This was such a cute way to talk about African American Culture in reference to their hair. The message inside the book is wonderful for students of all ages. Do what make you feel like you. Just because a certain style is passed on or is reference in pop culture doesn't mean you have to jump on it. Do what makes you feel like you!

This is an awesome graphic novel about a girl expressing her independence and individuality.

It shows some great themes about wanting to style hair differently than being told how it was supposed to be. Marline is a strong willed girl and a good role model for young girls to shine and show who they are. The format of this book helps even reluctant readers get into the story and has some pretty awesome graphics.

A touching story that is great for elementary school kids (especially girls). My daughter really liked this book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Frizzy was such an amazing book and had an incredible message that I think so many people need to hear. Love yourself! It doesn’t matter how many times you may hear the same words, it never really seeps in. It doesn’t matter how curly or straight or short or long or what color or thickness your hair is, you need to love you for the person you were meant to be.

I definitely felt a kinship to Marlene. I always had hair that I wanted to change, because it wasn’t the same as everyone else’s. And now that I’m bald, it took me a good two years to come to terms with it. So my heart goes out to anyone who feels the same way.

I appreciated the message and love that so many people are going to have this to read and know that they are loved for their curls and beauty… no matter what a bully may say.

Trigger warning: bullying

I was given the chance to read 'Frizzy' thanks to Netgalley and the publisher in exchange of an honest review. The following review is sorely based on my experience reading the graphic novel.

SUCH AN ADORABLE STORY

As soon as I saw the cover, I knew I would absolutely love it. Having curly hair is a struggle many times? Yes, but unfortunately, we are raised and shaped by society and those around us in so many cases to hate our hair and for instance our own self, our own identity. It tends to take quite the self-loving journey to understand how precious it truly is.

Found 'Frizzy' to be so relatable to my own journey towards loving my own self and with it, my hair. I'm still learning and still trying new things just like Marlene but we all need a little reminder once in a while.

The illustrations were great and I can see how this graphic novel can be such a game changer for kids and middle graders (or anyone really) to turn down stereotypes and walk towards self-acceptance.

Love love loved this graphic novel debut from Claribel A. Ortega. Found so many parallels to my own childhood spent in beauty salons straightening my hair.

Ortega tackles complex conversations about identity and feeling good in your own body. Rose Bousamra's illustrations were fantastic and worked so well for this story.

Hope to see more collaborations between these two creatives in the future.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this to review.
This is one of the most cute and heartwarming stories I have ever read. When I first saw the name and the cover I told myself I had to read this. As a little girl I got bullied in school too for my curly hair but my mom never left she would literally hand coil it for me every morning and she raised my self esteem so much until I learned how to embrace my hair as it was. I was so happy reading Marlene's story and seeing how she embraced herself too and how she dealt with everything around her. The writing and the art was extremely amazing I can't wait for the release date so I can get myself a physical copy.

This book will appeal to anyone who needs to be reminded that we are pretty perfect just the way we are. The main character rebels against what society thinks is the ‘right’ way to wear her curly, often unruly hair and learns in the process that her hair is beautiful and part of her identity. This is a book about self confidence and acceptance and being proud of our differences.

I was lucky enough to get an eARC for Frizzy. This is the author’s first graphic novel and it didn’t disappoint.
Frizzy at the heart of the story is a beautiful story about what black women (in particular) face with the policing of their hair. The main character has been getting her hair down every week at the salon, which she hates. She comes to terms with wanting her hair to be more natural. Which she and other girls like her are taught from an early age is wrong. It’s a journey on her coming to terms with the long history of the women before her and the world she lives in now. Her aunt teachers her how to style her hair type, which she struggled to find help with. It’s an overall really great story that brings up the issue of hair and the policing of it, but also about learning to love yourself and all that’s you. This story does have some triggers, so look into it first. IE, grief, bullying, generational trauma (around black hair), and anxiety. It’s super lovely and everyone should read it.

A thank you to the author (Claribel A. Ortega), the publisher, and Netgalley for the arc!

This. Was. Amazing.

Love it. Love it. Love it.

It’s so wholesome, and wonderful, and delightful, and sweet, and beautiful, and I just had such a great time reading it!

“I wanted to be myself. I wanted that to be enough and for everyone to love me.”

4.5 ☆!

I love cute graphic novel with a message. It was nice to follow Marlene. How she makes her way to find herself and I really liked that. I know how hard it is to fit in where everyone seems to be prettier than you. It can be hard to find your own kind of beauty. But Marlene did great.

Marlene grew so much in this book and stood up for herself. Beauty comes still from the inside. I liked how she and her tia spend quality time together. Who doesn‘t want a tia like Marlene has!

In some points I really understood Marlenes mom, but sometimes she seemed to badly influenced by stereotypes and sure by her childhood. In the end I got a better understanding why she did what she did.

The drawing was really nice and I‘d like to see more from the artist. I really loved how she drew the curls and people.

Adults can learn from kids and Marlene is just the kind of girl who finds her voice and encouragement from her Tia to share her thoughts and feelings with her mother and encourage her own mother to accept herself too with her frizzy hair. Marlene spent too much time at the salon trying to be something else because her mom didn't think her hair was 'good', so Marlene explores what it means and realizes that beauty comes from the inside (as she's always been taught but no one seems to ever follow).

It's a reckoning between mother and daughter, culture, and acceptance and the story is a loving mix of art and dialogue that is fantastic. Finding her voice. Having positive friendships. Working through grief. Feeling comfortable in her own body and with her own care which also means having the right care routine. There's a wholesomeness to it too that's not meant to belittle the book but demonstrate that the struggle is beautiful and enriching.

