A well done but fun work. It's a bit of weird read but it's definitely worth reading. I'd definitely recommend it to people who enjoy weird comics or enjoyed games like Hatoful Boyfriend.

Awesome graphics.. loved this graphic novel! It was. It's a cute witty novel of love.. nothing different.. but he's a bear!

There is no question, going into this book, what sort of reading experience you're in for. I mean honestly, the woman is dating a literal bear. It's an odd concept but conveys a number of real world messages about relationships, judgement, and impermanence.

Nora has dated a lot of jerks. Now all she wants is a boyfriend that will cuddle. Though friends and family are not always supportive of her choice, she finds the perfect boyfriend in a bear. Their relationship is cute and almost perfect, but what will happen when winter comes?

Weird premise, but I loved it!

My book club has been reading Bear by Marian Engel. We have one copy and we write comments in it before passing it along to the next person. The final person finished it and last Friday we got together to do a final review complete with dramatic readings of the comments. As you can imagine, when I saw this title, I HAD to get a copy of it. I mean, first, it would be an inside joke with my book club. Second, the story is odd but the cover is... adorable?

My boyfriend is a Bear isn't a joke. It had some funny, and sweet moments. When it's hibernation time, and Nora is left alone to face the relationship criticism from her family and friends, I felt so bad for her. I don't know of many women who will say anything bad about a person's partner while the relationship exists. She had her own doubts the relationship would survive the time apart and to have that piled on top of her was just crappy of her friends and family to do.

THIS WAS WEIRD.
OK, so this is a book about a girl and his bear boyfriend. At the beginning, I thought "well, this would be cute" buttttt I didn't expect them to date and have sex(literally). Whatttttttttt? She should have listen to her friends, I mean is a BEARRRRRR. Nothing good can come from that.
Although, the dialogues were really fluent and the art was nice(not my favorite type of illustration). Overall, I think this book is for the open-minded people that can accept that a girl is obsessed with a bear LOL. They could have been friends and that could have worked well!!

As always, I love it when the title tells you everything you need to know.
After she cuts her hair, the story goes into flashback to how they met. She goes hiking, there’s the bear, they like each other, they’re in a relationship, much of which takes place in her apartment, not the woods. There’s inherent problems with dating a bear, but love seems to conquer all.
It’s the little things that make this worthwhile, small touches of humor. Some of my faves:
As someone allergic to bee stings, I second the advice about not dating them, especially the queen.
Glad there was a mention of her favorite sundress, because otherwise it seems like all she has is that one dress that she wears everywhere. She even says she doesn’t like to wear pants, and the bear is okay with that.
There’s a list of all the things he’s broken, but never her heart, so it’s okay.
“Sup, LA?”
There’s a montage of guys she’s dated, though she sheepishly adds that it’s not a complete list.
The bear dressed in an Arcade Fire shirt. . . too much.
C’mon, Runyon is so over. Good choice with The Grove, though.
Subjecting the Bear to Downton Abbey is just cruel.
Throughout hibernation she’s trying to be somewhat normal, while at the bottom of each page there’s a series of panels showing the bear tossing and turning.
Her favorite swear word is “balls,” which on her is so cute. And she blushes when he uses “boobs” in Scrabble. His favorite word is “Grah!” but then it’s his only word.
Was surprised that the beautiful artwork on the cover was not replicated inside; not that the rest of it is bad, it’s just a lot simpler.
Everything that was said about this is true. Really sweet and optimistic. Doesn’t try to be any deeper than it is.

It's a graphic novel about a girl who is in a relationship with a bear. It's not a were-bear, or a person cursed to be a bear, or a Beauty and the Beast thing. Her boyfriend is literally a bear. It's strange, and you have to not think too closely about it, but it's oddly adorable and compelling.

I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more to the story though.

I am finding it hard to decide if I liked this book or not. It's a love story of a woman and bear. The bear is everything she has ever wanted in a man, and she loves him. The bear is not anthropomorphic, it does not talk, but it does get a job, fix things, etc. He’s never meant to be human, or a representation of a human. The story is simple, quick and cute. But it the panel about mating season being fun… Can’t get that one out of my head. Especially when there is an illustration later in the book of 2 bears mating, that the human bear mating thing lingers in the back of my mind, and make me think eeeeeee.

The story was strange but the art was great! You gotta love romance and satire smooshed together in one well drawn comic.

I adore this little graphic novel. From the illustrations to the pure emotions, I read this from cover to cover in glee. This book is a treat. A young woman’s relationship with an actual live bear is met with struggles – from a friend’s negative reactions, to the challenge of not seeing each other for the months of hibernation. Though the obstacles are definitely specific to their unique relationship, the message rings loud and clear for everyone to hold close: Do what makes you happy with the people (or bears?) that you love most and don’t worry about the rest. Five stars from me.

This book is ridiculous, quirky, and, yes, it stars an actual bear, and OH BOY I loved it. I haven’t read many rom-com graphic novels, but I definitely need to look for more if this is the kind of story to expect!

