Could really relate to some of the main character's struggles and daily life happenings. The art style was gorgeous and the story itself has heartwarming in a way.

« In my head, at least, If I try hard enough, I can convince myself that I look like anyone around me. I have double eyelids, like her. A jawline like her. I have what they have »

This book, as a child’s immigrant was really hard to read. I could relate so much to Jung Jin’s (Deb) coming of age stories. This album is a collection of memories from her life when she arrives in New Jersey from South Korea, all she had to go through, especially as a teenager. Growing up as an immigrant is hard, in particular growing up where there isn't anyone/ almost anyone looking like you or having the same culture is harder.

This stage of life is so relatable! I wish I had this book with me when I was younger, just to feel seen and to know that I’m not the only one going through this.

This memoir deals with a lot of different topics like mental health, racism, physical abuse, or addiction. It might be triggering so it's important to check the TW and CW. As I said at the beginning of this review, it was really hard to read. I wanted to give up so many times because it felt "too real", to close to my experience, but I feel like it's for this exact reason that i ended up enjoying this book so much.

The atmosphere in this navy inked album is at the same time nostalgic, sad and vibrant. I can’t explain but I really felt like I was immersed in Deb’s memories. The drawings are also so beautiful, I had to stop several times just to watch some pages again and again.

Navigating the path of being a first-generation creative Asian immigrant is tough. You are conditioned to please everyone, but you can't pelase anyone.

Deborah goes by Deb in school because people can't pronounce her Korean name or mistake her for being Chinese. Not helping is that she isn't a model child with straight A's and nailing physics. Things seem to change when her mother signs her up for at classes. But are new friends enough to handle her internal turbulance?

My heart broke reading this graphic novel. Deb's relationship with her mother is complicated, and seems to get worse over time. Her father is a nice guy but pretty useless when not at his medical clinic. But she finds ways to make new connections and build stronger bridges. It's just not a linear line. Ups and downs ensue.

I can't believe this is Deb's first book. She is going places.

This was really beautifully illustrated. A moving story about growing up as a racialized person and experiencing otherness. I loved the MC's relationship with their mom.

A nice read overall, that felt a bit out of my comfort zone. I could relate personally to the characters, but I can see some of the teenagers that come to the bookstore really liking this graphic novel! I will share this title with some of them that I think might be interested with the subject of cultural identity.

This book was raw and real. It deals with so many topics that many teens could relate to and even adults. We look at the author's like through high school and her dealing with mental health and how to exist after a certain event in 8th grade.

The art is beautiful and the color choices made sense for the type of story it is, but how the coloring was done made me feel like my glasses were dirty or my vision was blurry. Again, it made sense for the story to make you feel how she felt during this time, but it distracted me and I needed to take more breaks while reading this.

Otherwise, I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book for early review.

The art style for this graphic novel is absolutely stunning, it truly does wonders to convey the emotions of Deb JJ Lee's story!

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.

IN LIMBO is a beautiful coming-of-age graphic memoir from artist Deb JJ Lee that chronicles her life as a Korean immigrant.

I think this memoir was honest in a way where the author can be seen as self-centered and always claiming the victim. But aren’t (most) teens that way? I know I was. It’s no secret that our brains don’t stop developing and maturing into mid to late 20s, which means areas of the brain associated with empathy, higher-level thinking, and self-awareness are widely underused by teens. It’s biology.

I bring this up because I’ve read some reviews of this book that criticized how much the author is fixated on their own sadness. While I can understand that criticism, I think that entirely misses the point of this memoir, which is baked right into the titleI—IN LIMBO.

The author is in limbo between a lot— feeling not Korean or American enough, giving up music in exchange for art, being a dutiful daughter or being your own person. The teenage angst is there, but there are also real issues and trauma laid out in these pages. The book gets heavy. But it also focuses on healing.

