This was quite an emotional yet sweet story which was made even better with it being based off of the author's real childhood experiences. I think the depiction of questioning your sexuality at a young age was handled brilliantly, as well as seeing the family's reactions. The different story lines were all clearly seen as separate struggles for everyone but they intertwined really well.

I think the art was also beautiful and this was a really enjoyable read.

Wonderful, bittersweet and heartwarming graphic novel about different kinds of love. A boy in love with his friend, a teenage girl in love with an older guy - and their parents at the ending of their relationship. The colorful illustrations convey the emotions in a very sensitive way.
One of my favourites!

This raw graphic novel spans a 24 hour period, following one family, in particular an 8 year old boy who wishes he was a princess and dreams of kissing his best friend. The stories of all 4 members of his household play out over this period, shadowed by the news of the day: the death of Diana Princess of Wales. As our protagonist Lulu struggles with his relationship with older best friend and first crush, he also battles feelings of insecurity about his own gender, without being aware of the words for what he's feeling. His sister, meanwhile, battles insecurities related to her sense of self and self-worth. Their mother and father argue and separation lies on the horizon. Highlighted through the lens of the fairytales Lulu wishes his life was, this raw emotional graphic novel will suck you in and if you've managed to hold back the tears till the end, think again before reading Quentin's absolutely gorgeous Acknowledgements at last.

I liked the art style but for me the story was just ok. I didn't understand how princess Diana dying had any relevance to the story. I maybe missing the point.
I didn't like how because Lulu is gay that the author felt it was ok to use the f word. I get it was set in 1997 but still I felt it was inappropriate
.

Liked the theme of this book and how it was taken through song lyrics and stories.
Images captured real emotions of all three characters.

Such a sad and beautiful story. The Art Style is gorgeous and I balled my eyes out. This made me feel so incredibly sentimental and compassionate towards the characters and I just really wanted them to be okay.

This was exceptional. I wasn't expecting much I didn't really have any expectations but any book that makes me cry is a winner for me.

So this book is a translated work and it takes place over a single day in 1997. The day that princess Diana died and it revolves around this family; the mom, the daughter, and the son.

They all have their own princess stories / fairy tale / romances that play out over this day and you learn the outcomes of all three.

The mom is in an unhappy marriage, the daughter is in a relationship with an older boy, and the son is in love with his best friend, who is also a boy.

With a title like All Princesses Die Before Dawn you know it's going to hurt. And it does. But it also is so healing at the end.

This is a short graphic novel, at 150 pages, but it was really well done. I really loved the art style and I loved the story. I appreciated the music references and the Italian with princess Diana.

I do feel like just from reading other people's reviews that the concept of being a princess has really gone right over people's heads. It seems like people are forgetting that this is 1997 and things that would be cringy to us now in 2023 or the norm. It feels very odd to me to see readers critique a book for stylistic choices like that when technically speaking this would be considered a historical fiction.

This book also uses the f-slur and as a queer person I'm always uncomfy seeing it, but please remember that this book is written by a queer man and a lot of the story is based on his own experience. So I'm going to include it as a content warning but it wasn't problematic for me.

Pretty sure this is a read now on NetGalley and I definitely recommend it!

this graphic novel follows three relationships within one family, each having a life changing emotional impact on the family members.

i found this so beautiful, the story was bittersweet, both heartwarming and heartbreaking! within the families story you also have the background story of Princess Diana’s death which was also a pinnacle moment in history, just like the day set out for this family is a pinnacle moment for them.

i really loved the art and the imagination of Lulu really comes to life within these pages.

this is a truly beautiful and unique story that i would recommend to everyone

thank you to netgalley for this arc of all princesses die before dawn!

this was a cute little graphic novel about a little boy named lulu and his discovery of boys liking boys. lulu and his friend spend their day playing games, like all kids do in summer. they play fantasy games where lulu is a mermaid princess that’s going to save the prince and games where the prince saves the princess. they talk about lulus older sister and her boyfriend, this leads to a few words about kissing which considering the boys age, they handled that way more maturely than I expected.

a sleepover in the tent brings about some new things for lulu, things his sister cam explains.

there’s also some family issues between the parents which felt a little unnecessary as the story to me felt like it should’ve been focused on lulu and his newfound feelings. I can definitely understand the relatability aspect but I just don’t feel like it was necessary in such a short book. I feel like you could take out their problematic relationship and the themes of the book wouldn’t really change at all. I also would’ve liked lulu to have had some more time to explore himself, but maybe that’s something for an older version of lulu. I liked cam, she was your typical older sister character, I loved their end scene.

another thing I loved was the graphics! I really liked the art of this graphic novel. it was cute and wholesome and the colour palette was soothing but very summery. the writing font was cute but hard to read on my phone, it was worth it though!

overall all princesses die before dawn was cute and wholesome!

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for a review copy of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very solid 4 ⭐️ book for me. The central plot takes place over one hot, end of summer day from the perspectives of Lulu, his sister Cam and their mum. It starts with the news of Princess Diana’s death but each character is more focused on their own dramas: discovering one’s sexuality and gender identity and first love for another boy, a relationship with an older boy who she’s falling for but is being used, and a failing marriage respectively. This day will prove to be a decisive one for each of them and Zuitton uses a ‘slice of life’ approach to show this. There are some heavier themes touched on but not explicitly mentioned, I believe to cater to a larger audience and younger demographic, specifically those of Lulu’s and Cam’s ages (7-16) where such topics should be taught and I believe are handled well. I know the story is based in part on some truth, the author’s childhood and family but it is a very universal portrayal of coming to terms with one’s sexuality - lots of relatability and, albeit not one-for-one, comparisons I personally could make. I loved how Lulu tried to experience his dreams playing with princess dolls and childhood games using his imagination - there’s a certain bit where you can so perfectly understand what’s going on inside his mind and it’s captured amazingly.

