This was unexpectedly charming and moving. And relateable on so many levels.

For me I understood where both Sebastian and Frances were coming from; obligation vs. self is a common struggle (if not always so dramatically and prettily done).

At some point we're all faced with the question of what our dreams mean to us and how we can incorporate them into our lives. For Sebastian his dream was the harder of the two - even now it would be a harder dream to see fulfilled, even though the world has progressed in some ways.

I greatly enjoyed the kinetic feeling of the drawings as well. I read a (very) early advanced reader copy of this book (digitally no less), so I can't speak to how the images will look in print, but just from what I've seen they will pop. The colors are softer, with bright colors really coming off the page and catching you with the detail work.

In the end I found this book to be the perfect way to pass a couple hours and look forward to sharing it with my niece.

This graphic novel was a cute and quick read. Totally different plot direction than I was expecting but good themes of friendship and acceptance.

THIS WAS AWESOME! I read In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and really enjoyed the art, so reading an original work by Jen Wang was perfect. I will absolutely be recommending this to friends and buying it for loved ones.

This book is incredible! I loved every minute of it. I even showed it to an agender friend, and they were over the moon about it. This book is not just checking off "diversity boxes" as I'm sure people will grouse about elsewhere on the internet, it is a truly great story. There's intrigues and tensions, and the art is just gorgeous. I would freely recommend this book far and wide.

Such a cute book! One of my favorites of the year! All about the friendship and the importance of it. When your a teen it is all about finding who you are and the characters in this are going through that together with LOTS of pretty dresses! The illustrations are gorgeous and the story gives you all the feels :)

I gave this book a chance and read it the entire way through but it was just a bit much for me, I wouldn't recommend it myself.

I wish there were more stars to give as I enjoyed myself immensely when reading this marvel. This graphic novel is so beautiful in every way. The art is rich and colorful, sometimes cute and sometimes very dignified. Nearly every character is so lovable and different. I fell in love with all of them. The story is funny, suspenseful, and so important in its message. At some point I cried tears of joy. This book will not only have a place on my shelf (as soon as it is out, thank you for providing the e-galley) but also in my heart.

set in turn of the twentieth century paris, the prince and the dressmaker follows prince sebastian and his best friend and dressmaker frances. sebastian likes wearing dresses and decides to pursue his dreams by hiring frances as his designer after seeing an extremely excellent dress she creates for another girl at a ball ("listen frances. this ball is toss and i'm not happy about going. design me something that makes me look like the devil' CHALLENGE ACCEPTED AND DEFEATED). with her help he becomes lady crystallia, french fashionplate EXTRAORDINAIRE

i'm amazed this isn't coming out for another half year because it is SO polished, jen wang could easily publish it today. the art is great; very expressive and the dresses actually look as impressive as they're described as -- which is hard to pull off!

more importantly -- to me, anyways, character reader that i am -- sebastian and frances are LOVELY. they're so sweet and supportive of each other and i read each development in their relationship with delight. frances is the kind of friend you want in your corner! sebastian is a precious kindhearted jewel! they deal with conflict SO WELL ahhhh!!!

everybody buy this when it comes out, if you like friendship or fashion or stories about kids growing up and pursuing their dreams in the face of social barriers then it will be your JAM

4 stars

The Prince and the Dressmaker, is by far the cutest thing I’ve read this year.

It’s about a teenage prince who likes to cross-dress, and the seamstress who has bigger dreams than her age, and the pains of growing up, in a way. It’s a story out of a fairytale, and the illustrations fit the narrative perfectly. This isn’t my favourite illustration style, but it definitely is the best for Jen Wang’s story.

Their story starts with a dress Frances made for the ball given in the honor of Sebastian, who is the prince. Sebastian likes the dress so much that decides to employ Frances – and have her make dresses for himself.

They become friends immediately, and live through the ups and downs of friendship, of growing up, of discovering yourself. I loved how Frances accepted Sebastian thoroughly and did this withouth a second thought! I also loved how the issue was handled (in a lot of ways), and how Frances went out and worked hard to make something for herself.

It also has a lot of positive messages spread out, but Jen Wang doesn’t hit you in the face with them – they’re subtle, little things that you pick up or see while reading the story of Frances and Sebastian.

It’s definitely something I’d read over and over again when I’m feeling down, and when I want something cute and fun and happy to remind myself hope is a part of life, and there are people who’ll accept me as I am – as Frances did to Sebastian.

I would definitely recommend picking this one up.

This graphic novel is the story of a young prince, a prince who adorns dresses and becomes Lady Crystallia. The fashion world of Paris is blown away by the gorgeous attire that Lady Crystallia, aka Prince Sebastian, wears. These dresses are created by the young Frances, who is hired solely to make the dresses for Sebastian. The Prince and the Dressmaker is a beautifully drawn tale that showcases friendship, acceptance, family, and love. Overall, this is a cute graphic novel and is one that I would purchase for my library.

