I really liked the art and the characters but I had some trouble following the story when the romance was introduced. It seemed to come out of nowhere and I couldn't figure out the conflict. There was just a lot of things that didn't make sense to me.

A sapphic graphic novel about two expats, one English and one from Hong Kong, living in Paris and navigating their everyday life. With amazing watercolour art!

I love reading books focusing on adults around my age living their everyday life and going through their struggles because I can identify with them. Sarah and Ping are just two adorable people who happen to meet in Paris and have a beautiful friendship, later relationship, blossom between them. It shows their growth as people living in a different country and what they experience there. It's an adorable love story.

Especially, it focuses on the language barriers. Willingness to learn a new language to be able to communicate with someone. The need to be understood. How it feels to be a part of an international group where people speak several languages at once. How love can overcome even not being able to understand each other. The hard work that goes into learning a language, how it gradually builds in a person, mainly in an immersive environment. How a true multilingual person speaks. And the most wonderful moment - when it finally clicks that you can understand and speak the language! I'm in love with this part as a linguistics major. Love Languages masterfully combines what the title promises - love between people, and many languages themselves.

This is a tender and visually stunning graphic novel that explores the intricacies of cross-cultural connection and the slow blossoming of love. Set against the romantic backdrop of Paris, the story follows Sarah, a London expatriate, and Ping, an au pair from Hong Kong, as they navigate the challenges of language barriers and personal discovery.

The novel's use of both watercolor artwork and multilingual dialogue—interweaving English, French, and Cantonese—authentically portrays the characters' efforts to communicate and connect. I'd imagine this as exciting practice for readers in the process of learning any of these languages.

I'd say this is a great introduction to graphic novels for any readers who typically enjoy either literary fiction or LGBTQIA+ romances as this narrative unfolds as a slow-burn romance, focusing on the everyday moments that build intimacy and understanding between Sarah and Ping. This story emphasizes character development and the gradual deepening of their relationship rather than having a strong plot.

This is an ideal read for those who appreciate stories of personal growth, the nuances of communication, and the quiet power of love.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 2 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

i hate to be a part of the minority but i didn't like this graphic novel. to me it seemed very slow and it was hard to follow with the languages mixed in the speech bubbles. unfortunately, i found the story boring and the characters were annoying. the premise seemed interesting but no, i guess it just wasn't for me.

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, IDW Publishing, and James Albon for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

A fluffy and beautiful queer graphic novel about belonging, language, and what it means to truly thrive. The art style is a stunning watercolor that perfectly matches the tone of the story. It was so cool to get glimpses of various languages throughout the novel, but the story is primarily told in English, French, and Cantonese – with English translations for whatever is understood by the main character. I get the feeling that readers who understand the French and/or Cantonese might be frustrated with how often translations cover up the original text, but as someone with zero grasp on either of those languages I was not affected by that design choice. Overall, I throughly enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it to anyone fascinated by the complexities of communicating across languages or who is looking for a lighthearted sapphic friends to lovers tale.

3.75 ⭐️

🌈 Rainbow Ratings:
Representation: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Intrigue: 7
Narrative: 8
Build-up: 7
Originality: 8
Wow Factor: 7

Two foreigners in France reach across language barriers and turn each other’s lives upside down in this stunningly beautiful queer romance. When Sarah, a disillusioned Londoner, meets Ping, a young au pair from Hong Kong, the two forge an unexpected connection through museums, markets, and translation apps—creating a bond stitched together by language, longing, and shared vulnerability.

The chaos at the beginning of this graphic novel is definitely confusing—but it’s necessary. It puts you right in Ping and Sarah’s shoes, helping you feel the disorientation and struggle that come with trying to connect across language and cultural barriers. Once the story finds its rhythm, you can really appreciate the heart of it: two people doing their best to build a friendship despite the odds. It’s fun, sincere, and deeply human.

I’ll be honest—I was frustrated in the beginning. But when the clarity finally hit, it felt earned and meaningful. My biggest gripe, though, is the font choice. It was really difficult to read, especially in the ebook version, and that pulled me out of the experience a bit. Still, this was a solid, quick read with absolutely gorgeous art.

**Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review**

3,5 ⭐
"When I speak another language, I can almost glimpse, an entrevoit, of myself as another person, and this new person can be described with new, exciting, scintillating words. The barrier between language and thought seems to melt away."

I liked this, especially the second part in which the full page drawings were beautifully designed.
The idea of the graphic novel is adorable and made for an interesting read.

A graphic novel about two strangers living in Paris, one from London and the other, Hong Kong. Sarah, the one from London, moves to Paris for her job as a manager while experiencing a male-dominated field. She experienced belittling, chauvinism, and out right disrespectful from her colleagues and team. Ping from Hong Kong, works as an Au Pair for a wealthy family from Hong Kong. They bond over their love of museums, the arts, food and learning French, Cantonese and English together.

I really felt Sarah’s anxiety through the beautiful artful pages of this graphic novel. How the wheels in her mind were working overtime especially when she would make a joke and Ping did not comprehend completely due to the language barrier. Their friendship turned relationship was very sweet and adorable.

I feel like there’s always a “Jerome” in a story and I did not like Jerome one bit.

Thank you again NetGalley for this E-ARC.

This graphic novel was beautifully unexpected. I loved how the author captured the confusion and vulnerability that comes with trying to communicate across languages—not just between the two main characters, but with the world around them. The story is both a tender, surprising love story and a quiet exploration of self-discovery, especially as one character begins to uncover something she'd kept hidden from herself. The watercolor art adds to the dreamlike, disoriented feeling of being somewhere new, and the book does a great job showing just how isolating—and transformative—language and place can be.

very very cute and fantastic illustration! however the pacing was a little wild at times, and the few spanish lines were not correct.

