OMG THOSE FLIP PHONES AND THE IPOD PLUGGED INTO AN AUX CORD FOR THE CAR STEREO!!! Talk about nostalgia. Overall, a well-paced and enjoyable coming-of-age story, though the ending felt a tad abrupt.

Author and illustrator Sunmi created a sweet slice-of-life story about high schooler Caroline Kim coming into her queer identity. I loved the art; it suited the story's tone, conveyed the characters' emotions, and added to the story.

The cast in the book was my favorite part. Caroline had supportive friends, genuine family relationships, and crush-worthy Kimberley Park-Ocampo. I would read (and enjoy) volume two, picking up after Firebird and discovering what happened with everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAlley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Firebird follows Caroline and Kim, two Asian American high schoolers, as a coming-of-age story. Caroline starts tutoring Kim. Kim frustrates Caroline because she doesn't seem to be serious about anything. But opposites attract wins again as they forge a bond and a friendship that continues to blossom.

Reading Firebird almost felt like looking through someone's journal filled with hand drawn doodles and pictures. The artwork is very beautiful. The story was cute. And I really really liked the Korean dialog that included the translations.


Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperAlley for providing me with a review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of Firebird by Sunmi!

This is a sweet lil graphic novel full of first queer love experiences between two of the most lovable characters, Kim and Caroline. When Caroline becomes Kim's tutor, she expects to have her work cut out for her since Kim is known to be a total slacker. Not only does the relationship that blooms between the two present the opportunity for them to see each other as they really are, but it also gives them the safe space to expand and grow as needed out of the confines of their families and the expectations of others.

Firebird was cute! The relationship between Kim and Caroline was super sweet and I especially loved Kim's character. I also appreciated the dynamics explored in familial relationships with added cultural factors shown in both Kim and Caroline's families. Queer coming of age stories will always get at my heart and this one was no exception. The relationship was so cute and the depiction of gender expression and figuring out how you feel most like yourself was really well done, very very tender. One of the things I appreciate most about this is the conversation (though very short!) on the experience of queer girls being used by "straight' girls.

I was a little let down by both the written dialogue and the art style. I was anticipating a beautifully colored graphic novel experience, as sen on the cover, and was really disappointed to find it was black and white with some red moments (which I did really love! absolutely beautiful). The dialogue was especially a bit grating and halting to me, but that is simply a stylistic preference.

Overall, I thought Firebird was a really cute graphic novel about two young queers falling into feeling something for each other, but it didn't wow me. I appreciated the representation and especially loved the use of Korean text / English text translations during some interactions. I just wish there was a bit more finesse.

I got an ARC of this book.

I on on the fence about this one. It wasn't quite a romance like I thought it would be. There is no real conclusion. So many plots just felt dropped since there was no resolutions in the end.

It was odd at times. Caroline acted like a girl who had never really be into girls before, but then admits that she has near the end. It felt out of nowhere. There was some gender stuff, but again no resolutions. Then there was a point where Caroline might be questioning being ace, but the word is never used.

Overall, it was just half a story feeling. There was no resolution. There was no big ending or twist. It was both amazing and awful for that. I adored the characters, but I wanted more enough that it felt like the story wasn't complete.

Thank you to the publisher & the author/illustrator for an eARC of this graphic novel through Netgalley.

I requested this book for two main reasons, 1. I really loved the colors in the cover art, and 2. I was intrigued to read queer representation within Korean culture, specifically non-binary representation.

The art wasn't in a style that usually pulls me in, but as I read on, that wasn't a problem. And the beauty of art is that everyone perceives it differently. I was very shocked to see that the book was illustrated entirely in black and white with the occasional use of red.

While I was really glad to read about a queer asian-american main character, I was a bit disappointed that the storyline stayed incredibly surface level with the queer theme. There was barely any exploration into these characters and their identities and it felt very flat as a result. As for the non-binary representation, I just really wanted more on that inner exploration.

The characters are likeable though, and they make you want to keep reading. I think spending more time on them and developing them better would have just made this a little stronger.

