In this young adult graphic memoir, the author recounts their childhood growing up as a Korean-American adoptee to white parents. Dealing with racism and bullying, they find comfort in their artwork and their imagination, living in the world of Sailor Moon and Pokemon. Eventually finding community in theater and cosplay, they still have to reckon with the internal struggle to find true identity while constantly being perceived and classified as “other” to those around them.Again, I always repeat the obvious- the art in this is so vibrant and creative. In terms of the plot, it’s an incredibly honest look back at childhood- both on the positive and negative aspects of how they handled certain situations. My favorite detail is their father going to all the cons with them, and how much he supported their cosplay and art endeavors. The parents in this book, in general, are so incredibly supportive, it’s really so sweet. All in all, I absolutely adored this graphic novel.

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This is one of those books that makes you cry, the pain is so real, and so hard to take. The bullying that Sarah goes through in school, and in life, is horrific, and she reaches breaking points when she launches out, which is to be understood.

Incredible and heart wrenching, this coming of age graphic novel memoir is good for teenagers who are struggling to find their identity. The illustrations are phenomenal, a range of styles merge seamlessly to add elements of anime and manga to Sarah's story.

<i>Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

One of my favorite reads for 2023. An illustrated memoir worked so well for Sarah Myer's story and art style--raw, angry, and honest.

Didn’t love the art style as much as I thought I would. Overall story is nice but I don’t think I’d continue on

This is a stunning book about coming of age, figuring out who you are, and learning that you are responsible for your happiness. At times humorous, painful, and always poignant, this book is a raw and honest look at what it is like to grow up as an outsider in a small town.

An interesting exploration of growing up that plays with the imagination even as it shows all the authors' various warts and awkwardness.

Thank you to First Second and Netgalley for this e arc.

I really loved this but it is so sad. Sarah went through so much growing up in a town of racist, ableist, homophobic bigots. I did really love seeing the way she used art/anime/cosplay to cope with everything. The art style is really pretty and fun and the story is super meaningful. I did wish there were way less slurs.

Cw: abandonment, bullying, assault, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, slurs, xenophobia

The one word that I could best use to describe this graphic novel would be 'raw'. We have a child who was adopted by a white couple, but her Asian features make her stand out in their neighbourhood. This book is a story of her life.
She is the younger of two adoptees and the less adjusted one. She has some latent problems which get triggered by the treatment that the children (and some adults) around her engage in. Her parents are extremely supportive, and both of them approach Sarah's issues in different ways, but the trust is definitely reflected in the panels.
The art that Sarah used to express herself, both as a child and to put her story together, has a wide range. The colours and the different styles used make a point both to the reader now and served as a balm for Sarah previously.
It is not an easy book to read, even with the length of the volume. There is a lot of struggle involved, and I was glad to see a positive note every once in a while and more towards the end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to try a different type of memoir.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

A solid graphic novel memoir. It explores feeling like an outsider on multiple fronts. There's the obvious one - cross racial adoption. Then there's sexual identity and having interests outside of the "normal" interests of peers. And then there's the "monstrosity" of uncontrolled emotions, of behavioral issues that you don't understand and can't seem to control. Not a fun read, but an interesting one.

Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myer is one of the best books I’ve read in a LONG time! In this graphic memoir, the author shares their experiences as a “visible, transracial adoptee” growing up in rural Maryland. Sarah experienced challenges both external (racism and bullying) and internal (mental health and self-esteem struggles). Like many of my favorite graphic memoirs, Monstrous has elements that are both deeply personal to the author/illustrator, and also wholly universal. This is a fantastic example of what a skilled artist and storyteller can do with the visual memoir format. Don’t miss Monstrous

Monstrous was a beautiful and haunting story that covers the complicated emotions and feelings behind the journey of discovering yourself and who you are. Sarah's struggles are relatable and everyone will be able to see themselves in this story somewhere.

