An interesting read about Olive, who is on the spectrum. The story flips back and forth between life in the "real world" and life in "Olive's world". The graphics that went along with the story were stunning and surreal, especially in Olive's world.

Olive is a beautifully illustrated comic that follows 17 year old Olive who has created a rich imaginative inner world that keeps her safe from the outside world.
Her world however is shaken up with a new roommate at her school and a surprise guest in her inner world. Olive struggles now with both worlds because her inner world is not as closed off and hers as she thought and her roommate Charlie is a loud, friendly, energetic sort that drains Olive on contact.
I feel like maybe I was missing something between the beginning scenes and then Olive overtaking the story but overall the story is off to an intriguing start.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel had really cute and beautiful illustrations which remind me somewhat of Tillie Waldens On a Sunbeam. The story was certainly interesting but I’m struggling to see the point in it. I’d probably read the next comic from this author and will certainly look up the illustrator but I’d love to see the beauty twinned with a more solid plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful first volume! I'm generally wary about series comics-- so many potential pitfalls in pacing, planning, etc.-- but this one immediately hooked me for the rest of the series.

Firstly, we have Olive herself: an autistic (I believe, it's a passing comment) girl at a boarding school she can't keep up with. She's constantly stuck in her head, in the world that she's created. I requested this book specifically because I've never seen maladaptive daydreaming represented-- and here it's pitch-perfect. We see the real world consequences of her daydreams, but we also can't blame Olive for wanting to live in them. She's particular, she's forgetful, and she's not particularly interested in socializing-- bigger and smaller symptoms, which make her feel happily real and sympathetic. It is so rare to see a character with such positive representation for any neurodivergency. (I should note I have ADHD and am not autistic so can't speak much further than my personal knowledge.)

She gets a new roommate (Charlie, a wonderful character in her own right) in the real world, and a mysterious astronaut visitor in her mental world. The story is unbelievably immersive even as it maintains a calming slice-of-life feel; something I've found very difficult in sequential comics. I'm excited to read more! My first thought upon finishing was that I was sad I'd gotten so into something that's going to take forever to come out... an ARC of the first book of a series! Augh! Well, I'll be hanging on to every word.

I'd also like to note that the art is wonderfully expressive; characters are drawn in a style that reminds me of animation, and colors seem to swim around them. This applies both to the real-life world and the one inside Olive-- everything seems dreamy and beautiful, though the distinction is well-maintained.

And, finally, the translation is incredible. I had no idea that this was ever in French; it's that good. Always have to note fluid translation; it's a difficult job.

All in all 5/5, and there's nothing I can think of that would improve the story! Very, very happy with it.

P.S.: But I wouldn't mind Olive and Charlie getting into a relationship! And, admittedly, I was hoping this would be the start of that the whole time.

This is about a girl called Olive that can go into an alternate dimension. She can manipulate this dimension, creating things. One day, this power stops as an unknown astronaut enters her world.

I loved the art style and the plot was interesting. This was a fun read, but sadly very short. The story ended right where it started to get interesting. Also, I didn’t understand the point of the beginning of the story with the two kids.

3/5
It took me a while to get into this graphic novel, but I strongly suspect the story won't pick up momentum into a few volumes in. The imagery in Olive's head is beautiful and lush and vibrant, and contrasts nicely with the bland environments of the real world around her. I'm left with more questions than answers here, but that's to be expected for a first volume.
I found the font to be a bit distracting initially, but as I read on I think I came to understand the choice of it a bit more clearly. It made me... uncomfortable? But then I noticed that Olive navigates her world by almost skirting it, preferring her internal environment with her imagined friends (or are they imagined?). She's often uncomfortable and the font helped bring me there with her. I'm interested to see where this story goes.

It has potential but it’s very short, like a fragment of a story short. I also wonder if something has been lost in translation from French.
An autistic girl in a boarding school has a magical inner world of dreams that she lives in constantly to the detriment of everything else. Then someone else shows up in her dream world...

