this was a decent graphic novel and modern adaptation of “northanger abbey,” and i liked how the author adapted the story and characters for modern day. the art was also great for the story and setting.

my one complaint with graphic novels is that it’s really hard to make three-dimensional characters and subtle plot cues with mostly just dialogue and images. a lot of the dialogue felt very info-dumpy or overly narrative, and a lot of the stuff at the end of the plot was rushed through and felt like the end of a 90s after-school special. (“so what did we all learn today, kids? let’s each go around and talk about the mistakes we made and what we’ll do next time, in an orderly and not-at-all-scripted fashion.”)

so most of the shortcomings of this story lay in its format for me. i’m not a huge graphic novel person, but i do still have some that i love. i think this story would be better if it had been told in a traditional narrative.

thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fantastic story of learning to live and love as your authentic self no matter who or what is stopping you.

As an LGBTQ+ member from South Texas this graphic novel hit very close to home. The racism, the homophobia- it was present in my youth and its still present to this day. Friends, strangers and even family act just as the adults in this graphic novel did and even with the increase in media presence and representation they continue to be bigots.

Cade and Henry are like looking in to mirrors. Myself and my friends facing the same struggles of acceptance from others and learning to accept ourselves in a world/area that would rather beat us down than show even an ounce of love or kindness.

I do think the misunderstanding/miscommunication is a little rushed in the reveal at the end of this but as we're getting the story through the eyes of confused teens it makes sense that they would struggle to open and properly communicate.

This was a beautiful graphic novel and I would honestly love a second volume to see how everyone is doing after a small time skip. The characters are so great in this, definitely a graphic novel I will recommend to everyone!

the premise of this story immediately grabbed my attention - a teenager who watches so many horror movies, he starts to believe his own life is one. this happens to be the reason I dont let myself watch horror movies (I'm paranoid enough as is)

this was fun and creepy, and it also touches on important issues. the characters and writing were great, I absolutely loved this!! and of course, the art was incredible

I was really excited with this being a Northanger Abbey retelling because that's the rarest of the Austen retellings and it was really good! I liked Cade's obsession with horror movies, I think it worked in the vein of the original story and it's reasoning for Cade was solid. This was a little heavier subject matter wise than I'd expect from an NA retelling but I still enjoyed it.

I kinda waffled back and forth about whether to give this one 3 or 4 stars. Again, I really wish these rating systems did half stars too. Anyway, there were some great parts to this book. The teenage angst was on point, I loved Cade's interest in horror movies which I can identify with, but especially loved how he later on in the book related horror movies to the feeling of being a a queer teen in Texas. I had never thought of that before. There were some characters I didn't love. The little sister was beyond annoying, Cade's mom was utterly unfair, and trigger warning for Cade's stepdad for homophobic speaking. I liked Henry and was annoyed at him for being hot and cold so much but his later explanations helped. Other characters were okay. The "mystery" was like a red herring, but reading the author's explanation helped with my confusion. While this wasn't a horror story per se, it was still interesting and relevant. 3.5!

I'm a huge horror fan and a gay person from a more rural area, so I was very excited for this graphic novel! It was definitely enjoyable, though several points got a little repetitive and the ending explanations felt a little rushed. The rest of the story though was simultaneously very sweet and suspenseful, a really fun combination.

This retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Alley was a breath of fresh air. The underlining character development throughout the graphic novel was definitely a treat. Furthermore, the different angle of being a queer individual in a rural area in the south was a brilliant take on this story.

This graphic novel was beautifully illustrated and the story it told was one that held me intrigued to the end.

However, I did have a lot of issues with it throughout. Firstly, the conclusion of the story, when everything is 'explained' felt so forced and unrealistic. it truly took away from my initial enjoyment I had up until that point. The characterisation wasn't very well done, the main characters were annoying and the way abuse was flung around as a plot point was not what I was expecting at all... I also think I really struggle when main characters of stories automatically assume everyone is straight until they do something not straight and they're automatically gay - ignoring everything in between.

