I really wanted to love this book, but I didn’t even like it. The illustrations are really cute, but the storyline is trite and the language is stilted (I speak French and could tell that some parts were translated too literally). There was also too much focus on cishet dating norms.

SPOILER ALERT

I was shocked to see that at the end of the book Lola’s mom invaded her privacy by writing in Lola’s journal. That would not have been a happy ending in my family.!

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A fun graphic novel about the mysteries of love. Perfect for middle school-aged.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

This was requested when I first found out about NetGalley and I had requested so many ARCs that I could not get to all of them before they were archived. I really wanted to get to this one, as it seemed interesting. If I can find this somewhere for a reasonable price, I will try to get it! I am giving this book three stars, as I don't want to give it a good or bad rating, since I did not get to it and we have to leave a star rating.

This is an enjoyable book, but it also addresses various familial and social issues that many of us deal with, especially during adolescence.

The Love Report had such a cute premise and I absolutely loved the art style. It was a comforting read overall and I loved the friendship between the two main characters. I am a bit conflicted because the book handled middle-grade and above themes, but the execution was a bit juvenile. I specifically took issue with the way slut-shaming was handled in this book. I liked that The Love Report touched on a lot of important themes (divorce, sa, parental neglect, representation, etc.). I wish some of them were more fleshed out / handled in a less juvenile way, but they were good to address nonetheless.

"The Love Report" by BéKa and Maya is a heartwarming journey into the world of middle-grade relationships and friendships. Through engaging storytelling and expressive illustrations, the book navigates the ups and downs of young characters' experiences with emotions and connections. BéKa and Maya's collaboration brings the characters to life, making their emotions relatable and genuine. This graphic novel is a charming exploration of growing up, making friends, and understanding the complexities of love. "The Love Report" is a must-read for young readers, offering them an entertaining and insightful glimpse into the world of middle school relationships and emotions.

This graphic novel is sweet and just what some of my students need. I'll definitely be purchasing it to share with them. :)

The Love Report is another series with Baby-Sitters Club vibes. I will never get enough of them. The Love Report follows bffs Grace and Lola as they try to answer the age old question, 'what does love mean?'. Along the way, they have ups and downs, make a few new friends, and discover that everything isn't always what it seems.

I read a digital arc so I can't say if they've been changed, but there are quite a bit of wording and spelling errors. They may have been changed by publish date. It didn't really hinder my enjoyment. Still, it was enough that it was a little distracting.

The Love Report is a fun read but it does also address various family issues that many people deal with. I hope future volumes dig into them deeper. I will definitely be continuing the series.

***Thank you to Netgalley and Astra Publishing House, Hippo Park for providing me with a review copy.***

I am honestly not sure who the audience for this book is, which is maybe my biggest issue. It just feels caught in between. I also felt like the pacing was really off and some of the character development was unbalanced. Maybe a book better suited for its original French audience?

Stunning and so adorable. I almost cried during this book because I couldn’t handle the cuteness. Thanks so much for the arc. It was a wonderful read.

This book was WAY too cute between the story, message, and artwork. I throughly enjoyed my time reading it.

The Love Report follows two young girls who are just beginning to discover what "love" is and what it means to them. Lola is a hopeless romantic and hopelessly in love with the boy who keeps ignoring her - Noah. Grace is from a huge loving family but is keeping a secret that has her jaded about love.

The two together decide to write a report on everything they know about love. They consult with the school gossip, the newly in love couple (they've been dating for ELEVEN days, that's a new record!), the school it girl, and the school's "easy" girl. During their investigation they come to learn so much more about love, other girls, and each other.

This is such a fun and lighthearted graphic novel that also dips into more serious topics like consent, being loved for who you are, and family issues. I really enjoyed my time reading it and look forward to reading volume 2!

I have mixed thoughts on this book. So many important topics for teens to be reading. I feel like it had too many though. I would have rather had less in one book and more books to read. I loved the illustrations. .

*ARC was provided by Astra Publishing House through Netgalley.

The art was cute, and this made some good points in a basic way. It's very middle school and learning that popular girls have their own lives and interests, which is nice but like, we knew.

4/5 ⭐️
This was such a cute story! I loved the artwork and vibrant colors. The plot was really well written and I loved our two main characters.

I received this book as an arc from Netgalley.
This book was so cute but also talks about some huge topics like consent, divorce, and how people can perceive you. It explores the different kinds of love and relationships people can have.

The Love Report WAS SUPER CUTE!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Love Report

Author: BeKa, Maya

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Black MC, BIPOC characters

Recommended For...: young adult readers, contemporary, graphic novel, upper middle grade, romance

Publication Date: June 13. 2023

Genre: YA Contemporary Graphic Novel

Age Relevance: 14+ (sexual content, romance, violence, sexual assault, bullying, divorce, language, child abuse, depression)

Explanation of Above: There are vague mentions of sexual content and one scene of sexual assault and harassment mentioned. There is some romance. There are scenes with bullying and divorce is mentioned. There is one curse word. There are mentions of emotional child abuse. There are mentions of depression.

Publisher: Astra Publishing House

Pages: 192

Synopsis: BFFs Grace and Lola try to unravel the mystery of romance with a plan to observe, study, and analyze the ways of love at their middle school in the first book in this addictive graphic novel series.

BFFs Grace and Lola talk about everything related to romance—and have lots of questions: What about the mysterious allure of the popular girl at school? And the rebellious goth with the reputation? And boys. They don’t quite understand what makes some school romances soar to legendary heights, while other flirtations fizzle. Lola has an idea—they’ll observe, study, and analyze all the couples at their Junior High—and compile their findings as The Love Report. Surprises await them, and force them to learn to see beyond appearances in this fast-paced series opener. They’ll also discover secrets between themselves.

Review: This was such an amazing graphic novel. This book is about two friends and in a duel POV switch it shows the two’s friendship through the ups and the downs. The book focuses on the two learning about love through the scientific method, but finding some hard truths along the way. The book is extremely well written and I loved every second of it. The world building was amazing, as well as the character development, and I can’t wait to see a second book to compliment this one.

The only issue I had with the book is that it was a bit slow in a couple of places, but other than that it was a perfect read.

Verdict: I loved it so much. Highly recommend!

thank you to netgalley (@netgalley) and the publisher (@astrapublishinghouse) for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review

everyone has their own definition on what love means to them. the love report by beka was a really charming book about two tween girls, lola and grace, who are trying to figure out their own definition

as charming as the book is, it also dealt with heavy topics. Topics such as divorce, growing distance from friends, assault, and dealing with the struggles of high school.

the love report is perfect for many young adults, whom are still navigating all the issues they’re going through

i highly recommend reading the love report if you love cutesy graphic novels about friendship and figuring out love

5 stars

Two friends try to figure out love and how it works in this cute graphic novel. The girls, Lola and Grace, each want to experience love, so they study those around them. They find it is amazing, life changing, brutal, heart breaking, and everything in between.
But some things seem to be lost in translation (I believe the original is French?) Girls are at times referred to as 'bimbos' or 'easy,' things we don't really accept in books for kids. Some characters are purely superficial or plots are very simplified (every boy likes this one girl - who they know nothing about.)
Overall, a nice message about your friends really being the ones to count on, but with a few flaws.