This was absolutely beautiful! I love the way the illustrations moved along with the seasons and the message of this was so uplifting. A true work of art.

Calming yet colorful graphic novel about a young woman's feelings throughout the various seasons. This is a great book to read when you have a few quiet moments. There are only a few words per page but in combination with the illustrations they perfectly establish the mood. From being joyous in the early summer to "going through the motions with no emotion" in the winter, this book follows this young woman through her range of feelings.

The illustrations were lovely and modern yet warm. I loved the color palette and the illustration style. Well, I am off to check out other books illustrated by Manjit Thapp!

Feelings: a story in seasons by Manjit Thapp
———
This was the most stunning story told through the shifting moods of the seasonal changes of anxiety based upon the authors own experiences. The story is divided into the six season calendar common in some South Asian countries, which was an amazing added aspect to learn about for me personally. The art style was gorgeous and unique and I loved the authenticity it conveyed. It felt very empowering while also relatable to my own experiences. The author did an amazing job of capturing feelings and the effects that come with anxiety. I particular found myself captivated by the authors use of lighting in their art, especially shifting in each chapter to really emphasize emotion. I highly recommend this beautiful book, it was both quick to read and impactful. I definitely want to purchase a finished copy to admire the art more and more.

Rating: 5/5

Feelings is a graphic novels that explores the mental health of the main characters through seasons. It is perfect for fans of Rupi Kaur's prose and graphics.

A big thank you for NetGalley and Random House for sending me and ARC in exchange for an honest review of the novel.
This was a short read, but an impactful one. Feelings is raw. It goes deep into the realness of living with anxiety and portrayed beautifully its ups and downs. Personally, I am immensely satisfied with the representation it brought to this mental illness. I thought it was not sugar coated, nor was it too blunt or exaggerated. The illness was not a friend or an enemy, it was a flawed character on its own that impacted the main character's life such as members of a family would have done.

Even if we don't know a lot about the main character in that story, I grew attached to her easily and smoothly. She was so reliable, naive, innocent, young and lively. She really stood out for me. I felt like I knew her for a long time at the end of the graphic novel. Like I could call her and have a chat with her and that type of emotion is so rare for me to find in a graphic novel. I was pleasantly surprised by that.

I know this is labeled as a graphic novel, but it feels like you are reading a poetry book. The writing is omnipresent in the panel, and yet, it takes all the reader's attention. I could read and reread sentences on a loop for minutes before finally continuing with my reading. So many touching quotes and phrasings. I was dumbstruck by the lot of them. And next to those gorgeously illustrated pictures, the words came even more to life. The mix of them both could not be more perfect. Thapp really found her style there.

In the end, Feelings is an amazing graphic novel resembling a poetry book that depicts the trauma of living with anxiety through the imagery of seasons. You should pick this book up if you are looking for a mental health awareness, for a unique art style and for a breathtaking prose.

#RandomHouse #ManjitThapp #NetGalley

The little blurb at the top of this description describes Feelings: A Story in Seasons as a gorgeous visual journey and I've got to say, that is incredibly accurate. It's also deeply poignant in spots and if you're a person who has ever suffered from anxiety or depression, I think a lot of it may be really relatable to you. Told in seasons, Feelings really walks through the cycle of the rush of energy and good vibes and then later the way the anxiety starts creeping back and you can't quite ignore it any longer. It was interesting to see this described as seasonal paired with real seasons and I think that can be taken either literally or metaphorically.

Regardless, I think this is a book I'm likely to be sharing with a lot of people in my life who will appreciate for themselves or who don't seem to understand the way even when you seem fine, you aren't necessarily and also that it's hard to fight past the anxieties sometimes. I don't want to say too much because I don't really want to spoil this journey walking through the seasons with the gorgeous art, so I'll just say, I highly recommend this one and I hope you'll pick it up!

This was a good book for those like myself who often find it hard to put our depression into words. I also enjoyed the instustratios

This book is a really fascinating deep dive into season related depression and anxiety. I love, love, LOVE the art in this. Changes in color really help to highlight that changes in the character’s moods.The layout of the panels are very unique. I’ve never seen a layout like this before.

3.5 stars. The illustrations are beautiful and I loved the vivid use of color to depict the seasons! It's a short read that's easy to finish in one sitting because it is very visual and has minimal text. I would have liked for it to be longer, but it was an enjoyable quick read. Particularly fitting for this pandemic winter, to reflect on the coming and going of seasons and how the weather affects you. Read this if you need a reminder that the sun is going to shine again 🌤️

Thank you to Random House for sending me the e-arc for this book. I've fallen in love with this. The illustrations were beautiful to see and reading her journey made me cry. I could connect with her words her feelings. I really enjoyed reading this and I cant wait for it to publish so I can get myself a copy to read again.

