Let me start by talking about the visual elements:

The drawings had no shadows, which made them look flat and stiff (in that sense, the cover feels like false advertising, since it’s nothing like what the actual illustrations on the graphic novel looks like). Clothes had medium amount of details, as did the backgrounds and I liked the color palette employed. There were no loud shades, which felt appropriate and matched the time period well. The body proportions were slightly odd at times, making the characters look short and stout, and I wouldn’t have chosen to give them dots for eyes when they felt bewildered, I don’t think that blended well with the illustration style and felt out of place whenever it popped up. Also, the font was very small for reading on a phone screen.

Catherine (the FMC) and her sister, Mary, had a very similar face and the same hairstyle and hair color. On the close-up panels it was hard to tell them apart (easier when more of the body was shown, since Catherine was thinner than her sister).

The Bridgerton inspiration came through loud and clear, but I’d venture that this was inspired in the show and not the book series. There was LGBT rep and a racially diverse set of characters across social groups, just like in the Netflix adaptation.

As for the writing and story itself, let me begin with the characters:

My first impression of Catherine wasn’t very positive and it only improved marginally throughout the story (just when I’d started to warm up to her I learned she’d actively chosen to hook up with a man she knew was engaged—girl, bffr). She was kind of annoying and her motives were very weak, which made it hard for me to understand her actions and sympathize with her character. And the same happened with Andrew. In the broad sense, I could grasp his overall motivations, but because all the nuance was missing, I struggled with him too.

This graphic novel was not enjoyable to read for me because of the “strobe-light” nature of it. It was like I got flashes of story, but didn’t get to witness everything that was supposed to be happening in-between them, during the dark parts. Everything felt disconnected and stilted. It was like there were dozens of panels missing.

I could have dealt with the flat drawings and illegible font, if the story had at least been good, but it wasn’t. The progression was very brusque and clunky, it was more like a series of fits and starts than a smooth advancement. Basically, we got a bunch of plot points and very little to connect them and fill the gaps in between.

There was so little development of anything; the story constantly jumped around with no rhyme or reason, the passage of time was unclear and, again, the main characters’ motivations went largely unexplained.

Also, way too much time was spent giving us small glimpses of the secondary characters—not enough to fully develop them, but also enough to take time away from the main characters. If the side stories had been relevant to the central plot and had been sufficiently expanded on, I wouldn’t have minded them, but for what they were, they did nothing but harm the novel. Don’t waste time on side stories unless you’re willing to fully commit to them.

I feel like the description overly sold and then the novel under-delivered. The passion promised was lukewarm at best, the “whisperings” about Catherine’s fall from grace weren’t relevant and scarcely played a role in the overall story (aside from being the catalyst to her arranged marriage), we barely scratched the surface of what had caused Andrew’s family to go broke and the impact this had on him emotionally and psychologically, and the weren’t any details about anything.

I really enjoy graphic novels (even if I’m partial to manhwas), and I have a big love for stories set in Regency and Victorian times (I’ll always go out of my way to watch any adaptation made of any of Jane Austen’s works ever, even YouTube series). So, I was doubly disappointed in this graphic novel. The bones for a good story was there, it just lacked any sort of fleshing out.

Ruined is the perfect regency era graphic novel. It is very reminiscent of Bridgerton, so fans of the show will definitely enjoy this one. Ruined had the perfect blend of art and plot. And while the book was primarily focused and Catherine and Andrew, we did receive a lot of second plot as well that I really enjoyed.

The cover immediately made me curious. I like it very much. I like the style and have hoped that the rest of the story is drawn in the style. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The drawing style seems very childish and rudimentary. The characters have no outline and hardly any expression. There are a few drawings that look really nice. I would have liked to see more of them.
The writing style is simple, but not captivating and exciting. The plot is pretty dull and to some extent leans heavily on Bridgerton. Far too often the plot focuses on secondary characters and their history. This, in my opinion, does not allow the protagonists' love story to sufficiently blossom for the reader. The protagonists reveal little of themselves and seem somewhat one-dimensional. They have few character traits and are too unindividual and static. I could only build a weak bond with them. Unfortunately, the graphic novel couldn't really convince me. It lacks pep, drama and big emotions.

*Review will be published November 24*

While I don't talk about it too much I am absolutely a fan of historical marriage of convience tropes. I don't read then as often as I should, but I am so glad I read 'Ruined'. Vaughn throws you straight into the deep end as we start with the walk to the wedding reception. Awkward and frustrating is the experience that comes to mind as you experience the new matrimony of two strangers. One trying to escape rumors and scandals, while the other is trying to fix his family's finacial woes. Ruined pretty much describes it.

