**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Lost Sunday by Iléana Surducan is a retelling of an old fairy tale comic story for kids. It follows a young girl exhausted by her life which has endless work and no Sunday to take breaks with. She goes on a journey down the well to find the witch and completes tasks in order to bring rest back to her family. I don't remember ever reading this fairy tale before, even though some themes were familiar, so I really enjoyed finding out what happens throughout this short tale and the moral at the end. The artwork is also absolutely stunning, with intricate detail and beautiful coloring. Would love to recommend this for families and fairy tale lovers of all ages.

If you are looking for a whimsical and fantastical graphic novel, look no further! This one is stunningly illustrated and a lot of fun to read. I have never read the fairy tales that inspired it, but it still felt so nostalgic and new at the same time. This will work for readers of all ages, and the message of balancing work and play is important for all. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The first word that comes to mind to describe The Lost Sunday is whimsy. This graphic novel is wonderfully whimsical and the stunning art style really brings the story to life. Every page of The Lost Sunday was a joy to explore, the character designs were cute and the settings were packed with tiny details.

I don’t know anything about the folklore and fairy tales The Lost Sunday is based on but I really liked how simplistic the story was. It didn’t try to do too much, but it still packed a punch. I also loved that the visuals did a lot of the story telling.

Another thing that I really loved was that the days of the week were portrayed by wolves. I don’t know if this is from the original folklore or if it was a creative choice by Illeana Surducan, but it was really fun.

If there’s one thing Oni Press are really good at, it’s cute and cosy graphic novels. A category that I’d definitely put The Lost Sunday into. This is such a great pick up if you’re looking for something to curl up with on a Sunday. It really makes you appreciate the free time you have, no matter how little.

There’s not too much I can say about a graphic novel this short, so I’ll be leaving my review there. I’d highly recommend checking out The Lost Sunday if you’re a fan of short graphic novels with an impactful story.

I’m a big fan of Oni Press graphic novels, so when I saw this available on NetGalley, I knew I wanted to read this!

The Lost Sunday is a combination of two fairy tales - ‘Frau Holle’ by the Brothers Grimm and the Romanian ‘The Old Man’s Wise Daughter’.

💜 What I liked about it 💜

🐺 This is a sweet, short fairy tale that’s full of whimsy and can be read in one sitting
🐺 The artwork is beautiful - I absolutely adored the illustrations and all the detail within them. The juxtaposition of the colour palettes used when Nina was busy working, compared to when she was taking a break was really effective
🐺 The story focuses a lot on burnout and the importance of finding a balance between hard work and cherishing your free time, which I enjoyed
🐺 The world created here is great and I loved the idea of the days of the week being wolves

✨️ What to expect ✨️

🖍 Middle grade graphic novel
😞 Themes of burnout
💖 Emphasis on finding joy and relaxing
💬 Folklore retelling
🎨 Dreamy art style

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ileana Surducan crafts a beautiful tale drawing inspiration from Grimm's fairy tales and fairytales from her native Romania.

The book is beautifully illustrated and coloured in a style reminiscent of classic Illustrators.

The story follows a young girl called Nina who is desperately trying to make some time for enjoyment, as she lives in a world without a Sunday. We follow her quest to retrieve the missing Sunday.

The book is a true all ages book, it deals not only with the problem of burnout, but it also deals with managing your time properly, and the importance of rest, so there is an important message in it for every reader.

It is a true gem of a book, one that you will return to again and again, and one that would make an excellent present for readers of any age.

This was a great fairytale about finding the lost Sunday and I love the moral of the story! Love finding enjoyment in all things + showing that helping people along the way even if it isn’t beneficial to you gives you a reward in the long run!

I was utterly charmed by the whimsy of this story. The inspiration from old folk tales is definitely present, but the art style and storytelling are unique to themselves. It was such a sweet read as we follow Nina through her explanation of the world she lives in (and the lack of Sundays) and then her subsequent quest to discover what has happened to Sunday and try to get it back. I loved the author's use of color palettes which perfectly accented the different story beats and plot points, taking the world from a darker place to a vibrant and colorful landscape.

