Loved this novel. Nadia was such a likable character and a great role model for readers. This was one of the best continuity advanced from comics to novels and for that alone, it is ranked very highly for me. This level of precision just is usually unheard (or unseen!). This whole novel felt like a little movie going on in my head and I hated that it ended because I want more from her. Nadia is in this stage in her life that she feels nobody understands her and when she finds 'family' it was almost as if she was transformed and it was a great aspect of development for her character. The pop culture references kept this book alive and realistic in it's own way.

Heh...this is sadly another DNF. It's just time to move on, because this wasn't for me (plus I only have a few days left to read it).

I do have a few thoughts I want to share, though. I thought that the portrayal of the Wasp being bipolar was exceptionally well done. It didn't overtake the story itself, but it was a big point and I thought it was really nicely written. Something else I need to point out is the fact that the villains are just really boring...?! I didn't get it. Also, I thought this read more like a middle-grade novel rather than YA. But I did appreciate how clean the content was!

I absolutely love that we’re getting more Marvel YA books! This one was really good and about a character I didn’t really know well.

If you like Marvel and comics and superheroes this is the book for you.
I really enjoyed it. It was like I was in an episode of S.H.I.E.L.D. Be warned though, there are a lot of references to all sorts of Marvel comics characters and of course events in the first half of the book. That’s why, to be honest I like the last half more because there was more going on.
It is a fun, fast read, and I was happy to reunite with some characters I haven’t seen in a while like Bobbi Morse(aka Mockingbird). I really connected with the main character Nadia and the G.I.R.L.s. I can’t wait to read more about them.

Thank you to NetGalley, Disney Book Group, and Marvel Press for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.  This book was special for me not only is the author Canadian which is always exciting but the book also talks incredibly honestly about mental health and struggles that even heroes can have.  Naida (the main character) has bipolar disorder, and also likely has suffered from childhood trauma it's discussed a bit but not too much and anxiety.  I love how open and honest Nadia and those around her are about her mental health struggles, and the fact that she uses medication and therapy to stay in control and they help to keep her accountable.  Teens don't like to be different and all these teens are different in their own way and are diverse without feeling forced, two of the girls are LGBTQ and dating each other, while the other member of the team has Cerebral Palsy and uses crutches for mobility assistance.  This is my third Marvel novel, and I'm a big fan of the comics and the movies.  This is probably my favorite of the three novels, the story was well done and fully executed I immediately wanted to read more by the author.  There were science facts interspersed through the book that tied directly into what was going on in the story which was a fun way of explaining the science behind what was happening while enhancing the reading experience.  They even included some really helpful breathing techniques similar to what I use to manage my anxiety which can be really helpful and could potentially help readers which I love.  I think people who aren't familiar with Marvel characters, and the world might find it a bit confusing because it is all very intertwined, but for fans, there are tons of cool tie ins to some really big characters while also being able to stand on its own.  The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope is out July 14th 2020!
CW/TW mental illness, bipolar disorder, physical violence, cerebral palsy
(Will be cross-posted to Instagram)

I wish the last quarter of the book had been what the whole book was like, in which case, my rating would have been higher. I loved the found family aspects of this story, and that we have a main character who has a mental illness that does not DEFINE her, as sometimes happens with characters in books. Nadia firmly falls into the "nobody understands me" time of being a teenager though, so fair warning if you can't stand that. A lot of the distance between Nadia and her friends was a large part of the plot, but I also couldn't help but feel that if the friendships were focused on more, I would have enjoyed it more. Nadia tries to handle things on her own instead of sharing with anyone, which made her very isolated. *Big sigh.*
I think this book will really appeal to teenage girls interested in STEM, and this book has a very feminist feel in that regard. There is a lot of diversity with the characters' ethnicities as well, but I also felt that there was obvious prejudice against white people, and I don't know how to take that. It seemed like it was just commenting on white privilege at times, but at other times, it felt less like that and more like actual prejudice. It was hard to tell, and that is probably not a good sign.
Despite some of the issues, if there is a book that comes after this, or plans for one, I would read it. I really want to see the G.I.R.L.s working together more.

Too much telling and not much happening in the first 50 or so pages. Lots of call outs and Easter eggs/info dumps on other Marvel characters, and I'm sure it's appreciated by someone who is deeply entrenched in the comics, but I just found it dragging. There wasn't much happening to hook me, though I did like the on page rep of mental illness.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one.

The book The Unstoppable Wasp tells a story about Hope van Dyne, aka the Wasp in Marvel Comics. In this story she is trying to learn how to balance all of her competing interests, such as running her G.I.R.L. lab, moving, and learning to drive. However, when she discovers something unexpected left by one of her birth parents, all of these desires continue to be challenged. I enjoyed reading this book. I thought it portrayed someone dealing with mental illness in an interesting and realistic way. I also thought that it dealt with the importance of learning to prioritize as a teenager while also challenging some of the predominant views in Silicon Valley. I thought there where some unnecessary plot holes at the end of the book, but otherwise I recommend it for teenagers.

Nadia had an absolutely horrid childhood. She never knew her parents and was raised by the enemy. But she is a brilliant scientist and invents things right and left. Although she makes a friend, she and the friend are betrayed and Nadia and her G.I.R.L. scientist friends have to scramble to "save the world" . For fans of superheroes or just believe in girl power...this book is for you.

“We know who you we are, we know why we’re here. And we all know that when we’re together, there’s nothing in this whole world that can stop us.”

