The message and takeaway from this graphic novel are extremely important and will resonate with many people, but the plot and storyline felt lacking. I finished without feeling much resolve.

"The Times I Knew I Was Gay" is a stunning graphic memoir about sexuality, identity, learning about yourself, and letting people in (rather than coming out). For anyone who's questioned their sexuality, this one's for us.

A short memoir about coming out and then coming out and then coming out once more as you accept who you truly are. There is a lot of time spent in the author's childhood with very little in the way of her queer discovery, and then less time as she finally does come to terms as an adult. I think I'm just in a mood where nothing I'm reading is really satisfying me because I wanted more from this. She makes mention of something close to an eating disorder, but then never goes into how that affected her larger story. There's little in the way of showing that she showed queer tendencies at all yet no one seems surprised when she finally comes out. It's a fine graphic memoir with sparse black and white drawings to the point that most of this book is a picture book and less of sequential art, but I wanted more from it.

I've already recommended and read this book as part of a book club. Most of the attendees enjoyed it more than I did.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay was my first time reading a graphic memoir, and I really enjoyed the experience! It was an interesting way to tell a really important story, and I think the illustrations were able to show another layer of the author's life. Unfortunately, it was hard to tell who was who, so I was often confused as to who the images were supposed to be depicting. A lot of the characters looked very similar, and I think the sameness detracted from the overall appeal of the book.

Additionally, this story was mostly highlights, so it was like watching a 15 second Reel on Instagram. You only get a glimpse of the whole picture, and I would have liked more details and interactions with people. I get more out of a single comic issue (roughly 20 pages) than I did out of the 320 pages of this book. It made it hard to connect with the author/main character and the story they were trying to tell. I do think this book will be something a lot of people can relate to, but it lacked a certain oomph. A very interesting concept though!

Eleanor Crewes shows the world that there are a lot of different ways for people to "come out," and that sometimes it happens more than once. Maybe you admit it to yourself in the shower one day, but don't mention it again for several years when you're shopping with your best friend. It may be another couple of years before you're able to talk to your parents about it, or list it on your social media pages. It's different for everyone, and no one should feel bad about the road they have to take to get there. There is no "right way" to discover yourself and who you're meant to be. (★★★⋆☆)

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This is a memoir of a girl figuring out she is gay. I found the artwork and the story almost half-finished, it felt like it had not been completed, it was weird.

The art is great and the message that you come out many times in many ways over your life is well-meaning and important, but the meandering narrative really didn't grab me. It felt disjointed.

a very relatable memoir about coming out and coming to terms with your sexuality. i saw myself in the pages and would definitely recommend this to any fan of graphic memoirs!

The Times I Knew I Was Gay follows Ellie who is questioning herself and if or how she will fit in. Ellie wears black, obsessed with willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (I mean who doesn’t love willow!) we get to see many stages of Ellie's life, how she developers as a person. I did enjoy the characters, Ellie is funny and real. I felt that this was good, good themes about being yourself, relationships, and friendships. The only thing I didn't like was I want more. I don’t know what is missing but I just feel like something is missing. I did enjoy that we see so many different stages. I also like how it has the theme that sometimes people do come out again and again but mostly that you don't have to have an identity to be able to fall in love.
I enjoyed the art. The art style felt very Ellie and I liked that the art fit her and her story. This is a cute read with art and characters that are easy to fall for.

The Times I Knew I Was Gay was an eye-opening experience and it’s a book that all teens and young adults need to read. No matter who you are attracted to, you need to read this book because it shows how we are all trying to be ourselves no matter what exactly that means and it’s really okay. I’m not gay, but this book has shown me what my friends probably went through and I have a better understanding now and that’s the point. We need to read other perspectives from own so we can understand and respect one another.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this memoir, as it seemed quite short and simple. But actually that ended up being its main strength: it's super to the point in the way it tells the story, but still packs a real emotional punch, and I found it extremely relatable.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately I could not get into it. I do not think this was the one for me. The premise was super interesting, but towards the end to me it just fell apart.

This was a great graphic memoir about the struggles of identity in a heteronormative world. Questioning your sexuality is hard when there is a perceived default that everyone should fall in and I feel like Crewes captured that perfectly in her illustrations and commentary. I really appreciated her story and know that many young people will benefit from this memoir being out there and will be able to relate to Crewes story.

A lovely exploration of what it means to discover oneself in a world that is not often keen about finding out who you really are. What I liked about this one was the art - it was simple and not busy, but still conveyed very clearly the dynamics of emotion and dialogue.

I was unable to finish this in time before it expired but from the part I read I loved the art and it was a great story. I fully plan to check this out from my library, since we have purchased it and fully devote my attention to it. Great book from the first 20 pages!

The entire experience of reading The Times I Knew I Was Gay felt like peeking into someone's diary comic. Charming artwork with fluid lines and just enough details. This book is humorous and very relatable. In my own head I changed the name to "All The Times I SHOULD Have Known I Was Gay".

This book was super squee! The way Crewes tells her story feels like she's your friend, telling you her story over tea. Coming out is not something I've experienced, but Crewes makes it relatable. I was so happy when she finally came out to herself, and accepted who she was. My favorite part was the author picture in the back, because she just looks so happy! I know the reality is that a lot of people don't have a happy coming out story. I know that not everyone has the supportive family and friends she had, and I hope this will change. I hope that humans can stop finding arbitrary reasons to hate and be mean to each other. In the meantime, we have sweet, inspirational memoirs like this, and that's wonderful.

I loved the simple illustrations! Crewes makes her journey really relatable, sweet, and hopeful. I'm excited to share this memoir with both teens and adults.

I enjoyed this sweet, gentle 90s coming out and coming of age story. I really connected with the character's confusion, but I think a lot of people will find the diary-style writing a bit disjointed and not super catchy from the start. I think this is the perfect sort of slow, dreamy wondering that captures the kind of tween/teen/young adult ennui that lots of us queer folk experienced.

A really thoughtful, realistic narrative of coming out - both to oneself and the world. I would recommend for young adults and teens comfortable with the topic of sex.

I really, really wanted to enjoy this book but there was just something about it that I couldn't get into. More than anything it's not the kind of art style that I usually prefer in graphic novels so I was somewhat lost from the beginning. Then I just found the narrator to be a bit insufferable.