I read this courtesy NetGalley. In this charming graphic novel set in Paris, two people who are foreigners (and are not fluent in French) meet and work at communicating. Isolated Sarah is from London and trying to work up the corporate ladder, practicing her French as she wanders the city of romance, while Ping is from Hongkong and is an au pair as she explores Paris on her own. Together, they learn English and Cantonese accentuated by broken French as they get to know each other. The combination of the art telling the story of two people growing closer and the mishmash of three languages actually helping Sarah understand who she is makes this a must-read for lovers, lovers of language, and lovers of the city of love.
#LoveLanguages #TopShelf #NetGalley

thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

it’s a beautiful story about language and the language beyond words. it’s a sapphic romance that feels so genuine and realistic.

the art style was watercolor-like & very pretty. the way they incorporated multiple languages into the art felt like a great interpretation of these language barriers & the act of learning a new language.

i honestly really liked this graphic novel. i do think there was a bit of a rush at the end that could’ve been slowed down a bit to give more detail to it but in the end it still felt like a complete & good work of art.

i would definitely recommend this one!

The chaos of communicating in multiple languages, being fluent in only one, was presented very effectively. Part of it was charming, but it also made following the story exceptionally challenging. Maybe I'm just lazy, but it felt like an awful lot of work and a bit of slog. As others have noted, there really didn't seem to be much chemistry between the main characters. My first thought was the romance came out of nowhere, but I think that is part of the point. What began as two strangers, became a friendship, which evolved into a romantic relationship, and is no less believable that insta-love. This disconnect is probably because of the complicated multilingual storytelling. The art style isn't my favorite, but I did like the use of color to evoke mood. That was done well. So, for me, this was kind of a mixed bag - some really compelling and interesting elements, but disjointed and a little tedious.

This book is beautiful. The story itself, certainly, and the characters as well are beautifully written. In fact, the plot point of language as a barrier as well as a balance comes to a cacophony of overlapping languages before finding peace (love) at the end.

But the artwork is most definitely the true beauty of this book. The symbolism of the colors chosen, and the color shift throughout, tells the story dramatically. Each page is a new, lovely (loving) experience. The juxtaposition of yellow and blue is the perfect balance for telling this story.

"Imagine the ground beneath you splinters, cracks, and you fall into an empty void.

But the falling isn't terrifying. There is no earth below, hurtling up towards you.

Instead you float, and the floating itself is pleasant.:

I really enjoyed the beautiful artwork and I enjoyed parts of this book. Sarah and Ping are both foreigners in Paris, attempting to communicate with each other - they both speak English, some French and some Cantonese. They communicate in a mixture of the 3 languages that almost seems like a secret language to them. We see that Sarah and Ping are better able to communicate and understand each other, as the speech bubbles eventually overlap the bubbles with "broken" English, French and Cantonese from earlier in their story.

The relationship between Sarah and Ping was not very developed so it was difficult to feel very attached to this part of the story. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing for this eARC!

The art in Love Languages is beautiful and captivating, perfectly complementing the heartwarming story. I especially loved how the pages were laid out, from the evocative use of space to the vibrant colors and patterns, and how the speech bubbles evolved as the characters’ language skills grew. The story feels grounded, sweet, and full of hope, making it impossible not to root for Sarah and Ping. I also appreciate how the author explored complex dynamics without weighing down the narrative, which helped give a sense of reality to the characters.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I think that the art is the book's real strength, it's just so expressive. Overall, it’s a wonderful read, perfect to give you a little bit of hope and warmth.

Rating: 3.5/5*

Pace: Medium
Driven by: A mix of plot and character development
Character Development: Strong
Loveable Characters: Yes
Diverse Cast: Yes
Character Flaws as a Focus: It's complicated

James Albon’s "Love Languages" is a heartfelt exploration of love, communication, and second chances. Blending strong character development with a meaningful plot, the novel presents a diverse cast of characters who are both relatable and deeply human. Their flaws add complexity to the story, making it more than just a simple romance.

At its core, the book delivers a powerful message: sometimes, having to start over with the ones you love is the best choice. It also serves as a reminder that life—and love—are worth the effort. Albon beautifully illustrates the importance of communication, whether through words, gestures, or even learning an entirely new language. Love isn't always obvious at first, but when it's real, it's worth the journey.

Though the novel has a lot to offer, it might not be for everyone. Some themes feel a bit complicated, and the balance between character flaws and resolution could leave readers with mixed feelings. Still, if you enjoy introspective, character-driven stories with a deep emotional core, *Love Languages* is worth picking up.

This was such a sweet graphic novel! I'm always a sucker for sapphic stories, but one that is also paired with some aspect of linguistics is just the perfect combination. It took a bit to really get going, but after that it was just fantastic. I loved how it portrayed the language barrier, both the graphic way it was implemented and dynamics between Sarah and Ping. The 'imperfect' art style also made it seem so much more lively, real and emotionally honest. It was just an absolutely wonderful experience.

3.5 stars! i enjoyed this story and artwork quite a bit. The artwork was so colourful and always showing such an interesting variety of people and scenes. The plot is kind of slice of life, which are often stories I love. I’m glad I ended up picking this up on a whim, not having heard anything about it.

