is addicted to Duolingo, and have moved continents in a lifetime, this premise is very close to my heart. But what's truly beautiful about the book is how the art itself gives texture to the role language and understanding plays in this relationship, in how the text bubbles of translation change as each of the characters' relationship with understanding each other and the world around them changes. I am in awe of how sneakily and beautifully the author/illustrator pulls off what could have been a very pretentious pondering about language and cognition. Knocking off a star because of how abruptly it ends though.

Love Languages is a graphic novel about making connections across language barriers in a sometimes lonely world. We follow Sarah, who is struggling at work in France when she's still learning the language. She runs into Ping, an au pair from Hong Kong, and the two are instantly drawn to each other. The women speak a mixture of French, English, and Cantonese while Sarah fights her insecurities. The romance aspect of the story is somewhat rushed at the end, but the overall themes hit the mark. This read like a graphic memoir, and I enjoyed the watercolor art style and the way the different languages were conveyed. Thanks to Top Shelf and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a unique watercolor style graphic novel telling the story of two foreigners who meet in Paris and fall in love, despite language barriers.

The depiction of the text translations was particularly interesting, as Ping and Sarah began to understand each other more, ending with the translations wrapped around and hiding the original text bubbles in a visually creative way.

As someone who's really pulled in by characters, I didn't feel particularly attached or invested in these two, but it was a sweet love story.

I received this ARC from @netgalley and publisher @idwpublishing. The opinions are my own.

Love Languages will be released on May 6, 2025.

A very cute story with beautiful art. 

Love Languages is a story of two immigrants meeting in Paris. One is English, the other is from Hong Kong. They don't know each other's languages and their French isn't too good. But they form a connection and learn how to communicate in their own mixed way. 

I loved how important language is in this graphic novel. The scenes where we could see background characters speaking in different languages were so clever and cute. 

I also really enjoyed the developing relationship between Sarah and Ping. They fitted together really well. I only wish we could get more of Ping. We didn't get a lot of her side of the story. 

Overall, I really liked this graphic novel and would recommend it to anybody looking for an unusual love story.

*Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

I went into this with zero expectations. Perhaps this is controversial but I didn’t read the description before getting into it - I only say the over and the title. First and foremost, the colors are stunning in this graphic novel. Albion does an excellent job of building contrast between Sarah’s drab job and her life and the vibrant colors of the good moments she experiences with Ping.

The romance was really well done. It felt natural and genuine and I absolutely loved the commentary on language. The growing relationship between Sarah and Ping really captured how closely you can connect with another person regardless of language barriers or struggles with learning languages, And the whole idea that you can love someone and people can love you to an extent that there is no good word or phrase for it was stunning and heartwarming. Really great graphic novel and I loved that I read this during the holidays. 5/5 Stars.

The beggining pages might be a little confusing, with all the speech bubbles in all the different languages; you might feel like you have to read or pay attention to everything. This is done on purpose to make you feel like the characters, who are living in a foreign country where they don't fully understand the language, and I think it was a super clever thing to do.

I absolutely loved the romance between the two main characters, I think it was very believable and very well written. You can totally feel their chemistry and you can see how they get closer and closer each page. I also loved the portrayal of these awkward moment that happen again and again between them trying to make the other understand dialogue or certain jokes told in a language the other doesn't speak or that makes no sense in their own language. And the way that both characters share their very own mixed language that only they really understand might just be THE sweetest thing I've read in a long while. It's a very tangible way to experience the connection and closeness they share.

The representation of the struggle when you learn a couple of languages, where you kinda become more fluent in the new language(s) but also start to lose your fluency in your native language is soooooo real, I laughed hard at that.

This was a cute story and message and I loved the artwork. I liked how Code switching was included in the story, it was a really interesting way to portray multilingual relationships.

I did not like the conclusion and I wish it would have ended differently …

I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a story about a british young woman living in Paris and building a relationship with another young woman. The art is cute with a watercolour pretty texture and vibrant colours. However the protagonist was so annoying I couldn't enjoy the comic. This is a story about learning languages but I found that part very lackluster, the main character is so uncurious and arrogant that she made all the graphic novel dull and boring.

Love Languages by James Albon immediately caught my eye with its vibrant cover, and I’m happy to say the contents didn’t disappoint. From the first page to the last, the colorful, often monochromatic visuals were an absolute feast for the eyes.

