Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - This One Summer

I care a lot for this book. It’s one I could see myself owning some day, with the sort of emotional story it feels important to tell, similar in tone to Blankets or Spinning. I love the art style, a mix between realistic enough to convey the breadth and depth of what these characters go through and animated enough I never forgot this was a comic.

Most of all, I loved this for the treatment of what this time of life is like to live. Lately I’ve felt so dismissive of my preteen years, looking back on that age as one of privileged free time and innocence, almost foolishness in what I thought was real or true. I’m definitely not young anymore; I know more about this world and how hard it can be. But god; we all start out not knowing about sex, loss, and mental illness, until either someone informs us or we learn through harsh experience. I regained a sense of empathy for myself then, and the pain of growing and learning what the world requires of us as adults and especially as women. Coming of age is both a growth and loss, and that was expertly captured here.

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danidamico's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Aquel verano, de la dupla de primas Jillian y Mariko Tamaki, es una novela gráfica coming of age sobre dos amigas que pasan diez días de vacaciones en la playa. Es de esos libros que retratan los momentos de pasaje de la niñez a la adolescencia.

La novela evoca a la perfección la sensación del verano, de la playa, cómo cambia el paso del tiempo cuando estás de vacaciones, una dimensión alterna en la que todo parece moverse más lento. Sin embargo, a pesar de ser una lectura bastante relajante, las autoras también abordan ciertos temas más complejos, como el embarazo adolescente y la salud mental. Me pareció que hay un equilibrio entre los distintos temas que aparecen en el relato, no se vuelve algo trágico ni solemne, pero tampoco se queda en el terreno de lo ligero. Otro aspecto que atraviesa toda la novela es la amistad entre Rose y Windy, que se llevan un año y medio, y son las dos muy entrañables, en especial Windy 💜

Me hizo acordar un poquito a le película Aftersun, quizás por el tono nostálgico, la atmósfera veraniega y la complejidad de los vínculos ente padres e hijos.

Veo que algunas personas se quejan de que la novela no tiene una trama definida, que no tiene un principio ni un final, simplemente las vacaciones terminan y no hay un desenlace en el cual los problemas se resuelven. Personalmente, me encanta todo eso, las historias que narran lo cotidiano sin una estructura narrativa tradicional, simplemente seguimos a los personajes en su día a día, slice of life. Si no disfrutas ese tipo de historias, entonces no te va a enganchar mucho.

Content Warnings

booknerdxo88's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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gem_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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bex_knighthunterbooks's review

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is a character-driven coming of age story of a summer Rose spends with her family at a lake house. Her family situation is complex, with her mother suffering from depression after infertility issues, and so the story has a quiet melancholy feel as so much goes unsaid. The story is also focussed on the friendship Rose has with another younger girl, which was not without its difficulties with their age gap and long time between seeing each other. The art was evocative and effective at telling the story, but I found the story itself more sparse than I prefer and I didn't feel moved despite the emotional content. In the end I felt a little dissatisfied with the resolution when so much is left no better than before, and the character development is minimal for everyone - which is why I consider this to be a slice-of-life story. Overall, it didn't really work for me but was an enjoyable enough way to spend a few hours, and I can see why others would enjoy this more.

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some_things_cosmic's review against another edition

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4.0

the first time i read this book i was 13 or 14 years old. i understood what was happening in the book but i didn’t understand the true meaning of the book. i didn’t understand why this particular summer was so important. this book is SO raw and honest, to the point where it is physically uncomfortable to read - but that’s the point. it’s a totally unfiltered meditation on how young people see the world. i think the biggest thing i took away from the book is how important it is for adults to communicate with teens, and to do so honestly.

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