Paper Planes is about two friends who come from very different backgrounds and struggle to live authentically to themselves through the end of middle school. They are sent to a camp for trouble youth after an incident, and struggle under the weight of the decision they have to make.

Overall, I liked this story. It had compelling characters, and told of a struggle with one's self that can be very relatable. It did take a little while to get into as the beginning the story is sort of confusing. It takes almost the entire story to find out why they are at this camp. I think the flashbacks in some instances didn't work well in the story, making it hard to follow, but once you get into the flow of it the pacing works well.

The ambiguity around one of the characters sexuality could have been explained better I think, as whither the character was asexual and/or aromatic kind of got muddled.

One of main things that should have been clarified earlier on is that it is not a conversion therapy camp. I was unsure about if it was or not until another character said the camp seemed LGBTQ friendly half way through. I'm not sure if this was the author intension but it came off that way at first.

My favorite part of the graphic novel is the character Dylan, they are just so relatable and a good friend most of the time. They aren’t perfect, like everyone, but they certainly are the best part of this.

This was a sweet book about sexuality, friendship and acceptance.

We follow Dylan and Leighton and the journey of their friendship. Following them through a summer camp that doesn't look like a fun time! We also get a look at key moments from their history together.

It looks at serious subjects and sees them from a younger persons point of view. My only sticking point was it was a little confusing as to what was happening when at times.

Such a beautiful read. The illustrations were bright and colourful, which contrasted well with the deep and meaningful storyline. I loved watching the characters develop, and overall it was a very heartwarming read.

Although this wasn't a bad book, it still wasn't great, in my opinion. It tells us about two friends, Dylan and Leighton, who have been feeling tense around each other after a life-changing accident that put them in summer camp. As they try to get a good enough evaluation, so that their futures will be safe, they start finding out more things about themselves - and about what happened - than they could've anticipated.

Summarising this book was hard mainly because I found it difficult to understand the plot for the first 60% or so. There are many timeskips back and forth, which offers the advantage of having two different timelines that end up coming together; but also the inconvenient of making the story hard to follow at some points. In fact, I only understood why they seemed to hate the summer camp by the time the big accident was revealed; before that, I hadn't grasped why they needed this evaluation the counsellors kept threatening them with, and so I was unable to fully immerse myself in the story. Still, I reckon that this would make for a great sense of mystery for other readers!

What I particularly didn't like was how Leighton's queerness was represented. Although Leighton is labelled as ace on the page (and I was happy for the explicit rep), the way she approaches it and acts about it suggest aromanticism as well, and I've never been a huge fan of ambiguities that may lead people to mistake aro and ace or - and this is sadly very common - assume that they're one and the same. She kept insisting that she could never "love anyone that way" (romantically), that she couldn't change this for anyone (that is, she'd never fall in love), and yet the story classified that as asexuality. Hi, I'm an ace person who IS in love, and I can tell you that ace doesn't automatically mean aro. Far from. I would've liked to see more nuance here, since it's an easy misrepresentation of the aro and ace spectrums that has been going strong for way too long.

But I did appreciate the fact that there was any rep at all, since it's still quite scarce outside of aspec circles. I also really liked having a non-binary main character who explicitly called out the benevolent transphobia they experienced, and how everyone assumed that their issues were all caused by their gender identity instead of actually treating them as a whole person, and understanding the actual struggles they were going through. Dylan was an endearing character that I grew to love and cherish, and at some points I couldn't even understand why they'd stick to Leighton when Leighton kept giving them mixed signals. They're too good!

A nice coming of age graphic novel with beautiful art. I did struggle with the storyline at first, but it picked up, and I found myself liking the characters and the representation (the two main characters were queer - one somewhere on the asexual/aromantic spectrums and the other non-binary/gender-queer).

*ARC provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

To begin, this graphic novel follows two teenagers as they decipher their sexuality and come to terms with their pasts while learning to grow and become better people. The story follows two young individuals as they attend a camp meant for young teens who have committed minor crimes. It's raw and feels emotionally real, as you feel as though you can step into their own shoes. Their actions from lashing out at the adults to crying with one another will be moments I think a lot will relate to either while in their teen years or after. With the ultimate conclusion feeling incredibly fulfilling, I heavily recommend checking out this graphic novel if you get a chance.

4.8/5

Beatiful.
This is one of the few graphic novels to read while being completely isolated from the world .
I just couldn't put it down.
It was such a bittersweet story full of feelings.