[i received a free arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. thanks!]

‘Love Languages’ is not a book I would traditionally reach for besides it being a queer graphic novel.

There is something so entrancing about this one, from the watercolor palette to the way the characters are so realistic you can picture them perfectly (okay, the actual pictures help). This book is a love language (get it) to both love AND languages. It’s a love letter to cities and views and life as a whole. It’s very slice of life and feels very reflective but in a way that has you turning the page slightly slower to savor the view.

It’s a story I really enjoyed my time with and one I’m sure you will too.

Sarah's life is lonely and uneventful, until she has a chance encounter with Ping, un au pair from Hong Kong. Both have issues with not knowing the other's language, or French, find their own unique way of communicating throughout this slow burn graphic romance novel.

I really enjoyed this tale. First off the watercolor artwork is quite unique and visually appealing. The story itself shows a natural progression of a relationship and the awkwardness and insecurity that a communication barrier can bring. I liked how the author mixed the languages together for a way for them to communicate. Definitely recommend for those that love a slow burn romance with unique artwork!

My thanks to IDW, the author, and NetGalley for gifting me a digital copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't quite sure where this book was going to take me. The foreign languages on the first few pages made me think I may not be able to read this. But most of it was in English. It did have some of the other language with it. At times it was difficult to follow along. I was not sure what the speech bubbles meant.
I did like the illustrations with the mainly yellow, red and black colors. This is more of an adult graphic novel. It was a bit predictable, but not in a bad way. The main character seemed stressed and I just wanted what was best for her. I liked the happy ending.

The art was stunning and original, but the writing didn’t work for me, it was telling over showing and lacked a bit of charisma. Because of the nature of the small talk conversations due to the lack of language skills of the protagonists, I couldn’t get invested in their dynamics.

This is a delightful graphic novel. I enjoyed learning about Sarah and Ping - the whole story of foreigners in the same place (Paris), a chance meeting, and their friendship develops into something more. I appreciated how the theme of languages is woven throughout the book - I liked the exposure to the different languages in the background, and even between Sarah and Ping, with their own language consisting of French, English, and Cantonese. I think the novelist did a great job communicating this story in a beautiful fashion.

Thank you to NetGalley and IDW Publishing/Top Shelf Productions for the ARC!

This is such a cute book! The art is very unique and fits the story perfectly. I loved the multilingual aspect of the novel, it really made it stand out. The slow burn saphic storyline was a great representation of how friendship can turn into love. Overall, I really liked this graphic novel!

3.5 stars

So far, Sarah Huxley’s experience in Paris isn’t quite what she thought it was going to be. She expected a life of romance and adventure and instead, she’s lonely and miserable in her corporate job. However, everything changes when she collides with a woman named Ping Loh, a woman from Hong Kong working for a family in France.

The two bond over their struggles learning French, not only learning French but learning each other’s languages as well. As their friendship grows, their feelings start to change. But their language barrier might get in the way of what they’re actually trying to say.

Thanks to NetGalley and Top Shelf for an advanced copy of Love Languages by James Albon to review! While I don’t read a lot of adult books, I usually make an exception for graphic novels. And I’m glad I did for this one! It’s a quieter, more slow moving story, but the romance at the center of it is so sweet.

I appreciated the way that Albon showed the various languages in this book, with different styles of speech bubbles and different colors. Graphic novels are unique in that they can show these differences visually, and it’s always interesting to see how authors do that.

This is definitely a slow burn kind of romance, which I appreciated. I always prefer a slow burn over an instant-connection or insta-love. It gives more depth to the relationship (in my opinion), and really invests the readers in the characters. Sarah and Ping were the best part of this, and getting to see Paris from their perspectives made for a fascinating story.

My only complaint is that sometimes, some of the pages or layouts felt a little busy or confusing due to the amount of speech bubbles included. It did pull me out of the story a few times, but was necessary for showing the different perspectives throughout the story.

All in all, if you like graphic novels with sweet romances at their core, definitely check this one out!

I love reading graphic novels, and this one was quite endearing. The Love Languages is the story of two ladies living in Paris, France. Both are there for work and have been struggling some days with the French language and missing their respective homes.

Sarah is from the USA and is working with a French team. Some days, she has to take the lead and deal with many workplace issues. Ping is from Hong Kong and is a babysitter for a wealthy family.

The two women meet by chance in a cafe. After spending time together, they both realise they have feelings for each other but are unsure how to navigate these feelings and take the relationship further. They have a language barrier; Ping is teaching Sarah Cantonese while Sarah is also still learning French. Cultural differences are highlighted to help people understand that languages and cultures are not the same.

The novel is beautifully illustrated, which helps to tell the story. I especially loved the facial details when people did not understand each other. Another highlight of the graphic novel is the language translations - Cantonese, English, and French.

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc.

The art was so unique. Watercolor is my favorite. It was a reminder that connection looks different to everyone but is so necessary. It also depicts communication with friends from different cultures so well. Quick and adorable read!

Thank you, Netgalley, the author, IDW Publishing for the gifted e-book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Sapphic love stories, watercolor style art, cross cultural, cross language, slow burn

This is good! It's so beautifully drawn and well put together. The use of different languages is so interesting. It's a slow burn Sapphic comic that crosses language barriers. I highly recommend it!