Overall, it wasn't bad! I'm sure it'll find it's perfect audience.
📚🩷

I love coming of age graphic novels, and this is a solid one. Both Caroline and Kim were characters I immediately really liked. I hadn't expected the art work to be in black and white (and I don't think it was unfinished because I read an eARC, it seemed very intentional), but I thought this worked really well. I do have to say I found this slightly too long, and I felt like some parts dragged. Especially some dialogues weren't always very interested, which made me zone out a little at times. So all in all, I ended up feeling a little conflicted. However, I felt like the ending really picked up, and I felt more invested at that point, which is why I would still rate this 4 stars.

Korean American Caroline Kim isn't a social butterfly and sticks to their two close friends. Caroline knows they're queer, but isn't sure what that means for them. Caroline lacks confidence in their identity, body image and how they fit into a "model minority" mold. Filipino-Korean Kimberly Park-Ocampo seems to have friends everywhere. She's close with her family, has a strong work ethic, and is open with her queerness.

When Caroline starts tutoring Kimberly, they don't hit it off right away. Caroline thinks Kimberly isn't serious about school, and they worry others will guess they're queer too. As the pair spend more time together - studying and not - they grow from acquaintances to friends to love interests. Complete with an adorable storyline where the pair suit up for prom! Through their connection, they embrace themselves more fully, accept they can't have it all figured out, and feel fully seen by another person for the first time. Plus, the couple goes to prom after thrifting and finding suits that make both of them feel comfortable and like themselves.

Firebird showcases the unique intersections of identity and the complexities of finding oneself as a teen. Author/illustrator Sunmi compliments the story with gorgeous two-color artwork. YA readers who love coming of age stories and romance won't be able to resist this graphic novel debut. Recommended for high school and public libraries.

Firebird is a intriguing and relatable coming of age story about two queer Asian American teens growing up in the Bay Area of California, trying to sort out their lives. The illustrations are beautiful, yet simplistic and captivating and show emotion well in the characters. I felt there was a lot of depth to the story and devoured it in one quick read. I did feel the ending wasn't as strong as the rest of the story developmentally, but the story still made sense, it just felt a bit rushed compared to the rest of the narrative.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher HarperCollins, and the writer+illustrator Sunmi for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. There were high hopes for this graphic novel. A wlw/queer As-Am love story set in the Bay Area/SF sign me up. The execution though, hits hard to the ground as the story fails to deliver on specificity and unique language, imagery, plot, and characters. The plot and characters are familiar beats and the language and imagery are too broad. The backstory of the character's family should have played more of a role within the plot. While a story doesn't need conflict, the story should at least explore themes and ideas. The most interesting imagery comes through the chapters/title cards/intermissions. The graphic novel does explore a bit on the idea of being nonbinary/trans which it should have leaned more into. So while a lackluster start, Sunmi has a lot of room to grow as an illustrator and writer, here's hoping for more of Sunmi's work in the future.

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

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The art was super unique and I started to like it more and more as I read. This story is about Caroline who is a sophomore in high school. She decides to tutor a senior girl in math to look good on her applications. Kim is the complete opposite of her. She is outgoing and funny and picks on Caroline. She begins to have feelings she’s never really felt before.

This story goes over Caroline & Kim’s daily lives as well as their growing attraction for each other. Caroline has a controlling and overbearing mother and both girls have father’s who live in Korea. Caroline seems to be having both a gender and sexuality crisis where she isn’t sure who she wants to me. I got vibes that Caroline is asexual from her not being sure if she likes kissing or wanting to date anyone. She also deals with anxiety and episodes of depression. I saw a lot of myself as a teenager in her.

Kim worries about her family and being the big sister to her younger siblings. She works and gives money to her mother. She wonders about her future and college and wondering if she should go far away and leave her family. I loved the dynamic and differences the two girls had. They were very cute together. I’d love to see more from Sunmi in the future.

This was a delightful surprise!
It has so many layers of representation.
Caroline is an Korean American teen who is questioning their gender identity and sexuality. They live with their mom, who’s dialogue is written in Korean with English translation which is a welcome touch of authenticity. Their dad lives and works in South Korea. The family is struggling with housing payments. Caroline struggles with their mother’s expectations around school, dating, appearance, and body size. I would give a content warning around Caroline’s mother’s direction around food and restriction. Caroline develops feelings for Kim and explores clothing and expression that feels comfortable for them.
I would recommend this to fans of Himawari House and Lara Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me.