I had no idea things went the way it did and I'm so glad I couldn't guess till when I read it.
This is the story of two people, two people who met eachother and had a very strong chemistry.
We follow them in the present and in the past, to slowly undertand why they both are in that situation. We learn about their relationship, and the one with others. A sort of lost and found and then acceptance.

I love the art we find inside, the colors are super vibrant and there's a yellowish tone for the past parts. I loved the structure of the book, the way we jump between past and present not being confusing at all, on the contrary, every time there's a jump in the past, we learn more from it and every time we understand better what really happened, being able to slowly put piece by piece together.

I honestly feel to recommend this read to anyone who wants a good story without being too complex, but have still a good one full of emotions.

A rather cute story about two teens who get themselves in trouble and have to pay for it. Their journey and the lessons they learn from it are what follows in an illustrated telling. Wonderfully done, the book is an entertaining read.

This book was really good. I just wanted a little bit more. However, I will definitely be recommending it to patrons as I see fit.

Characters: 4/5
Setting: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

** I would like to preface this review by saying that I didn’t realize this was a graphic novel when I requested it (not sure how that happened lol).

I can count the number of graphic novels I’ve read on one hand, there’s so few. Its not my format of choice because I prefer to imagine scenes in my head rather than look at them, so this obviously impacts my rating. If you are someone who generally loves graphic novels, I have a feeling you’ll really enjoy Paper Planes. It’s a story about two queer kids who are sent to a camp for troubled youth after a traumatic incident that left their friendship struggling. Dylan and Leighton will have to work through their personal and friendship troubles if they want to have a shot at staying in their town for high school next year.

This book has a non-binary MC (Dylan) and an asexual MC (Leighton)! I haven’t read a ton of books with this kind of representation, and I really enjoyed it. Representation is so crucial for queer people, especially youth, and I feel like I could recommend this to my 11 year old sister as well as an adult, and both would find many aspects of the story that they love.

This book didn’t change my perspective on graphic novels (nor did I expect it to), but I still really enjoyed it. Its short, honest, and the perfect light read for anyone looking for a graphic novel.

Paper Planes comes out June 27th!

Fantastic look into some teenagers' lives who are struggling to have society recognize who they are.

I enjoyed the art style and would love to see a sequel.

Bittersweet is the perfect word to encapsulate this graphic novel. It’s a fun, yet somehow somber story of two friends who are whisked away to a rehabilitation summer camp of sorts after experiencing something traumatic together. The real question is, will they still be friends on the other side? I don’t always love coming of age stories, but this one did it so well with non-binary, asexual, and LGBTQ representation to boot. The non-chronological structure made the story so engaging and unputdownable, I had to know what happened next. Highly recommend if you enjoy the Heartstopper series, but know that this graphic novel really brings a fresh new perspective and method of storytelling to the queer YA graphic novel genre.

The only reason I docked a star was because some of the scenes seemed to end abruptly, which was confusing- I found myself wishing they were fully finished out with just a few extra frames. The ending as a whole was also a bit unsatisfying, but it was definitely realistic and made total sense with the larger narrative.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Paper Planes is out on June 27th, 2023!

This really sounded like a cute story. But I was very much disappointed. This graphic novel just seemed bland. I didn’t really like any of the characters, they didn’t really grow in any sort of way and the plot just seemed so disinteresting. I didn’t give it to three stars because it wasn’t the worst book that I’ve ever read, but it definitely needs some help. Especially to keep my attention!

"I don't misbehave because I'm queer. I misbehave because people expect me to and treat me like I do"

"Paper planes" is a graphic novel that follows two teenagers, Leighton and Dylan, who end up in a summer camp for troubled teens due to a tragic incident and who struggle to define their relationship. They have clashing personalities and come from very different backgrounds, making it harder for them to stay friends... or have a chance at being more than that.

When I first learned about this book, I was very excited to read it. A graphic novel with queer rep? Angsty teens, most probably being very much in love with each other? Yes, please. However, although I overall enjoyed this book, it wasn't a match for me for some reasons. First of all, I disliked Leighton and couldn't understand why she behaved as she did. I know it was hard for her to stand up against her parents and come to terms with her sexuality, but the way she treated Dylan was unjustifiable. On the other hand, I liked Dylan a lot, so that kind of compensated for having to bear Leighton and her rude and annoying behavior. Another thing I didn't like was that we were introduced to a range of characters, but it felt like they lacked depth and were only put there for the sake of the plot moving forward. Also, and this is just me and my expectations, I wanted more cute and fun moments but, instead, I just felt sad and angry most of the time.

