Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack.
Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.
I’ve always been a fan of graphic novels, but, as with virtually every other genre and form of book, working at Book Riot has exposed me to so many more. I have read more of the kinds of graphic novels I already knew I liked, like various fantasy and sci-fi series, for instance, but I’ve also delved into new and exciting territory.
The territory in question? Slice-of-life and romance, mostly. I had never outright disliked either genre, but I just thought that I needed a little more action and high stakes in my graphic novels.
But now? Now, it’s all about the low stakes. There are enough hyper-stressful, high-stakes things going on in the news cycle. Sometimes I need a moment to detach from all of that and place my mind elsewhere—somewhere that will soothe me and let me recalibrate. And I have to say: reading a good cozy graphic novel can feel so restorative.
There are a few graphic novel/manga series that have me feeling noticeably less stressed after I read them. They get bonus points if they are super adorable romances, like the book I talk about below. Which, by the way, Alice Oseman (author of Heartstopper) has said is “Super sweet and totally heartwarming!”
All Access members, continue reading about a super cute sapphic romance!
Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack.
Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.
If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie
In addition to being sweet and heartwarming, If You’ll Have Me is something else. Something that surprised me a bit, honestly. It is realistic.
It’s got bubblegum-cute characters with anime eyes and a color scheme to match, and yet, the romance doesn’t feel like insta-love. It’s a slow build that actually starts with a little doubt, mixes in some anxiety and insecurity, and maybe even adds a few f-boi (f-girl?) qualities for good measure.
We follow the adorable and bespectacled Momo, who delivers class notes to Lea, a friend of a friend who was “sick” and missed class. The word “sick” is in parentheses because when Momo shows up to Lea’s dorm room with the notes, a tall, androgynous woman answers the door. She’s not Lea, but more importantly, she’s fine af and doesn’t have a bra on. Apparently, her name is (perhaps ironically) PG, and she leaves Momo a little speechless.
Once Momo starts inquiring after her, she finds out PG has a bit of a past. She was rumored to have crashed a party to sleep with someone’s sister, and even had a rendezvous with the volleyball team’s captain and her fiancé. At the same time. Then there was Lea, whose door she answered, scantily clad. Suffice it to say, PG has a reputation, and it’s not one of monogamy.
But still.
Momo thinks she’s very pretty, and once the two run into each other again, they start a friendship, which was one of the best parts of the story for me. I knew the book was a romance, and that Momo and PG were obviously the couple in question, but the time they spent getting to know each other, and all the little activities they did, felt like real-life dating. Since we see things from Momo’s perspective, we know that she has a crush on PG from the beginning, but we’re not quite sure what PG’s motives are until later. There also wasn’t any insta-pining or premature declarations of love. As the two interact—by shopping or going to concerts—their interactions feel genuine. And yes, the interactions are often very sweet and wholesome.
But they have their issues. There are insecurities to work through, and even some hurtful misconceptions to sort out.
In the end, though? It absolutely delivers on the cozy, the cathartic, and the cute.
Join All Access to read this article
Get access to exclusive content and features with an All Access subscription on Book Riot.
- Unlimited access to exclusive bonus content
- Community features like commenting and poll participation
- Our gratitude for supporting the work of an independent media company
English (US) · 