Caroline and Kim are two Asian American high schoolers who are thrown together by chance when Caroline gets assigned to tutor Kim. Caroline's first impressions of Kim as lazy and a partier are not quite right, and the two become friends after realizing they have more in common than they thought. Both characters struggle with family obligations, school, gender identity, and their sexuality, all while trying to decide who they are and who they want to be.

This is a gorgeous graphic novel about two teen teens navigating their relationships to gender expression, identity, and their place in their immigrant families and the expectations within them. I adored the two-toned illustrations and the really expressive line quality of the graphics. I thought that the illustrations had such a quiet tension and power to them, and could not stop reading. I also loved the inclusion of Korean into the text. Overall, an expansive and deeply moving story that I can't wait to recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harpercollins Children's Books for the ARC.

Firebird is about two Korean-American teenagers coming to terms with their own identities and finding their own paths in life. Caroline is a sophomore in high school who starts tutoring Kim, a senior. Caroline starts questioning if she likes girls, and you can see through her inner dialogue that she's been questioning her own gender identity. (Since Caroline refers to herself as a girl in this story and that doesn't change, I will be using she/her pronouns). There's also the typical Asian immigrant parent who wants best for their children, which causes a lot of strife between Caroline and her mother. Kim is almost the other parent in her house as her dad is away taking care of his mother in another state. She herself isn't out to her mother, and it's unknown if she's out to everyone at school. They come together through tutoring and find a kindred spirit and comfort in each other.

I wanted to give this story 5 stars because I enjoyed the journey Caroline was beginning to take and how confusing and alone trying to figure out who you are can be. I wanted to hug her so many times. Also, as a plus size woman who was a plus size child, Caroline's feelings about shopping really hit home. I also found Kim to be very well-rounded as a character as well. I wish we had more interaction with Caroline and her friends while she was getting ready for prom, but the little bit we had was very wholesome as her friends understand that Caroline is questioning herself and figuring herself out. We love supportive friends!!

The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars is the end was abrupt. It just...ends. I don't know if this is going to be an ongoing series or if this is it, but I wanted more. I understand that life isn't about neatly tied endings, but this didn't even finish open-ended. I'm hoping we get more to this story because I would love to Caroline grow into herself in which ever version that makes her happy.

BEAUTIFUL in every way from lies to characters. Sunmi draws you into their lives. Both girls have "single" moms that love them and want the best for them. How they show their love is different and impacts their daily lives. While questions of feelings abound, both relish in finding someone you can be youself with and enjoy the little things together without having to label the relationship.
VERDICT- Great high school add for readers of graphic novels. Sweet discovery story without sex with a hint of aces.

I always love it when I can pick up graphic novels. While it’s not my main mode of reading, I always enjoy being able to read them. When I picked up Firebird initially, I noticed a couple of things that made my past high school self happy. Namely, nerdy awkward plus sized girl who’s unsure of her sexuality. Relating to that, I was happy to dive in and found that I enjoyed it even more than I’d realize.

The story follows Caroline Kim, who is a daughter of Korean immigrant parents, and Kimberly “Kim” Park-Ocampo, who is a daughter of a Filipino immigrant. They meet in their sophomore and senior years (respectively) and after they spend time in tutoring sessions together, they develop a deeper bond.

There are so many topics this story tackles. Difficulties or immigrant families, wage disparity, children of immigrant parents, growing up, self-discovery, and so much more. And while they’re not fully fleshed out, I like how Sunmi especially looks at self-discovery and wage disparity.

Caroline expresses that she may be non-binary or discovering she is trans (I only use she/her pronouns because that’s what she has used and expressed throughout the book). There are many layers that make this complicated and interesting. Her mother is religious and almost possessive of Caroline, so much so that they fight when Caroline cuts her hair short. It’s very much a “tough love” dynamic that is set up where her mother wants to live vicariously in the life she forged for Caroline to have. I enjoyed watching how this dynamic unfolded and while it was left unresolved, I’m curious how Caroline’s mother could develop if future installments are published.

Kim tends to get bad grades, but looking into her life, readers learn that it’s not necessarily lack of effort. It’s lack of time to be able to. Kim is essentially a second parent to her twin siblings and works to help her mother support all of them. It’s something some kids have to face and while it looks like they’re doing bad in school, they’re very busy.

Sunmi really breathes realistic stories into Caroline and Kim, so much so they could walk off the page. They’re incredibly dynamic and for that, I think it’s great to pick up and read.


