Overall, I liked this but I didn't love it. The art style was nice and I could see what the comic was trying to do, but I felt like it didn't really get deep enough in any of the many conflicts/focuses of the story and it left the story feeling overall too shallow for me. I did think the sapphic aspect was the most well-done, but there were a lot of supporting characters and a lot of background information given that never really went anywhere.

"Pardalita" is this beautiful graphic novel that takes you in a journey of self-discovery, first loves and mesmerizing art. As a portuguese reader, it feels so nice to see Joana Estrela in other languages and this important book and all the topics that it talks about getting so far.

I really loved this graphic novel that mixed in small moments of prose. A lovely budding WLW romance and realistic high school friendships and angst.

Unfortunately I DNF'd this book as I felt like the story was quite slow and I lost my interest in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and the publisher for this advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

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 story revolves around Raquel, a 16-year-old girl residing in a small Portuguese town, as she grapples with the complexities of life while developing feelings for Pardalita.

The text intertwines Raquel's perspectives with concise recollections of significant moments in her life. Moreover, the narrative incorporates insights into the evolving refugee situation in Portugal.

While addressing themes such as refugee issues, coming of age, sexual discovery, and distant parental relationships, the author touches on substantial topics that could benefit from a more profound exploration than what is provided here.

The cohesion between these themes appears somewhat disjointed. Occasionally, the writing style may come across as clichéd, which might stem from potential issues with translation.

The most impressive aspect of this graphic novel is its distinctive aesthetic. Described as a hybrid by the publisher, the author/illustrator employs bold black and white brushstrokes, achieving a well-balanced harmony between the text and illustrations. The artwork garnered a three-star rating, primarily for its striking visuals.

I just was not vibing with the nature of this book as a collection of random thoughts. I wanted to invest in something but had not much to invest in.

2/5

I adore the art style here and the story but felt that a little something was missing terms of the pacing. But, overall, an amazing story.

Pardalita is a quiet coming of age novel about the main character with minimalist artwork.

Something unique and different from what I usually read!

Thankyou NetGalley for this ARC!

*2.5 Stars*

Pardalita is a hybrid book, part graphic novel, part novel in verse, part letters... Which could have been awesome but I felt the execution lacking. I didn't feel anything for the characters, if anything, the main character kind of annoyed me at times. It also didn't help that the format was broken and none of it showed the way it's meant to. I don't know what else to say, it was very short, took me an hour to read but it's still felt a bit long, I kept checking the time left and I just wanted it to end. I also wasn't really a fan of the illustrations and overall, that's just not what I expected. Definitely a bit of a miss for me.

Pardalita is a sweet and innocent slice-of-life self-discovery story. The story is common but it is told in a creative, funny way - mostly through the main characters’s inner thoughts - focused in details and subtleties that give it depth and make it relatable.

It seems that some subjects were included maybe with the intention to better develop the main character and give her more depth but some of these subjects don’t have any development and fell short.

Despite that I liked it. It a well constructed piece that ends making you wish it was longer.

This book portrays perfectly what it's like to be a 16 year-old, exploring herself and the world around her. I loved the tones used in this book and the way the book used all the available space instead of what is the norm, clearly in tune with the story being told.

This was interesting because it used a range of different formats: written prose, verse and graphic novel. However i dont really think it hit the mark for me.

Raquel lives in a small village in Portugal and navigates her teen, relationships, friendship, her sexuality and first love.

Publishers should stop targeting everything as a romance because it's trending because this was a contemporary coming of age where nothing went further than a crush. It seemed that the story was unfinished.

The change in format made it super easy to read but there was not much of a plot. It's like they focused too much in the different formats but not in the content. It was groundbreaking but maybe they should have stuck to just one thing. The little poems kept a structure, while it was brave, i dont think they succeeded. It was cute but it left you a bit underwhelmed because it maybe tried to cover too much.

I love Portugal and it kinda transported me there near the Tagus and have me peace, so points for that.

This was really beautiful and expressive. The combination of forms (prose, sequential art, others) really worked here. A really lovely coming of age story, really set in a very specific time and place. I loved this story.

