Unretouchable

Unretouchable was a pleasure to discover on each page — I loved the style and look forward to sharing this graphic novel with others.

Even though this is a graphic novel, it's very realistic and relatable. I could definitely relate to Olive and her self-doubt with all the pressure of social media and the "image" they want people to be. Hoping Sofia Szamosi creates a 2nd novel, I'd like to see what happens in Olive's future.

This book has TW- bulimia, food skipping, etc.



Thank you NetGalley for an digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this graphic novel about body positivity. The message was easy to understand and well told. This was a neutral, feminist approach that didn't shove itself into your face, with an angry pointing finger. The art style reminded me of Persepolis, but more relaxed. This would be good for older middle schoolers and up. Adults will enjoy this, too!

TW: bulimia

I liked this thought-provoking (and sometimes funny) graphic novel. My pet peeve is when people discount the positive power of our phones and being connected, so I appreciated that the author took a nuanced look at social media. The artwork was charming and the narrators voice was relatable and engaging.

5 stars!!
Overall, this was an extremely easy read with a very important message. I think it's accessible for anyone to pick up and enjoy. It's emotional, but in a good way because you're able to connect with the characters quickly.

THINGS I LIKED:
The art style was awesome. It really sets the tone for the vibe of the book!
Speaking of tone, it was perfectly balanced between lighthearted and serious. I giggled a lot, but I also cried.
The inner dialogue and descriptions were so relatable and real. I could feel what the main character was feeling the entire time. It was super easy to connect with this novel.
My favorite character is Toni by far. She is amazing!!! I love how she and the mc are so supportive of each other.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
None!!! I loved this book- excellent social commentary

Like Olive on her first day interning at FASH, I didn’t get the artwork for this graphic novel. As I continued to read, it hit me straight in the face how perfect the illustrations fit the storyline. I love learning new perspectives, especially with art. Although, this graphic novel is done in black & white, Olive’s personality fills the story with a wide variety of colors. As I continued to read the storyline, I was so engrossed it felt as if I were watching an anime. I like the Devil Wears Prada feel with a way better boss Giorgio!! Also, I am not sure what Smarty Panties are…. but I feel the need to get a few pairs now.

Fun read. The NYC setting is terrific! Reading about #BoPo Body Positivity was new for me and very enlightening.

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & Lerner Publishing Group, Graphic Universe

We follow Olive, a young student with a smartphone, constant social media presence, a cool trans best friend and tons of issues with self-image, as she starts a major internship. Five full stars for messaging, relatability and art style.

This gave me contemporary Bell Jar vibes, as the protagonist attends a fancy NYC internship that leads to self-loathing and harmful decisions, complete with the whole thing instagrammed. The sheer volume of deepfakery Olive encounters, and the narrative contemplation of what is false and what is true among the formative parts of our lives were really interesting, and the art was great. At one point Olive has an existential crisis over "having a body" at all, and I related one hundred percent with the dysphoria. By the end she has nearly lost her mind with constant photo retouching, and it really makes you want to touch grass.

I found this a touching and inspiring read - we could all use more realistic content in our lives, and probably less time on our phones too.

This Devil Wears Prada meets Confessions of a Shopaholic graphic novel is cute, cool and funny.
Thank you Lerner Publishing Group for the delightful digital advanced review copy.

CW: mentions of disordered eating (including bulimia/skipping meals)

Olive is obsessed with social media. She’ll take selfie after selfie and edit them, trying to fit the standard that she sees everywhere. To help get an idea about what the art world is like, she spends her summer before college at an internship. There she is going to learn from a digital imaging specialist at a major fashion magazine that changes her outlook on everything.

This was an incredible read that discusses how social media can affect us, body image issues, and making art. For its target audience, I could see this being a powerful book that helps them navigate these issues.

The look into the editing and fashion industry was fascinating. Despite knowing this, there was something about how the graphic novel presented it that made it all really sink in with me.

The art is perfect to get the messages of this graphic novel across. It took a while to grow on me, but as I got deeper into the story I realized that any other art style wouldn’t be as effective.

I would recommend this to those who are coming of age, starting something new, or are struggling with the pressure that social media puts on people.

