I'm not usually a comic book person, but this one really caught my eye. I really like stories that don't promise much and come at you with the simplicity of life. Reading this felt like getting to know a piece of someone's life, and I love when books do this. The characters seemed very real, with problems I could have, from the travel anxiety to the prejudiced family or the societal expectations upon girls. It's a good read, especially because it's not long and at the same time has enough time to develop everything it starts and put out a nice message.

I don't think that I got out of this what I should have. This read to me as a teenager goes on vacation and meets some people that make her realize that there are bigger issues in the world than her angst. It just wasn't for me.

Forever by Assia Petricelli is a remarkable summer time read which explores love. Through Viola's character, the book helps the readers explore romantic as well as platonic love.

In many ways I felt nostalgic while reading through this beautifully illustrated novel. It brought back memories from when I was a teenager and was still discovering what love meant to me. Through this book it is reiterated that love to many means different things.

The best part about the novel is that it isn't preachy in terms of what love should be and the characters included to highlight them felt so real. The illustrations perfectly added to the reading experience and held my interest throughout.

When I initially started the novel, I feared it might be a problematic book with some of the terms used and even feared that the relationships shown might be toxic too. But the author has done a phenomenal job of tying all loose ends and took the opportunity to briefly touch on issues like consent, using protection and unhealthy relationships.

Personally, I would have preferred a different ending to Viola and Ireneo's relationship but it also aptly shows how much Viola had grown since the beginning of summer. Lastly, I loved Viola's shared relationship with Lili and Paola so so much!!

I rate the book 5 out of 5 bookmarks for the constant smile on my face, the beach vibes and the beautiful depiction of the many forms of love. Highly recommend it!

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing me with an eARC of the book to review. I’d also like to congratulate the author - Assia Petricelli - and illustrator – Sergio Riccardi – on their new book which came out earlier in April, 2021.

"what is this "love" everyone talks about?"

5/5! I loved this graphic novel! It talked about so many important themes and made me tear up. I absolutely loved the characters and their interactions with one another. I think this story is a must read for YA-New adult readers and I cant wait to buy a physical copy for my collection!

Summary:
"Forever" is a story about figuring out what love is. We see our main character struggle with self image and being uncomfortable with encounters she has that are supposed to be "love". Through seeing everyone around her go through toxic relationships and never being happy she starts to learn what love isn't. She starts to realize that she is more comfortable the way she is (tomboy) and that her being in a happy relationship isn't going to look like what everyone else wants. She finds herself and learns what a healthy relationship is and this whole story is just so beautiful with its images and story.

Can't wait to read more by this author, thank you so much for letting me read it early!
(I read this in advance on Netgalley for a review)

Such a wholesome , heartwarming read . It just fir the summer vibe super well . I really loved that the book touched upon toxic relatiomships , sexual assualt , sexuality , real depiction of a woman's body and consent . This book deals with these topics with great care and spread a great message to the audience . Although it is a short graphic novel it will leave you with a stream of thoughts , self realisation and it is very likely to make you feel empowered and enlightened . The artwork in this book was just lovely and it really complemented the story in all the best possible ways that it could . Highly reconmend it to anyone looking for a light and empowering book .

What a charming and quick read. Despite how short this story is, I found myself immediately invested in the characters. I loved the variety of issues explored and the growth each character had. A lovely art style and heartwarming tale.

This was such a heartwarming story. The characters were so real and the art was beautifully done and combined with the narration; the ending was so bittersweet but at the same time lovely and it really concluded MC’s thoughts about ‘what is love’. You should absolutely read this one!

This book reminded me of why I love graphic novels. It is about love in many of its forms as Viola, the main character, wonders "What is this love that everyone talks about?"

She finds the answer in unexpected places, but my favorite is when she asks, "Is it true you can be happy only when you're with another person."

She gets a response that comes not just with the wisdom of age, but with the clarity that comes when you are at the end of your days, "It's rather the other way around: You can be happy with someone only when you are capable of being happy by yourself."

During the course of one summer, Viola comes to love herself, which leads her to gradually open her eyes and confront the reality of love, which is very different from the fantasy of love.

I did not expect to love this as much as I did but oh, what a ride. Beautiful art, a compelling story, and a really important message. I adored this, highly recommend it.

Adored the art and especially how the women were drawn, with realistic bodies and stomach rolls. The story wasn't fully clear at times - it would occasionally randomly cut to the perspective of one of Viola's friends and I wasn't sure why. Easy quick summer read but in the end, slightly shallow and wasn't much plot, and some things (especially other characters and relationships) were unclear

Viola wonders what love is exactly and questions the love presented in its many forms during her summer vacation in Italy with family and friends. A great coming of age story about discovering yourself and doing what feels right instead of what one is expected to do. This was a great story and beautifully illustrated.

At first I thought this was going to be a book about teen crushes based on the opening artwork in a diary-like form and thought uh-oh! But looking back now after reading the whole book, it was a clever addition.

I would recommend this for a quick YA summer read! A very enjoyable graphic novel!

