Strange Bedfellows is an interesting meditation on the perks of fantasy vs reality. If you could make your dreams come true, would you? And what effects would that have on your 'real' life? Oberon is struggling both personally and professionally.

But his new ability to make his dreams a reality might be hurting more than it is helping, as it drives him to avoid reality. The strange appearance of his former crush, Kon, is another mystery.

This fragment of his imagination seems to want to help him set things right. But can fantasy and reality mess or will Oberon have to choose one or the other? I enjoyed the relationship between Kon and Oberon; they complemented each other very well. They also pushed one another, which is important, I think. I liked the final reveal about Kon as well.

I'd give this book four stars for its beautiful artwork and its take on the themes of reality vs. fantasy.

I feel like sometimes sci-fi can be difficult to do as a graphic novel and I personally just have to go into it knowing that I'm not going to get everything. and honestly that's exactly what happened. I was unsure about what was going on and who all the characters were until maybe halfway through but I ended up really enjoying this. it's got a dystopian sci-fi setting where people have now lived on a different planet and the next generation is developing these powers. our main character is a black trans character who develops powers later and so he's not sure how to handle it and when his long lost ex who disappeared starts appearing to him he thinks he's losing it a little bit. there are a lot of characters and a lot going on at times but I really enjoyed this one

I really enjoyed this book in the second half. The first half is kind of slow, but the second half was crazy and full of twists and surprises and fun adventures and emotions! Some of the pictures were kind of random and confusing as far as how they’re supposed to fit into what’s happening in the story, but overall this is a magically fun book full of whimsy and a bit of an emotional roller coaster. It ended a little too abruptly for my taste but I am glad it had such a happy sweet ending. 4.5 stars.

Gorgeous art but I was completely lost with the story. It's very disjointed and chaotic--much like a dream, I suppose--but nothing really made sense. This book is sci-fi fantasy? The guy is dreaming about someone who went missing or may potentially be dead? It's all very odd.

The illustrations are STUNNING don't get me wrong, but the content...just to bizarre to follow along.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an arc in exchange for a review.

Ariel Slamet Ries has done it again. The combination of Science Fiction and Fantasy was done very well, especially with a dream aspect affecting reality thanks to the main characters many many breakdowns. Oberon could never catch a break and having to interact with the manifestation of his high school crush Kon? Oh that boy was going through it, and I was enjoying every second of it. The color palette was absolutely stunning, though I do think this makes a better physical read as the first half of the novel was difficult to read on an e-reader.

Strange Bedfellows was an awesome graphic novel! I loved the storyline and the illustrations were well-done. I'd read more from this author.

I wanted to like Strange Bedfellows, but a combination of illustration and Sci Fi world building frustrated me. Oberon is a well written character, caught in the space between school and career, frustrated, and with little direction. Kon is less clear as a character, but this makes sense as readers spend most of the book unclear on whether they are real or imagined. Unfortunately, the family and friends all seemed to blend together for me, I love the idea of a big supportive family for Obi, but I feel like a smaller cast of characters with more differentiation in how they are drawn would have helped me. The explanation of ghost powers also felt a little unclear for most of the book, which caused me a lot of confusion. The story would benefit from some more clear world building, so the reader isn't quite so confused.

The art is beautiful, but I simply could not follow the story itself! I've never had this issue with a book before. I wonder if it's because of the formatting? It's quite difficult to follow a graphic novel on the netgalley app, and I've had issues with this in the past. I'm going to pick this up at the library and see if I have an easier time in a print format, because the illustrations really are quite beautiful.

The art style was insanely beautiful! I was truly distracted the whole time reading this! This book could have no words and I'd be so hypnotized by the images! But this book was pretty good. I read it in one sitting! The relationship between the two main characters was addicting. One thing I was a bit confused on the pacing and the world building while reading this sometimes.

I am once again saddened to have to DNF an arc but I just can’t force myself through this one anymore, and we have rolled over to the summer holiday and I’d rather focus on other arcs.

This book has a strong visual identity and looks beautiful. But it is so slow and boring. I got about half way through and am totally univested in both the plot and characters. I normally fly though graphic novels and when I don’t I normally that that as a sign that the book is just not flowing for me. I really wanted to like this read but it is just not connecting with me.

The best things about this book are the characters and the concept. I liked Oberon and Kon as well as the family members. The drawing is really good even though at times it was hard to follow along with what's happening during the action scenes but the artist did humorous reactions very well.

