Boyfriends is a very cute slice of life comic about four cute poly boyfriends living their life, getting together, liking each other more and more. I'm excited to see where this goes.

This was such a cute graphic novel. I loved all four of the boys and I really loved that they all had very distinct personalities. I also liked that they didn't always have to do things together. They broke off and did their own things and introduced each other to new and exciting activities. Also the carnival date was really cute! I will for sure be reading more of this.

This was an adorable graphic novel, with cute art and characters. I'm a sucker for opposites attract, so the pairings worked really well. As the relationships expand to include other characters, the opportunity for comedy and drama increases, and that's explored here in volume one.

The interactions of the four character archetypes is a really interesting way to explore the nature of a polycule, and the art and story was sweet and fun. While this isn't a serious look at polyamory, the graphic novel does a good job of showing pride in oneself and one's identity. Sometimes the best way to convey a sense of pride isn't a stuffy monograph on polyamorous relationships; it's a cute and silly webtoon about boys in love love with other boys.

Book Review for: "Boyfriends. Volume One" by refrainbow
Source: ARC from NetGalley
Score: 3.5/5 stars

The book "Boyfriends" follows four queer college boys who explore a polyamorous relationship. The book is vibrant and full of chaotic energy.

The book is a romantic comedy that presents the love between four boys.

Plot:
There really isn't a plot. The book simply follows the four main characters and their experiences as a polyamorous relationship. This idea may not be palatable for everyone and that's why it's so great that a book tackles such a topic. The love between the boys is fun and full of tenderness.

Overall, the plot is loose and each chapter looks at different dates the boys go out on.

Writing:
This is a graphic novel so the writing is limited. The imagery is vibrant and emulates the joy and cotton-candy vibes of the story. The energy between the four is chaotic which adds to the charm of this book.

Characters:
Overall, the four characters are likeable. What is really nice is that each character is very stereotypical caricatures but this helps expand the discussion that the gender spectrum is diverse.

Finale:
Overall, it was good to see the diversity in characters and a polyamorous relationship in a main stream book. The book is loads of fun and has some enjoyable characters.

This was the fluffiest thing I have ever read and I want more! I love how the four boys slowly begin a poly relationship. For once it was nice to read about gay boys getting together with other gay boys and there being no drama. It shows that not everything has to be hard.

The four boys have very different personalities from one another but they fit together like a small 4 piece puzzle. I love reading about their dates and how they spend time with one another as a group and individually.

This is such a good book and I can’t wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I was surprised to find this since I remember seeing the concept comics online a long time ago.

The art style is cute and the limited pastel palette makes things feel really fluffy. But the characters are very simple: cute nerd who likes games and kpop, cool goth who likes games, nice jock who likes kpop, and shy prep who is oblivious. One of them is implied trans (because he hasn't had sex in a while since he's still recovering from surgery) but the speech bubble goes off screen and the character voices aren't distinct enough to know who says that. (Edit: later it gets confirmed to be the goth boy.) And that's pretty much all I know about these characters after reading the whole volume. We *never* get names for the main characters.

It also takes them a while to address the possibility of polyamory (after ~50 pages of everyone flirting with everyone before two of them discuss it, and then an additional ~70 pages of everyone flirting with everyone before the other two are finally looped into the conversation). There is a brief moment where the latter two question of they're cheating on their boyfriend by having crushes on other boys, and to the comic's credit the four of them do eventually communicate about boundaries.

I think my problem with this comic is that... you can have surface level main characters in comics that are made to be able to read out of order (think newspaper comics or something like Peanuts or the Simpsons). In those comics, the characters don't need to be fleshed out or have character development because it makes it easier for people to just read a random volume and get the same experience. And this is what the format was like in the original concept when the artist would just post snippets on Tumblr. (And, trust me, that was fine because that's the type of medium it was.) But with Boyfriends, there is *just* enough development in their relationships that it can't be read like that. Once you introduce plot development and story progression (and address Real World™️ things like setting boundaries on a poly), the characters need to be more fleshed out to get emotional investment from readers.

I have been seeing this book a lot in my circle of graphic novel news and I was not disappointed when I was reading it. I am enjoying the Webtoon comics that are getting published and they are very popular in my library. I will definitely be buying this for my library.

This was exactly the silly, adorable graphic novel I wanted it to be! I laughed, I smiled, and I fell in love with each quirky character. The art was also so delightfully colorful, I absolutely adored it! It’s not a serious look into poly relationships if that’s what your looking for, but it IS a goofy fun time with some incredibly dumb gays. And to me, that’s perfection.

I have read part of this on webtoon so I am basing it off of that. When I received the book there was text watermarked over the pages which would’ve been fine but it was also over a lot of the text so it was incredibly hard and jarring to read.