Thank you to Sofia Szamosi, Lerner Publishing Group/Graphic Universe, and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so relevant and important to our current struggles in society. In an age where everything and everyone is touched up, we need that reminder that to be authentic is not only important it is necessary.
I loved the grappling between wanting to work in art and wanting to stay out of contributing to the reasons for needing something like the body positive movement. I loved watching the main character grow throughout the story, we watch her go from not even acknowledging her real image to posting herself as she is.
I was left almost wanting to see what she does with her experiences and her life in the art world! I recommend this to graphic novel lovers who really want a story that is based in the real world and based off issues we are currently facing as a society.

What a welcome surprise! I am a big believer in spreading the message to youth about body acceptance and body positivity. This delightful graphic novel following a soon to be college freshman Olive who is interning for a fashion magazine retouching their photo shoots. It’s relatable and engaging. The art is attractive, cute, and bold. I enjoyed the snippets of journal entities, social media, and random labeling.
Not only is this a great way to start conversations with teens about body image and societies messages about bodies, it’s a interesting segue into the ever popular school subject about my fake news.
I will be recommending this!

Thank you to Lerner Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unretouchable by Sofia Szamosi is an amazing graphic novel for fans of the art of Persepolis or the story of The Devil Wears Prada. The story revolves around Olive, who has just started an internship in the fashion industry helping someone photoshop and digitally edit photos. But in this image-conscious industry, can Olive learn to love her own appearance? And how will she navigate the ethics of retouching?

Overall, Unretouchable is an unforgettable story of fashion and self-acceptance that is like The Devil Wears Prada for the new, digital generation. One highlight of this book is the main character, who is brave and fearless as she navigates the modeling industry. Along the way, she confronts important issues like bulimia and photoshopping. This book is great because it has such an important message for today's teenagers. If you're intrigued by the description, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in May!

This graphic novel was so good, it follows Olive, a teenager who’s doing an internship at a digital imaging specialist (basically, the people who edit and retouch images for social media and that stuff).
It is a well constructed analysis of social media and how that can affect body image as well as self esteem. The digital era is now and we are surrounded by media and images all the time so I think this made a great job at describing that and sending an important message about it.
The art style is simple and a bit classy, I really liked it.
TW: mentions of eating disorders.

This is a great exploration of the deception in the fashion industry and how skewed our ideas of what real people look like have become due to extreme photo editing - and sometimes just making up people! Even as an adult who conceptually understands that these things are happening, I was shocked by some of the realities presented in this graphic novel. It's a great reminder of how deep the harm the fashion industry causes and how we're all affected by it.

Wow this was SUPER COOL. i was very unsure at first because some of the themes touched in this graphic novel tend to end up being very.....preachy? or cynical? but it was a very fresh approach to this theme! i loved how the main character really felt like a real person, with her own voice and thoughts and how the art style was used to explore the themes and ideas of the graphic novel, this was a very fun read and i can see it becoming a staple of the genre perhaps?

This is a really smart, really engaging book about coming of age in the era of ubiquitous social media. It cleverly walks a careful line: it has lots of interesting and insightful things to say about the way constantly curating our lives and our image can impact our identity and self esteem, but does so without condemning social media and its users, and is even aware of its positive effects: connection and self expression. It's a nuanced take with relatable characters and beautiful busy artwork: I loved this.

Unretouchable tells the fictional story of Olive, a recent high school graduate who is gifted with the opportunity to intern for a faction magazine. Her internship as a digital imaging specialist involves helping on photoshoots and learning the industry secrets of how models look so glamorous. And it requires her to analyze her relationship and society's relationship with body image. Unretouchable will serve as a meaningful tool for encouraging discussions about the impact of all forms of art (including magazines), technology, and self-image.

Featuring a teen just graduating from high school, I think that this is a read that would be a good addition to my high school library. It touches upon the concept of body image and body positivity with the particular lens of social media, digital retouching vs. reality, eating disorders, and more. I think it would be a good springboard for conversations about social media, how it functions, and its effects on our self-image and beliefs about others. It provides one model for finding balance with technology without fully abandoning it and yet finding a way to make it work for, rather than against, oneself.

Miigweetch to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group/Graphic Universe for the DRC.

The art style is very bold, distinct, and reminds me of Marjane Satrapi's “Persepolis.” I absolutely loved looking at the pages, even if sometimes the formatting was a bit strange (this may have been due to the fact that I was reading in the NetGalley app.)

I appreciated the nuanced approach to the themes addressed in this story, especially in regards to the curated images we see on social media, and the importance of not comparing our real life to someone else’s highlight reel. I recommend this book to teenagers and young adults who are struggling with social media use, the fakeness of filters and the internet, body image, and finding their own way among the crowd.