A quick, thought-provoking read about issues that affect us all. The dynamic and minimalist design help drive home the message of this graphic novel. The repetitive quality of the narrative helps deliver a timely and timeless message about discrimination, sexism, and racism. What younger readers will like about this book is its honesty and frankness. Importantly, the book presents an optimistic view of what happens when we work together to remove social and systemic barriers. The color story of this GN gives it a modern feeling which compliments its more minimalist presentation. Great, fast read for teenagers which will likely help provoke important discussions about what it means to be a girl today and how we can make it better for the future.

*I received an ARC e-book from Netgalley*
I loved this graphic novel which is part poetry, part essay and manifesto, with a gorgeous art style. The phrase "What Makes Girls Sick and Tired" is repeated a lot in the book but it is also countered with sizable amounts of text in between repeated phrases. The book is full of powerful imagery and very true issues with women/girls have to deal with/suffer through. I would love to read this again in it's physical format to the get the full effect of the book. And bonus of this is that I can check off a challenge from the popsugar reading challenge of reading a translated work.

This is a short graphic handbook highlighting everyday sexism. My initial impression was that it was very short but having thought about it more I think the length is just right. If this book is to target those among us who may need more convincing on feminist issues, the book needs to be simple and to the point. This book manages to do just that I hope it reaches a wide reading audience.

Great book with empowering messages, love the atwork as well. It was quite simple, but touches all the important bases on feminism.

This comic drives home the many ways that girls and women are sick and tired of being oppressed, objectified, and used. It may seem repetitive to some with it's use of "Girls are sick and tired" as a start to every sentence in the book, but this repetition is purposeful and powerful, helping readers understand the constant emotional and physical punches dealt daily to women in a society where they are undervalued and under-supported.

A well illustrated, quick read on the reality that women face daily. It manages to be both heartbreaking and hopeful with a reminder that feminism means being supportive, encouraging, and united in solidarity with one another.

Thank you to Netgalley and Second Story Press for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

What Makes Girls Sick and Tired is a fantastic feminist graphic novel by Lucile de Pesloüan and Geneviève Darling. Minimalist style and beautiful art streamline the message of the book, and declutter what could have been a complicated narrative.

A feminist manifesto in graphic novel form that denounces the discrimination against and unfairness felt by women from childhood to adulthood. Illustrated in a strikingly minimalist style with images of girls with varied body types and personalities, invites teenagers to question the sexism that surrounds us, in ways that are obvious and hidden, simple and complex.

The book’s beginnings as a fanzine shine through in its honesty and directness, confronting the inequalities faced by young women, everyday. And it ends with a line of hope, that with solidarity, girls will hurt less, as they hold each other up with support and encouragement.

The good:
The art is adorable. I loved the monochromatic color scheme in a beautiful purple, and I think the shaded line drawings pull attention to the right places on every page.
One could argue that the narrative is too simple, or that the story is flat, but I think blunt phrasing prevents important issues from being sugarcoated. I like that this story isn’t meant to cater to anyone, it’s an acknowledgement of the hardships women face.
Everyone is included! Queer girls! Girls of color! I could go on, but I think I’ll just use a quote:

“Girls live a wide range of experiences: there are gay girls, trans girls, queer girls, Indigenous girls, sad girls, sick girls, girls who are rich, who are poor, girls who are immigrants, racialized girls, white girls, city girls, suburban girls and country girls, girls with disabilities, tall girls and short girls, vegan girls, girls who are militant, confident, or shy…”

Some of the topics included surprised me. They were things I’d experienced or seen occur, but I never would have expected them to be put into words in a compilation like this. Props to the authors for being so perceptive and open to including all sorts of experiences that women have.

The bad:
I wish ageism had been mentioned. The book focused on young women, which is great, but I feel we must remember that older women are still women and deserve to be recognized as well.

Overall, 4.5/5 stars, but I’m rounding up!

Relatable. "Feminist" should never be an insult.
Great book for feminists and people who aren't clear on that word alike :)

This short graphic novel does a lot with just 52 pages. The facts in this book are ones that most of us know, especially us women. We know what we're sick and tired of.

But the thing I really love is how inclusive this book is. It covers trans women, indigenous women, plus size women and any other type of girl you can think of. I think 'white feminism' is absolutely a thing, and this book really puts into perspective the struggles of not just women in general, but the struggles even most of us women can't relate to. Genital mutilation, honor killings, spoils of war. It makes you stop and it makes you realize how we have it as a gender, but how much harder other women have it based on race/religion/location.