Nora lives in LA, has a demoralizing job at a scammy call center, and has had a long string of lame boyfriends. When her latest boyfriend makes fun of her for reading women’s magazines while camping, she storms off, only to encounter a very surprised bear. Suffice it to say that both the camping trip and that relationship is over! Some time later, she goes to take out the trash and finds the bear standing by her trashcans with her magazines. And, thus, the start of a beautiful relationship. It turns out that, despite that fact he can’t speak English, he’s a pretty decent boyfriend. He cuddles, he fixes things around the house, and apparently they have a pretty good sex life.

So, yeah, Nora and Bear end up in a relationship, and they are honestly a cute couple. Nora's family and friends have a mixed reaction, understandably. People stare and point when they're out in public (if they don't run away screaming). One of her friends is completely against the relationship ("You guys don't share the same backgrounds! What do you even talk about?") while the other is so pro-Bear that she becomes more of his friend than Nora's. So, beneath the cute story about a bear and a girl, there's a lot of themes: navigating toxic and over-supportive friends, interracial and intercultural relationships, parents who don't think any partner will be good enough for you, and all the things that go into making a relationship work - including navigating a long distance relationship when he goes into hibernation.

The art is perfect for the story, cute and colorful, with a mix of manga-style character art, a more realistic style, and even watercolor-like art for when Bear's in hibernation.

Overall, it's a cute mix of sweetness and sadness, and I'm definitely looking forward to whatever Ribbon and Ferris come up with next! Recommended for anyone who loves quirky love stories!

This wasn't bad, I liked the art style a lot. The story just wasn't for me. It was a little weirder than I expected, more serious and less funny than I expected, which made it go in weird directions I wasn't expecting. I ended up skimming through most of it because I just wasn't into it. Maybe someone else whose sense of humor is more in line with the author's will enjoy this more.

Definitely a different basis for a graphic novel- but it works! Artwork is good, and the story is adorable. The Bear with little reading glasses gave me a smile every time!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

The premise of this book was very strange, but it was actually really lovely and heartwarming. It was a lot of fun to read, and the scenery and colours are beautiful to look at. Personally, my favourite character was Nutso the cat, but the bear was pretty fun too.

This was a breath of fresh air for me. I was truly surprised at how deep and touching this story was, and appreciated how different it was from the majority of graphic novels that I tend to read. I loved the main character Nora, and sympathized with her never ending struggle to find a decent, and respectful man that will treat her right. She ends up meeting Bear, and falling in love with him. As you can imagine, living and loving a 500 lb bear can come with its challenges, but also it's perks. I will admit to smiling, laughing, and even crying while reading this. I simply loved it, and will be recommending it to all of my graphic novel loving friends. I especially know my Litsy friends will be excited to gobble this one up.

I have received a much appreciated digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is perfect for the quirky reader who is looking for something fun and different. In spite of the odd premise, this was a very cute book with a whole lot of heart. For some readers, this will be an easy sell. I can see others struggling with it a little, but I would still recommend it, especially to young adult readers and those interested in comics and graphic novels.

Alright this is a hard one to review.

See, originally I wasn't going to request this one because the girl is in a relationship with a bear.... then I thought, "There was no way they'd write something like this! Maybe it is a Beauty & the Beast thing or a metaphor..."
NO
It is a woman and a bear from the wild.

She has bad luck with guys, usually ending up with weirdos or meanies (although I don't see why wearing suspenders automatically puts someone in the negative column), so when a bear shows up on her doorstep and they start to get along, she starts dating him.
Sure, the bear understands her, has his own way of communicating, is super sweet and attentive, and even gets a job at one point, but seriously?
Also how does a bear get a job???

Reading about a human and bear relationship is just so difficult because 'bestiality' keeps running through my mind. Especially since they share a bed and there are hints that they have sex. WHY?!

It was so hard to read, but I will admit that I loved the artwork and I thought the story was cute. The bear is like the perfect boyfriend (except 1. he is a bear and 2. hibernation???). It gets three stars for the story-telling, the art, and I actually had some fun reading it.

It is uber cute and I could feel my emotions reaching out to relate to the main character and then I'd remember she is literally in a relationship with a bear, and I'd get uneasy again.

I don't know what to tell you. Do I recommend this to people??? I DON'T KNOW! If you don't mind the bear it is really cute, so maybe AND maybe you'll see more metaphors than I did and be able to appreciate it more. This is just a weird, weird book for me.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A friend mentioned this book to me and of course I had to immediately look it up. The description made me laugh and the art look great, so I decided to check it out. I loved this book beary much! The art is fantastic and the writing is witty and charming. It really, really is an actual bear and it's so ridiculous but adorable and so much fun!

LOVE THIS BOOK. Well-paced story, interesting characters, lovely artwork, strong emotional punch at the end. It leans right into the surreal central concept – the title isn't a metaphor, and though the story can be read as an allegory for an 'opposites attract' relationship, it's also literal. I also liked that it doesn't flinch at the logical conclusion that Nora and the bear would have a sex life (even mentioning periods). I liked this a lot, and will be buying a copy when it's out.

If you read The Gracekeepers and shipped North and the bear, this is the book for you.