Four friends start a menstrual revolution at their high school, focused on advocating for menstrual equity and removing menstrual stigmatization and shame.

This was the first middle grade book I have read that focused on menstrual equity. The graphic novel format makes the book more accessible to reluctant readers. The red color palette was fitting for the subject matter. I appreciated learning more about menstruation from the blog posts in the book and the back matter. I was glad that the book touched on endometriosis and related diagnoses, both in the back matter and through one of the characters in the book. I also appreciated that the book was queer friendly, with references to the fact that trans men and gender nonconforming people also menstruated.

This YA graphic novel about periods, women’s rights, friendship, and activism is SO good! New to the high school, Sasha gets help from a group of girls when she gets a (messy) first period— and they invite her into their friend group. One of the friends is outraged that the bathrooms aren’t stocked with female supplies, let alone they don’t have any FREE supplies. So, she and her friends take action—writing a blog, creating art, and even vandalizing the school to make a statement. All the while, we see the ups and downs of high school life, which is made easier by a supportive group of girlfriends.

I'm so glad more books like this are coming into existence. The more we normalize growth and development and especially normalize conversations around menstruation, the better of kids will be. This is middle school friendly and I daresay girls who are fans of Raina Telgemeir or Shannon Hale will enjoy this one too!

What an awesome and relatable look into the world of periods. It has humor and heart and touched on so many topics that many books shy away from. Lily Williams art is excellent and I fell in love with all these characters -- looking forward to stocking my library shelves with this one for a long time!

Where was this book when I was a teen? Go with the Flow has honest talk about a girl's time of month and more. I definitely will recommend this to my middle schoolers! #gowiththeflow #netgalley

Great to have a new realistic fiction graphic novel for the middle and high school crowd. Loved the characters and the focus on menstruation was interesting and something that teens will fund eye opening.

I'm all in favor of the message of this book. The sheer cost and lack of availability of feminine hygiene products is frustrating. And then when you tack on the associated shame ... infuriating. As females we're made to feel like we can't talk about menstruation. The marketing for period products tends to be more about discretion than empowerment or hygiene. So I get what Williams and Schneeman are going for. The lack of conversation and the dismissal of female issues is a real problem and one that we can help to correct with small achievable steps. We can make strides just by refusing to be quiet. So, on messaging alone this book is worth the read. I found the plot sort of scattered. Side plots are introduced but never resolved.

Oh, my goodness gracious is this book amazing! I actually teared up a little reading this (at an information desk with tons and tons of children around, haha)! I guess I had some deep-seated issues with periods that I didn't know about that this book brought out. If I, a 29-year old cisgendered white woman, had this much of a reaction to this book, I can only imagine how much more it will mean to others. I especially loved that the book very specifically mentions multiple times that it is not just women who have periods, but also trans men and non-gender conforming people, who are so often left out of the conversation on menstruation. I can not say enough good things about this book and can't wait to have it on my library's shelves!

This is a great book! For a few pages it feels heavy handed in its message because the characters speak of it so formally but that is just a minor critique because the rest of the book does a great job being relatable to women and girls. I hope it compels some teens to think more about this topic and be changemakers!

So well written for my students' age group - the way the authors handled so many aspects of menstruation candidly and and reassuringly will be perfect for my junior high girls. They are also obsessed with graphic novels right now, so this is a definite add for me.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


A graphic novel about periods. I didn't think this was going to be for me but I absolutely loved it. I think the messages that it gives to young girls, and women, all over the world about the right to safe and clean periods is amazing. The friendships in this are adorable and entirely realistic.

I loved that all of the girls in this story had their own version of feminism and their own limits when it came to activism. It's important to show that young people can become great activists but I think it's equally as important to let everyone be themselves, and, let's be honest, not everyone has the confidence to do this kind of activism.

Overall I really enjoyed this. It felt like other great comics I've read, such as Giant Days and Lumberjanes, but with discussions around a topic that still is mainstream. I would love to be able to get this book into the hands of so many people.

5 out of 5 stars!

What a fantastic book! I cannot wait to share this with the MS and HS students I know! It is about time that a book about the reality of periods and what its like to live with them was written for kids! This is especially important to stop the shame associated with them.

This book is revolutionary! I wish I had a book like this during middle school to read when I got my period. I remember how awful and embarrassed it always made me feel. I loved all of the story lines, artwork, and health information about periods and the menstruation cycle in the book. I enjoyed the fact that the author wrote all of the characters having a different experience with their periods as well as the people who responded on the blog site. It is important to let a preteen or teenager who is going through this for the first time, know that no one has the exact same experience with their period. They are all different. Until reading this book, I did not think about periods being something that was never talked about, but it is kind of true. Aside from health classes in high school, I do not remember it being discussed a lot. The author created a wonderfully important novel that I would highly recommend be placed in as many libraries and schools as it can be. Overall, I would recommend this novel to preteens and teenager though. I give this book a five out of five stars.