This do start to click into place for the two newlyweds, you can literally start to see how much they come to care about each other, but of course the Andrew, the male leads detests love and of course. all Catherine, the female leads wants is love. This leads to conflicts of the heart.

One of the more surprising joys of 'Ruined' was how flesh out each character felt. Not just the two main leads but the side characters as well. I found myself being invested in everyone's stories and rooting for a happy ending for everyone.

I will say that at first the art style through me off, but as the story progressed I found myself not bothered by it as much as I thought I would. By the end I really appreciated the character designs. I will say that this is a ADULT graphic novel with sex and nudity so if that puts you off this is not for you.

Overall, a delighful story of growth and love.

perfect for every regency-era romance fan who’s just trying to make the time before the next bridgerton season go by a little bit faster.

ruined is a cosy graphic novel to get lost in, and is sure to leave you with a smile and a longing for more books in the future about the group of characters you’ve met throughout this one.
and speaking of the characters, i enjoyed how the story as well as focusing on the romance also focuses on the side characters and gives us readers an insight into their lives; they have their own dreams, aspirations, and goals and aren’t just there to simply serve the main characters.

at times it did feel as though this was “just” any other regency romance story, as the ones i’ve been exposed to both written and on screen have had somewhat similar outlines. though that did not take too much away from my enjoyment of this graphic novel, and i still had a fun time reading it.

the publisher kindly provided this arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t like our heroine. She spends way too much time wallowing over the dude that “ruined” her. Our hero is also hot and cold in no understandable way.

Then we had the big fight and it was an overreaction in my opinion.

I’m more interested in her maid and her story. Can I read that with our heroine in the background? That was the only part I liked.

I found the text hard to read which definitely impacted my enjoyment, I think it was a mix of the font and size just didn’t work.

This was a really lovely story, I quite enjoyed it!

I have to admit that it was a slightly rocky start for me, for two reasons:
1. The artwork isn’t as quite as pretty and softly atmospheric as the cover suggests. It’s a little rougher, though it does retain the soft pastel tones.
2. The beginning of the story is a little rushed and not well explained IMO.

That said, I did settle into the story relatively quickly after that, and grew accustomed to the art style. The characters grew on me and by the half-way mark I was quite committed to the MCs relationship development (although only slightly interested in the secondary characters’ own challenges and story progression, I must admit).

The love story illustrated here would probably appeal to fans of Jane Austen’s novels and season 2 of Bridgerton, I think, so the comps ring accurate.

I’d like to rate this a full 4 stars because the romance between the MCs is so sweet, however most of the characters lack background and don’t feel well-rounded, which constantly leaves the reader with questions that distract from the main storyline. Yes we do get a quick rundown of their story but it feels very rushed and it’s almost worst than just not having context at all.
So I’m giving this 3 1/2 stars, but I have to say that if the authors ever publish a novelized version, I would definitely want to read that as I feel it would provide space for good characterization and details for the whole cast.

This was so fun! The story wasn't anything extra-special for historical romance but it was a delight to have a classic regency romance in a graphic novel format.

The side characters were interesting and sweet and I blew through this in a day.

The spice level is fairly high and pictures are tasteful, but detailed, so be forewarned. NSFW.

4/5 stars
thank you to Net Galley and First Second for sending me this arc!

Ruined is a historical romance that deals with a marriage of convenience, posing the question: can falling in love with your partner ruin your marriage? if you’re a fan of Bridgerton, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this book! i’ll be so real, i had no clue this was a graphic novel before i opened this book up. regardless, i thought the art style was really cute, and this was a very quick, easy read. i breezed right through this story. i thought the main romance was really sweet and overall, this was just a very cozy book. im left writing this review with a little warm fuzzy feeling in my chest.

my only qualm with this novel is the side plots/characters. there were quite a few side storylines following side characters, and i felt like this book was just too short to fully develop them well. i just kinda didn’t care too much about these side plots, or i was left unsatisfied with questions regarding them. i felt like such heavy focus on the side characters was a bit unnecessary. i would have rather had more time to focus on the main characters.

still, this was a short, sweet, and quite enjoyable read. i would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in a more modern historical romance!

Ruined by Sarah Vaughn is a Regency era romantic graphic novel. And when I say graphic, I mean ~graphic~. Definitely 18+.

While the artistry wasn't necessarily what the cover led me to believe it would be, I was pleasantly surprised by the book. Similar to Bridgerton, there are BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ characters represented and accepted in society. There was also a secondary character with agoraphobia. That being said, the sub-plots were a bit hard to manage alongside the main storyline. I was able to finish the novel easily within one sitting, but I ended feeling like the sub-plots were rushed and not necessarily resolved. Maybe more to come in further novels?

