What the fuck did I just read? (But in the best possible way). This was very unhinged but very bingeable. There are some steep triggers so tread carefully, but I am glad I read it and I will definitely check out more from this author in the future.

I am new to horror comics. I read Tender in one sitting and think about it often. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story left me feeling raw. Definitely will have to be mindful of who I recommend this to.

Tender is literacy comics storytelling at its finest — well-considered images and a unique story, and I’ll certainly read more from this creator in the future if I’m able to do so.

Very literary, ie mature, graphic novel, where our girl has a good group of friends, a fine meet-cute with the fella in the work cubicle next to hers, and as a result of that a decent relationship and marriage – but everything's monochrome purple and white. That is, except for her nightmares, involving the failure of her body, things coming out of her body, and more. Those are much more coloured – and the plot demands we sit and wait to be told what has happened to cause them.

As a balanced piece, we're certainly with our heroine a lot more, and our sympathies likewise, although this is not a work that hits and hates on men particularly. What it ends up being is a very eloquent descent into madness, and with thoroughly reasonable cause. The jumps in timeline aren't always the best decisions, but the gradual fragmentation of our lead is suitably well done, and quite startling at times, with the silence of key pages muting the addition of colour. It seems to make full psychological sense, with every scene and issue justified, allowing us to see this as a humble and typical woman and not some remarkable, outlying freak. As a debut piece it's a strong signal of intent – and a strong four stars.

Wow, oh, wow this was a ride. Billed as psychological horror, it absolutely is. I sat around staring at things for a long time after I finished. But the body horror was equally upsetting. If you’re a person who needs trigger warnings, please be sure to check these before reading this book.

It’s short and direct and visceral. Absolutely brutal.

well, that was different. It was enjoyable, not blow out your mind but enjoyable. WOuld recommend. I would try more from Hetland

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

‘Tender’ is not for the faint of heart… it was a quick and easy read if you are into thrillers or body horror and you’ll probably get something from it.

Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Such a raw, graphic, not for the faint of heart, mesmerizing graphic novel !
Our heroine has internalized the “female path” society wants us to take, so much so that she will manipulate and make her destiny happen whatever the cost.
As we witness her accumulating failures and coming apart, the drawing is impacted and leaves us free to understand whatever we want to understand.
I loved this feminist body horror graphic novel, I will follow up the author’s next books !

Who knew a graphic novel could be this powerful?

Tender is a great exploration of surface VS what's hiding beneath it. It's a horror graphic novel strongly based on the reality of how much social media and our need to curate a perfect seemingly life style both online and with our companions offline at times take a serious toll on our mental health.

The ending left me absolutely stunned and just for that alone I think it's absolutely worthy of being on everyone's 2024 reading list.

Carolanne strives for a perfect life.

She wants a husband, a baby and lots of social media posts showing off her perfect life. She still doesn't have it all, but she's working on it. She has picked out a husband – a coworker who doesn't even know who she is. She plays all of her roles as best as she can. She rehearses how to act, how to react, how to be a good friend and performs accordingly.

She also self-harms. But that's just a detail. Nothing can stop her from achieving her goals. So she gets the guy, they move in together, they get married, she gets pregnant. What could possibly go wrong?

Eventually, Carolanne finds out things don't always go according to plan. But she's not gonna let tragedy get in the way of her perfect life. There's no room for failure. She will overcome her hardships… but maybe not in a very orthodox way.

"Tender" is a well crafted psychological thriller about a woman and her obsessions and it hits hard. It conveys the grief and angst Carolanne experiences in a very convincing way. The artwork is simple but gets the job done. It's quite predictable at times, but not to the point of annoyance. What really stands out in this graphic novel is the character study and her descent into madness, filled with delusion and denial, which has terrifying results. Ultimately, it has all the elements of a good horror story, including the body horror, and doesn't let the reader down. Gut-wrenching and heartbreaking.

I give Tender 2.5 stars.

Tender is a graphic novel that follows a woman's descent into madness as she tries to build a family and conceive a child. When things don't work out and she feels like she's losing control, the main character starts to consume parts of her body as she suffers from a hysterical pregnancy.

I think this concept is very interesting and the general flow of the storyline was good. It was also a little predictable and straightforward. There were some parts that I found disturbing in a mild 'that's gross' kind of way but this book only skimmed the surface of each topic that it touched (the loss she went through and the subsequent effect on the main character's mental health).

I also think the art style was very simplistic and even images that were meant to be shocking and part of the psychological horror were identical in detail to those around it which prevented me from connecting to the horror and the overall storyline.

Overall, while this book did not work for me, I still think its a quick and easy read for those who want to get into psychological horror without making a big commitment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very difficult read... Beautiful sketch and interesting story but it wasn't for me. A woman who wants the perfect life and tries to persuade everyone she has it starts punishing her body when it betrays her. Really raw and shocking for me.

“Tender” by Beth Hetland follows Carolanne, a woman who dreams about her perfect life: wedding, husband, and family. When her life falls apart, she finds a way to cope.

This graphic novel does a great job of encapsulating what some women go through – the pressure to create the life they want, the joys when things go well, and the devastation when things don’t. This is a story about grief, mental health, and how one woman chooses to deal with it. Beth is not afraid to show the graphic nature of grief, but it adds to the story. The emotions felt real and I was able to connect with the characters. The palette was skillfully chosen and added to the emotions.

