I received an eARC from NetGalley for the purposes of writing this review.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel! Christopher Baldwin's art is perfectly suited for this story - he has an instantly recognizable style that I've been a fan of since reading his comic Spacetrawler many years ago. His art style brings each of the characters to life in a way that perfectly suits the humor and charm of the writing and the story itself.

I loved that the main character in this portal fantasy was obsessed with gothic literature rather than the more cheerful fairy tale type interests we often see in this kind of story. She was brilliant and likable and the jokes worked well.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a light-hearted book about gothic castles, plucky heroines, and multiple universes. This was a fun read.

I really enjoyed this story. It was witty, the illustrations were good and I wouldn't mind a sequel. Somethings made me roll my eyes, but overall it was a cute and amusing read.

A smart, hilarious twist on gothic romance, featuring relatable and wildly funny characters and brooding, mysterious scenarios that are sure to convert even the staunchest literary snobs to graphic novels.

A huge thank you to Netgalley & McElderry Books for the early copy of, The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor, this comes out July 20!

I absolutely loved this graphic novel. It was so cute & funny, I actually laughed out loud several times! It’s a story about a young lady who loves Gothic Romance novels but she’s supposed to read something in another genre for a school book report. She somehow ends up in an alternate universe of sorts, where she’s been transported into her own gothic tale! Is she the maiden? Is she the heroine? You’ll have to decide for yourself!

This was a such a fun twist on classic fairytales, with some hilarious content & beautiful graphics. I thoroughly enjoyed it & definitely recommend it!

Nimona - fantasy + gothic romanticism = The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor. The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor is a fun romp through the English countryside that isn't really the English countryside, because it's actually in a different universe. The graphic novel is fun & quirky & brings to life the tropes of gothic romanticism that are effective and easy to poke fun at. 10/10 would read again

The description has it that this is Nimona meets Paper Girls, but having read both of those stories, I didn't see it. This is its own story, and I dislike it when a new work is compared with a mashup of older ones. To me, it feels insulting to the author.

Often I will not even think of reading a story that's described in such a way, but fortunately I didn't let that put me off this one for once! I really enjoyed this. It was smart, original, entertaining, amusing, and fun. The mashup that this graphic novel does achieve is the impressive feat of conjoining a Gothic romance with sci-fi story about a pocket universe that acts aa a protection against the evil 'Bile' which comes from another universe and seeks to subsume everything.

The story is of Haley, a high-schooler and hopeless Gothic romance addict who gets into trouble with her teacher for turning in yet another book report about a Gothic romance. She's advised that she has to try something new or risk failing. Walking home in the pouring rain that evening (it rains a lot in this graphic!) she espies a young man struggling in the creek as she crosses the bridge, and she plunges in to help him, somehow ending up inside a Gothic romance. She learns this is a pocket universe leeching its world from the world of Gothic romance stories, so naturally there are three brooding, old-world brothers: Cuthbert, Lawrence, and Montague, a strange housemaid, and a ghost! Of course! But not everything is what you think it is, so don't jump to any conclusions.

Haley struggles through this with courage, aplomb and good humor, making some sneaky references to Gothic romances as she goes, and eventually wins out. The novel features rather ineffectual brothers and strong female characters including Haley who is a young black woman and who's deadly with an umbrella. Overall this was a fun story - a little bit on the lengthy side, maybe, if I had a criticism, but a good engaging story that I commend as a worthy read.

This a very cute and funny graphic novel for those that enjoy gothic romance tropes. I loved Haley's enthusiasm and energy throughout and the artwork is appealing.

As promised by the marketing, this is a satirical and meta take on the gothic romance novel (plus sci-fi alternate universe shenanigans!). I think the worldbuilding is the best part (really glad they didn’t go with the “and it was all a dream” route) but I wasn’t in love with the humor. Don’t get me wrong, some of it did make me smile. But the jokes got a bit repetitive by the middle and I became less enthused. Definitely a “it’s me, not the graphic novel” issue, and I think your reaction will vary on how much you like the meta humor. The art is cute.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Best use of a wheelbarrow in a graphic novel...lots of fun, nice play on classic gothic elements while connecting with readers in the 21st century

Haley is obsessed with gothic romances, to the point that her teacher says she's not allowed to do any book reports on gothic romances anymore (I could relate, except I was in third grade, and my teacher said I couldn't do any more book reports on the Oz books). She is swept into an alternate dimension straight out of every gothic romance she ever read.

Fun and funny, especially for those who will recognize all the tropes that are made fun of.

This book was extremely weird, but it had very amusing humor and it was worth a read! Time travel, mixed with gothic romance, and interdimensional aliens. Very strange, but fun!

This was creative and funny at times but it just did not really resonate with me; sometimes it just seemed silly.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

I really love the graphic novels that have been coming out these past few years and this one is no exception. I was so excited to read this when I saw the description and it kept me entranced from page one. I basically read it one sitting,

I love Haley. She is probably my favorite character this year. She is dedicated, exciting, powerful, and also she is a POC. She is a hoot. I loved that she wasn't willing to change who she was because of the other characters' demands or expectations of her. Which we saw later on influence the others to step out of their assigned character roles into something else that they wanted to be or just to try.

The plot may come off as outlandish and cheesy but when you really look at it, it's about more than trying to stop leaks in the universe and being who you are truly and also allowing yourself to explore who you are and who you might want to be. Which I think is something we take for granted and this story does a really good job of putting that into perspective.

Also, I would like to note that the women in this graphic novel save the day. And I loved that. They swoop in, knock the guys on the heads and fix it. Add in the gothic romance jokes and comments this is a delightfully funny story I think everyone should read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for the eARC for review.

Funny and genre-savvy with enough adventure to keep you guessing. The main character's enthusiasm for her surroundings was hilarious! The dialogue was very well-written. In terms of reading level and content I would call this middle grade, but a lot of the humor relies on an awareness of gothic romance tropes (possibly just a general understanding of tropes and how they work would be enough), which might make recommending it more challenging.

Haley is obsessed with graphic novels, and ends up deep in the heart of a story replete with stereotypical gothic characters, a large dose of sci-fi fantasy and diversity . What a fun adventure! I don't know that my middle school students will get the references to gothic literature, but perhaps it will intrigue them enough to not shy away from it.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Overall, Willowweep Manor was a pleasant enough spoof on gothic novels. I wish the characters had been a little more well-rounded. I get that the author's intent was for them to be the stereotypes of a gothic novel, but the jokes and humor wore thin with repetition.

It was enjoyable, but was a little too over the top for me! I could see teens at my library enjoying this one though!

A quick read that will appeal to avid readers and those who wish they were. As a teacher, I loved the way in which vocabulary, themes, and tropes were introduced and defined in a non-threatening manner. As a reader, I enjoyed the witty banter among the characters.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.
This was the first title in a Long time that literally had me chuckle audibly. If you were or are a fan of gothic literature (and don’t mind laughing at the genre too) you will love this graphic novel. The heroine is relatable and the other characters goofy but loveable. It has all the tropes of a true gothic tale without taking it too seriously. It’s sort of a modern version of Northanger Abby in the sense that we have the gothic atmosphere while also examining that atmosphere and how it relates to our favorite tales. I couldn’t recommend this book more as I simply couldn’t put it down once I started reading it!

Truly superb sound effects. Also love the eyeballs. 10/10, very funny, particularly good sound effects and eyeballs.