Monstrous was a challenging but important read. It was so heartbreaking to read about the author's experience with severe bullying and harassment -- and yet I think it's important for all of us to read about that experience and to know how much it happens -- you can see how even the microaggressions of "well meaning" people were hurtful. Monstrous is a memoir about the author's experience of transracial adoption and school experiences. I thought the illustrations were so impactful, as were all of the events in the story. I wanted so many characters to do better by Myer and do more to support them. Her father was my favorite -- he's clearly such an important person in their life. I will definitely be adding this story to my library!

Interesting take on a graphic memoir of a young girl that escapes in to art to overcome bullying. The art style is wonderful and additive to the the story telling experience. The story itself is relatable and I can see many young adults and adults as well relating to the authors story.

Thank you to Netgalley and FierceReads for an e-arc to read, rate, and review.

This was such a powerful story of the working process of finding self identity. This memoir is raw an very open about the struggles of not fitting in, knowing who you are, or even knowing your biological parents and circumstances that led to adoption. Sarah's struggles with everyone, and herself, make such a compelling read that will have you grabbing tissues. 5 stars!

Monstrous is a blunt, hard hitting portrayal of growing up different in a small town. The adoption of Chinese or Korean children by white families is usually seen as a good thing. But, Sarah Myer’s experiences in an all white community blows that belief out of the water. This memoir is a testament to resilience and the power of a creative outlet, whether art or theatre, to be a lifeline for many kids and teens who don’t got the expected, narrow path their community expects them to follow. The artwork used to portray her escapism into fantasy and her internal struggles with anger and self-loathing hits hard. This book needed to be a graphic novel to really communicate what this brave individual went through. Thank you to Net Galley and the author for the advance copy.

Perhaps it’s just where I landed on TikTok, but I’ve seen a lot of controversy, of late, about the trauma experienced by adoptive children. And ESPECIALLY when they are adopted across cultures and/or across countries. Sarah Myer certainly shows a lot of that trauma.

One of Sarah’s parents’ biggest failures was raising her in an area where she and her other adoptive sister were such a huge anomaly. Non-white neighbors and classmates are virtually non-existant in this book, and the hostility she faced was frequent and sometimes violent. This book is just punch after punch to the gut, and a very necessary eye-opener about the continuing legacy of anti-Asian sentiment in America.

Advanced reader copy provided by the publisher.

This is a cross between other graphic novel memoirs like Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American and Almost American Girl and Magical Boy Volume 1: A Graphic Novel Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In.

Myer expresses the pain she experienced growing up in the United States as a Korean adoptee (along with her older sister who was also adopted from Korea) and raised out much Asian culture especially since they lived in an area where they were the only Asians to white parents (hence the subtitle). Sarah details her creativity and love of mermaids growing up, the difficulty in making friends, the eventual use of ethnic epithets, and navigating her relationships and sexuality especially outward expression and finding her people as she grew older.

There was a darkness that lived inside her that is powerfully done in the graphic novel format especially knowing her love of art that blossomed from an early age. This is where format compliments story so well.

Wow. This is an incredibly moving graphic memoir dealing with the challenges faced by Sarah, a Korean American adoptee. She struggles to fit in in her rural community. It's not just that she looks different: her sister is also an adoptee and manages to fit in. But she's really into drawing and anime and the people in her community just... aren't.

The artwork is beautiful and conveys a huge depth of emotion. I think teens, especially those who feel that they don't really fit in due to their interests, will really enjoy this.

I read this after requesting an advanced copy on Netgalley.

I love memoirs in graphic novel form, especially when the author is also the illustrator. This was an excellent read about a young person trying to find their place in the US American world as a transracial adoptee. Myer illustrates the ways in which they were bullied for being Asian-American and Queer while growing up in a small town and how they learned to embrace their uniqueness and talents. It also is about how young people internalize their fear, anger, and shame over things in their life outside their control. For Myer, this was knowing she was born in Korea but never knowing from whom she came from or why she was given up for adoption. As someone who has no lived experience as an adoptee, this really helped me to understand the kind of thoughts and feelings one has due to not knowing their origin story. The art in the book is also really well done. I highly recommend people of all ages check this memoir out.