// thank you to the publisher and author for the eARC !

note : this story is ownvoices for queer latinx rep

tw : homophobia, fatphobia, sexual assault.

rep :
🌈 fat + lesbian + latinx ( puerto rican ) mc
🌈 side bi + latinx ( puerto rican ) characters
🌈 side black + nonbinary character
🌈 side afro-latinx + queer character
🌈 polyamorous relationship ( mentioned )
🌈 side trans character ( transwoman, to be exact )
🌈 side queer black characters
🌈 queer half - korean li
🌈 side minor gay character
🌈 side queer characters

*

i honestly don't know where to start.

juliet milagros palante is the fat and asthmatic puerto rican lesbian you never knew you wanted to read about.

THE STORY
↳ we got to explore not just what it meant for juliet to be a lesbian, but also what it means to be a lesbian of colour living in a world that seems to want to put her down.
↳ the white saviour complex in the form of harlowe brisbane was portrayed brilliantly, as was juliet's character arc regarding her idolization of harlowe. white feminism leaves behind women of colour, and it severely affects queer womxn as well. white feminism and the white saviour complex is unfortunately very much real and thriving sentiments in today's world -- something which was depicted with finesse by the author.
↳ on the topic of harlowe, i LOVED the way zaira called her out on her white feminism. zaira is a badass and we love her.
↳ i loved the dialogue between juliet and her cousin ava as they talk about sex and gender.
↳ i love how elements as serious as cultural appropriation to the little things like menstruation and masturbation were depicted. you don't see a lot of novels these days which portray menstruation and masturbation, so kudos to both the author and the artist for that !
⇢ now, admittedly i haven't read the original novel on which this is based on ( Juliet Takes a Breath ), but as far as this graphic novel is concerned, it feels like she isn't taking any action of her own to advance the plot. basically, it felt like the plot was this big current which was carrying juliet along -- she was thrown into different situations to which she reacted.
⇢ the ending was also a little too perfectly happy for my taste, but what the heck, qtpoc deserve perfect happy endings too.

THE ART
↳ i love that juliet was drawn to be fat. her body shape isn't ambiguous or anything -- it's just very clearly fat and i love that
↳ i love how other characters have normal bodies too. not everyone is skinny and white and that's awesome !
↳ i love, love, love the fact that harlowe had legs which actually had hair on them !
↳ i absolutely ADORED the colour palette for both portland and miami.
↳ i especially loved the character art of juliet, maxine, zaira and luz.
⇢ i just wish the art had a little more variation, though. there was a change in the colour palette when juliet reaches miami from portland, but other than that i do wish there was a change in atleast the tone of the colours used in accordance with, say, juliet's moods or the different people she meets.

would recommend if you want to gush about a graphic novel as much as i did in this review ( and more ). i mean, it's got a lesbian of colour as the mc, subtly shades cultural appropriation, calls out white feminism and features a refreshingly diverse cast of characters !

another note : this graphic novel is based on the novel Juliet Takes a Breath by the same author, but you don't need to read it to understand this.

// 4 stars

While I’ve not read the actual novel, Juliet Takes a Breath, I can say without a doubt that the graphic novel adaptation is awesome! The artwork is stunning, bright, and colorful. The characters are in different sized beautiful bodies. The story is one that many teens will enjoy and learn from.
A main theme is that white feminism and queerness often does, but should not, exclude people of color, that safe spaces for queer pocs are therefore important, and that when you do make a mistake as a feminist or a queer spokesperson, apologize. I liked that the story also casually and conversationally touched on a lot of important buzz words in the queer community, subtly educating or suggesting what to research.
It was an engaging fast-paced read about first break-ups, self-love, queerness, and coming-of-age.

This is such a joyful, exuberant, colorful adaptation of the novel. It's everything that makes a graphic adaptation like this so worthwhile. I loved the way the colors and the art added to the overall feeling of the story, one of continual discovery. I loved reading this a few years after reading the novel.

I loved the novel version of this book when I got it from Netgalley several years ago, and I love this graphic novel adaptation which I also got from Netgalley just as much!

Juliet Takes a Breath is a wonderful story about resilience, strength, and love within the community of LGBTQ+ people of color. I loved the art, and how beautiful and expressive it was; the warm and vibrant color palettes really added to the feeling of expansive love and endless possibilities. It's a quick read, but it really got to me. As a queer person who didn't figure out and feel comfortable with my own identity until about college age, seeing more and more literature become available for future queer kids (especially queer kids of color, who have been historically super underrepresented) is such an amazing experience. The message of love and acceptance in this book is amazing, and I teared up watching Juliet find a loving community of QTPOC, become comfortable and confident in herself and her identity, and ultimately grow closer to her family.

I'm not used to reading graphic novels but this one makes me want to give them another shot. It's amazing and none of the characters are ever boring or flat, so much so that more than once I found myself rooting for the side relationships like they were my own. This book was a breath of fresh air, comforting in all the right places, not to mention absolutely gorgeous.

