This is a story of Harriet, a teenage girl, who is lonely and isolated after she moves with her family to a new town. It is the summer before school starts and she is sad to miss out in returning to summer camp and her friends there.
At first it appears that Harriet is she is home alone because her parents work odd hours and attend night school. But you slowly begin to see that she is home alone because of a chronic illness. She meets the landlady, her neighbor, and they gradually bond. The landlady Pearl, tries to look out for Harriet, and gives her classic novels to read that she hopes will resonate with her. Pearl has a son, since then grown up with a family of his own, who suffered from polio. Harriet becomes curious about this son and feels a connection to a person with a similar health struggle. Harriet decides to confide in her parents about the recurrence of her symptoms and her fears about a new school and loneliness and they work toward facing these problems together.

I think this was a good book which would be helpful for teens struggling with loneliness and invisible disabilities. Special thanks to Netgalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest opinion.

Moving away from home and starting a new school are big enough events, but Harriet also has something else to contend with: a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Dealing with her chronic illness, a scorching hot summer in Chicago, and longing for her friends from summer camp, there's a lot to discover for the titular character of Sincerely, Harriet.

Harriet's summer has been trying, what with moving to a new state, figuring out her feelings regarding her M.S. diagnosis and the symptoms, plus being mostly alone all day as her parents work hard at difficult and/or multiple jobs. Her imagination runs wild at times, making up stories about the mailman, the landlady/neighbor downstairs, and the possibilities of a haunted third floor.

Telling tall tales is something that might be familiar to middle grade readers. Harriet shares this trait with another Harriet in literature (Harriet the Spy). Fans of Louise Fitzhugh's novel may well find themselves entertained with this graphic novel. Harriet of Sincerely also finds comfort in writing, although her attempts are in postcards that include a fantasy life in Chicago and letters to a fictional version of her landlady Pearl's son, Nicholas.

The letters to Nicholas, Harriet's exploration of the third floor (where Nicholas stayed while ill and in quarantine), and some panels along the way help to tell a story of chronic illness across not only generations, but across race lines as well. Harriet is a young Latinx girl whose parents are taking her to the best doctors they can find. Nicholas is an African-American boy who grew up in the 1950's and contracted polio. There's more about what that might have been like, such as segregated medical care, in the author's note, but in the text itself there are glimpses of what Harriet and Nicholas have in common, such as the use of a wheelchair as necessary and isolation from friends/potential friends.
Reading the book was very pleasant. The writing flowed very well and kept my interest along the way. The emotional moments were conveyed, at times, fairly quickly and without as much discussion as I'd have liked, but they were still strong. Art wise, the look of the graphic novel was skillful and suited nicely to the narrative, although I thought that there were some issues pertaining to details that looked a bit off.

I'd recommend this book for people looking for stories about dealing with chronic illnesses as well as good stories involving figuring out one's place in a new neighborhood. Harriet had her difficulties, but I liked her, even when those around her were criticizing her exaggerations. Figuring out her feelings regarding her M.S., figuring out how to deal with friends that aren't replying to postcards, all of this figuring was intense, but her strength showed through. She's a good heroine that should have her story shared and enjoyed, hopefully by many age groups (it's that good).

Definitely focused on a younger demographic than me. Nice clean art and colorwork. The story was too tame for me though.

This has a lot of heart with an open ending. It felt like a second volume should be coming. A contemporary story of a young girl with many life struggles and showcases how writing and reading can help us all.

#SincerelyHarriet #Netgalley

3.5 stars

Sincerely, Harriet follows Harriet, a young Latinx girl who has found herself bored and lonely after moving to a new place. Not only does she not know anyone in her new town, but her parents both have to work overtime or multiple jobs, and her friends from summer camp aren't even taking the time to write her back.

