OMG!!! Thank you so much to netgalley and Ten Speed Press for an arc of "Nothing Special Volume 1".

This graphic novel was outstanding! The artwork=chefs kiss! The storyline=chef's kiss!

Callie is part human part mythical creature. Her dad owns a shop that is half in the real world and half in a fantasy world; his only rule has ever been DO NOT GO PAST THE GATE in the fantasy world. When Callie's father get in trouble on one of his jobs in the fantasy world, Callie and her new friend Declan adventure off past the gate to try and save her father.

This book had everything I could ever want in a book; amazing, super cute and well drawn artwork. An intriguing story. A fantasy world. A bit of romance. A ton of humor. I loved how cute the characters were drawn. I thought the radish had a great sense of humor. Declan was a great romantic interest, and I like how Lasser also really tried despite being ridiculously out of touch. Everything about this book was so sweet and wholesome.

Another thing I liked about this graphic novel is that the story made complete sense and the story arc was completed by the end of the volume. You can tell the illustrator put a lot of time into making sure they didn't skimp on details; in fact the novel is over 400 pages! The story was well fleshed out and it was so interesting that I read in one sitting.

It seems like there are going to be more installments in this series-yay! I loved reading this and I can't wait to go on another adventure with Callie and friends!!! I think you would absolutely love this if you are into fantasy, wholesome romance, and humor. A great age range for this would be teens and adults.

5/5 Stars

While there are elements of insta-love, Nothing Special is a sweet, coming-of-age story. Spoiler alert - the main character winds up having to completely sever a relationship with the mother figure she never knew. However, the main character's father is very supportive and welcoming to everyone in Callie's life, so the book includes a positive role-model figure. Declan was slightly one-dimensional, but given that the book is marketed as Volume One, his character journey may come later in the series. I would recommend this for middle-grade and young adult readers who appreciate an element of fantasy with a bit of escapism.