Great adaptation of the book! Love the art and the color palettes? Love the overall message of embracing your identity. Love the discussion on white feminism and how it does more harm to women of color than it has helped. Love the representation of body types. And finally I just loved how much Juliet was learning about the queer individuals of the past and how they have informed our present. Great graphic novel for someone just beginning to explore queer identities.

I must start by saying that I have not read the novel on which this graphic novel is based.
The book is a very youthful way of showing a story of self-discovery with queer and feminist perspectives.
I love art and especially the color palette.
Also the representation was spot on and I loved the Puerto Rican flavors sprinkled throughout the story. Highly recommended for YA audience.

Beautifully illustrated and powerfully written, "Juliet Takes a Breath" is a wonderful graphic novel adaptation of the book of the same name! I have not read the book, but I've heard great things about it and can only assume it's fantastic after reading this book.

I loved the novel and I love this graphic novel adaptation just as much. The art is gorgeous and really adds to the story, but I'll always love the novel just a little more.

Juliet leaves the Bronx for Portland, OR to intern for Harlowe Brisbane. What Juliet finds is a start on her journey to self-discovery and the community of QBIPOC/QTPOC that transcends Harlowe' white feminism.
I absolutely loved the artwork and we need more BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation in coming-of-age stories. I wish I had read the novel before the graphic novel as some of the plot jumped around a bit leaving me feeling like "chapters"/sections ended too soon and it took some re-reading to figure out who was who (especially in the Miami portion). However, the illustrations were gorgeous and I will be moving the novel to the top of my TBR list.

WOW, what a fantastic adaptation of an amazing novel. The art is breathtaking and I love the limited color palettes that still manage to evoke the setting exactly, but more importantly, Juliet's feelings about each place she visits and inhabits.

This book is a must-read for anyone who loves queer coming-of-age stories, as most of those are centered around young white women/men learning to love, etc. Juliet has no trouble falling in love--except with herself, and watching her learn to stand up and be who she wants to be is inspiring (I definitely cried a little).

It is also full of a stellar QPOC supporting cast that in different ways guide Juliet on her journey of self discovery. Its criticisms of white radical feminism are also important--especially with the rise of trans-exclusionary feminism in queer online spaces.

I beautiful coming out story with gorgeous art and colors. What’s not to love about it! The representation was spot on and I loved the Puerto Rican flavors sprinkled throughout the story. It was hard to read at times because of what Juliet went through
TW for homophobia, racism and also slang (the use of the word d*ke)
But trust in the process because the ending was beautiful and it made me cry tears of joy. I know coming out may not be the easiest thing to do for everybody but this was a love letter for the people who got hell for it. Stay Strong and believe in yourself.

Juliet Takes a Breath is a book I've been wanting to read for a long time, so when the opportunity came up to read a graphic adaption I was so ready for it (I love graphic novels!).

Let me start with the positives. This book diverse af, loud-and-proud queer, and of so beautifully drawn and colored! I love that Juliet was proud of her body and who she is; despite not being traditionally skinny she's portrayed as sexual and beautiful. It made me feel good about myself, especially seeing such body positivity in a graphic novel! The artist did an amazing job showing her and the other characters for who they are, curves and all. The colors and the style just worked so well with the setting and story.

Now for the criticism. Juliet comes off as incredibly clueless, which seems completely off for the character she is meant to be. On one hand, I liked her learning experience. I liked how the author showed her learning about pronouns, various aspects of the LGBTQ+ community, and Portland itself. But for a character who appears in every other way to be a proud and vocal member of the community, I was stunned as a reader to learn these are things she hadn't at least heard of before. This led me to feeling like the experience portrayed here would have come across better if the mc was new to the LGBTQ+ community, rather than someone who has been apart of it for sometime. She also comes across as intelligent and a quick-learner, but at the same time seems to have done no extra research about the city she was moving to or the woman she'd be living with. It just made the story feel so off kilter to have her act so out of character so often.

The type of hardcore feminism shown here also isn't for everyone and the views on womanhood are a bit outdated - specifically the whole loving your pussy thing which makes the assumption that to be a woman is to be female. I want everyone to find a way to love their body, to do what they need to be comfortable in their own skin, but being told by someone else how I should do that just isn't something I want. Considering how Juliet has some revelations at the end about Harlow's brand of white lady feminism this may be a critique on the part of the author, but I don't feel like the point was properly addressed at the end if this is what Rivera was going for.

Overall, Juliet Takes a Breath: The Graphic Novel is a solid read that gets an extra star for the illustrations alone! A beautiful QBIPOC story with lots of rep, but a little lacking in overall plot and feminism angle.

The artwork was stunning especially the color palette that was used. But sadly the story fell flat for me. In my opinion there was no climax nor was there a resolution. In all honesty, it didn't even feel like there was even a plot!