This graphic novel is beautifully done! The art is fantastic, the characters are lovable, and the story is charming! I was with a warm, fuzzy feeling upon finishing the book. I also enjoy the fact that that it covers a topic that isn't typically seen in a lot of books. (It covers gender non-conforming themes in a serious, but light way- not as a means to humor.)

I can't wait to purchase a hard copy!

Wonderful art with a great story. I love the idea of the story and look forward to reading more by Jen Wang.

What can I say other than I loved this book and will definitely be purchasing it for our collection.

I chose this book from my interest in YA novels, but nowhere in the NetGalley description did it say that it was a graphic novel... I don't do graphic novels - I have a hard time following the sequence, for some reason. While I will say that the drawings are gorgeous and the storyline isn't bad, it also isn't believable for the setting, and the modern language didn't fit the time period well.

I couldn't help the wide smile that spread across my face as I read this delightful story. Not only is the art adorable, but the content in itself is insightful, endearing, and a nice spin on Prince Charming.

This book was just 100% great! The illustrations were beautiful, and the friendship/romance between the main characters was so emotional and wonderful. I couldn't put this down--We need more books like this, and I can't wait to booktalk this to our local schools.

This book was absolutely delightful. I first heard about it a couple of years ago, on Tumblr, advertising the author's kickstarter for the project, and have been eagerly awaiting it ever since. I was extremely excited to see it on netgalley. It's a cute, original story, that deals with modern issues in a sweet fantasy setting. it has amazing art and wonderful writing, and I would strongly recommend this to anyone.

This is not your typical prince and princess fairy tale. Jen Wang has crafted a unique story that will resonate with readers of various ages and provide many ideas for discussion. Social class, identity, and gender roles are all addressed in the gentle, beautiful art and words of Jen Wang. A definite purchase for your library.

The graphic novel is a historical fiction set in Paris in the late 19th Century, and stars Frances a talented but frustrated seamstress, and her employer, the shy Crown Prince Sebastian of Belgium who turns into the fabulously outgoing Lady Crystallia, fashion icon to all the young Parisians. Problems arise when Sebastian must keep his personal life very secret as his parents are trying to marry him off at the earliest opportunity, so he is meeting eligible young woman during the day and becoming one at night. Of course things become complicated, and Sebastian pulls a really douche bag move trying to save himself and his reputation. Will he be able to salvage his friendship with Frances and become the person he really wants to be? To find out, read this fabulous graphic novel. Recommended for ages 13+, 5 stars.

I loved that this volume was all about self-acceptance and self-discovery. Being on a bit of similar journey myself, I was really drawn into the story. I found it fascinating that it was involving a cute but awkward prince who doesn’t see the value in himself as a boy, and only feels confident when he dresses in women’s clothing. There has been a lot of press with this sort of story lately, so it is nice to see such as well-thought-out handling of the subject matter. Frances is able to show him how beautiful he can be in her gorgeous dress creations.She finds someone a real friend who supports her dreams and wants her to grow and improve, and finds the same in Sebastian. One example of this, is when Sebastian meets one of Frances’ idols Madame Aurelia when he is dressed as Lady Crystallia, and they both get invited to the Paris Opera House to see her latest creations for the ballet, and the opportunity to show her work to a master dressmaker and he’s as excited as she is. Then he takes her out to eat as the Prince, treats her like a princess, and tells her how much he admires her tenacity. Squeee! That is so adorable!

I love the artwork, especially all the gorgeous dresses and the time period (which seems to have been set sometime during the Belle Epoque – circa 1871-1914). The story, as other reviewers have commented on, does have a lot of “awww” moments where you just want to hug them both and tell them everything will be alright, especially Sebastian. And the part at the end with his dad was so sweet, though I’m not sure if it would ever happen like that in real life, at least not with royalty (we can always hope!). The part that almost made me cry like a baby was at the end when the King says to Frances, “When I first learned the truth, I thought Sebastian’s life would be ruined. But seeing you, I realized everything would be fine…Because someone still loved him.”

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from First Second Books, in exchange for my honest review.

The colors in this graphic novel are just gorgeous. (All the pastels reminded me of a Wes Anderson film!) The dresses were beautiful too, even if the artwork in general isn’t my style. Don’t take that as a criticism, though, it’s simply personal taste.

The story was awful cute, but what I think really dragged down my enjoyment was the dialogue. I didn’t think the dialogue matched the charm and the love of the artwork—instead, it was clumsy, clunky, and forced. How phenomenal this graphic novel could have been if there were no words at all! With a little re-working, I think Wang could have pulled it off. Also worth mentioning: the cast of characters is overwhelmingly white. This was possibly my biggest disappointment.

Still, Wang has created an adorable comic here that will resonate with many readers of all ages.