4.5 / 5 stars

As someone all too familiar with Seasonal Affective Disorder from a Midwest upbringing (all of our seasons can be incredibly unforgiving), everything in Manjit Thapp's "Feelings" felt like pages from my own life. The artwork was beautiful and I appreciate Thapp allowing it to speak for itself - the best execution of "showing, not telling." I only wish it was longer, but the succinctness of each chapter did work well.

This graphic memoir shows us the fighting of our narrator with anxiety. Beautiful drawings, compelling narrator and memoir.

Feelings by Manjit Thapp, is a beautiful graphic memoir and Manjit takes the reader through the ups and downs of anxiety and depression as they manifest throughout the different seasons of the year. I related to both her words and her drawings, which are amazingly beautiful. For this book, I’ll recommend getting the physical copy.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-ARC.

"I've got a cloudy outlook
But I pretend it's all fine
Because nothing less than sunshine is acceptable."


"The pent up feelings of anxiety
that have been simmering under the
sun reach their boiling point.

There is a desperate need for rainfall as the summer season comes to a close.
Clouds huddle together in a humid sky, weighing heave, ready to release.

At last, the rain paints the skies a gloomy blue and although it can cause minor damage,
it's vital in helping plants grow."

"Hoping for a gentle breeze after the rainfall
But the release doesn't bring much relief
Instead, hot air lingers, trapping me in a haze. "

What a simply gorgeous book. Both beautifully written and illustrated, this book takes us through a year as seasons and all the feeling a person who suffers from anxiety and depression can go through as the seasons change. As someone who struggles greatly with this phenomenon, I truly appreciate the authors willingness to be transparent and use her own experiences to shine a light on this and to remind others that we are not alone in this.
Such a beautiful read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Manjit Thapp, and Random House Publishing Group/Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I genuinely appreciated this book and its message because it's something that I truly resonate with. Especially during this time of the pandemic, days start to blur and look the same and it really does feel like going through the motions. This book is a good reminder that better days are coming and this feeling won't last forever.

4.5/5

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of Feelings.

I've been following Manjit Thapp's artwork for quite a while now, so reading this book was very nostalgic for me. The highlight of the book is Thapp's stunning illustrations, which perfectly capture the words on the page. The artwork was full of imagery and subtle messages. The narrative was also beautiful. I found myself relating to most of it. Some of the lines felt as if Thapp had managed to capture something I hadn't been able to put to words. There were certain lines that I believed were stronger than others, particularly those with vivd imagery and/or metaphors, and I do wish there had been more of those included. Those poetic moments coupled with the artwork left me breathless.

Feelings is a soft, powerfully emotive memoir full of beauty and important themes.

I definitely recommend getting a physical copy of this book when its available (I know I will) in order to fully enjoy the beauty of the artwork.

I enjoyed the art much more than the textual narrative. I thought it was a lovely way of describing emotions in relation to the weather and the art was stunning. It is a very relatable text in the descriptions of feelings going through a cycle of good and bad days or seasons that I find many people can find something to resonate with. I would recommend this book for a rainy day in. To myself it was an okay read, I prefer texts with more subtext and that gets me thinking but this was enjoyable still.

4.5 ⭐️

The art work was incredible, breathtaking and stunning. The artwork throughout the graphic novel took my breath away.

The story was a simple story about seasons but it had a deeper dialogue. The dialogue that seasons have a huge impact on how we feel. As someone who suffers from severe seasonal depression, I resonated so much with this story. I think this story would resonate with so many people and can open up a wider discussion on mental health.

There is so much beauty in this book, as well as a lot communicated in the often unspoken parameters of mental health and wellbeing. I loved the art and minimalism of this book, as well as the exploration of depression in alignment with the seasons. Deeply moving and introspective.

wow. i loved this soft and soothing graphic memoir.

beautifully warm and emotive art, accompanied by gentle words, all reflecting the passage of time. feelings has a chapter for each season. as time passes, the growth or dormancy of plant life parallels thapp's own moods.

the geometric style of the panels reminds me of an artsy early-90s picture book that i think i read in my youth and can no longer recall. the art's warm simplicity is soothing, as are its rich colors.

if you can get your hands on a physical copy upon release, i'd definitely recommend it. i loved the ebook, but i think the best way to enjoy feelings would be to slowly pore over the paper pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Beautifully illustrated book by Manjit Thapp, I don’t know what I loved more the artwork or the messages. This book is told in 4 seasons, showing the highs and lows of being a young woman in today’s world. I loved the colors used to show emotion, and all the different styles used to show rather than tell. There’s a page of an illustrated chutes and ladders game and you can really feel the ups and downs the author is trying to portray. This is a quick must read for anyone who feels all the feels (and wants to see that others do too)!