I didn’t expect much from this book, but I ended up enjoying it. Although, I wish the random pages of notes and letters were interspersed with drawings or something. They felt empty as it was.

I liked the soft way this story is told, like a love letter, like Leander crossing the waters, like a 16-year old in love for the first time. It felt true to every crush I had in school. To the feeling of thinking of them all the time, noticing them even when there’s nothing to notice.

I loved Raquel’s mom. Her obsession with social justice was amazing. And I liked the evolution of her relationship with Pardalita as if they were always going to be together.

Pardalita by Joana Estrela is a lovely young adult graphic novel translated from Portuguese. I enjoyed my time reading it. I found the illustrations cute, and the writing at times funny, relatable, and poignant.

This story is a brief look into the life of our main character, Raquel, who lives in a small Portuguese town. It is a beautiful slice-of-life narrative depicting her daily life as a young person going through the ups and downs of adolescence, with an emphasis on her coming to better understand her sexual orientation due to making friends with a girl named Pardalita. The budding relationship between Raquel and Pardalita was a sweet and honest look at new friendships. I appreciated the dynamic that was created between the two characters, as well as between Raquel and her other friends.

As a former theater kid (lol), I appreciated the scenes revolving around Raquel's participation in the theater production. It was fun to be reminded of the wonderful weirdness that is involved in being in such a group.

Overall, I really appreciated this story and would recommend it to those interested in young adult graphic novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for my review.

I really liked this book. The way the book was formatted was interesting. The translation felt a bit off at times, but other than that I liked it!

I was really looking forward to this graphic novel, especially since it was advertised as a sapphic coming-of-age story. I really loved the simple artwork, the limited color palette, and the way the graphic novel elements interwoven with more novel elements, which were less 'chapters' and more poetry.

However, it was a bit underwhelming. Not much happens. It's less coming-of-age/sexual exploration, and more slice of life. It's gentle, maybe too gentle. Like the author had a lot to say and someone kept telling them to "tone it down" or mute it until not much was left but surface level. There's no romance, and I honestly felt no chemistry: when the end happened, I flipped the page and went "what? this is where it ends?" - it felt like it ended right when the story should have taken off.

it was definitely different from what I usually read, and a good experience, but I needed a little more.

Um, this book was so complicated to read. The formatting was completely off to where the texts from the graphics were not with the graphics but written in regular dialogue which made it extremely confusing. Also there were a ton of times where the translation was making no sense in that words were jumbled in the sentence and you had to figure out what was trying to be said. Other than that, the story was good!

Pardalita follows Raquel during her final year of high school as she comes into her identity. Using a graphic novel and prose mixture, the story paints a portrait of her daily life as she grows closer to Pardalita. During the course of the piece we also see flashbacks of her childhood. Both her past and present combine to help the readers understand why she seems so nervous to confront her feelings for Pardalita.

Overall, I adored this graphic novel. I wish it had been around when I was a preteen and didn't know what I was feeling.

"Pardalita, I don't comprehend you. You're an irregular verb. One to be learn by heart."

If you are big on stories that explores the themes of self-discovery, first love and finding beauty in the little things in life, it is highly likely you will enjoy reading Pardalita, a piece of fiction written by Joana Estrela.
The plot revolves around Raquel, a teenager who lives in a small town in Portugal who has a crush on a girl called Pardalita.
What lifts this fiction above others of its type is how the author combines different styles such as poems, letters and drawings with and without dialogue to narrate the story. A story that invites the reader to accompany Raquel on her journey of finding out her sexual and individual identity by offering a glimpse of her everyday life and childhood.
Another point that is worth mentioning is the exquisite delicacy of Joana's narrative content and prose, which can be spotted throughout the book in the form of well-turned phrases and brief passages containing views of life that are so simple yet so meaningful.
If I had to change something about this work, it would be the way in which it was advertised: this book is not a romance one since there is little interaction between Raquel and Pardalita. However, Pardalita is a character that is used as a metaphor to represent the journey and truly desire of Raquel to come to terms with her identity.
All in all, I would highly recommend this title to those who are looking for a touching and beautifully written story.


Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

A short story about a girl trying to understand the world around her and human relationships.
It was a bit too short and lacking plot. It works like a short comics book for simple entertainment. I hope there is a follow up as the plot can be expanded.

Pardalita is a beautiful graphic novel. The novel is based in Portugal and follows Raquel who, in short, is trying to find herself while grappling with her feelings towards a classmate, and eventual new friend, Pardalita. It is a classic coming-of-age queer love story, yet with it's beautifully simplistic images and integration of lyricism and poetry, stands out amongst the crowd. I think the way Estrela integrates Raquel's lessons in English grammar to illustrate and accentuate the relationships and nuances in the English language, and apply and project those nuances onto the thoughts and emotions of the main protagonist, is brilliant. I cannot wait to buy this item for my collection.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel is a tender yet emotionally impactful slice of life that delves into the mindset of a teenage girl who recently moved to Portugal. This story is one of interiority, and it encapsulates the inner monologue of the main character as it follows her thought process through her mundane daily life. It feels very personal to the readers as they are able to grow with this character and understand her background and what her thought processes are at each stage of her life.