Boyfriends is about just that boyfriends, multiple. It starts out with four boys each who have run ins with each other. Whether it be roommates (omg and they were roommates), to watching a jock play sports, or bumping into a cute little guy by accident their lives will all become entangled. This story is so cute. It starts off with introductions to everyone and how they all met and turns into adorable stories of daily shenanigans and navigating being queer, being poly, and growing into yourself while dealing with all of that and being in college. It is light-hearted but also gives you many aspects to relate to even if you aren’t queer. Each character is set up to appear simple for example they all have names but are also referred to their personality types, Prep, Goth, Nerd, Jock. And although it has been very simplified, they are all complex characters that if you are one or more of those things can relate to and understand their struggles within the world of college and dating. I can’t wait for book 2 to see how these characters grow and change into the people they are meant to become.

Refrainbow has created a queer world that anyone would love to be a part of. It sucks you in and even for a little bit you become part of their world.

This book is a delightful introduction to the jock, the prep, the goth, and the nerd and their glorious romances amongst each other!

I was so excited when I found out this was becoming a physical book! I cannot wait to see it on shelves!

This is your warm cup of comfort in the form of romance, understanding, and cotton candy colored delight.

Sadly I did not love this one. While the stories can be cute little mouthpiece, as a whole they become a bit bland. The characters tend to react very according to their archetype and I don't really see it developing anywhere deeper. It's too bad because I was excited to read something that inclusive, but it was just alright.

I got an ARC of this book.

100 pages in and no one has names, no character development, no good jokes. Nothing that would make me want to keep reading this. The art is cutesy, which could have been wonderful, but there was nothing here. Makes me sad. I wanted more polyam queer content.

The art of this collection of webcomics is adorable, and it's slice-of-life content appealing. I really enjoyed the polycule / polyamorous representation it presents, especially when such relationships are still not covered in many other forms of literature. Most satisfying was the clear and open communication, establishing of boundaries, and enthusiastic consent that all participants show in their relationship.

I’m tapping out pretty quick on this. The big text saying it’s property of WEBTOON and not to be shared is too annoying for me to read around. And what I could see didn’t look worth the annoyance.

4/5 Stars

Received as eARC on NetGalley

I have been following this comic on Webtoon and I still love going back and reading it.

Positives:
The artwork is adorable. The characters are adorable. The way they come together and support each other is adorable. Reading the updates to the Webtoon every week is a highlight. I love seeing how the art style has evolved since the comic was first started. I think having each boy be an archetype is super clever and it also allows the reader to witness how each boy is more than their initial archetype. We get to see how each archetype overlaps with the others and their relationship is all the stronger for it.

Negatives:
I think the pacing of their relationship is a little fast. I understand that it's a comic and obviously, there are conversations that happen off-screen that the reader is not privy to, but it felt like the boys went from crushes to dating to polyamory very quickly with very few issues. I know the comic isn't meant to be entirely realistic, but it would have been nice to see a bit more development in their relationship.

Overall, I love the representation and adorableness of this comic. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a cute, cozy, easy LGBTQ+ read to brighten their day.

I loved reading this when it first started on WEBTOON and found myself loving it just as much now! An adorable story following a queer polycule as they navigate their relationship.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Thank you to Net Galley and WEBTOON Unscrolled for the ebook ARC of Boyfriends Volume One in return for my unbiased review.

Boyfriends is an excellent example of the way in which Webtoon is increasing the accessibility of diverse stories to the general reader population, both via their free app and by their new publications. This graphic novel has a very positive depiction of LGBTQ+ relationships in college, particularly the depiction of the boys' polycule, and does not shy away from the ups and downs of relationships and life of those in their early adulthood.

I loved the story and the art style, and found it to be a very fun and positive read. The art works well to create emotion on the page and is very enjoyable from a visual standpoint.

At times the story is rather childish, the stereotypical personalities of the characters can feel limiting, and the disjointed nature of the storytelling can lead you to ask if you've missed something. Overall, despite this it is a genuinely fun read.

I would recommend this one to an audience of 18-30 year old LGBTQ+ folks and allies. This would be great particularly for those who are looking for something relating to the struggles and joys of college life, as despite the characters and relationships being very different from my own college experience, it made me feel nostalgic!

This was just the actual cutest thing ever! I really loved everything about these four boys and how they fall into love together. I like how each of them is a stereotype (Goth, Nerd, Prep, and Jock) and how they're just so much more than their stereotype. I love how sweet and kind they all were with each other and how they talked about things and how respectful they always were. Plus, the artwork is just the cutest ever. I loved everything about this story and can't wait for more!

What a light and adorable read! Was definitely a fun experience and I'm so glad I got the opportunity to read this!