'The Adoption' by Zidrou with art by Arno Monin is a graphic novel about an adopted little girl that melts her grandparents hearts.

After an earthquake in Peru, Gabriel's son and daughter adopt a little orphan girl. They bring her back to Belgium. Gabriel is set in his ways with outings with his friends and loving his retired life. He warms slowly to the little girl. When it turns out that the girl may have been fraudulently adopted, it shatters everything.

I liked this story of a grouchy old man and a cute little girl. The story is not cut and dried and takes some interesting turns. The art is pretty good too.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Magnetic Press, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

The Adoption is not a simple adoption story where you'll just find the experience of adjusting with new family members. This book is much more than just the story of Qinaya.

Qinaya- She is a four-year-old Peruvian kid whose family died in an earthquake, leading her to get adopted by French parents who are in their late 40s and are childless.

The Adoption speaks to you about the story of this little four-year-old girl and how she adjusts into her new family in a foreign land, through the lens of a 70-plus old man who, after adoption, becomes the not-too-excited grandpa of Qinaya.

The old man might be too unenthusiastic to adapt to his new grandchild, but what will he do when he is asked to babysit her when everyone else is busy??

And if you are thinking that this is the story of the baby girl, you'll soon realise that it's not! It is the story of a grandfather who will move from one emotion to other. Love, emptiness, hope, disappointment, he'll encounter all that only to realise that life does not have happy endings like fairy tales.

He comes out in the end to become a forgiving father and a man who has seen a life both of disappointment and hopes. But in the end, all that matters is what you choose to do with every thing that life thrusts upon you.

But the book is not serious throughout. It has many aww moments like the slow and steady pace at which the grandpa develops adoration for the child.😍

Get ready to receive more from this book than what you'll initially expect.

This was a roller coaster of feelings. It started as a sweet adoption story, when a french couple adopt a little girl from Peru and bring her back to France after a disaster hits her homeland, but then it takes a darker turn. The main focus of the story is the grandfather who unexpectedly starts getting attached to the young girl and changes a lot because of her. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. The art was beautiful as well, and I love the light it shed on Peru, despite the minor hints of racism in the beginning.

I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC

A middle-aged French couple adopt a Peruvian girl who survived an earthquake. But the story is about the grandfather who wasn't home much for his own children and how he learns to love being a grandfather. It's an adorable heartwarming story.

And then it just punches you in the gut. God, it's heart wrenching. But it does still maintain that warm love of family. I'll leave the rest to you.

I was taken by the book cover and was mildly surprised by the contend. Not my genre but it was interesting. Adult humor or old men that gather humor in comic graphic prose. A French grandfather whose son adopts a little girl in Peru. Who comes to love her and then loses her to find her and himself.

A special thank you to Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

So many emotions in such a small book!

When Gabriel's son adopts a little girl from Perú, he isn't thrilled like everyone wants him to be. Why should he be happy? If they couldn't have a child, why did they have to adopt, and from so far away?

But soon his closed heart begins to melt, and he warms up to the little sunshine. She is adorable. And then an awful twist happens, and the mood of the book changed completely to raw and dark emotions. It's been beautiful to live through this with him. Love the conclusion!

Many thanks to Magnetic Press for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was a beautiful gut punch. In addition to the great slightly cartoonish art and the well drawn cast of main and supporting characters (all of whom felt like they had rich lives outside of the spotlight of the narrative), the plot was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The first half was close to what I expected, a story of a crotchety older man learning to love his adopted granddaughter and a nice mediation on family. And while I was also expecting a plot twist (since it is teased in the summary), I was not all all expecting the one we got which pulled the rug out from under the emotions that had been built up by the first half. I *felt* the loss and sadness of the POV character when his adopted granddaughter is no longer in his life and while I'm not sure I would have gone on the quixotic quest that he went on in the second half, and while there is no happy ending, I loved the direction the artist took the story and the opportunity to reflect on family, communication, love, and what we are all doing with our precious lives. This is a great work of art.

The Adoption is a beautiful graphic novel that brings to the light the relationship between fathers and their children and grandchildren. The novel is based in France and starts with the adoption of a child. The child comes to France with her new parents. An elderly man becomes a grandfather and is cold towards the child initially. The novel builds up from there and explores the growing relationship between the grandparents and the granddaughter. When something unexpected happens in the family all of them support one another to get through that hurdle. I almost teared up towards the end. This book is a perfect father's day and grandparents day gift. This novel in a tasteful way explores family love, friendship, and being part of a community.

My thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors/Magnetic Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

I thought this was going to be a sweet and heartwarming story of a grumpy old man opening his heart to welcome his new adopted granddaughter into his life and heart.

Not so much.

SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

The only way I can describe this book is it's very "French", in the way that life is doom and gloom and the silver lining of the cloud is really the lightning bolt about to strike you.

1) I sincerely hope this is not based off of a true story, but it is so depressing, I really don't want to research it to find out.

2) There is a plot hole in it you can either steer the Titanic through, or the hole by which the ocean entered the Titanic, take your pick. Though with how depressing this ends up being, it's the hole in the Titanic. (said hole, there was an ENTIRE CITY made into rubble, they couldn't have adopted a child that was truly an orphan? They HAD to pick the ONE child that still had living relatives? SERIOUSLY?!?)

3) Do we REALLY need to see an almost 75 year old man in full frontal nudity, even for a panel? Was that really what the artist had a BURNING need to draw and show?

4) The wife of the son, who was in on it, was a HUGE B-WORD. SERIOUSLY?!? The dude takes FULL responsibility and your only response is to run back home to your parents and initiate a divorce?!?

5) Apparently kidnapping in France only gets you like five years in the pokey. Good to know?

All that aside, I did appreciate that the POV was from said almost 75 year old man (his son was arrested during his 75th birthday celebration, how French!). Despite the old man full frontal, I did enjoy seeing life from an older perspective, as usually stories are not told from that age range. And the artwork (other than the said nudity), was done very well, quite beautiful and light. I enjoyed it. And that little girl was CUTE AS A BUTTON!! My goodness, I do understand why they all fell in love with her, she was just so adorable!

His friendships with the G's, his relationship with his wife and adult children, his slowly growing relationship with his granddaughter, it was all slice of life and very heartwarming.

The "twist" ruined it IMHO, but that is my opinion and I am sure there are many others who would appreciate it. Considering when I read this, during a very serious and deadly pandemic, I did not need to read negative anything right now. I read to escape reality, not to wallow in it. For that, I just turn on the news.

Maybe if I had read this when I was younger and in the "everything sucks" phase of my life, or maybe if I read this during a less negative time period, I might not have reacted as strongly in a negative way to it. Possibly right book at completely the wrong time for me.

NOT the book's fault, please don't let that dissuade you from giving it a try. 1, I'm really sorry but I can't give it more than this, stars.

This was a very heartfelt story with great illustrations. Really made me think about how many people are affected through adoption and how painful it could be. I would definitely but a physical copy of this book for myself.

Really loved this graphic novel! It was an exciting and surprising story, full of ups and downs that connect us with the family and their common and special dilemmas.

Cute book! I love the GeeGees, witnessing the growth of Grandpa's love for Qinaya, and seeing his love for his son, although it was complicated.

thank you to @netgalley & @diamondbookdist for providing me with this e-arc!

this graphic novel follows a grumpy old French man and his new granddaughter Qinaya, who was adopted after losing her parents to an earthquake in Peru. we see how the two come to bond and, when an unexpected twist of fate strikes, how the man copes with losing his granddaughter.

unfortunately this graphic novel didn’t blow me away. I thought the premise was interesting because I rarely read stories about adoption, but the execution was lacking in my opinion. I thought the story felt rushed and could have been developed further, especially because it’s a graphic novel and the lack of text has to be made up for with art. I also didn’t expect the language in this novel to be as crude as it was and I didn’t think it was fitting. neither did I like the stereotypical depictions of the side characters of colour. I did really like the exploration of family dynamics and the discussion of how parents might look back on how they raised their children and their insecurities in that. I think this story has a lot of potential, particularly as a film, because the combination of drama and humour reminds me of films like Intouchables. however in this form it was lacking and I know I’ll forget about having even read this in a few weeks from now.

Before reading this, I thought this will be a journey how a family adopts and welcome a child into the family. Without giving anything away, I’m heartbroken and sad; and how the story changed.

"The Adoption", by Zidou and Arno Monin is a graphic novel that follows the adoption of a 4 year old Peruvian girl by a middle-aged family from France. The girl is a survivor of a massive Arequipa earthquake and the family that adopts her is a couple that had been trying for a while to have a child but were unsuccessful at conceiving. More than the relationship between the girl and her new parents, the graphic novel follows the relationship between the girl and one of her new grandfathers, who is initially skeptical about the adoption but soon warms up to the adorable child. The story takes an abrupt turn around the halfway mark, which makes it feel more like reading two different stories with the same characters rather than the same story. I would have personally liked a bit more focus on the logistics of what prompted the second half.

