It was not a matter of if I'd read this book, but rather when I'd read this book. 'Brielle and Bear' is catnip for romance lovers. I cannot wait to read more.

Brielle and Bear is set at a Fairy Tale University. Bear has a secret. Brielle is struggling to belong. It's love at first sight when these two meet and they circle each other throughout the book. Bear is very sports oriented on the outside, but reflective on the inside. Brielle is bookish and smart. They think they can't be together, but as their friendship deepens, they realize maybe it's possible to be together.

I don't know how this is Beauty and the Beast (usually there's more secretiveness than this book has), but it is very fairy tale feeling. It is a cozy romance, but one that I'm not sure is going to fly off shelves. It's very slow burn and I kept thinking "ok, what's going to happen and when is it going to happen?" Readers who are patient will be rewarded, but if readers expect Beauty and the Beast, they'll be disappointed.

This read took me on a ride! If you are into cozy and cute slow burn romance and slice of life you will be into this one! The art is beautiful! The ending pages have even more information on the characters. This world is one I'd love to visit again. Can't wait for the next installment!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this graphic novel
The art and premise of this story was absolutely beautiful and interesting, there was just too many speech bubbles confusing me on who was talking when there was a big group of people in the panels and one of the subplots in the story, although interesting seemed like it was just added for dramatic effect. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

I’m not really sure what to say about this comic. On one hand, I really liked the art—the color choices, the drawing style, all the little details. But honestly, that’s about all I liked. The story felt both rushed and dragged out at the same time. I’m not a fan of insta-love, so having the main characters fall for each other basically on page one didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters either—they all felt kind of bland. And I didn’t feel any real chemistry between them. I thought this was going to be a story I’d swoon over, but I ended up just waiting for it to be over. I do hope the story develops more in the second volume, because I genuinely loved the artwork.

I wanted to love this because it is drawn so beautifully. The art is absolutely a delight. It transported me back to when I was young and loved everything pink and frilly. Specifically, it gave me “The English Roses” vibes as far as aesthetic.

The problem I was having is that the story itself didn’t wow me. I was expecting a lot more from the story and while it had some cute moments I kept feeling like it was just ok.

I think this comic had a lot of potential and like I said there are moments that were fun and cute, but overall I just felt meh about it. I think part of it was that the connection between Brielle and Bear felt superficial to me and I wish there was more willingness to have pure friendship before trying to figure the love out.

A sweet love story that questions assumptions of gender roles and explores challenges modern teens face.

I have never read anything by this author, but I will be looking out for other books they write in the future. I really enjoyed the story as well as the pacing of the story.

For the most part I enjoyed this cute graphic novel. In regard to its story, it wasn't outstanding, but it was still fun. It felt a tad bland, but the author notes that this installment is meant to be only the beginning of the story, so maybe future installments will be more gripping. Then again, contemporary romances aren't typically my go-to genre, even when it comes to graphic novels and comics, so it may be more of a "me issue." The art, however, was really beautiful. It was colorful and cute and definitely fit the fairytale aesthetic that Doku was clearly striving for.

Loved it! I really liked the character designs, even better than the sketches or preliminary designs at the end. I also liked all the friends but I wish we got more of a backstory when it came to Pavao and the tension between him and Brielle. I really enjoyed the montage of them during winter break as well.

I really liked parts of this and other parts not so much. To start off with I loved the art! It was beautiful and Brielle's hair especially was always amazing!! The overall story line was sweet. The meta points about fairy tales felt a little on the nose and there were some characters that I didn't really understand what they were doing there. But as far as I understand this is from a web comic so it could be they have more to do later.

Brielle and Bear is a cute and fun graphic novel. There are undertones of deeper topics, but they don't weigh down the story. The graphics are colorful and fun and the characters are loveable! Recommended for YA graphic novel collections!

I received this book for free for an honest review. This had a very good concept and the art was phenomenal. I love the diversity that it represents.

The cutest freaking graphic novel EVER!! I enjoyed this version of the beauty and the beast! I really wished I had something like this growing up and not in my thirties lol Brielle was soo cute and kind and I loved how "Bear" didn't take any mess when it came to her! My first read by Salomey Doku and it won't be my last!!

