Member Reviews

3.5 stars.

I've wanted to read this one for a while, but I honestly struggled to get into it at the start. Friendship breakup books are something I kind of struggle with honestly--they mostly make me feel blue in the bad way. It took some time for me to get into this, but once I did, I found it really engaging and moving. The characters don't always "do the right thing" but it feels like the kind of real drama that happens when you're young. Seeing new friendships form is also a great balm here, and I think it helps that we get both of their perspectives.

The ace rep and nonbinary rep is pretty great. The art is really cute, and I like how the colour palette helps differentiate flashback scenes.

This is worth checking out for anyone looking for good messy queer YA content or stuff about friends drifting apart.

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Excellent graphic novel. Loved the story, characters, and art. I am definitely putting this in my library.

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Die Zeichnungen & die Coloration haben mir wirklich sehr gut gefallen. Leider mochte ich die Protagonist*innen überhaupt nicht. Ich denke zwar, dass dies durchaus der Sinn hinter der Geschichte war, doch dies führte dazu, dass ich mich nicht in die Charaktere hineinfinden konnte.

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This is a great story exploring gender and class structures. Leighton and Dylan must both come to terms with what they want. Dylan to just be themselves. Leighton isn't sure, but they know they have expectations to meet. This isn't a happy story, but this is a must read and great for middle school collections.

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The last thing Dylan or Leighton had planned for the summer was to go to a special camp for youth her got in trouble (and by trouble, this means legal trouble). A tragic incident neither wishes to talk about has brought them there and as part of the "punishment," they have to demonstrate growth at the camp. As both attend the camp and deal with their own part in the event, they find that their differences may just tear them apart after being close friends for a while.

This is a great story exploring gender and class structures. Leighton and Dylan must both come to terms with what they want. Dylan to just be themselves. Leighton isn't sure, but they know they have expectations to meet. This isn't a happy story, but this is a must read and great for middle school collections.

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I feel like something was missing from this and I can't identify it fully. The reader is plopped into the storyline in a way that makes it feel like we should know these characters already even though we do go back and forth with some flashbacks, there is still a lot of setup work missing so I had a hard time connecting with all that was happening. The way that it is structured it is meant to uncover what happened little by little, but it became just messy for me. I do like all the characters and I get what the story was trying to get at but overall I felt very underwhelmed and disappointed. This needed a more streamlined story and more character setup and development, but the idea was great.

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Too many elements that are intriguing but don't go anywhere, or as far as they should. (For example, the teen getting a hand tattoo.) I didn't care for the way the flashback scenes were fuzzy; I realized later through the book that they were memories, but at first, I thought there was a printing/ reproduction problem. I was most disappointed, though, by the two leads never actually settling things, or revealing the truth to each other. There's a lot of potential here, but the execution left me wanting more, not in a good way.

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I enjoyed the premise of the story but the characters and their development throughout the story grew frustrating at times. Some of the plot lines were a bit confusing and I wished I felt a better connection to the overall story and the main character.

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Beautiful representation and artistry with strangely nostalgic for the camp setting (that I have never experienced) despite the heaviness of it all. Those friendships we make during our formative years really guide so much in our lives.


A reminder to myself that reading graphic novels sparks creativity in all sorts of ways. Thank you for the opportunity.

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Unfortunately wasn't for me. I felt like the writing was really young for my tastes and I tried to get through as much as I could. I did not review it anywhere else, as I felt like many others would enjoy it!

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A young adult graphic novel that had me interested all the way through. Dylan and Leighton have been sent to a camp for troubled teens and have to successfully make it through if they want to return back to school and their friends. It was a fun read and I’d recommend it to friends for sure!

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

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Leighton and Dylan are sent to a summer camp "for troubled youth" after something that happened at school. We see both present day at camp and flashbacks of events leading up to the incident. Queer representation is appreciated in this super quick read graphic novel.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read the advanced reader copy!

I missed the chance to read this book before the archive date but I did get to read this for the summer reading program at my local library.
Despite the sad reason for Dylan and Leighton to be at that summer camp, it was such a breath of fresh air to read Enby and Ace rep. The art style is wonderful as always from Dozerdraws. It has been a while since i read this and my notes aren't the best for reference but the ending did feel the tiniest bit rushed to conclude everything, but I still liked reading it.

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I really enjoyed this story and the topics that it explored.

I loved the art style of this book and the characters too.

I like the fact that it explores the pressure that children have on them and what they have to go through to keep others happy and to keep the reputation they have because they fear that people will treat them differ if they don't follow the standards that are laid out for them.

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This book is sad! I’m happy that Dylan can be themselves, even if other people are awful to them about it. It’s refreshing to see an ace character, but it sucks that Leighton just has to hide that, all the way through to the end. That may be realistic for some people, but I wish we could have seen Leighton living authentically as herself. There’s a lot to unpack here, but it’s a really good book.

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I would like to express my gratitude for the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of this book, generously provided by the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

"Paper Planes" by Jennie Wood is a poignant graphic novel that soars with emotion and authenticity. Wood's storytelling gracefully weaves together the lives of its characters, exploring themes of identity, family, and the power of self-discovery. The graphic novel not only delivers a compelling narrative but also addresses important and timely issues with sensitivity.

The art in "Paper Planes" is equally impressive, providing a visual language that complements the emotional depth of the story. The illustrations capture the nuances of the characters' experiences, adding an extra layer of resonance to the narrative.

Overall, "Paper Planes" is a beautifully crafted work that resonates on multiple levels. It is a testament to Wood's storytelling prowess and her ability to create a narrative that is both heartrending and hopeful, making it a standout addition to the world of graphic novels

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The story doesn't always flow super well in this. I appreciate the varied LGBTQ+ representation but I found some of the messaging to be kind of problematic.

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3 stars. I had such high hopes throughout the first part of the book: it was interesting and the switch between the present and the past was building up. Halfway through, though, I started to get a little bored. Then the incident that led to the main characters problems was anticlimactic. Overall a let down story line wise. I enjoyed the scope of representation in the book. Included characters that I have only started to see represented and it was refreshing. I also really enjoyed the graphics and colors. There was a bunch I enjoyed, but the disappointing plot "twist" was frustrating and the predictable ending was frustrating.

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