Olive was an incredibly beautiful graphic novel about an autistic woman traversing her own imagined world and the real world.
I honestly enjoyed Olive. The illustrations were beautiful and dreamy. The story was a little confusing and has a lot of unanswered questions, but it’s the first in a series so I’m sure everything will be answered as the series goes on! I can’t wait to read the rest!

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Difficult to judge the story in this one, as it is only the first part and ends right when we learn something important. I was confused at times, especially concerning the astronaut and how Olive’s imaginary world ties to the real one, but I’m guessing it will make more sense in future installments.

I liked the characterization. While I have never been diagnosed with autism, I could relate to Olive better than I would have expected (I tend to live in my imagination at times, too!). I loved seeing the friendship starting to form between Olive and her roommate.

The artwork was gorgeous, especially in the imaginary world. Great use of colors.

Overall, I am intrigued by this story and look forward to seeing where it goes!

I was sent a copy of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Olive is a gorgeously illustrated graphic novel centred on an autistic girl, living at a boarding school in France. Olive lives in a world she has created within her mind, which is beautiful and safe for her, whilst she traverse's the hardships of daily life. Her real world is sent spiralling by the arrival of a new roommate, and her internal world is rocked by a surprise guest.

The only reason this wasn't a five star for me, was because I felt that it ended abruptly (I know there are other volumes, so look forward to those) and I felt that it needed just a little more within the story about Olive, besides her attending therapy and class. I wanted to see a little more of her within her inner world, and get a feel for her. But overall - beautiful and unique.

**This review contains spoilers**

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for giving me access.

This was by far a confusing first issue of a series. As we open up, there are two brothers and a pregnant lady on a plane. Then all of a sudden we are in Olive's 'other world' without any indication that we knew Olive from the plane or that the opening scene was of any importance.

Later when Olive's 'other world' gets interrupted with a newcomer, we find that he is the missing astronaut. I am somehow hoping that he is one of the boys from the beginning of this issue and that she was the unborn child so that the story ties up nicely. Which might actually be the case if you look closely to the art.

I am looking forward to future issues of this to see where the story goes and if I am right about the opening scene.

We follow Olive, an autistic girl, who spends the majority of her day living inside the her own head, away from the world and people around her. Unbeknown to those around her, this world that she had shut herself in, is a world of her own magical creation, until one day when something is different, something that she didn’t design. People around her can be unkind and don’t understand her, not taking the time to get to know her, to understand.

What I really liked about this graphic novel was the incredible artwork, because it really was beautiful. Those scenes that captured Olive within her own magically universe were so beautiful, with soft and subtle colours that are familiar and calming to her. It’s nice to see this topic being brought to life, with such beauty and in a way where there is also a hint of magically realism and fantasy to it that may intrigued people.

For a short graphic novel, it has a powerful message and impact. It’s a little inside on how people with autism, struggle to take in new information and deal and comprehend that new information. This is the first instalment of four and I am a little interested to see where this is going to go from here and for more.

We follow Olive, an autism girl who spends most of her time inside her head. Little known to others is that she has a vast and magical world in there. We see Olive struggling with interacting with her peers and even her therapist. All she wants in life is to be left alone in her magical head.

I really enjoyed the art of the graphic novel. It really gave a sense of magical realism and illustrated Olive's struggles without the need of words. Though the plot was a bit confusing to me, what kept me going was the art. I think Luzy Mazel did an excellent job with it.

I liked following Olive in her adventures but like many other magical realism there is no definite answer and it is all up to the interpretation of the reader.

I recommend this book if you enjoy magical realism and diverse reads.

Living in two worlds is exhausting, especially when no one seems to understand how important one or the other is. Olive doesn't fit in with the other kids at school, her parents, teachers and therapist don't understand her. Although her new chatty roommate tries to be friendly, Olive is used to pushing people away. But what is an astronaut doing in her imaginary world?
Filled with brilliant contrasts from the soothing, welcoming Dreamarium to the harsh winter and bullying classmates, the artwork is truly stunning. This novel is short and doesn't come to a climax within the first volume, which is sure to leave readers craving the rest of the series. One is left wondering if Olive truly has a disability like the other kids say or if she's simply stuck in a world where no one can understand her.