The illustrations are so well done and fit the tone of the book perfectly. Every type of woman is represented.

I got chills reading this more than once in the very short 52 pages. Definitely recommend to everyone, man or woman to refresh things you may already know but don't think about nearly enough.

I liked the concept and thought that the graphic novel does cover a lot of bases, however it felt exceptionally simplified; it would definitely work for young adult readers, and especially young girls, as a tool to get the conversation started.

This book certainly packs in a lot in a small number of pages. It's an abrupt and shocking collection of reasons why girls/women are sick and tired, and looks at a broad spectrum of issues, including the wage gap, catcalling, and even honour killing. The illustrations are simple yet effective, and serve to break up the sometimes brutal facts brought out in the book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A brief, simple and sometimes shocking litany of the day to day things that girls and women experience when they shouldn't. Designed primarily for the preteen or younger teen reader, the book is sure to spark thought about what it means to be a woman in today's world, and how we can all work and strive to make it better. The illustrations feel current but I was not a fan of the monochromatic colouring style.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked very much the concept of this lovely graphic novel. It faces important themes such as feminism and sexism in a simple but yet powerful and effective way. With just a few pages, it lays the foundations for a real confrontation on the matter.
I just wish it was a bit longer than this. There are so many things that could have been included here, even if I think it covered most of the major points.
The illustrations are simple, but very cute.

"Girls are less sick and tired when they are encouraging, supportive, and united in solidarity with one another. It's the best part of feminism."

A very light and easy read! I really enjoyed the feminist themes and I could relate to a lot of things that "make girls sick and tired". The illustrations added something to the book that made it very pleasant to look at. Overall, it was a good book, but it was too short for me.

This book is more or a visual essay. The author does a lovely job of explaining the ways in which women are subjugated. The illustrations are poignant and intersectional. I think this would be great to share with students who are struggling to see the ways in which women are oppressed.

I don't really have much to say about this one, it basically delivers on what it says in the description. It's the kind of thing where I think the target audience/the people who will read this probably already know most of this information, and there are only a couple of stats so a lot of it is just "this happens to women and that makes us angry" which I guess is fair enough, but I didn't get a lot out of that.

The art was pretty nice, it's quite simple but I like the style, and the cover is great, it really emphasises the "I'm over this"-ness of it all.

I really liked this graphic novel. It was short and to the point, and 100% honest. It was inclusive, simple, and creative. I loved the illustrations. I'm probably going to buy a copy or check it out at the library so I can see it in its true format.

Thank you for the ARC. This book reads like a picture book on feminism, but the subject matter is too mature for grade school girls. Each page has one sentence listing a feminist issue along with an illustration. That's as far as the book goes. I wish the author had done more with the information. I appreciate the inclusion of issues outside the white female author's experiences.

Minimalist illustrations of women and girls are accompanied by relatable experiences and horrific statistics in this graphic novel for teenagers about sexism.

"What Makes Girls Sick and Tired" is a good conversation starter regarding feminism. Geneviève Darling’s illustrations are inclusive and unapologetic, adding to Lucile de Pesloüan’s no-nonsense approach to the negative impact of sexism. A compact, informative Feminism 101 read, this graphic novel will have you saying "thank u, next" to anyone who dares question your experiences.

The LGBTQ+ and POC representation and acknowledgement of how the author and illustrator’s identities have influenced the graphic novel are greatly appreciated.

I really liked the idea of this book, and it had some great statements and nice artwork, but it was also quite simplistic. However, it would make a nice gift, especially to young people who have just started exploring ideas about feminism and equality.

*An ARC was provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.*

What Makes Girls Sick and Tired reflects on the unfortunate but truthful realities of being a female.

Described as a feminist manifesto by Lucile de Pesloüan, she writes about what everyone should know but is kept hidden under the carpet. It shares how women are discriminated in the workforce and society’s unrealistic expectations of them. It even includes facts and statistics from credible sources.

My only problem is with the formatting and the rare repetition of pictures. I believe it was a formatting issue as some of the text are not lined correctly or may seem a little out of place.

Overall, I agreed with most of the issues that were mentioned and I think the graphics were well-drawn and suitable.