The use of multiple languages in this was impressive, and you could tell the author knew a lot about how languages worked and the experience of learning languages and foundering a bit in those new experiences. It was interesting to see how learning multiple languages might look. It even made me remember a tiny bit of French, which was fun! (Oui! Je m'appelle Billie! Salut!)

i think what stopped me from loving this was the tipping point and conclusion. Most of the character growth and self-realizations happen so quickly and fast compared to the rest of the story. It would have been nice to see certain things drawn out and more developed.

All in all, this was a nice lesbian graphic novel with very interesting artwork that I liked a lot, which I think would be even more beautiful in a finished physical copy, and a fresh take on two women falling in love from very different cultures/worlds. (And it wasn’t centred on America at all, which I liked to see.)

Special thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the e-arc!! please check this book out on it’s publication on May 6th!

a sweet, stunningly-written sapphic romance of connecting across different languages

Sarah and Ping are two foreigners in Paris with very different jobs, lives, and barely a language in common - but a chance meeting at a park, a café, and then a museum forms a joyful connection and a slowly deepening romance.

graphic novel | sapphic love | travel | French-English-Cantonese | contemporary adult | watercolor art

This was a really well-done visualization of learning languages and cobbling together a special language between two people who are using three languages to communicate! The development of the relationship between Sarah and Ping was also thoughtfully done and it was a joy to follow their journey.

The mix of the graphic novel format with Sarah's narration was interesting and utilized well most of the time, but there were scenes where it's overdone and redundant - like when she's spilling coffee on herself near the beginning and describing what's happening as the illustrations are clearly doing the same. Other times not enough was explained - I felt like I missed something during the main conflict as the art was bringing out a lot of emotions, but I wasn't sure what exactly was going on. (Vague spoilers ahead) There was the obvious negativity with the coworkers but it seemed like Ping reacted to something Sarah did, but I couldn't tell what. This would have been fine if more dialogue had happened in the end to help clear the air between them.

Overall, this was a lovely read with a beautifully done focus on language and connection.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest rating!

This was just adorable!

Sarah and Ping are both so cute. I love how they have entirely different lived but they bond over their shared struggles about living Paris and learning French.

There's a little bit of Drama mixed in, but this mostly a heartwarming and lovely story. The art is beautiful too!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As someone who speaks two languages and is attempting to learn a third, the utter chaos that was the mix of languages throughout this story hit superrr hard. Like, those visuals are what my brain feels like sometimes. I found the gradual development of understanding between Sarah and Ping to be very organic and fun to watch. Sarah's moment of realization that she was instinctually starting to think in Cantonese was so perfect—I remember the first time I ever dreamed in French and was conjugating in my sleep; it was such a cool yet also surreal experience!

That said, I didn't really find there to be romantic chemistry between Sarah and Ping at all. Even their friendship felt very slow to start. Ultimately, they felt like close friends, or the platonic equivalent of the "they were roommates" meme lol. So if you're inclined to pick this up because of the queer romantic subplot, you will likely be disappointed. And I also didn't love the art style, but that's just a preference thing. On the flip side, if you're someone who's really interested in languages or cross-cultural exchange, I would recommend picking it up!

thank you netgalley for giving me an earc

i really loved the themes and the art style but sadly i found it a bit boring

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an eARC of this book!

I have to start off by saying that I absolutely ADORE the art style, it is so pretty and cute.

Overall this was a very cute book and definitely something I'd recommend to anyone who wants a short and sweet sapphic comic about two women who find love despite a language barrier.

My only real critique with this book is that I wish it wouldn't have been so short because I would have loved to have seen more of Sarah but especially of Ping.

LoveLanguages by James Albon is a light hearted and adorable graphic novel about how two women who find love in a country they barely know. These two women ran in completely different circles, had stark differences in their circumstances but as they say that love always finds its way. Sarah, our protagonist, had always been an ambitious person. She achieved all the good grades and found herself in Paris away from home, leading a lonely life in the corporate rat race. She often found herself being the subject of her juniors' taunts and mockery because of two significant things- she was English and a woman. I mean how dare she? No?
The jeers never crushed her spirit but she definitely desired to socialise. The one thing that had always kept her from that was the language. She had learnt French from language apps and classrooms but are they ever enough when the locals start speaking? No. But one day she crosses paths with Ping, a Hong Kong resident, who was working as a nanny for a pair of wealthy parents living in Paris. What do they bond over? French, of course.
They start communicating in a concoction of French, English and Cantonese. They start creating the perfect blend of languages for themselves, a shared secret. And slowly their friendship blossom into love but there's the catch. Even with their personal dialect, they find it very difficult to confess their feelings.
This cutesy sapphic romance has the most delightful art throughout the book and I had such a wonderful time reading it.

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC!

I absolutely adored this book. Its speech bubbles are incredibly well designed, immersing the reader in the story while encouraging them to think about the act of switching between three languages.

The art was beautiful and the imagery tied the story together.

My only gripe is that I wanted more to the resolution. I wanted more to the ending. However, it has closure so I can’t complain too much!

Overall, this was so well done and such an interesting portrayal of love.

This is a gorgeously painted graphic novel about two women, one from England, the other from Hong Kong, who find each other while living in Paris and slowly fall in loves. There's some longer sections of text in here, which I really enjoyed because the writing was absolutely beautiful. Something about it didn't quite push it to a full five stars, but I highly recommend this beautiful book.

I absolutely adored this graphic novel. It shows that friendship and love can transcend all barriers. I related a lot to the main characters. It can be hard to find friends and love as an adult.