Thank you to Beth Hetland and Fantagraphics for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I'm grateful for NetGalley and Fantagraphics for providing me an ARC of this book. It's a beautiful piece with wonderful art, and a well written story. It's haunting, at moments disturbing, but in the end memorable and has a lot to go back to. I've been looking forward to reading this book after seeing the earliest news from Fantagraphics about the upcoming release. Without saying much I'll provide a brief synopsis. A young couple are looking into starting a family, and our protagonist will stop at nothing for this next chapter in her life to take place. Evokes memories of Rosemary's Baby to me, but without the satanist group and complete feeling of isolation or dread. That feeling is still there at times, but not as overwhelming like in Ira Levin's book. Tender will be a graphic novel worth a lot of analysis and further discussion amongst readers and alternative comic fans alike.

This book will give you all the feelings. It's incredibly unique and creepy. The story was a psychological journey and one that at times was emotionally exhausting but so well written and illustrated.

Thank you Netgalley and Fantagraphics for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tender by Beth Hetland is a psychological, creepy, and a unique graphic novel. We will follow Carolanne, who is desperate and obsessed to have a perfect and curated life (or at least, to make it look perfect on the outside). Seeing her friend's happy life in social media pressured her to have the same life and control the uncontrollable. After a while, she got what she hoped for. A happy lovelife, got married afterwards, and later on, became pregnant. But when things go south, that's when the story becomes horrifying and dark. Her baby died (my heart ached for her), and her husband, which supposedly her support system left her and threw her off the bus made her snapped to the fullest. Her husband is sick for doing that and his therapist is sicker for suggesting divorce as a way to move forward. And as a result, Carolanne's degenerating mental health came up to a point that the story shifted and transformed to body horror. She lied to her friends that she's pregnant and at home, it's really disturbing to see her putting lines on her pregnancy tests to make herself believe that she's expecting a child. And don't me started with peeling off her flesh to cook and eat. It's really disturbing and traumatic. It left me flabbergasted.

Honestly, what really caught my attention was the book cover. Damn that piece of meat convinced me that I will enjoy reading this graphic novel and it did not disappoint! But trigger warning that this novel have heavy and sensitive contents such as: self-harm, depression, miscarriage, and animal cruelty to name a few. It's heartbreaking for me to see Carolanne's mental decline towards the end and Hetland's artwork vividly portrayed that. The imagery is too graphic that it made my skin crawl (which I think, was rather effective). It realistically and vividly portrayed how grief can eat you alive. And when I finished reading this, I stared into nothingness for quite some time, digesting what I just read. It's thought-provoking, fearless, compelling, and I was stunned.

If you want gory, fast-read and thought-provoking graphic novel, this is perfect for you.

Tender by Beth Hetland will be published on March 12, 2024.

3.75 stars.

First, I would love to see the physical copy of this. As glad as I am to have received an ARC, graphic novels always hit better when you have the hard version in front of you and get to take it in as it was meant to be seen.

Second, this was SAD! Multiple times I felt overwhelmed by the intense & ordinary sadness (check the trigger warnings, to get more specific would be a spoiler). Not only was it sad it was also disturbing. You could feel the main character slowly losing her shit, and you are not prepared for how far it goes.
The ending just had me sitting there staring into the void like 👁️👄👁️


Thanks for this ARC!

actual rating: 3.5/5 stars

tender follows carolanne, a woman fixated on the pursuit of an ideal existence: a flawless wedding, a perfect husband, and a curated family. as she meticulously plays her various roles, manipulating those around her to fit her vision, her desperate need for controlcauses her to unravel. when faced with uncontrollable circumstances and a devastating loss, carolanne's descent into madness takes a horrifying turn as she engages in self-harm, consuming fragments of her own flesh in a desperate attempt to regain control.

the art is the main selling point of this graphic novel. the art has an interplay of colors which intensifies the more nightmarish scenes, effectively capturing the emotional turmoil within. however, the story itself tends to lean towards the straightforward, allowing the bold art to shine while falling short in fully exploring the complex themes promised by the novel's description.

the graphic novel challenges traditional body horror norms by presenting a female perspective on self-sacrifice, societal expectations, and the consequences of relentless pursuit of an unattainable ideal. while trying to have a in-depth exploration of these themes, the narrative fell short in delivering a comprehensive and nuanced discussion of these subjects. the graphic novel touched upon the psychological toll of societal pressures and the protagonist's descent into madness, but the depth of exploration into these themes remained somewhat superficial.

thank you to fantagraphics books and netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Fantagraphics for a copy of Tender!

Imagine planning the perfect wedding, perfect marriage, perfect family, perfect life. But, well of course, none of that comes true - so what do you do when nothing goes to plan? Well for our main character Carolanne, she decides to have rituals like eating pieces of herself. This graphic novel has body horror and visuals that'll make your skin crawl. It's heartbreaking, heavy, and will make you go "wtf was that". :)

I was not sure what to expect with this graphic novel but I think I liked it, although disturbing. The imagery is well done and I liked the use of color. I think this book does a great job showing what the pressures of society to appear like everyone else does. Probably 3.75 stars, I would have liked a bit more meat to the novel.