I adore the concept of this graphic novel so much. It was balanced so well with the minimalistic art style and the lyrical narratives that provide deep understanding into the mind of the main character. I gave it 3.5 stars because while I felt myself ready to consume myself in this graphic novel, I found myself not as engaged as I could have been. This is mainly due to the fact that I personally think that it could have been fleshed out more. When dealing with topics as serious as grief, acceptance, and sexuality discourse, it is important to detail them as carefully and as detailed as possible, in order to properly connect with the readers. I feel lie many of these topics were just brushed on, and the ending was quite abrupt, so I believe that if it was delved into a bit more deeply, then this graphic novel would have really impacted me more.

Overall I think that this was a very thought-provoking slice of life, one of my favorite genres, and I just wish I could see what it could have become with more pages of development. Nonetheless, I am still grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

Pardalita is a slice-of-life coming of age story of Raquel, 17 year old girl from a small town in Portugal trying to figure herself out. Trying to navigate her final years of school between friends, romance, changes in her parents, and life after their divorce and more.

Raquel feel as if she's gravitating towards Pardalita, another girl at school. She can't help but always notice her. Not able to quite articulate her feelings on the subject, wanders into a friendship with her.

The mixture of story and art isn't exactly what I was expecting, it's not a style I typically enjoy, but there are subtle details I found quite charming. Early on mentioning the discussion in school on verbs, played upon throughout the book. It's details like that, that stand out. I'm torn between enjoying the small "rambling" tie-ins, and feeling some where rather unnecessary.

While this was a sweet, I didn't quite love it.

**Thank you to Levine Querido, Em Querido, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

Pardalita is sweet, slice-of-life coming of age graphic novel that follows Raquel, a 17 year old girl from a small town in Portugal as she navigates her final year of school, contemplates her future, and develops a crush on a girl from school. That last year of school is a big time of change for anyone, and Raquel has to deal with her mom becoming her own person following her separation from her dad, contemplating adulthood, and navigating relationships with her friends even as their interests seem to be diverging. Overall, this was a really cute read, and I loved where it left off.

The art lends itself really well to the tone of the story and that feeling of transition that you get throughout. I walked away with a nice, warm, cozy feeling.

I received an e-ARC of this book through NetGalley.

This book was not what I was expecting at all! Before reading, I was really excited to read a queer graphic novel set somewhere that is not usually shown in graphic novels or books – Portugal. Learning small pieces of Raquel’s thoughts and feelings throughout made it intriguing, but with no real payoff. The story has parts of everyday events but no big event that most stories have. This does make it somewhat easy to read.

The artwork within the novel is beautiful and thoughtful and helped by the poetry that accompanies it. I was not expecting the amount of text that was in the book compared to previously read graphic novels.

I think my review is a little mixed since I’m unsure how I feel about the book even a few days after reading it. It was easy and pleasant read, but it left me with more questions than anything else.

2.5 rounded up
A quick read, entertaining but not memorable.
Pardalita is a slice-of-life graphic novel about Raquel, a teenager living in a small town in Portugal, who starts to develop feelings for a girl in her high school.
The book is filled with random thoughts, which is something I don't necessarily enjoy. Some of them were really cliché, as was the writing, but that may have something to do with the translation.
The graphic style is original, I really liked it, even if it is not perfect it still made me discover a different style from other graphic novels I have read before.
Many interesting topics were covered, but unfortunately, the book was too short to discuss them in depth.
The fact that we switch between text and graphics is quite disturbing, I think I would have preferred the texts to be incorporated into the drawings.
Nevertheless, we get attached to the main character, who lives things that many people can relate to, like the way she deals with the fact that she might be queer.
Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review

Pardalita was a really enjoyable read! I liked the honesty of the story, the characters and the story felt real and I felt like I was glimpsing into someone’s life.

It was easy and quick to get through, I just wish it was longer! I also wish there were more illustrated scenes. I expected this to be a fully illustrated graphic novel, but I did really enjoy the mix of pictures and text.

This was an adorable and heartwarming graphic novel. I loved exploring Raquel's thoughts and experiences through what seemed like little everyday random events and loved even more when these moments satisfyingly linked together. I enjoyed the realism of this book, the imperfectness of Raquel's character and of her romance with Pardalita. It's a story in which, admittedly, not much happens - a slice of life. I came out of this book with no strong feelings. I enjoyed it, finding the ending particularly heartwarming and satisfying, but I wouldn't find myself dying to read it again. I felt that it was neither plot nor character driven - I never felt particularly connected to the characters. I think it was an intimate, relaxing and enjoyable read but there were definitely points which had me wishing there was just...more.

this was really sweet. a lovely little moment in time. i wish it were longer!

thank you joana estrela and levine querido for the arc <3

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Joana approaches her story with simplicity and warmth that feels real, which also comes across in the art style, one that does not embellish, but rather showcases life in its most mundane ways. The main character's infatuation with Pardalita, suffused with the passion and idealism and shyness of young love, is extremely adorable. Reminds me of my own school and university crushes, and the ways in which I would avoid their gazes while hoping they'd notice me, it is a very relatable sentiment. I also cannot say enough good things about the ending, which felt sweet and yet also kind of sad, hinting at the inevitable end of this particular romance.

This was a really quick and cute read! However I wished there was more illustrated scenes! I wished subjects were deeper and the book longer! I really enjoyed how it was written tho it was really original !

This graphic novel evoked a feeling inside me of both warmth and nostalgia. The way it is written and the simple yet endearing illustrations that accompany the story leave you finishing the book with a smile. The story flows like a slow meandering river - gently and calming, whilst bringing to light important issues such as finding your sense of identity as a LGBTQIA+ teenager, refugee and asylum seeker rights as well as climate change and the fate of our wildlife. This read was beautiful, please read it when it comes it in April.