Brielle is attending Once Upon A Time University for her freshman year. She bumps into Atohi (aka Bear) while working her job at the bookshop. Bear is a rugged rugby player for OUAT’s Princes team, but deep down is a romantic at heart because he loves reading about fairy tales and romance and writes poetry. Brielle and Bear instantly crush on one another. The story progresses where they try to fit in with their peers – Brielle with the snobby Soleil and Luna Guild (at her behest but with strong pleading and encouragement by her BFF Rosalie) and Bear with his macho team mates and adoring eyes from the cheerleaders.

I truly enjoyed this story. It was akin to a realistic fairy tale. The story provides fairy tale rules. I love how there is representation for POC and learning disabilities. The artwork and colors are beautiful and fun. The speech bubbles and text were so unique. You will find flowers drawn on the perimeter of speech bubbles to denote romance or crushing. Text may be thrown here in there outside of the speech bubbles in varying fonts, boldness and directions. In another graphic novel I may find this disconcerting, but it totally works for this graphic novel!

Kudos to the author for this enchanting debut graphic novel. I hope there will be a sequel to the book and hope the author plans to make it an ongoing series. I definitely will be there to read it!

Basically this is a meet cute love at the first sight romance with a sprinkle of fairytale, specifically beauty and the beast. I really love the illustrations, it’s so adorable and eye-pleasing, and massive points for the diversity. But unfortunately the story wasn’t hitting it for me. Nothing’s special, just basic uni drama. I wished Brielle & Pavão’s backstory would be explained because clearly they have a history but alas. And the text bubble placements were a bit disorienting sometimes. So IDK if i’d read the next volume…

I absolutely adore this graphic novel. I absolutely fell in love with the drawing style. It's so beautiful and loving. I could gaze at some of the scenes for hours. The story might not be the most thrilling, but it's the depth and sincerity of the emotions that make it so special. The characters are so intriguing, each with their own secret or two. I'm excited to see what happens next!

This graphic novel featured some stunning artwork. I appreciated the fact that there was so much detail put into the character designs and the settings. I also loved how almost all of the characters were people of color. That being said, I felt as though that this graphic novel wasn’t completely for me. It felt as though things were too easily resolved and rushed on. It was still an enjoyable, cute read and I will continue to check out the rest in the series upon their release.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

The art of this graphic novel was BEAUTIFUL! I need this author/artist to do 2D animation. I think their style is perfect for it!!! Overall I did enjoy the story too. I liked how different all the characters were and how they struggle with different things. I'm a little confused about Pavo though and his connection to Brielle. There wasn't a lot of actual backstory in this volume aside from Bear and Brielle both opening up about how they were bullied. The most backstory we get is from Bear but nobody else really has that. I also didn't even realize that Brielle had vitiligo because there wasn't much of an obvious distinction in her skin tone. I honestly thought it was like highlights and shading. I don't know if there's some forms of vitligo that's very obvious and some that isn't but I think it should be a bit more distinct than what I saw. Regardless, I enjoyed the story and the art style and I'm looking forward to reading more.

Thank you to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for this E-ARC!

This was my first graphic novel with a mainly black cast (don’t judge me) and it was beautiful. I loved the fairy tale concept, and it tied into everything so seamlessly—the campus, the art, the language. The only thing missing was literal magic, but the atmosphere was magical and whimsical enough. Even though it’s light and fluffy, the story covers some important topics as well that you’ll just have to read to find out. I loved the characters and the relationships (established and ones in progress). I did have issues following the dialogue at times because I’m not used to the formatting (I mostly read manga). I’d think I was on the right track but then on the other page the format would flip, making me reread a couple of times until I was reading in the correct order. Not sure if I’m making sense, but this is something I can get used to with a few more volumes. Overall, I had a great time, and I plan on continuing the series. This was a great introduction to the world. There were several story threads that were subtly intertwined that I think were perfect for longevity. I have so many questions, but not the kind that leaves me unfulfilled. I’m so excited for the second volume.