Whilst, overall I enjoyed this for what it was - there were a lot of aspects that had been poorly executed. And the romance was showing a lot of red flags. Make sure to take this one with a pinch of salt though! If you don't look too much into it there is a lot to enjoy at its core.

Cade and his stepdad work on a ranch away from home for the summer. Cade falls in love with Henry, the ranch owner's son, but there are secrets hidden in the walls of Northranger, the family's summer home -secrets that are possibly dangerous.

I enjoyed this graphic novel. The art style is clean and crisp. The story is a modern take on Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey with an LGBT love story woven in. I found myself thoroughly engaged in the story and read it all in one evening. I will definitely be recommending this book to my middle school students, as well as purchasing it for my classroom library.

Trigger warning: there is mention of suicide, mental health issues, and verbal abuse.

This captivating graphic novel adds to the growing catalog of queer-representation, #OwnVoices young adult reads. 16-year-old Cade Muñoz, an avid fan of horror movies, finds himself thrust into his own version of a horror story - having to go and work on a ranch with his step-father for an entire summer! It doesn't hurt that the rancher's son, Henry, is kind and compelling and cute to boot. But can Cade look past the secrets and uncertainties surrounding Henry and his family, for the sake of a burgeoning romance?

I loved everything about this graphic novel, but I should first offer some trigger warnings - which the author is kind enough to provide the reader, as well. Be aware that this book includes instances of homophobia, misogyny, racism, and animal cruelty. That said, each is handled with grace.

All of the characters in this book were so relatable. Cade embodies what it is to be a young queer person, especially growing up in a very conservative region of the United States. The analogy the author draws between the queer experience and the horror genre is absolutely masterful, and not to be missed.

Rey Terciero is so good at incorporating strong female characters into his stories - in the form of Cade's mother, working hard to provide for her family while caring for her elderly mother, his younger step-sister who never hesitates to speak her mind, and Henry's sister, Henri, who is equal parts empathetic, strong, and capable (but do NOT call her Henrietta!).

I also loved how the author handled intersectionality. He addresses issues of class, race, sexuality, and mental health, and the way those different aspects of a person and their community intersect.

And how wonderful, to discover this novel was in fact inspired by the Jane Austen novel, Northanger Abbey! What a clever and interesting twist on a classic tale. I give Northranger a solid 5/5 stars, and I will absolutely be acquiring a copy of this book for our library.

I wanted to enjoy this one but I found the plot, story, and characterizations hard to follow and not really resonate the best for me at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review!

Cade is a 16-year-old who is obsessed with going to the theater and seeing horror movies. He sees it as an escape for his real life issues. He lives with his mother, stepfather, stepsister, and grandmother. After his mother tells him they are having financial issues, he agrees to go work on a ranch with his stepdad over the summer where the owner is an old military buddy. There he meets Henry, the owner’s son who is his age and also enjoys horror movies as much as he does. Cade begins to fall for Henry, even though he is straight and there seems to be something sinister surrounding the death of his mother the year before.


My first thought; this was so stinkin adorable. I loved it from beginning to end. Cade is someone I can relate to fully. I’m obsessed with horror movies and his explanations of horror movies and how they help him feel less alone made me feel so seen. I also really enjoyed the art for this one. I like how Henry and Henri had such detailed freckles. This is is beautiful story about a boy who feels alone in the world and the people he meets that help him feel more alive. I loved all the characters here except the general and Jon, really. The romance because Cade and Henry was so cute. I loved them so much. Henri was a strong and funny character and I wanted to be her friend. Even Bella as a side character was cute. Alice was the annoying little sister, but she obviously loved Cade in her own weird way. I adored their parents and even though Cade’s stepdad was hard on him, there was a love line father and so there I always love to see. Having a successful blended family is so sweet.

This graphic novel deals a lot with racism and homophobia. It goes into the prejudices that people might have just by looking at you and not knowing you. There is also amazing discussion about mental health and how you aren’t a monster for being who you are. There will always be someone out there who loves and cares about you no matter what. This graphic novel was adorable and I loved it 10/10 for me.