The illustrations and art style are very beautiful. A lot of the emotions of the characters were transmitted very well through the illustrations and the colors were very heartwarming. This is a cute story about family, love, and caring and it reads quite fast, so I recommend it to fans of the genre. I do, however, wish it had a bit more focus on the biggest "twist" in the story, as I feel that would have made the story be more complete. It was still heartwarming though. Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors (Magnetic Press) for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a one part, translated graphic novel. It is mostly based in France and part of it in Peru. The heartfelt illustrations convey more than the sparse words in the panels convey. Some of them had no words but still had a punch to them!

The story is of a man who, post-retirement, is suddenly a grandparent to a girl who does not speak the language and has lived through a natural calamity. There is something lingering in the background about some missing information but it all comes to light soon enough. People’s relationships are tested and shown in all their colours, good, bad and petty. Overall, I felt like it was a delightful little book that I liked despite the not-so-happily-ever-after ending. I do not always find it easy to move on from a book that doesn’t necessarily end at a specific point but I liked this one just fine and even shed a tear or two.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Magnetic Press for a digital ARC!

Gabriel learns that his son has adopted a child from a recent disaster in Peru, and is initially against the idea. With this new child in the family, Gabriel slowly grows into the role of a grandparent, and what family means.

This comic was extremely heart-wrenching. Watching Gabriel learn how to be a grandfather was enriching, but was also balanced with the very real trauma that a child would face in these situations.

I did see the book as two separate halves. I won't spoil the ending, but the second half is a more thoughtful piece on the ties that connect us, family, and how we deal with trauma in a familial sense.

I loved the artwork style, and am looking forward to more from this author.

A heartwarming story that tugs at your heart strings about a relationship between an adopted child with her grandfather.

The story starts with news of a devastating earthquake in Peru that left countless children orphaned, we mostly follow Gabriel, a new grandfather, after his son and daughter in law decided to adopt a child named Qinaya. Both of Qinaya's parents got killed in the disaster. Gabriel seemed reluctant about being close to his grand daughter and is very adamant about keeping distance between him and Qinaya.
Slowly, Gabriel starts opening up to Qinaya as he discovers his new role as a grandfather to this little girl.

The art and story definitely pulled me in to reading this graphic novel. I finished it in one sitting and so far this story made my heart melt. Qinaya is just the cutest kid! The visuals helped me immerse to the story completely. Gabriel character growth left me emotional.
And yet when I thought the story is emotional enough, it hit me real hard with the twist. I was speechless and I was equally as confused as Gabriel. I highly recommend for anyone to read it if they have time to spare. Readers can easily finish this book in one sitting and definitely should prepare tissues.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Adoption is an amazing graphic novel/comic book that has so many emotions attached to it.
The story is of a married couple who adopt a little girl from another country who's mother died in an earthquake. The story focuses on the new grandfather of the little girl who isn't very child orientated and has worked his whole life, missing out on valuable time with his own son. It shows how the child and the grandfather bond and get closer and then a huge twist occurs.
The story becomes much more serious and heavy after this twist.
This book brought tears to my eyes and really touched my heart. The illustrations are amazing and I highly recommend giving this book a try.

The Adoption by Zidrou follows Gabriel, an unbending retired man, who has just been volunteered for babysitting duty for his newly adopted Peruvian granddaughter. Gabriel, who had little to do with his own son, is thrown into the role of caregiver and grandfather, and starts to feel the genuine pull of a young girl’s need for family. Stitched together with themes of growth, the real meaning of family, and belonging, The Adoption is both heartwarming and gut wrenching.

This graphic novel packs a punch. I wasn’t expecting the story to go in the direction that it did, but it definitely made for a wonderful and enlightening reading experience. Discussion of what makes a good parent, the relationship with both young children and grown children, and building a family through adoption were quite interesting. I also really appreciated the discussion of growing up and growing older.

The Adoption is narratively laid out in a way that is quite cinematic. Much of the storytelling is framed in ways similar to that of a film and this tactic builds drama and intrigue within the story. The illustrations are very pretty, a pastel color palette is used, which complements the slightly cartoonish depictions of people within the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Diamond Book Distributors, and Magnetic Press for allowing me to read and review this graphic novel.