4+ stars
At first, I thought this was going to be another story about loss during pregnancy and the resulting depression, but really is so much more. Extremely impactful, true life story gets quickly to the traumatic event and then spends a lot of time on the journey of healing, recovery and personal change that occurs.
A beautiful book – graphics are excellent, pacing of story pitch perfect and the narrative compliments the illustrations and is just right.
Highly recommend.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Boom! Studios, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a story of two lesbians journey of losing a child. Regardless of the gender of your spouse (or your own gender) this story of miscarriage is very poignant. The use of colour (or lack thereof) to demonstrate times of grief and depression is really well done. Especially when the colours slowly start to show up in the panels of this graphic novel.

Based on writer Ingrid Chabbert’s true story of losing a baby; there is no denying that this is a story that is difficult but important to tell. Even today in modern healthcare countries there is still an approximate 30% pregnancy loss rate. And 1 in 5 woman are infertile. They either cannot have a child or carry to term successfully. With these kinds of numbers you’d expect our society to be so much better at handling this kind of loss; but instead we often hide these stories of grief and despair, which is of no help to anyone.

As a woman who cannot carry a baby to term and who (it is believed) lost a child early on as a teenager; Waves invoked an emotional response in me. I don’t often regret that I can’t have children. If one in five women are unable to; I’m glad to be one of the five so that my friends who were desperate to have children have been able to. As my age reaches the inevitable “point of no return” to try to have a child (I’m 35) there is an odd sense of leaving something behind even if I don’t want a child. Damn biology.

I felt like the illustrations of being lost at sea in Waves really captured the feeling many women have that they are floating or drowning alone with no one to help them. Whether you mourn a child that you never saw, a child that was fully formed, or a child that took only a few breathes; I think you will find some comfort in Waves.

Graphic novels can tell a story so eloquently sometimes without needing to have the right words, or any words at all. Carole Maurel has illustrated the emotions felt when words are not enough to explain. The strong story boarding, use of colour and select words at just the right time make Waves a truly special book and one that will hopefully help others feel like they are not alone.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

An incredible story of loss that needs to be told. Beautiful, ethereal illustrations set the somber tone of the book.

A very sad but beautiful story about a lesbian couple recovering from the loss of their unborn child. The art is perfect, very dreamy and expressive. It's a short read (only about 100 pages) but it packs a serious punch. Ends in a hopeful place.

Waves is a beautifully written exploration on the concepts of pain, loss, and recovery. It’s based on true events and emotions…which makes it all that much more heartbreaking to see. This is one of those stories that will always hit readers hard, but especially so when they’re dealing with their own loss. It’s something we can all sympathize with, and something we’ve all had to learn to cope with in our own way. In that sense it really doesn’t take much effort to connect with the narrator of this sad story.
This is the tale of love and loss. Of one couple who desperately wanted a child, only to face hardship and heartbreak. It’s not an uncommon experience in this world, but it is one that isn’t talked about enough. I give the author so, so much credit for being able to be open about her experiences, and I wish her all the best in life.
I am grateful for the opportunity to read this, and even more importantly; I hope this gave Ingrid Chabbert and her family some sense of closure.

A very moving and touching story about loss, hope, resilience, and love.

It’s very beautiful how not only the drawings and the use of colours help the reader to move throughout the story and to understand how the characters feel.

As someone who has experienced miscarriage, I can truly relate to the pain this main character felt. It truly feels like drowning. I’m glad that her world started to brighten again over time.

Waves is the heartbreaking story of a couple's attempts to have a child, and their struggle to keep going through the adversities. The dreamy-like illustrations accompany this wonderful story very well. This is a story that doesn't need a lot of words in order to be felt by the reader; and, indeed, the author uses only us much as needed. The result is stunning.

Waves is a piece of art, one that all fans of graphic novels should put in their collection.

A powerful, moving, heart wrenching story about loss and healing. The illustrations of waves used throughout the story capture the ebb and flow of emotions experienced on the journey to heal.. Waves is a story of a woman and her partner's struggle to have a child. Sadly, there is a miscarriage. The rest of the story illustrates the internal pain and struggle the woman endures and her relationship with her loving partner. The two eventually find peace. A very important read for those who are struggling with loss.

Waves, written by Ingrid Chabbert and illustrated by Carole Maurel, is a poignant biographical comic that deals with themes of loss and healing. The art is wonderful--beautiful and charming in a way that I've learned to associate with Boom! comics--and portrays the characters and their journey perfectly. The choice to grey-wash everything after the author's tragedy, and then slowly adding back the colours was brilliant and poetic.

I'm thankful to Chabbert for sharing her story and creating this beautiful piece of art.

Content warnings for miscarriage, loss of child, infertility, depression

Based on the author's personal experiences with her partner, Waves follows a couple trying to have a baby, and the ways they are forced to find healing afterwards.

I don't know what I was thinking requesting an eARC of this graphic novel.

It was beautiful, and tragic, and so honest, and well-done... and one of the most miserable things I've ever read. I couldn't stop sobbing. Waves is brutal and, despite how great of a graphic novel it is, I wouldn't even know who to recommend this to because it's so sad. That said, it easily deserves the 5-star rating I'm giving it. I especially loved the snippets with the woman in the boat, and the way her progress paralleled with her healing journey.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hug my little rainbow baby and cry some more. I genuinely hope that Ingrid Chabbert and her partner have found peace and healing. ♥

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

Thank you Netgally and Boom! Studios for granting my wish!