In this graphic novel we follow Olive, a young woman who developed her own imaginary world to escape reality when it becomes too much to handle. Things start to get hectic when 1/ she's assigned a new roommate at school who won't leave her alone and 2/ a mysterious astronaut keeps appearing in her inner world.

First, the art is amazing! Alternating between two color palettes, it helps us follow Olive as she switches from our world to her own. I loved how everything happening inside Olive's head is both soft and vibrant and how she can still hear people from the outside calling her back like they're really far away.

As for the plot, this is only the first (of four) volumes so we're getting quite a bit of exposition and I found it a bit slow and somewhat repetitive. I think for the overall story it's only fair that we spend some time building up both of Olive's worlds though and the end gives us a very interesting twist so I'm quite curious to read the next installment!

I'll add that it's great to see a MC who seems to be on the autistic spectrum and I hope this will be explored even more in the rest of the story.

What truly captivates the reader about this story is the art. I think it was wonderful. It complemented and highlighted the story very well. The different tones used in Olive's worlds, the style in general, it really brought the story to life.
About the story I will say that I'm just eager to know more, to read more. I know it's just the first one in a comic series (that apparantly has been 15 years on the making!!) but it falls a bit short. Even though I'm convinced there's more in store that I'm excited for, I'm not sure if the story presented here holds up in its own. I just wish there was more. I liked the characters I guess but again, I didn't get that much time to know them.
The ideas that would make this story amazing were there, the problem is that they weren't explored that much.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

By the Light of a Blue Moon is the first volume of the French Comic Olive by Vero Cazot with art by Lucy Mazel. This comic is about 17-year-old Olive who lives part time in a French boarding school and part time in a imaginary world of her own creation.

What stood out immediately to me was the art in this comic. I’m still a new comic reader so it’s so fun to see how the story is conveyed with art. When we are seeing Olive’s real life the artist uses more subdued earthy tones. As she transitions into her imaginative space, there is a rush of color that conveys you are moving somewhere else, so it feels as natural to the reader as it does to the main character. I love how the artist is able to use light in order to give a sense of direction as the reader moves from pane to pane. The imagination world that Olive creates is this watery saturated dreamscape that the looks like you are wading through someone’s subconscious.

Near the end of this volume there is this mystery with a new character introduced into Olive’s imaginary life that feels like it is going to be more quest-like. What’s happening in Olive’s physical life still isn’t very clear by the end, but there are so many potential places the writer could take this story. I’m excited to see what comes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and EuroComics for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

First of all to say that it has been a bit confusing and a bit uhh start. I don't know what word to use? Strange perhaps, we see the protagonist and her imaginary reality created to cope with the reality that according to overwhelms her and she cannot handle, but I don't know why I have felt that the story itself does not have much weight, at least in this first part, I agree with many that the story is very strange and the world very unsatisfactory, given its cover I expect a BOOM! in history and the truth was not, much to improve in the story, how to bring the flow of the conversations and make them not overwhelming but light for the reader, the composition I feel that if it could be improved in terms of real life removing the imaginary parts of the world of the protagonist.
Something to rescue is that the illustrations are very beautiful.
I must say that the eARC that NetGalley gave me was in French, but I managed with the translator.

The first part of a quadrilogy of short graphic novels, that seem to have taken 15 years in the gestation – to such an extent only the creators might know what the heck it's about. Olive, who some times looks a typical teenager and others looks like Joan Cusack gone wrong, is suffering at school because she's spending too much of her days in an alternative, possibly imaginary, reality, one that she has more or less made herself – including her talking giant bath duck best friend. That is until something happens which upsets her life there – just as a new room-mate at college ruins her life here. It might all be interesting enough, were it obvious no answers would ever be given in this quarter of the story, and the fact there is so little logic about her alternative(?) reality, nor how she alone is able to use it (perhaps surviving a plane crash as a foetus is the way to a world of your own, we can't tell) that we just can't begin to care what's going on. Pretty, but pretty vacuous. If two stars were to come from anywhere, it's the visual quality.

A good beginning to an interesting story, I'm curious to see more and see how olive and Charlie's friendship develops. The art style reminds me of the books I had to read at school for my dyslexia