This was an incredibly sweet story of Marlene learning to accept her natural hair texture and fighting back against the long held belief that Black hair is not "professional".

From the art style, to the message, everything about this book was well executed. I loved the friendship that Marlene and Cam shared, and how Marlene's Tia was able to help her navigate her feelings and then how to properly style her hair.

I think this deserves a spot in every school library, because everyone should be able to see that they are beautiful, and that there is no such thing as "good hair".

I have not sobbed so hard reading a book in years. Like tears streaming down my face, blurry vision, chest throbbing sobs. This is a book I needed as a kid with naturally curly hair in a family surrounding with no one who had the same hair type.

This book is about self-love and acceptance, exploring themes of family competition/ comparison and embracing your differences. Frizzy did not need to go this hard, but I am so glad it did.

The art was beautiful and the story was engaging the whole way through. This is a perfect addition to any personal library, classroom collection, or school resource.

Oh wow was this such a beautiful hour of my time.
This book is going to resonate with so many people/so many young people!! A book about being yourself, embracing the Hair you were born with and to not let anyone tell you/dictate what you should of shouldn’t do.

This truly was something special that Claribel A Ortega has crafted, along with the gorgeous images we have a story that had me feeling all the emotions.

The characters relationship dynamic especially our MC with her Aunt 😭😭 stop it was so beautiful.

Loved this so so much and you need to all read.

As someone with curly hair, this book hit very close to home. I don't have the exact hair type as the main character but I've always felt the constant need to straighten my hair in order to look presentable. Luckily this was something I could do at home without having to visit a salon every week. I love the journey the author takes us on as the mc discovers self love and accepts her hair for what it is.
Beautiful graphic novel?

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before publication date in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this middle grades graphic novel and a young girl and her struggles to please her mother while striving to be herself. The idea of natural hair being acceptable or not is such an unnecessary stressor placed on children, mostly girls, these days. Embrace the curl!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the eARC in exchange of an honest review.

•• What’s this about? ••

Marlene hates something: spend every Sunday at the salon straightening her hair. She always has wanted to have her natural curly hair, but for society that’s just not “presentable” or “pretty”.
Thanks to the helps of her cool Tía Ruby and her best friend Camila, Marlene starts her journey to learn how to appreciate and be proud of her hair.

•• What do I think about it? ••

Since the moment I saw the pretty cover of this book and the amazing title I knew I needed to read it. It was such a beautiful reading. The artwork was so beautiful and colorful. I loved how every scene had little details that made it more perfect.

As someone with curly hair, I completely get why Marlene was suffering so much. I’ve always heard those comments that my hair “is not pretty because it isn’t straight” but I’m trying now to understand that you don’t need straight hair to be pretty or successful. A bunch of hair doesn’t define you.

I felt so touched by Marlene’s life. It was full of annoying relatives judging her, bullies at school, and lots of bad comments everywhere. I think that’s pretty common in a closed mind society, but it shouldn’t. We don’t need to act certain way to be “acceptable” for society.

I also loved the Latin representation. Latin moms are just like Paola, always attached to the traditions. That’s why I understood why a “good hair” was so important for her.

“Did Mami really think I looked beautiful? I wondered if being beautiful was the only thing that mattered.”

And all Latin tías are as cool as Ruby, always trying to support their nieces and nephews and seeing the good side of a bad situation.

I just have to recommend you this cute and amazing graphic novel. Because it’s so beautiful and the story is just amazing. I know you are going to love Marlene’s hard journey.

I’m so grateful to see books like this, Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith, and Inheritance by Elizabeth Acevedo this year. As an AfroLatina, I feel seen by these books. In a way, it feels like they are helping me heal from the anti-blackness I’ve faced my whole life, especially when it comes to my hair.

Ortega did a wonderful job of bringing this to life through Marlene’s story. Marlene just wants to be herself. She’s hurt and confused by the messages her peers and family send her with their jokes and comments about her looks and her hair. After so many saying, “it’s just a joke,” and “respect your elders,” it’s no surprise that Marlene begins to crumble under the pressure.

This book is perfect for everyone, especially Black and Latinx families coming to terms with Eurocentric beauty standards. I will be buying copies for my family members when it is released in October.

I know I was mostly going to read queer books during Pride, but once I got approved for the e-arc on Netgalley, I was so excited that I just couldn’t wait for another month. And I’m glad I started it immediately because, WOW, this graphic novel was absolutely fantastic!

This short but powerful middle-grade story follows Marlene , a young Dominican American girl struggling with her hair. It’s always frizzy and poofy. Because of this, every single Sunday, she’s forced by her mother to go to the hair salon to get her hair straight to fit in and look “presentable” at school and family events. But the boring routine and painful treatments make Marlene deeply unhappy. She imagines a world where she can have beautiful curly hair and finally be herself.

Throughout the story, Marlene learns to accept her hair texture and gets taught how to style her curls properly.

The graphic novel is light, yet emotional and educational. I can’t imagine how important this story must be for young POC readers. I’d love to see this be read in schools so POC kids feel represented and white kids understand the racist commentary they’re making when they make fun of POC hairstyles.

The art style was stunning and I loved the superhero elements added to represent Marlene’s imagination.

5/5, A perfect read!

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second for the e-arc!

TW // racism, loss of parent, bullying

I am so fascinated. This book is beautiful. The illustrations were so colourful, I had to go back and look at them again. As someone who doesn't really like her hair, I am happy at the message this book is trying to pass across. I love it! I love it!
Thank you Netgalley!