I read this graphic novel over ten times, and cried over ten times. Based off of the author Ingrid Chabbert's own person experiences trying to conceive. Waves follows a young woman and her wife who are finally able to announce their pregnancy after years of trying. After a hospital stay they loose their baby and their lives become filled with heartbreak, and trying to figure out whats next in life. Please add it to your TBR List on amazon. You can thank me later.
Make sure you follow us on Instagram
@beedlethebardbooksleeves

Full review can be found on our blog!
https://mostlybookreviewsandlife.wordpress.com/2018/12/21/waves-an-early-review/

The story of this graphic novel is based on the author's experience of dealing with loss and depression. Giving birth to a child is both one of the greatest joy and suffering any woman could have. On the other hand, having a miscarriage is the most sorrowful experience any expectant women might encounter. Carole Maurel perfectly presented the narrative through her illustrations both the delight and agony that the readers will felt while reading.

Moreover, the story shows that there's no definite time a depressed person could move forward, but because of the support of people that surrounds them especially their loved ones, their ordeal or burden is lessened. Just like in the book, it also helps that there's a medium for them to release all the built-up grief and anxieties inside them.

Waves is a great graphic novel that offers a heartrending story; with corresponding beautiful illustrations, it will definitely strike readers, most especially women and mothers.

Powerfully moving story about love, lost and healing. I was impressed by how quickly I came to sympathize for our main characters. Their grief and love jumped off the page. The art style had a simple elegance to it that I felt worked well with the story. In the scenes without any words, I could clearly see what the characters were feeling. Im always on the lookout for more f/f graphic novels and Im happy to add this one to my recommendation list.

Such a beautiful story of love and loss. I think most people can relate to the feelings of grief even if they haven't experienced the exact same loss of a child. I just loved this all around.

As someone who batch-requests ARCs, I rarely remember what the book is about should it arrive on my Netgalley shelf. So I got sucker-punched once I got past the pretty, dreamy imagery of the first few pages and into the reality of a woman trying to conceive numerous times, and maybe this was the start of a new journey for her and her wife.

Despite not relating on a personal level, Waves was unexpectedly emotional. We learn that the dreamy seascape was an escape from reality, we are taken on a ride as the young couple goes through stages of coping with another loss.

I love the artwork and the use of colour to express the character's stages of grief. I love that someone tackled this difficult topic based on their own experience, and that this centres around a lesbian couple.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A graphic novel about a lesbian couple who've recently experienced a miscarriage, Waves was a very moving, if brief story. There is very little dialogue, very little insight into the character's point of view, instead a lot of drawings of the main characters looking unhappy. One of the downsides of graphic novels is that, like other forms of visual media, it can be harder to find the thoughts of the characters, even the one that the story is centered around. This book was no exception, and the fact that the characters spent very little time even talking did not help this. In addition, I wanted to see more of the main character's wife, her side of the story, etc. As it wasn't even from her POV, she was fairly one-dimensional, and given she was based on a real person, it would've been nice to see her more fleshed out.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. What was there I enjoyed. The drawings and scenes especially at the beginning of the book were visceral and emotional and I was gripped by what was happening. But I think there could have been more there.

Beautiful. I cannot praise this book enough. It tells the story it needs to in a spectacular fashion. The use of color to portray the loss and healing process was phenomenal. Though I have never experienced loss like this I cried along with the characters all the way.

Thank you NetGalley and specially BOOM! Studios for granting me this wish! (This graphic novel is not available for request openly, you need to wish for it and the publisher may randomly grant wishes among those interested).

I'm so glad I was given the opportunity to read this amazing graphic novel. It barely has 100 pages, and I was surprised by how many different feelings those few pages could contain. I cannot say I can understand what it feels like to mourn an unborn child, but Chabbert and Maurel made an incredible team to express it through their art. Something that particularly caught my eye was the use of colours throughout the story; the black and white meant sorrow and mourning of course, but what was truly beautiful was how, little by little, colour started to appear here and there, until the whole page was bright with a complete palette, reflecting the author's progress in her overcoming her loss and being ready to let go and allowing herself to live and start again.

Last but not least, I have the need to point out how, yes, this is an LGBTQ+ story since the main female character is married to another woman, but no, this is not something relevant in it. I love when LGBTQ+ characters are described and shown as what they are - just people. They are not reduced to their sexuality; that is just one more characteristic that they happen to have. BUT I do not mean to say that the fact that they are LGBTQ+ should be ignored. It is very important to show queer characters in this "one more of the bunch" way but drawing some attention to it at the same time (oh the irony) in order to normalise these relationships. Queer youths should be able to identify themselves and also knowing that they are much more than a label.

A graphic novel (GN) written by Ingrid Chabbert and illustrated by Carole Maurel, this is a powerful piece of work about a lesbian couple trying to have a child. This book is based on the author’s real-life experience.

The GN follows the couple from trying to get pregnant, through losing their child and slowly recovering. It is touching, moving and the one thing that comes across the strongest is the love that the two women share. Their trust, love and sharing with each other validates our belief in love and happily ever after, if the partner is right.

The illustrations are fantastic. The pages and sequences where only the illustrations are telling the story without any words are nothing short of mastery. Particularly the frames that show the state of mind are fabulous.