4 stars.

This was a solid graphic novel with an engaging art style.

The story was sweet and the theme of discovering yourself and your sexuality as a teenager resonated with me. I could relate to the main character and the troubles in her life, both mundane and otherwise. The mix of prose and poetry also captured my attention.

I highly recommend this book to those looking for a sweet story of discovery that feels real and tangible.

This was a really gorgeous graphic novel and one I'm sure to recommend. I loved the art style and the way it used both flashbacks and current timelines.

A mix of coming of age and a teenage dilemma well potrayed. Surely a modern perspective of schools and feelings but it still doesn't modernize the events to the readers, it lets us see the intentions well.

In a Nutshell: I don’t know who fell short of requirements: the book or me. But this definitely didn’t go the way it was supposed to. A slice-of-life story as per the blurb, but I guess the slice was too flavourless for my liking.

Story Synopsis:
Sixteen-year-old Raquel lives in a small town in Portugal, Her parents are divorced and she spends time with them alternatively. Raquel has also just been suspended from school for back-answering a school monitor. Her mother is more popular than her on Facebook, and has newly turned vegetarian.
In short, Raquel’s life is a mess. Even her best friends, Luisa and Fred, can offer only so much comfort. All this changes when Raquel sees Pardalita, whom she gets to know while working together on a play. Raquel’s feelings for Pardalita now provide her with something to look forward to.
The story is written in Raquel’s first person perspective, and addressed to Pardalita.

On the pro side:
🔥 The content is presented in a blend of prose poems, illustrations, and graphic novel format. The constant shift between the three presentations is interesting. (I am not sure if this will work with everyone though. People do expect the text to be incorporated within the panels when they pick up a graphic novel.)
🔥 Key moments from Raquel’s earlier years are presented in the ‘prose poems’. (I read them only as prose, but obviously.) These vignettes were interesting, and easily the best sections of this book.
🔥 Raquel’s friend Luisa is the strongest character of the story, with her firm opinions and humorous nature. Without her, the story would have had zero life.


On the other hand:
💢 Though the blurb seems to suggest a sapphic romance, most of the story is neither sapphic nor romance. There is nothing to indicate Raquel’s confusion over or struggle with her sexuality.
💢 The bond between the two girls is unconvincing and the final scene comes out of nowhere.
💢 There are plenty of important topics raises through Raquel’s conversations with those around her – the refugee crisis, parental separation, the addition to social media, going vegetarian,… but all of these stay on focus only for 1-2 pages and then get thrown by the wayside. Nothing is explored in deep.
💢 The B&W illustrations weren’t to my liking. I wouldn’t have minded monochromatic artwork like that on the cover, but the artistic style was too simplistic to create any impact.
💢 The writing becomes somewhat philosophical in a few sections. The illustrations too follow the same pattern at times, with pages upon pages of nothing but abstract artwork.

I got nothing memorable from the story. There’s neither great plot development nor intricate character development. I am not sure if this flat feeling is due to something going haywire during translation. However, I honestly can’t recommend this English version as it was too ad hoc a story for me.

Then again, this does have an average GR rating of 4+ right now, so maybe it is just me. Do feel free to give it a go as it is a quick read. The book might work better for the YA age group, with the ‘misunderstood teen having a secret crush on a friend’ theme.

1.5 stars, rounding up as I didn't waste much time on this quick read.

My thanks to Levine Querido and NetGalley for the DRC of “Pardalita”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.

i’m a lover of graphic novels or really just anything with pictures so expectedly i did enjoy this one. the drawings where captivating and simple which really complimented the story, i’d definitely suggest this one

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read this ahead of publication.
Pardalita was a quiet story about a 16-year old girl discovering her sexuality. It was a slice of life that flowed easily and immersed you into the story.
The black and white illustrations really suited the tone and writing style, and I really enjoyed the mix of graphic novel with the snippets prose poetry inbetween.
Some parts of it I found moving in their simplicity and depth.
Overall beautiful.