The story revolves around two protagonists, Sarah and Ping, who meet by chance in Paris. Both are there for work, neither is from France, and their language barriers leave them somewhat isolated. Their conversations—if you can call fragments of sentences “conversations”—start out clumsy as they try to find a way to communicate. Sarah speaks mostly English, Ping mainly Cantonese, and both struggle with French. But over time, their tentative dialogue grows into a friendship—and eventually, something more.

This graphic novel is captivating from start to finish, drawing readers into Sarah’s world: her struggles in a foreign land, her unsupportive job, and the isolation caused by the language barrier. James Albon’s choice of the graphic novel format feels perfect for this story. He skillfully uses speech bubbles to show what’s understood, what’s partially grasped, and what’s completely lost in translation, presenting the original language alongside English subtitles—provided Sarah can understand them.

One of the most delightful aspects of the book is watching Sarah and Ping gradually connect—not just linguistically but emotionally. The way they learn to understand one another, both in words and on a deeper level, is beautifully portrayed.

Language, in all its complexity, is the heart of this story. Albon masterfully demonstrates how language can be both a bridge and a barrier. His nuanced exploration of this theme left a strong impression on me.

This is a graphic novel I would recommend to anyone. It’s heartfelt, visually stunning, and offers a fresh perspective on the power—and limitations—of language.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in May. This was such an interesting sapphic story that really deals with the complexity of feeling unmoored in many different ways.

A heartfelt and colorful queer romance between two foreigners living in France, trying to communicate across three languages. I loved how the feeling of learning a foreign language was described, as someone who also speaks two languages and tried to learn more. I also really liked how the translations were presented. And Ping is soo real for wanting a better life for Bébé.

3.75 ⭐️ This was a lovely graphic novel, and I finished it in one sitting. If you enjoy stories about human connection or have an interest in language and how it shapes relationships, this is definitely worth picking up, as Love Languages is about finding connection beyond words.

Sarah, a lonely Londoner in Paris, and Ping, a nanny from Hong Kong, form an unlikely friendship after a chance meeting outside a bakery. As their bond deepens, they create their own unique way of communicating and overcome language barriers together. While the premise is sweet, it lacked some depth. I felt that the feelings between them came out of nowhere, and their confessions felt sudden. Unfortunately, I couldn’t fully warm up to their relationship or understand the depth of their emotions for each other. I would have enjoyed the story more if it had been longer, giving us more time to see their bond develop gradually and their feelings evolve naturally.

That being said, I loved the concept and the art, but the pacing felt too rushed.

Love Languages is a sweet, cosy story of Sarah and Ping, who despite their language barrier develop their own way of communicating and a closer friendship. It was a short read and fast paced in terms of the relationship developing. The art in the novel is wonderful, the novel has an overall unique storyline and I enjoyed learning about the characters. However I wish we got more!

The art and concept of it are both really beautiful, I was immediately drawn in by the title.

The story felt like it took a little while to get going but was very sweet once it has gained momentum.
Whilst not 100% my cup of tea I think a lot of people would like this.

Love Languages tells the story of two women who meet and connect despite their language barriers in France. Sarah is from London and moved to Paris for a job, but she finds herself feeling lonely and disconnected from everyone around her. Ping is an au pair for a couple from Hong Kong who is struggling with the expectations they already have for their child. The two meet when Sarah falls down outside a bakery, runs away embarrassed, and then their paths cross again and again. The two become friends despite the fact that Sarah's French isn't the greatest and Ping's first language is Cantonese. They develop their own hybrid language and also begin to develop deeper feelings for one another.

This was a sweet graphic novel. The art was absolutely gorgeous and the use of color to convey what the characters were feeling was great. The way that language was portrayed as being understood or misunderstood was also really unique and interesting. My one wish with this book would have been to have gotten to know the characters a bit more, particularly Ping. It also felt like their feelings of the characters sort of developed out of nowhere, so I would have liked to see more about how that came about. Overall, I enjoyed the story and I really liked the artwork. I think this graphic novel will especially appeal to people who have an interest in linguistics.

A short read with beautiful color usage!

This story details how the paths of two foreign women cross, evolving in language fluency and blossoming into queer romance.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange from an honest review. An interesting story following Sarah who is from the UK working in France struggling with a language barrier and no friends. She meets Ping who speaks Cantonese and little French or English. The two bond regardless and we follow their friendship turning into something more.