Reading a series of comics in this format is very nostalgic as, like other reviewers have mentioned, some of my first ever comics were from weekly newspaper updates! I think the art and coloring of this is really fun and the stories are funny and entertaining. It gives me a very Nickelodeon show type vibe (Ned's Declassified sort of) and I think a lot of people will enjoy this!

This adorable comic strip collection follows a middle school girl named Heart and her friends.

I had never heard of the Heart comic strip before, but I’m so glad I decided to pick it up! Heart is a funny, mischievous, bossy, and dramatic middle schooler and I loved reading about her adventures. Some of the jokes were really funny, and I found myself especially amused by some of the humor of the adult characters. I really appreciated the theater aspect.- especially the techie character Charlotte who became a part of Heart’s friend group. Also, I want those strawberry earrings the drama teacher had - I loved the whole vibe of the teacher’s look!

This has a good balance of silliness and more serious topics, like school bullying/exclusion and lack of resources for teachers. I was pleasantly surprised by the teacher strike storyline that happened.

I was a little confused at times with the timeline/order events - sometimes one storyline would be happening and it would get interrupted by 1-2 pages of something else before going back to the storyline.

rating: 3.5/5

I will admit to a bit of a shock with both the art style and seeing the characters aged to Jr. High, but the new artist does a great job of appropriately aging them, keeping the cores of their personalities intact, and adding new faces and themes to the strip. At times it felt reminiscent of Foxtrot or Zits, but the essential zaniness and dramatic humor of Heart still shine through.

“You wanted my attention? Why? I don’t pay attention to anyone.”
First of all, thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for sending me a free digital copy of this book.
Okay, I had so much fun reading this. Heart, our main character is so funny, dramatic, extra, and bossy. I wish I was like her when I was in middle school. The characters are all so funny, the stories are great, there are good messages in them, and the drawings are perfect.
I needed a light reading and this one was the perfect one. Everyone can read it, kids, teens, and adults, and everyone will have a good time.
Maybe sometimes I was a bit lost with the timeline and with the order of the pages, but maybe it’s from my side, and even it’s not a big problem.
So yeah, it’s fun, and a great time, and a drama queen for the main character!

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this collection of comic strips, and Heart and her friend group is really fun! I especially liked how some strips are very stand-alone, while others are connected, and that the whole collection forms a clear narrative! Very decent, and tbh I would love an actual graphic novel with these characters!

A lot of kids will probably enjoy this a lot!

Honest review from my nine year old daughter:

This book was just okay. My copy had a lot of washed out errors where I couldn’t see the illustrations well.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I liked that this book was basically a bunch of short stories. I wish some were a bit longer or more detailed. I also felt some ended a bit abruptly. I think it would be great for middle school age children but could be liked by all ages. I liked all the different characters and that it didn't focus on just one charger but that it bounced back and forth from several.

The art was great and I loved all the vibrant colors. Super easy to read and follow.

Heart is an American tween, battling the middle school minefield of social contracts, popularity and gossip, supported by her friends Kat, Dean and Charloltte.

This was a fun slice-of-life comic aimed at the 11/tween market, with scenarios that the average kid would find themselves in. It's the sort of comic I'd have enjoyed when I was a kid,

My kids weren't that taken by this one, but they are a little out of that age bracket, and the situations aren't relevant for them - yet,.

~Many thanks to NetGalley for providing this book in exchange for an honest review~

Early middle-graders take on theater, school, and friendship antics. This was a cute story with plenty of pop culture references older readers would appreciate. I thought it was very accessible and would appeal to a wide age range. Young readers can grow with this one.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this eBook.

Heart Takes the Stage by Steenz was a fun collection and a cute read. I liked the characters and many of the storylines.

Heart Takes the Stage is a wonderful collection of comics, and would be a great addition to any library or school classroom. Steenz' cartooning craft shines, and it's nice to see their run on Heart collected like this.

I don't know how else to go about this, but first and foremost, it would be great if this book could be read in a more accessible format. It didn't appear on my Netgalley shelf; in fact, I was unable to download and open it on any device. I had to resort to downloading the Overdrive app, create an account on it, and complete various verification processes only to not be able to open the .acsm file there either. I was honestly looking forward to reading this book but I've tried everything and don't know what else to do. I'm not sure how much this qualifies as a review for the book itself but I didn't have a great experience at all.

This was a cute quick read. However through several points in the story it jumped back and forth a lot. I'm not sure of the copy I recieved was out of order but things didn't seem to go smoothly. I also felt like there were not enough "taking the stage" moments for me. I thought it was going to be more about Heart and well, taking the stage. While I did like the middle school drama I just expected different things from the title.


Thanks NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

My love of comics began with reading the comics section of the newspaper every weekend as a kid. Reading this collection was a joyful experience that took me back to those fun moments. I don't read a lot of comic strips anymore but I am always delighted to find a new series (especially one that brings me joy, like this one!). Heart Takes the Stage is smart, funny, and charming, and will be sure to make you smile.

This is perfect for a young readers. I love Hearts personality. Her attitude is either over the top or typical middle grade antics.

A big thanks to Netgalley/publisher for approving my request!

Not a long review. This one just didn't entirely click with me. I am still happy I read the book and there were some fun elements (like the musical, that we get to see other character's lives as well, the art, the friendship, Heart's mom, had a laugh at the sleepover near the end of the book), but I just didn't connect with the characters that much, there was just something missing for me. And the format (one comic a page sometimes even one picture a page) didn't work out for me either. This format works perfect for Big Nate, but it just didn't work for me here. It felt really disjointed and at times I had to go back and re-read parts.

This is a very cute middle grade graphic novel. It’s age appropriate for elementary or middle school kids. I laughed at the cheesy jokes and funny storylines. The characters are all likeable easy to relate to.

a cute middle school graphic novel I really enjoyed!
thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an earc of heart takes the stage by Steenz, in exchange for an honest review.

This comic drew me in with drama being a part of the plot. It reminded me of my middle school years when theater was my life. I enjoyed most of the characters but wished we got more time with Charlotte. She was quirky, kind, smart, and just a gem. I did find that I wasn’t as connected to the main character though. It could’ve been because the story lines jumped from one thing to another without much transitioning. Overall, I enjoyed it, but would love to see a full storyline throughout or more organization.

Publishers description: Heart Lamarr is a girl with big dreams who lives in Philadelphia with her single mom. She has her sights set on a life of theater, but she runs into plenty of drama off-stage, too. Luckily, her best friends Dean, Kat, and Charlotte form a stellar supporting cast to help Heart navigate the challenging world of school plays, cliques, rumors, and everything else middle school throws at them.

This is a middle-grade graphic novel, not my usual reading of choice, but when I saw it took place in Philadelphia- my home, I just had to grab it.

Heart has the best support group of adults and the kind of friends a geek like me could only dream of when I was that age.

Just about everything is touched in this comic strip. Heart has friends of every color and sex and seems to have at least one who is LGBTQ, something more hinted at than shouted. And like most kids at 11, Heart didn’t get the hint her bestie tossed her. But I have a feeling it will change nothing between them when this revelation finally comes out.

It was a delightful read and made me smile more than once. Heart is a cool kid, with some cool friends. A mother who is both strict and encouraging. Role models worth looking up to, and she learns from her own mistakes as she grows.

Recommended for any tween.

Thanks to @netgalley, Andrew McMeels Publishing, and Steenz for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review