All in all, I thought the main storyline was sweet and spicy, the perfect thing to get me out of a reading rut.

Many thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, I loved this graphic novel, I wanted Catherine’s Ex lover to get his karma, but Seeing Catherine move on and not depend on a guy before deciding she wanted to be with him seemed like a good ending. It gave her a choice. And I loved how they got a happy ending. It was also a believable love story.

#NetGalleyarc This was a good and quick read. A sweet romance which was nice to read as this isn’t one I usually see represented in graphic novels. Not something I’ll purchase for my HS library but it was enjoyable.

My first graphic novel since I was a kid and I loved it! Looking forward to reading more by this author!

This was such a cute read! I really enjoy the marriage of convenience trope and it was so cool to see this regency romance in a graphic novel. Truly such a good palette cleanser when I’ve been reading mostly audiobooks or ebooks lately! Thank you for the ARC!

A simple and delightful romance. Marriage of connivance turns friendship turns true love. Nothing about this surprised me, and that's why I loved it. What a fun format for a familiar story. I devour any and all things regency romance, so this was like candy to a baby. Is that the expression? No but I don't care, I'm too busy rereading this.

thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Okay, excuse my swearing, but Jesus Fucking Christ????? They put the graphic into graphic novel and I found out on the train of all things! The guy across from me definitely noticed because I jumped when I saw dick on my iPad. Warn! Me! I! Was! On! The! Train! Just for that laugh it gets bumped from 3 to 2 stars.

The story just simply did not flow for me. We jumped from moment to moment and there was change, but it was a natural shift, actually rather sudden. The story felt sorely underdeveloped and a tad unrealistic <spoiler> the heroine actually has pre-marital sex with a dude who's engaged, tells her he has no intention of not getting married but also still takes her virginity? That's the stupidest thing I did ever hear. Why would you do that? Especially knowing the consequences? It makes no sense. Get some sense. </spoiler>. Luckily this was a nice happy ending, which I did like, because I liked the hero very much. But I wouldn't necessarily read it again.

Ruined is a cute regency romance graphic novel. The story is the basic marriage of convenience turns to love trope, and the artwork is nice (and slightly NSFW). My only issue was that there was alot of focus on side characters who don't really advance the plot, but I assume this was done to set up a series each focusing on a different couple, in the vein of Bridgerton. All in all, though, this was a cute, quick read of you are a fan of regency romance.

*I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

I’ll admit the thing that most drew me to requesting this graphic novel was the cover. I thought it was gorgeous and I was intrigued by the idea of a regency romance in a graphic novel form. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one as much as I’d hoped.

I did enjoy that this was a Bridgerton (the show) type of romance, meaning that the characters were more diverse than what is typically found in a regency romance, but I didn’t connect to any of the characters or their goals. I didn’t feel like I got to know any of them well, and it didn’t help that there were so many side plots following characters other than the main couple.

I also didn’t think the art style fit the story. The art wasn’t bad but it felt very cartooney at times, like it was too immature for the plot (especially considering there were sex scenes with full nudity). It took me out of the story and kept me from enjoying it as much as I would’ve liked.

As for the plot, it was pretty standard for the genre: a brooding hero who swears off love and a romantic heroine who yearns for it. I did like that the female main character had some autonomy over her sexuality; she is viewed as “ruined” because she wasn’t a virgin when she got married, but there is a scene where she tells her husband that she initiated the affair and that she hadn’t been tricked or seduced by the man she was with. While society judges her, no one in the main cast of characters does, which is nice.

Overall, this is a quick and pleasant read, but it didn’t stick out to me as something I’d like to read again.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want a Regency-era romance graphic novel?

Pre-reading:
Look at me, reading more picture books.

Thick of it:
I don’t like how the noses are drawn in this book.

Do you know somehow I didn’t expect full frontal.

Aww, they're cute

They nailed the regency speak.

Mantuamaker

Pelisse

Fichus

Phaeton

it ends just as it gets good!

Post-reading:
This was cute, but kinda nothing. I wasn't in love with the art. The colors were a bit too pastel and the style that the faces and especially the noses were drawn in kinda gave Arthur aardvark. The story was like every other generic Regency romance. I think it should’ve been longer, or it needs a sequel. It's fine. Nothing I’d recommend, but nothing I’d discourage people from reading.

Who should read this:
Bridgerton fans
Regency-era romance fans

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz-regency-ish gay romance graphic novel

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second Books for the eARC.

I wanted to like this graphic novel more than I did. I'm a sucker for marriage of convenience turning into love as a trope, but this ultimately just felt lackluster. There were entirely too many subplots with background characters that took away from the primary narrative, the art style wasn't my favorite, and the plot ended right when the romance finally got good.