I’m not the biggest Marvel comics fan but I do love the movies…with that being said this was such a fun read! The author adds in a lot of marvel super hero reference that any marvel fan (casual or super fan) would really enjoy. There was also a ton of pop culture references and even though I didn’t know them all, it was still fun to read the ones that I did know! And Nadia’s science facts and all the little footnotes were a nice addition to the story.

The story is about Nadia Van Dyne (the Wasp) and her friends who are all apart of the group G.I.R.L. However most of the book does focus on Nadia and how’s she’s learning how to manage life, work and having bipolar and learning that it’s ok to need help from the people that care about you.

My only complaint was the story was a little predictable but let’s just blame that on the fact that most super hero stories usually are. But overall I really enjoyed the book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

*I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a honest review*

This is a spin off of the Ant-Man Marvel Universe. I liked how there was an influx of new characters and a lot of girl power driving the story.
Unfortunately, this book isn't for me, however I can see many young adult readers being drawn to it in order to continue to be immersed into the Marvel Universe.

This was amazing. I am usually pretty critical of the novels written about superheroes, but this one was perfect. The author does a great job of giving background about Nadia's life and her parents. The occasional "science facts" were a lot of fun and helped add to the book and Nadia's character. I also loved how they introduced new characters with a little image and details about them. It made it very easy to keep them straight.
I would highly recommend this book for fans of superheroes, marvel fans, and YA fans.

The Unstoppable Wasp is a super fun YA novel branching off of the comic series of the same name. As someone only fairly familiar with the comic book story, I felt comfortable jumping into the plot without much context. In fact, the Science Fact sections of the book were enormously helpful and a neat way of introducing exposition to the reader without weighing down the story.
While I wish more characters had been fleshed out, I was impressed by the way they interacted with one another, making the novel not just about Nadia, but about how she has the support from her team. In this way, being a superhero is not just a one-girl task but instead a venture that one does not have to be alone, reflecting the realities of life (superhero or not). This very much allows readers to feel that Nadia is relatable, only underscored by the fact that the story also addresses mental health -- a very important subject, especially to be introduced in YA.

I love this book! I am a huge fan of the Unstoppable Wasp comics, and this novel perfectly captures the character’s voice. It is snarky and funny, but also deals with issues like mental heath and feminism. It absolutely did one of my favorite superhero’s justice.

3.5/5

What I Liked
- Nadia was a great character. I was apprehensive about her at first, but her character development throughout the book made me like her more and more as the book went on.
- The pace of the story. It felt almost like a superhero movie. There was a bit of a lull in the middle, but other than that the story flowed really well.
- The Marvel and pop culture references.
- The science. I love the "Nadia's Science Facts" sections of the books. It allowed for the author to explain complex scientific concepts prevalent to the story in easily accessible ways.

What I Didn't Like
- There weren't any side characters that I felt any great attachment to. They either weren't featured enough for me to take much notice or they had crappy behavior that was never explained through sufficient backstories.
- There were a number of moments where the book felt a little like a self-help book which many people might actually enjoy. However, I fall in the group of people who find self-help books cringy, so these moments marred the story a bit for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Disney Book Group for the Advanced Readers Copy.

I heard ace spectrum and I came running. I can't keep up with all the recent novelizations of comic book worlds, but once I heard w/w SC and ace spectrum MC plus Marvel I was so sold I immediately requested The Unstoppable Wasp on Netgalley! The Unstoppable Wasp is such a great story because I think we can have this perception that being a superhero is a singular role. But in reality, it takes so many people to get a superhero where they need to be, for backup, for tech, for everything. The Unstoppable Wasp examines us asking for help and for accepting help.

Nadia is on the ace spectrum, but she's also bipolar and deals with coping tactics as well as therapy. Nadia feels this almost crushing sense of responsibility and also drive for productivity - which felt too much pointed at my own life - and so taking a breath and asking for help is a huge struggle. Maybe it's because these two issues felt so close to me, that I loved Nadia so much? She is juggling all these things and feelings of commitment, that she feels so overwhelmed and wanting to take on more and more. I don't want to delve more into why we clicked so much, because that would expose me, but if you ever felt this obsession with productivity you would love Nadia.

I was drawn into reading about this character, about whom I knew nothing, by the previous legacies of Ant-Man (Ant-Men?) and Wasp, as well as by previous Marvel properties-based YA novels. I'm so glad to have read about Nadia, her friends, her role models, and her world. While parts of the novel were predictable, the way they were handled showed nuance and faith in the reader. Overall, I think all teens - and especially girls - will enjoy Nadia. She is by no means a perfect character, and that's the point - no matter what powers and strengths you have, we all struggle somewhere, and that helps us all feel a little more normal.

The Unstoppable Wasp relies too heavily on exposition and references to prior Marvel canon. The reader has to get 50+ pages in before there's much explanation about exactly who the main character is or her connection to the Pym family. The storyline of this book doesn't agree with some of the characterizations and plot lines of the MCU that most fans are already familiar with.

The positives are the snippets of scientific facts throughout the book, the diversity of the characters, and the inclusion of a character with a diagnosed mental illness. This book may be a good fit for another reader, but I found it difficult to read.

Took me a minute to get into the world here as I have not followed Marvel movies or the Unstoppable Wasp graphic novels. I'm sure for those who are up to date on those things, you would have no problem at all jumping full on into Nadia's story. As for me, once I got a few chapters in and had the lay of the land, this was nonstop adventure with compelling characters all around. Love the girl power theme and Nadia with all her strengths and imperfections.

I love the way a female character takes powerful center stage in this book. It’s full of clearly-written adventure and populated by characters that readers are sure to recognize. Well done.