Himawari House

Loveable characters, beautiful art, and a touching story that cycles through all the emotions. I cried, I smiled, I laughed. This was a wonderful experience from start to finish and though it's a faster pace read (as most independent graphic novels are), I could come back to this story time and time again for a piece of the cozy, comfortable warmth it gives through the story of the lives of young adults finding their places in the big, wide world.

What do you mean it's over 😭😭😭😭😭

Perfect. Zero flaws. Unreal how good this is. If you like Arrival for the linguistic aspects, you'll love this. This book was made specifically for me, my linguistic proclivities, and my similar experience questioning the meaning of a year spent abroad in Japan before returning to my life back home in the States.

The art. The emotions. The way the author presents a...quadri- or quintilingual story visually. It's just

READ THIS READ THIS READ THIS!!!!!!

Such a lovely graphic novel and funny at times! It hit me with all the feels, I could relate to Nao's character so much of feeling like an imposter in your own culture and the struggle to find the right words to cross that divide. Late last year I started to try to learn Spanish (again) and I continued in January but feeling hard on yourself when you make mistakes is something i need to overcome.

Artwork is cute but the plot is predictable. I skipped over a big chunk of the middle cause I just didn't care enough and this has to go back to the library.

Utter perfection. The way the characters deal with young adulthood (the 20s kind not the teen kind) and each other is beautiful. Those last pages really got me. Just a favorite.

This graphic novel is beautifully crafted. Great characters, a lot of comedy, really pulls at your heart strings. The whole nine yards. I have to admit, I don't think I've think I've read a single fiction book with a Singaporean character so this was a fascinating introduction to Singlish and other Singaporean cultural norms.

So sweet and slice-of-life with engaging art and a message that will resonate with young adults and teens thinking about the future and where they might fit in. Really interesting and intentional use of language that illustrates many different experiences.