Now, there were things I really enjoyed. The art is beautiful (loved Dylan's design). I liked the flashbacks because they helped to get to know the protagonists and their relationship better. I'm also a fan of the inner dialogues, especially Dylan's (honestly, they're the best). And I have to say that the ending surprised me, in a good way. In general, I'm happy with how things wrapped up.

*Thank you Netgalley for sending me a digital copy of Paper Planes in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel is bittersweet and full of great representation! One MC is non-binary and comes from a family who is struggling financially and is often looked down upon because of their socioeconomic status. The other MC is asexual, biracial, and has very privileged, wealthy parents who put a lot of pressure on her to be the “golden child” after her older sister “rebels” and goes to rehab for underage alcohol abuse. I felt like the race and class structures were, unfortunately, incredibly realistic. It was also really great to see the adult camp counselors actually be really supportive of the campers’ sexualities and gender identities. There is so much personal growth in this story. I highly recommend this graphic novel to middle grades, young adult, and adult readers. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Jennie Wood's Paper Planes is a wonderfully textured coming of age story. Nonbinary Dylan and their best friend Leighton are sent to a camp for troubled youth after what is revealed later as a concerning incident at a party. Each of them is ready to sacrifice a lot for their bestie, but in the end Dylan and Leighton also need to embrace self-discovery and stand up for their own true selves. In the course of their time at the camp, they both need to re-examine and re-evaluate the incident that sent them on this course, what it means about who they are, and what that means about their friendship.

Growing up is always a painful and often bittersweet experience, which Wood captures in all its awkwardness, subtlety and texture. We don't always end up where we thought we'd be but, if we are true to ourselves, we can end up in a place where we know ourselves better and be open to new possibilities.

The art by Dozerdraws is the perfect accompaniment to the story, capturing the flow of moods and even the motion of the paper planes that Dylan and Leighton use to send messages to each other. Switches in tone make the transitions to flashbacks easy to follow as well.

Dylan with all their doubts, Leighton's constant compromises in trying to please the people around her, the wonderfull confident Cricket, and the rest of the camp and school cast are well defined. Dylan's encounters and impatient discussions with the camp counsellors are also really well portrayed.

Paper Planes rings with realism, compassion and the fresh air of self-knowledge and hope at the end. Highly recommended.

Dylan and Leighton were sent to a troubled teen summer camp for an incident. Their futures and friendship are on the line.

This graphic novel is told in alternating current time and flashbacks. I think this format lended well to the suspense of the novel. I didn't love the characters and plot as much as I thought I would. I just wanted more.

This was a really wonderful read and I did enjoy the slow unfold of the story, how we learn more about both Dylan and Leighton as they try to get by day by day at the Troubled Youth camp. I especially loved the nonbinary rep and ace rep, though, I wish Leighton's ace experience had been explored a bit more head on between Dylan and Leighton. It was really great to see such diversity among the cast and I honestly felt quite happy that the ending was inconclusive.

first of all, thank you to netgalley and mad cave studios for sending me an arc of the graphic novel “paper planes” by jennie wood! i really loved the art in this novel, and especially the colors, they seemed to match the vibe of the book well! i also liked the storyline a lot, and thought that the characters were developed well, i felt like i could easily sympathize and relate to them which made me able to delve into the book. i ended up reading in one sitting, as with graphic novels i tend to read them quite quickly, and i thought it was a perfect length. it didn’t spend too much or too little on any certain parts of the story, it felt very balanced between the different settings, characters, and times. i got a bit confused at some points about when events were happening, but i got used to it, especially since the author used different colors for the different times and settings to help distinguish between them. the plot was also good, i feel like the author was able to address real issues in a very personal way which helped me connect with the story. overall, i enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to anyone who likes graphic novels, queer stories, and short but sweet reads!

"Paper Planes" is an engaging and thoughtful young adult graphic novel by non-binary author Jennie Woods that will resonate with teens and adults alike. This tale of love and identity features longtime friends, Leighton and Dylan, who are sent to a summer camp for troubled youth.

Leighton has always accepted Dylan and their non-binary identity, but her parents always thought Dylan was too different to be Leighton’s friend. They both are forced to navigate unfamiliar territory as Dylan develops romantic feelings for Leighton. Even though Leighton loves Dylan very much, she knows she is different and doesn’t have those types of feelings for anyone

I appreciate this graphic novel’s portrayal of non-binary and aro/ace identities and experiences. Overall, "Paper Planes" is an adorable read that will leave you inspired to embrace your own unique identity.