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this one in exchange for an honest review.

This is an honest review, I received this book from NetGalley.

It might be that I really miss Italy and the sea but I really liked this graphic novel!
Viola is a girl that has not yet discovered what and who she wants to be. This is a coming of age novel that through friendship and love help Viola to understand a little bit more both of the world and herself.
Viola spends her days wondering what Love is. Each or her friends define it in a different way and even her mother has her own opinion. It will be the meeting with 2 lesbian ladies and a local guy that will finally uncover the mystery about this strange feeling that everyone apart for her seem to have felt.

Great book, I really recommend it!

The book was such a pleasant read while talking about issues that are so important, especially for people just starting to explore relationships and love and their sexuality. Her ease with an older queer couple was so well placed and comfortable.

The visuals are stunning (ref: forest and field scenes) and the colours in the book transport you to Italy immediately.

Forever follows Viola, a young girl who is in her with her family and friends on summer vacations where she begins exploring many new relationships. This book was such a real and raw portrayal of love and relationships. In such a short book readers are able to see the good, the bad, and the real things people go through during their relationships. Seeing this book through the eyes of Viola was great because she is just starting to figure out herself and being exploring sexuality and romance. I loved seeing her find a summer love she didn’t expect and I even enjoyed seeing her stand up for herself when it came to the boy she thought she had wanted. Side note: Paola and Lili were the absolute best. I loved how they promoted happy and healthy relationships and I love how they helped Viola throughout the book!

I feel that this is a great book for young adults to read who are at the age where they will start getting into romantic relationships on their own. This book shows both healthy and unhealthy relationships and shows what can come from the both of them. I think this book could be a great way for young adults to start conversations with their families or friends about what can make a good relationship and what could not.

In terms of the actual layout/format of the book, I absolutely loved it. The illustrations where beautiful and it was one of my favorite styles of artwork (also what I feel to be one of the most universally favored of graphic novel readers). I really enjoyed the amount of text, it was just the right amount. Not too much or too little which is something I think many graphic novels struggle with.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I highly recommend it for all the young adults/preteens in your life!

A beautiful study of love.
I first, after reading the beginning and seeing the typical annoying crush on the cute guy and horrible love cliches that seem to linger in teen magazines, I thought this was not for me.
But I was wrong, so very wrong. This is a very beautiful graphic novel that really does question what it is to be in love, what it should feel like, what it evokes and what it means when we are young, when we are older, when it starts and when it ends. It touches on deep topics, on identity, on the importance of loving yourself and being good in your own skin. It is geared towards girls, a message, reassurance and a boost to keep you strong.
I didn't think I would like it so much, but I really did. A fantastic read.

'maybe this is what "love is forever" means: it's not timeless, but it leaves a mark so deep that it accompanies us all our lives.'

i may have just become a sucker for cute graphic novels which leave me asking for more but aaahhh why was this one way too short? ://

forever was so heartwarming and i was smiling almost all the time. the beach setting illustrations, especially the viola-ireneo scenes and the music playing in the background were beautiful, like really beautiful. though a bit unsatisfying, this one's short, sweet and feel-good max <3

"Love is either forever or it isn't"

This is a beautiful story about loving one self before loving someone else.
Many myths about true love are covered in this graphic novel as much as other issues like body image, self worth, family problems, sexuallity, misunderstandings, free will and friendship.
I very much loved the main character and felt myself reflexed in many of her points of view and actions.
Beautifully illustrated and the feeling is so full of peace that you for a moment feel like in a faraway coast in Italy, falling in love for the first time.
Grazie, Netgalley

In Forever, we meet Viola, a teenager girl that wondering what love really is, especially apout what "love is forever" is trully mean while spending summer vacation with her bestfriends and her family. We can discover her thoughts in her diary too! The topic of 'love' is richly written and illustrated at the story, like a new love interest, self love, jeaolusy, parents-strict love. and many more!

Personally, I thought Forever is full of emotions, because each love story is described as bittersweet one. Definition of love was not like what Viola (and maybe readers too) thought before. And at the end, I glad Viola finally find answer about What "love is forever" is.

#Forever #NetGalley

I’m not sure I can fully express how much I loved this graphic novel. We follow Viola and her family on a month-long vacation to the seaside of southern Italy, where Viola meets her old friends, makes new ones, and meets a cute local boy. Viola is an extremely angsty and relatable teenager learning all about love (the good, the bad and the ugly) with some wonderful body- and sex- positive messages. I’d recommend this to anyone for a fun and heart-warming read, and I especially think this could be a great introduction to many of these ideas for teenagers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review

it was such a sweet, heartbreaking, at times cute summer read. i can't believe it ended the way it ended tho, it fucking broke me man 😭
the characters were so vivid, although i did find myself wanting to know more about Viola's friends, i think i didn't get enough, but anyway, the artwork so beautiful aswell!
if u have a chance at getting this novel, make sure u do, it's freaking amazing! brilliant to read in summer time either 💜