This is a coming of age graphic novel about Eleanor Crewes early life and how she realized she was gay. I loved that this memoir showed that Eleanor, like many lgbtq+ people, have to come out many times over the course of their lives. I loved the humor and realness of the story along with art work.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Although each LGBT+ person's coming out story is idiosyncratic, there are also many similarities, and I think anyone who has been through it can relate to at least some of this. Being male and 40 years older than the author, much of this didn't quite resonate, but I could still appreciate the author's candor and courage in telling her own story. The drawings, although simplistic, are clever and 'cute', and the book reads quickly (I devoured it in a little over an hour).

It's the perfect book for a young person who may not quite be comfortable with or even recognize what their own feelings might mean. Perhaps it's an unfair comparison, but this doesn't quite have the depth of Alison Bechdel's canon, but there is certainly room for more than ONE lesbian graphic artist, and for what it is, it's quite charming.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I received a digital advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I think this book would be more enjoyable in print, as many of the pages are single illustrations or double page spreads. Even though I don't have the same life experiences as the author I still found her easy to relate to and understand. I would recommend this to fans of other graphic memoir, especially fans of Ellen Forney.

This graphic novel was absolutely lovely. I cannot speak on the rep but I would definitely recommend it to my students.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from Scribner. Graphic novel memoirs are my favorite and this one did not disappoint. This journey of self-discovery was an engaging read that drew you into the time period as the author ages and tells their story. The pencil illustrations were so engaging, loved them! There is a lot of heart on these pages and no personal story is easy to represent and tell.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC

This is a very helpful and relatable book. It explores when the author was growing and how she started to notice the changes in her life and how she might be gay. It is very easy to see things that are relatable to many people's lives. I enjoyed the simple art style and work through out the whole book.

Eleanor Crewes’s The Times I Knew I Was Gay explores her coming of age and realization that she is gay. I enjoyed Crewe’s simple illustration style and found that she had several techniques to make her points more vivid. However, the book covered many years of Eleanor’s life and I found that some plot lines were introduced without being finished or simply glossed over before moving on. I do think that the more coming out stories available to young people the better. So, although this is not a perfect story, it’s still worth reading and sharing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how many times I related to this! (especially her Buffy obsession lmao)

The author did a good job illustrating the fact of how different coming out really is from person to person.

I gave this one a five out of five stars. I really loved it and connected with it and have felt a lot of the same things as she did. I'm glad she had a positive coming out experience.

TW: For body issues, mild eating disorder, and semi-internal homophobia

Eleanor Crewes shares an assortment of autobiographical comics in this collection and it's a fun read. I was particularly impressed with the artwork, which is topnotch. The stories are engaging, and all lesbians will recognize themselves. This book has wide appeal, though, and the fun storytelling, relatable characters and excellent comic style will no doubt attract a wider audience.

The amount of love I hold for this book is immense. This serves as a great tale for both those who have their own queer journies and for those who want to better understand queer experiences. The illustrations are adorable on top of that too.

What can I say?!?! I would love to thank the author for sharing such a personal experience of her life. I loved seeing her grow up and reading from a different perspective. This is mentioned throughout the book but Eleanor's coming of out story isn't like many others. It feels weird giving this graphic novel anything else but 5 stars because it would feel like I'm rating Eleanor's coming of out experience because that's what the book is about. But everyone's coming of out story is valid and I'm just very happy that Eleanor wrote it because I'm certain that someone out there will be able to relate to this novel immensely.

This was a coming of age/coming out memoir that is relatable to adults and teens alike. The illustrations and writing mix perfectly and take us into the complicated process of coming out. As Crewes states, coming out is a complicated matter. She takes us through her journey with the benefit of hindsight, looking back at her childhood, teen, and young adult years to see where the origins of her identity brewing. It is a touching memoir that is like a hug. She is lucky enough to have had a very supportive environment - the struggle is largely internal..

Loved it like I loved Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for providing me with the eARC of The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes.
The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes is Crewe’s graphic memoir in which she talks about her identity, her sexuality and her relationships. This was a great graphic memoir to read as it was raw and honest as Crewes explored her identity. Furthermore, the art was fantastic. Overall, this was a great graphic memoir and will be relatable to any readers who are or have been questioning and exploring their identity. 5/5

I received a e-arc of The Time I Knew I Was Gay from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

TW: For body issues, mild eating disorder, and semi-internal homophobia but nothing overaly negative.

The Time I Knew I Was Gay is a graphic memoir that follows the life of Eleanor Crewes while she navigates her way through figuring out her sexuality and who she is as a person.

This was a pretty good graphic novel I really liked the art style it was cute and definitely different from my normal style I'm drawn to. It was nice to finally have a coming out book where the person coming out has the love and support from her family though i know sadly it is not something a lot of people are lucky enough to have. I really felt connected with it.

I did enjoy the story and I do understand this is a true journey for the author but it got very very repetitive in the middle to the point I almost skipped a head.

But over all I did enjoy it and the art.

This book is a great representation of a graphic memoir showing one of the innumerable experiences of queer women today. What makes this book different from many like it is that Eleanor Crewes was given love and support from those closest in response to realizing her sexual identity. Although this is, unfortunately, not always typical, it is an experience that is worth showing. Beyond that, the book's central themes of the value of learning about oneself, growing, and embracing who you truly will ring true for all readers.

Oh how I absolutely loved reading this comic. It's full of the messiness of self-discovery and ultimately an embrace of queer joy and I loved every moment of it. The Times I Knew I Was Gay captures how complicated coming out is, and even how complicated it is to realize that you are an identity that necessitates coming out in the first place! I feel like where a lot of narratives focus on this clear-cut idea of discovering identity and coming to terms with it, that this memoir was so refreshing to see. Finding who you are is not an easy path, especially when it comes to things like sexuality! I loved seeing the author's progression as a person and how she herself was able to look back on her past self's behaviors and inner thoughts. There was such a gentleness she had towards herself and her struggles that was very sweet to read. It's a very touching memoir and I really enjoyed it.

The Times I knew I was Gay is a cute book about the author's journey to coming out, finding her first relationship and finding herself. The art style is absolutely adorable. As a queer women who also took a while to truly come out, I related a lot to parts of this. The book also deals a bit with body image bordering on eating disorder territory so that is something people should be aware of before picking this up. That being said I feel like it tackles the subject with a light hand, so it is not the primary focus of the graphic novel. I do wish that I related a bit deeper to the book because I have a lot in common with Eleanor, and this could have made me feel very seen. But it feels more surface level than I would ideally prefer. That being said I think it is still a very enjoyable book and I would recommend it to others who want a relatable coming out tale.

I LOVED this graphic novel. It was a look at the messy, two steps forward three steps back journey to personal identity. This isn't a neat coming out story, but it's seemingly unflinchingly personally honest about her journey and the way the stories she made up about her wants and desires misled her for years. Compelling, funny, endearing, and touching.

i love the illustrations in this!! but the story was all jumbled. the chapters were mixed up and i couldn’t understand some/a lot of it :( but what i could understand was really good!!