Strange Bedfellows is a super PRETTY graphic novel! It has gorgeous art with a really nice dream-like color palette. Unfortunately, I just could not get into this story. There is a lot going on, and I never really felt connected to our 2 main characters. That being said, it is worth checking out for the art! Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Ariel Slamet-Ries for the chance to read and review! My opinions are my own!

This was amazing. I rounded up to 5 stars from 4.5. The illustrations were wonderful, the color choices were perfect for what was happening now, in the past, in dreams, etc. The story was great. Once I got into it, I couldn't stop reading - I wanted to know what was going to happen until the very end. And what a beautiful ending.

While I was immediately drawn in by the vibrant, dreamy art work, it took me a little while to figure out what to make of the story and world building. The pay-off is SO good though! This makes for an imaginative sci-fi story that draws on romcom tropes in a refreshing way. I could very much see myself rereading this, because I feel like I'd enjoy it even more when I already know what to expect.

In the future humanity was moved on to another planet, one where kids born there often develop powers. Our main character, Oberon, develops his late in life at 19. He's lonely and realizes he can bring what he dreamed the night before to life. That's where an old high school boyfriend comes into play. He starts appearing in Oberon's dreams and Oberon starts bringing him into reality as his powers develop. Then towards the end we get some twists. It's not a bad story. It is overly long though at 275 pages. There is also an over reliance on new slang terms which drives me batty and keeps me from fully connecting with the characters.

Oberon is having trouble lately - getting out of bed, seeing friends, feeling ill. He has taken a leave from school, and can't seem to function. His family, all extraordinary and accomplished people, don't know how to help him. It doesn't help that he is the only "normal" one; he doesn't even have powers! But as things get stranger and stranger, Oberon realizes maybe he does have some kind of power, just one he doesn't understand and can't control. And when an ex from his past appears and tries to help Oberon before he loses his mind, things get a little twisted. Oberon has to figure out what is real, what isn't, and what he is going to do about it.

Oh, this book is divine! Absolutely stunning artistry that crafts a dynamic, sensory world on another planet. Oberon's such an engaging character. His queerness, his found family tendencies, his tenacity and ceaseless curiosity about life are all laced with a truly realistic portrayal of anxiety. The narrative does an effective job exploring the complexities of nerve wracking life changes and how that leads you to seek out the comfort of your past. When Kon comes back in Oberon's life, in his own complicated way, their dynamic is electric. They're the type of duo you cannot get enough of. One that encourages, ignites, and playfully banters. Towards the beginning there's definitely a learning curve in terms of grasping the worldbuilding, but, even still, you do catch on quite quickly. I also really loved how environmentalism was seamlessly woven throughout the futuristic story. I could read endless volumes of adventures in this world!

This science fiction graphic has an extremely intriguing concept. I liked the art style and was intrigued by the cycling color schemes. I did think at specific points the shifting between warm versus cool colors for effect was not executed properly, and led to our main character seeming white washed. This was only in a few individual panels, an example being on page 153, but it was something that had me pause. This book was definitely the kind where you're thrown into the middle of a plot/world and it does not take time to world build for you. The world is already built, the circumstances are known to all the people in the story, but you're trying to figure out how they got to where they're at and where that even is. It can be confusing, but it's definitely good for people who enjoy getting thrown in the deep end of a story and don't want to have the world building fed to them. I liked the way the story addressed the concept of reality and interpersonal relationships and how they affected our main character's sense of self. I'd definitely recommend this graphic novel to any sci-fi fans who want more LGBTQ+ inclusive stories in terms of MCs as it's a very queer normative world, and our main character, Oberon, is a trans man whose major love interest is a man named Kon.

This one caught me off guard in the best way. I’m docking just half a star because, honestly, the beginning is rough. You get thrown straight into the story with zero setup, and it’s disorienting—I didn’t know who was who or what was happening for a bit. But once you settle into it? Oh my god.

A trans main character. A queer romance. And that plot twist?? I nearly cried when I realized what was happening. It was beautiful and unexpected and hit me right in the chest. Queer love is so beautiful and so powerful, and this book does such a stunning job of honoring that. I wasn’t ready. But I’m so glad I read it.

‘Strange Bedfellows’ is an absolutely stunning genre-bending story. It was one of my most anticipated for this year and one that lived up to those expectations effortlessly.

With ghosts and gardeners and a futuristic magical society, the book takes you in untouched directions with a fiercely imaginative view. Our mc is a burntout trans boy who is going through A Lot. There’s dream magic and an atmosphere so gorgeous you’ll want to eat the clouds write off the page.

This story is so addictive and fun and hard hitting and fleshed out, I can’t wait to get a physical copy!