A beautifully illustrated short story following a world where Sunday has disappeared and our protagonist sets off to get it back.
Although fairly simplistic, I feel this could be enjoyed by all ages and not just children, due to the gorgeous artwork and nice message.

“And to tell you the truth… without Sunday, the other days aren’t so great.”

I truly enjoyed that short graphic novel. It has super cute arts and colors are very intently chosen. We dive into the universe directly and get carried away from strip to strip. This is a children's book but it can be enjoyed by an adult as a light read. The initiatic journey is cute, but also full of meaning. Without time for yourself, the burn out looms –and your work will show that. But without work, free time is meaningless. That’s a lesson we should all learn, the sooner the better. And that little fairy tale retelling is the perfect occasion for that.

Thank you to the author and Oni Press for the eARC on NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

4.5/5

The Lost Sunday is a short and sweet fairytale featuring magical creatures, quirky townsfolk, and an inspirational heroine looking to save the day - literally! The townsfolk have lived without Sunday for too long! A brave girl sets off on a journey to rescue Sunday from the witch who stole it for herself. But everything is not always as it seems, and each day of the week has its own possibilities for joy.

The story is straightforward, but no less poignant for it. The color schemes change as the story progresses from dull and dark to bold and bright. I really enjoyed this one sitting read. It’s a perfect little pick-me-up for anyone who needs a break to smell the flowers.

The message of this story was very sweet and helped to remind me that yes, there is always work to be done, but free time can be found (and should be found) every day, not just on an arbitrary weekend day like Sunday. This is something I struggle with and the reminder was nice. The art was whimsical and fun. I really appreciated the backstory at the end, giving a little context to the inspiration behind the tale.

Cute little book with cute little pictures and a cute little life lesson. Short and sweet and easy to read.

This was so creative! I loved the days of the weeks' designs. It also is based on a fairy/folk tale trope I really like: good sister is nice and polite so she receives good things, while bad sister is mean and lazy and is not rewarded.

I had such a great time reading this graphic novel. It's colorul, adventurous, and instructive. It shows us that if we don't need to work everyday of the week and expect to have nothing to do in sundays. We can just have a bit a free time everyday to be happy, and learn new things. It's a question of balance between work and personal time. It was beautifully told.

I loved it !

This was a very lighthearted, short, and sweet book. I found the re-envisioning of the days of the week as wolves to be very interesting, as well as all of the artwork and artistic interpretations of each day/wolf. The takeaway messages seemed simple and straight-forward enough. I'm not sure exactly what age group this would be best geared toward--it doesn't really feel like a children's book but also seems a little too simple to be considered adult?

This book is incredibly cute, a beautifully crafted graphic novel that blends folklore with modern-day struggles. Through the journey of Nina, Surducan paints a vivid picture of burnout and the importance of slowing down in a hectic world.

The story’s enchanting world—where the days of the week take on a life of their own—feels both magical and deeply relatable. The artwork is stunning, bringing each moment to life with warmth and charm.

Highly recommended

The Lost Sunday is a gentle reminder of the importance of taking breaks, the way it does so is admirable: fascinating illustration and clever layout.
It's a story that leaves a glow deep inside...and lingers.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for this advanced reader's copy.

I recieved a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for review.

The Lost Sunday is a beautiful story about a girl, Nina, who lives in a place where each day of the week is represented by a wolf, and each day is a lot of work and not a lot of fun or play. But one wolf is missing—Sunday. Taken by a witch to not been seen again, Nina, fed up with all the work goes on a journey to find Sunday and being back a day of rest.

This story was so fun and honestly needed both for children and adults. It’s a good reminder to take space in each day and to not let yourself get to a point of burnout. The art is absolutely stunning and I really enjoyed learning more about the fairytales that helped to inspire this story. I would highly recommend this book!

Sweet and magical and wholesome. The details on the days of the week pages had me lingering for so long on those pages. Loved it. Perfect read for a relaxing Sunday.

I loved the art in this book. This would be perfect for an elementary or middle grade library. I wish it was bit longer to explain the lore but it is a very cute folktale.