Go With the Flow starts with humiliation -- a most embarrassing moment that almost all females can relate to -- and ends with healthy acceptance of the menstrual cycle. It is an important book, and although it's in graphic novel form, this book has worthwhile and easy-to-understand information about periods that every girl (and boy, and parent) should know. The presentation as a graphic novel actually makes the book more accessible to teens, especially in schools, and I loved how the coloring throughout the book is red. Perfect!

This book also shows young feminists how to successfully mount an activist campaign. "Go Big or Go Home" is the key, right? Well...(the lesson in how to be tactful in these "situations" is helpful for all humans).

Please share this book in your school and classroom libraries, and lessen the stigma of the period.

GO WITH THE FLOW is a much-needed conversation that we ALL need. Menstruation affects 50% of the population, yet is still one of the most taboo topics, leaving so many young people confused and searching for their own answers, as well as feeling that it is “gross.” I hope that many young people read this book and feel empowered, but I also hope that many adults read it and find ways to be advocates. Menstruation is not a problem or illness, but misunderstanding it or ignoring the needs of those who are menstruating can have many negative affects, both physical and psychological, including misogyny, bullying, depression, and anxiety. I’m so thankful that books like this graphic novel are addressing this topic!

GO WITH THE FLOW is also hilarious, sweet, and heart-felt - a friendship story that is very real and honest. Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams do a fabulous job of depicting the four very different girls, their diverse families, and especially their period experiences. The authors’ notes at the end are compassionate and helpful, and I hope will lead to some important discussions!

Where was this book when I needed it? “Talking about periods is the first step to taking that period power back.” First, I loved how the young women in this graphic novel were there for each other and lifted each other up. Secondly, I loved how issues of the pink tax, empty machines, heavy periods, cramps, endometriosis, and period history were covered in a classy, respectful way. “Going with the Flow” will definitely be a book I share w my students.

A great period primer/feminism 101 graphic novel for younger readers. While the characters are in high school, the book reads very middle grade, which I'd argue is a better intended audience. Some of the dialogue was a bit off and more fact filled than an average teenager speaks; still, it fit the story that is being told. It'll get kids thinking, and hopefully talking, about topics they may have otherwise thought of as something to keep private. Also, the characters are just delightful and super likable.

Go with the flow was an amazing book working to normalize an often frowned upon topic of menstruation. The authors did an excellent job of showcasing girls who live each other up, encourage one another and help each other at all costs. A girl power book full of inspiration and encouragement for young girls.

This was a bloody lovely surprise. I had guessed it would be about girls and their period by the tag line, but it was so much more. It's about the first realizations that girls and women are held back because our biology is seen as “gross” by men. That we as women speaking privately about periods where we should be speaking publicly to help erase the stigma of womanhood.

That all may sound heavy, but this is really a nice light hearted graphic novel for anyone who menstruates. It doesn’t go heavy into biology or why, more of we are all different and that is okay. There is great non-fiction information included with notes at the end, but also by one of the character’s blog posts.

The reader follows a group of girls as they make a new friend who is shamed for getting her first period in highschool. And it goes on not only to show a strong friendship between girls, but also anxiety that revolves around being a menstruating human. This is not a preachy book by any means, it’s a fun romp, that can play an important role in helping girls new to Aunt Flow understand what is going on.

BTW any one else notice that menstruates and menstrations start with MEN. and Strates means low flow according to an online dictionary. Why is something so very XX biologically named after something so very XY. hummmmm

This read was not only educational, it was enjoyable, and one that I will recommended frequently to moms, daughters, or anyone else who needs to talk about menstruation.
#LittleLoveBingo #recommendsday
#KillYourTBR

Hazelton High School has a problem: there are never feminine hygiene products available to their students. There never seems to be funds available to get these products in stock for students. But there always seems to be money to get new uniforms or equipment for the football team. What the heck? Sophomores Abby, Brit, Christine, and Sasha are 100% DONE with the leadership in their school blowing off their complaints and their needs, so they take matters into their own hands in this brilliant graphic novel by the creators of The Mean Magenta webcomic Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann. 

Go With the Flow is crucial reading for everyone, because the problem of access to and affordability of feminine hygiene products is a growing crisis. Using a microcosm of high school, Go With the Flow illustrates the value placed on sports programs versus providing free and accessible pads and tampons to their students. As the girls come together to brainstorm solutions, they realize that this isn't just a schoolwide problem, it's a global problem. Using statistics, research, and infographics, Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann blend these facts and figures in with a storyline that will empower and rile up female-identifying readers - and hopefully male- and non-binary-identifying readers, too! There's an LGBTQ+ positive subplot, fleshed-out, likable and relatable characters (I cringed in sympathetic recognition as the new girl bleeds through her pants on her first day at school). The two-color artwork will be familiar to Mean Magenta readers. Back matter includes comprehensive information about menstrual equality, including links to further reading. 

Give this to your realistic graphic novel readers first and let them spread the word. Have menstrual equity resources available for anyone who wants them.