The graphic elements were truly mesmerising and beautiful. There is a recurring use of light and water which adds a dreamlike, ethereal notion but it’s undoubtedly clear to the reader that the basic is firmly grounded in the real world. The characters are honestly very developed despite taking place over a single day, you get to know them and they’re slightly flawed but lovable. It definitely makes you want to know more about them, another instalment would be amazing but as it is, I’m happy.

My only real qualm was that the length didn’t really allow that much discussion or exploration of some of the topics. This means that some plot lines left us with loose ends - which yes leads to ambiguity - that I kind of wanted more focus on. The impact is somewhat lessened but overall I would most definitely recommend this book and I am intrigued to check out more of Zuitton’s works.

This one didn’t really do it for me. I enjoyed watching the characters grow and deal with serious issues, like relationship problems, homophobia, etc. However, it just didn’t hook me. I really struggled getting through it, it felt kind of plain.
The art was good! I just had a problem with the writing.
Also, I don’t quite understand all the Diana references? They seemed kind of pointless

The story tells (a part of) the lovestories inside a family: 8-year old Lulu is struggling with his feelings for his best friend, his teenage sister Cam has a secret (older) boyfriend and their mom & dad have some issues of their own.

I really liked this graphic novel! As this story is set in the late 90’s it’s pretty progressive, and I liked how inclusive this story was. Some of the topics it handles are marital problems, teenage problems, sexuality doubts, even gender identification doubts are hinted at.

It wasn’t really a happy story, but the ending is very hopeful.
I really liked all the characters. Even though the novel is quite short, we get a good insight in their personalities and their relationships to eachother.
I would’ve liked it to be a bit longer though, but maybe that’s just me wanting more of this story.

The drawings were also absolutely beautiful!
It’s also a very quick read, so I definitely recommend this graphic novel!

3.75 stars

*eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

love the art style in this it was lovely and emotive! also Valente's translation was great and well done. really short though.

Not the best comic I've read but definitely not the worst either.

I liked the art, but the story was a bit lacking for me. Too many cliches: the old marriage falling apart because the husband might have a lover, the edgy teenager who's got an elder boyfriend (that's not worth it) and the kid who struggles with falling in love for the first time (okay, I actually liked how the author portrayed the queerness in this, it was well done).
I think my main problem with this story is that I cannot empatize with anyone that's not the main character (and his mother and sister, sometimes). All the love interests are awful... and maybe that was the intention all along. So I'm not exactly complaining.

The ending felt a bit abrupt. It got me wondering, so that's it? What now?

Anyway, it was a nice and short read.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It has three plotlines which interweave with the death of Princess Diana. Each of the plotlines hold their own weight and are given the time for them to fully develop and allow the characters to grow and shine.
The way the family love each other shines through in the pages which I found to be so endearing.
The art is light and mellow for the most part, which delving into darker tones and themes when the subject matter calls for it. It is obvious how much care and heart went into each page, and it was a joy to read.

Lovely pastel hues and a gracefully interwoven set of three stories. Fleshing out three characters in one graphic novel is hard, but this is done so well. A delight.

This graphic novel follows a single family with three different dynamic occurring. Young Lulu trying on his mother's lipstick and wanting to dream his (male) best friend, his sister whose boyfriend frequents through the window of their house in the depth of night, and the parents who are desperately out of love and their relationship crumbling. All these stories are happening in 1997 with the backdrop of Princess Diana's death playing on TV.

This novel really told of the simplicity and complication of love, of growing up, and of ageing in and out of different relationships and dynamics. The art style was beautiful but I didn't connect with the two storylines apart from Lulu's as much as I wanted to. Though I understood the Princess Diana references I didn't feel them strictly necessary to the level they were in there but that may well be just me.

Overall it was an enjoyable read, especially in a 'coming of age' kind of way which felt relatable and the family itself felt very real.

Beautiful. The growth of these characters was beautiful to watch. They each had something complex and lonely happening in their minds and lives. The imagination of Lulu’s came to life on the pages. I loved this so much. Thank you NetGalley.

August 31st, 1997. In the bathroom of his suburban home, 8-year-old Lulu is trying on his mom’s lipstick. He dreams of kissing his best friend, a neighborhood boy. Meanwhile, his teenage sister Cam covers her much-older boyfriend sneaking up to her bedroom by blasting the latest summer hits. In the kitchen, their mother is waiting for their father, who didn’t come home last night. On TV, newscasters are announcing the death of Princess Diana. Three love stories, from budding desire to fading passion, play out within one family on a late summer’s day—a day that will change all their lives forever.

I rated this book 2 stars on my goodreads.

I appreciate the lgtbtq+ representation in the book, but the book was just pure misery.

Every story for every character was just entailed misery.

I didn't get what princess Diana had to do with any of it, it just brought more misery and didn't intqein with any of the actual storyline, a bit like it was just stuck in there.

I just really struggled with this book.