We quickly learn that her loneliness has caused her to become this habitual liar with a poor attitude, so she isn't the most likable protagonist, but there's definitely some growth to be had as she explores her own feelings and fears regarding her recent MS diagnosis. She befriends the elderly woman downstairs who teaches her about her oldest son's experience with polio in the 50s, and begins to find an outlet for her imagination as well as her loneliness. She's also forced to come to terms with feelings she seems to have for a girl from her summer camp the year before, which is a little painful to watch, but I appreciated what felt to me like a subtle tell of some sort of queer representation.

The artwork is cute, and I liked the representation a lot, but the plot itself doesn't have much to offer, so I have a hard time deciding when I would or would not recommend Sincerely, Harriet.

Thank you so much to Graphic Universe for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was so interesting! It was a quick read and I really enjoyed! I love the artist and the story overall. It was definitely fun to see a 90s summer portrayed in this story!

This is one of those slow burn sort of graphic novels, where you don't know why the main character is behaving the way she is.

We only know that she keeps trying to read classics that don't speak to her, that her parents have had to leave her alone at home, while the¥ work, and that the only person she has to talk to is her landlord/downstairs neighbor, an elderly black woman Pearl.

Pearl tries to find her books that she <strong>can</strong> relate to, as she certainly doesn't relate to The Great Gatsby. She is lonely, hispanic, and has some kind of chronic illness, that isn't disclosed until much later in the story.

Each book that Pearl picks, is still white, and privileged, and out of touch with Harriet's world. She tries her on The Secret Garden , and Harriet just can't get into it. Then she tries her on Wendy and Peter Pan, and it comes a little closer, but still isn't there. It isn't until she comes up with The Color Purple, that she feels as though she has connected.

The pictures are lovely, as evident below.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4696" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-9.05.09-AM.png" alt="Sincearly henrietta" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4697" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Screen-Shot-2018-11-05-at-9.04.00-AM.png" alt="Sincderly, Henrietta" />

A bit slow going, and there are things that are never quite explained, but not bad.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

A sweet, compelling story with wonderful illustrations. I can't wait to purchase this for the high school library that I work at. (Though, I also think it's an enjoyable read for young and adult readers alike.)

Sincerely, Harriet is a graphic novel I was intrigued by, as the kids I work with are scrambling for any and all graphic novels. Unfortunately, with a limited budget, I won't be purchasing Sincerely, Harriet.

While the illustrations are fine, I found the plot to be lacking in any kind of excitement or interest. It wasn't until halfway through the book that things begin to change, or characters begin to open up about what is actually happening (for example, readers know Harriet is sick with something, but we are not told what until late in the book). Nothing actually happens in the course of the book, except Harriet finally reading a book, being nice to the older lady that lives downstairs, and joins a writing club (on the very last pages). I'm not sure how many students will be able to see themselves in Harriet or feel connected to her, as the character is so intensely secretive and quiet there's not much to go on. Overall, it was just OK.

The total package. Intriguing plot, wonderful authentic representation, "taste of life" of the characters, and interesting premise.

Wonderful art and powerful storytelling combine for a recommendable graphic novel experience — worth sharing with readers young and old.

Super sweet, genuine story that is juxtaposed by the light, chipper and bright style of the animation.

The idea behind this graphic novel, to highlight life as a teen with a chronic illness, is a noble one. However, the format is odd, the main character doesn’t get to explain her feelings enough, and the cliches are heavy. Furthermore, the books given to the main character to read each hint at what she might be going through, but she never reads most of them and as the graphic novel is written for teens if they haven’t read these classics they won’t understand the connections. If the characters were more developed, the art style more consistent with fuller pictures of many of the scenes, and the story more fleshed out, it would be a winner.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Sincerely, Harriet is the sweet story of a girl who moves to Chicago with her family. I loved how curious and creative Harriet was. The representation in this book was great, Harriet has MS and I think it was well portrayed in the story. I also appreciated the teenage struggles the author decided to include in the book, like for example Harriet having difficulties making friends. Pearl and Harriet's friendship was just the cherry on top, I enjoyed reading their conversations and their talks about books and the past.
I highly recommend this graphic novel.