I would say that this story’s plot is somewhat loose and mostly slice of life, but it’s very enjoyable. I think it’s a good read for anyone. Whether it’s for teens to help understand themselves, or adults to understand the stressors teens are under, it’s a story that anyone could take a lot from.

As I was reading this I was totally on board to have like a four and a half almost five star review but then the end happened. The ending is so rushed and cut off and it just made me really sad because I wanted more. I think that there's too much that happens in the middle of this book and by too much that happens I mean almost nothing happens It's just very long and I wish some of that energy had been directed towards the ending of the story.

Don't get me wrong, I love an open-ended story but I feel like we never actually got to see Caroline or Kim do anything beyond question. I really liked both of them and I love seeing the intersectional queer representation, but almost nothing happens in this book.

So we have two queer Korean American teenagers. One is a sophomore and one is a senior. Caroline is a sophomore and she's pretty introverted. She is fat and questioning both her gender and sexuality. She continuously does use she her pronouns and the story refers to her as a girl throughout the story so I'm going to do that in the review, but there is a lot of gender questioning and discussions about feeling like a girl and shopping in the boy section etc. She does like girls so I would definitely say that she's sapphic but there isn't really any labels for Caroline.

Then we have Kim who is a senior and really extroverted and has tons of friends. She is out as a lesbian to pretty much everyone but her mom and spends most of the story figuring out what she's going to do after high school.

Caroline ends up tutoring Kim and it's a very slow burn friendship to tentative romance. I would even say that Caroline gives off asexual vibes from the way that those last scenes go. But I don't know. I don't mind not having specific labels but I do wish there had been just a little bit of resolution. Give me something. I need someone to make at least a one decision.

Overall I think this is a really solid graphic novel with a couple pitfalls. I'm not sure if the finished copy will have more color in it but I definitely think it could use it. Most of the ARC is black and white with sporadic red elements throughout every 50 pages or so.

This was really sweet! I wasn't sure about it at first, as the art style isn't something I'm usually drawn to but it was beautifully illustrated and tackled a series of heavier topics whilst remaining, primarily, a coming of age story.

The characters and relationship were sweet, caring and gentle - and never strayed too far from realism. I was really excited for that little hint to a possibility of nonbinary rep for our MC. I really wish this was longer but I know that's not the point of coming of ages - the open endedness was intentionally I just really wish there could have been a little bit more. I still really enjoyed it, and the messages intertwined throughout!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley. Content warning for transphobia.)

-- 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 --

If her father is a 'goose dad' - "a father who migrates back and forth from Korea while the rest of the family lives in a Western country" - then that makes Caroline a goose child. But she'd much rather be a firebird: a completely new creature, a thing of beauty and fire, unafraid and filled with passion.

A sophomore in high school, Caroline feels trapped by her mom's expectations. She gets good grades, plays flute in the band, attends church - but it never seems to be enough. She's too frumpy, eschews feminine clothing, and spends too much time with her friends, Minnie and Sal. When Caroline volunteers as a math tutor to pad her college applications, mom insists that she should be using that time to study for the SATs.

But tutoring is how she meets Kimberley Park-Ocampo, a popular senior who's just as comfortable congregating with the cool kids as the punks and skaters. She seems to transcend social class - and she's an out and proud lesbian! When Kim texts her outside of class, Caroline is plagued by self-doubt: surely this must be a prank, right? But texts turn into late night snack runs and star gazing and, before she knows it, Caroline is cutting her hair short and agreeing to be Kim's prom date - in matching tuxes, no less.

Much to the girls' surprise, they share more in common than not. The question isn't if their budding relationship will change the course of heir lives, but how.

If I had to choose just one word to describe FIREBIRD, it would be "understated." It doesn't feel like a whole lot happens, but the story is arresting nonetheless. The romance between Caroline and Kim is a very slow burn, and its direction remains unclear at story's end. (Idk, I got some subtle ace vibes from Caroline.)

I really related to Caroline, especially vis-à-vis her relationship with her mother. My mom and I got into more than a few knock-down, drag-out fights over my penchant for wearing men's clothing, and some of those panels hit a little too close to home.

I enjoyed how Sunmi drew parallels between Caroline and Kim, two seemingly opposite Korean-American teenagers, even extending this into a chapter devoted to their de facto single mother immigrant moms.