Juliet Takes a Breath is adapted from the novel of the same title; I feel like perhaps I would have appreciated this more had I read it first, just in the way that there's some complex issues that a book can delve deeper into. Even though this isn't a particularly big book, it did take me a few tries to really get going.

I feel like there's a lot to unpack here, but for me the main takeaway is just how exclusive feminism, however well-meaning, has been exclusive to a lot of people who aren't straight white females. And this is so, so important to examine.

The diversity and representation of characters is refreshing and the art is vibrant. Juliet, a Latinx lesbian from the Bronx, navigates her way through coming out to her family, love, and interning in Oregon for the queer white feminist writer she idolizes. Things get messy, but Juliet really forges her own path, explores issues of identity and race, and comes to understand and love herself.

*Thank you to NetGalley for offering me a digital ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

Juliet Takes a Breath: The Graphic Novel is based on a novel - and it shows. Everything about this graphic novel is excellent: the art is beautiful, the body positivity is through the roof, and it's centered on a queer woman of colour. This is the kind of resource I wish I had when I was a teenager coming to terms with my sexuality, and I foresee this becoming an integral text for future generations.

The novel Juliet Takes a Breath had been recommended to me multiple times so when I saw that it was being adapted into a graphic novel, I knew that I had to finally read it since I love graphic novels. However, I have to admit that I think that I might’ve preferred the novel. Why? This story explores so many themes and it just felt a bit rushed at times. Especially in the beginning: it jumps from one scene to the next without giving a lot of context.
But besides that, I really enjoyed it. Plus, the art is every queer’s dream – I’m just gonna pretend that the color palette is the lesbian flag on purpose and say that it was perfect. I’d honestly love to get some of the panels framed, that’s how gorgeous and powerful they are. There were maybe two or three layouts that were a bit confusing but it didn’t bother me that much.
I really liked Juliet as a main character. She’s Puerto Rican, lesbian and fat but also just a teenager who’s trying to figure herself out. It was amazing to see Juliet realize how amazing, beautiful and worthy of love she is throughout the book. Themes such as feminism, racism, coming out, family and body positivity are all dealt with in a thought provoking and empowering way. Romance also plays a role – Juliet experiences some heartbreak and also new love – but her journey to more self-love is the true star of the story which I really enjoyed.
After finishing this beautiful graphic novel, I felt like I could take on the world.
I would recommend this to everyone who’s interested in feminism, enjoys graphic novel or wants to feel inspired by a badass young woman. I also think that people who’ve already read the novel would really enjoy this graphic novel adaption.
I decided to give it 4/5 stars!

To say I was excited about one of my favorite books being turned released as graphic novel, is an understatement. Juliet Takes a Breath was easily one of my favorite books of 2018. It had depth, soul, growth, it tackled and confronted tough issues about our "heroes" when they're the ones who hurt us, it dealt with the BIPOC and Latinx experience of being queer both on its own and in comparison to being queer and white. Basically, it delved into some crucial intersections that needed to be voiced and I LOVED IT.

The graphic novel fell short, in my opinion. The illustrations are enchanting and capture the personality of Juliet so well. For everything else, I felt the story had been gutted a bit. Stripped of what gave it breath, so to speak. If I hadn't read the book already, I would feel that the characters lacked background that gives them soul. It lacks the packed punch that makes the whole story powerful and emotional. The graphic novel adaptation reads so rushed and watered down.

It is still a good story, it is an important one, and contains narratives and discussions we need to be having. Would I recommend this one to my friends or followers? Not until after they've read the novel version so that they can get the complete story.

BUT THE ART. I LOVE. I would buy several prints of scenes for my house.

TW: sexual harassment, homophobia, biphobia, racism, fatphobia, cheating,

Okay, this was so much better than I was expecting! I remember reading an excerpt of the book and not liking it, but the graphic novel definitely is worth it. And I'm going to give the book another try!! I loved everything about this and all the characters (except Harlowe ew). The art was so so beautiful and I think was a great introduction to the book. What held me back from loving the book when I first was starting it was that I thought it was going to be super cis-centric. But the beginning is just Juliet learning more about the queer world and the fact that there's not just gay people! If you were thinking of reading, don't hold back!

Thanks to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you were a fan of Gabby Rivera's "Juliet Takes a Breath," this graphic adaptation is a must. Celia Moscote, the artist, stayed faithful to the little details of the original story and delivered a fun and refreshing graphic novel that suits the novel perfectly. The art is gorgeous and the character representation brought into these pages is pretty accurate to Rivera's book.

In case you don't know, the original story is about a young girl named Juliet, who moves to Portland for a summer internship with her favorite author. She learns a lot about herself, her community, feminism, and her value as a Latinx who has come from the Bronx. I cannot recommend this enough, especially if you are Latinx and queer.