I really enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t until the very end that I understand how special this book would become for me. The last few pages show an interaction between the author and their mom that made me break down and weep. I was immediately filled with so much complex emotion, I didn’t really understand why I was crying. Even now, as I am typing this, I am crying. And as a first time mom, this moment for me encapsulates the depth and complexity of motherhood. And while this book is written from the daughter’s perspective, whom I solidly identified with throughout the entire book, the last few pages allowed me to understood both characters so profoundly within a small and insignificant moment. Honestly, I can write an entire review on unpacking the last few pages. But, I won’t.

I first found Deb JJ Lee from a collaboration with Adam Ellis on Instagram and I've been wowed by her art since that moment. This book is raw and unbelievably beautiful.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A graphic novel about a girl from Korea who is relocated to New Jersey and how she feels like she doesn't belong.

This deeply personal and vulnerable autobiographical graphic novel is about high school, coming of age, loneliness, being a child of immigrants, a feeling of not belonging anywhere, and depression.

CW: suicide attempt, self harm, physical abuse, depression

"In Limbo" by Deb JJ Lee is a moving and deeply personal exploration of loss and healing. Lee's writing is poignant and evocative as she navigates the emotional landscape of grief. The book's raw honesty and introspective narrative create a space for readers to connect with the universal experiences of mourning and finding solace. Lee's ability to capture the intricacies of emotions and memories adds a layer of authenticity to the story. "In Limbo" is a touching reminder that the journey through grief is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, leaving readers with a profound sense of empathy and understanding.

This book is an amazing debut graphic memoir that everyone should give a chance. The story is about what life was for Deborah as a Korean American young person with immigrant parents. The writer talks about their struggle with body image, family abuse, depression and the feeling of not belonging. Since the book deals with many serious subjects, it was not very easy to read, but it is definitely a great story worth exploring and the art is absolutely beautiful.

I've been racking my brains over what to write in my review, but frankly it's just not my place to comment. But since I have to leave feedback for my arc...

The author is honest and unflinching in opening up about her struggles, which I appreciate. But while this graphic memoir sheds light on several heavy and complex issues, I just didn't feel or glean anything much from it. I could not relate to its contents, wasn't fond of the protagonist and felt a disconnect while reading. Maybe I need to read it again when I'm in the right mood and setting.

Giving a memoir a less-than-stellar rating always feels tricky, but I'm giving this 3 stars as an indication of how I feel about the book overall: Good but I didn't love it.

In Limbo was such a heartbreaking but beautiful graphic memoir. I appreciated Lee's ability to be vulnerable and open about her struggle with depression, especially as a teenager. This is something so many of us go through, and it can feel very isolating, so seeing it displayed in such an honest way felt so important to this book. Reading about Lee's relationship with her mother was devastating at times, and made you want to just reach into the book and give her a hug.

This book accomplished one of my favorite things about reading graphic memoirs by fully immersing us into their world. As readers we understand this is like looking into a memory, and that is something really special

This book is so tough to rate and write about because it deals with heavy and close topics with such sincerity and honesty. It's giving Tillie Walden, the art is stunning and engaging.

Deborah (Jung-Jin) illustrates what it was like for her as a Korean-American with immigrant (and tiger) parents. It's hard enough being seen as 'other' by her peers because of her Korean nationality, not to mention being pushed by her parents to do better, and be better; the expectations of others are crushing.

Deborah talks about her depression, suicide attempts, therapy, the evolving relationship with her parents, and just trying to cope with life. This isn't just a feel-good book you come away from happy and fuzzy, but it also isn't completely depressing; I think it's more hopeful. In the chaos and upset of life and other people, there is real hope of it getting better, even if it's not a straight path. Also, for many Asian-American people, it shows them they aren't alone in their struggles.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

A haunting and beautiful story that will make readers more empathic and will speak to people who have gone through similar struggles.

content/trigger warning: assault, blackmail, body shaming, bullying, child abuse, depression, dysphoria, racism, self-harm, suicidal ideation, xenophobia

I wish the cover art style wasn't so disparately different from the interior art. I was expecting something colorful and was disappointed to find black and white. Unfortunately, that failure of meeting expectation only continued in the narrative and I wasn't impressed.