I can take it or leave it. The boys live in a rundown town and Carter is a sex-starved queer kid. He doesn't have much in the way of avenues and wants to turn to the internet (which places this book not in the contemporary realm but a little earlier than that-- which can also be gleaned through the toxicity of his language toward Aidan, the new boy he's approaching).

Obviously the plot is a developing relationship between the boys as an enemies to lovers graphic novel, but it wasn't strong in any area-- basically forgettable. While I like that the art isn't cookie-cutter, it also doesn't sweep me up in the story any more than the dialogue does. But it's authentic dialogue for a horny teen boy who goes to parties. That's what I like since I always appreciate realistic portrayals of teen experiences as options for accessing through text.

3.5 rounded up for the cute vibes. This graphic novel can't help but be compared to Heartstopper in that we have two boys in high school from different friend groups who catch feelings after spending time together and learning more about each other's actual lives outside of the image they put off in school. It would have benefitted from a little more depth into the struggles each boy was experiencing - making the journey from webcomic to full length novel should have involved some more resolution for various plot points, such as the unhealthy situationship Adrien is in at the beginning, and the school pressures they each feel about their parents and their futures. I loved the way Carter came in all sexually aggressive and in his pursuit of changing Adrien's mind about giving him a chance he ended up falling into a relatively PG connection before the DTR conversation. Great for fans of Heartstopper and Seven Days.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for me to review!

Didn't love this one. <spoiler>The art was cute, although the switches between the full pages to the four-panel vignettes was sometimes a bit jarring. The plot focus on consent was sort of brushed over -- I get that we're supposed to see Carter's growth of character as he really starts to fall for Adrian, but it doesn't quite hit right all the same. The side characters are rather flat, and only seem to appear when there's exposition to be shared. Not a bad book overall but perhaps just not for me!</spoiler>

This is a cute story of not just love but friendship. I saw that the webtoon came out years ago. I am glad that I came across this and I wish that there was more to their story. Maybe the authors will come out with more stories for these boys.

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ARC!

🌧️❤️

Always Raining Here is a very cute and fun story. The two main characters, Adrian and Carter, are complete opposites of one another and start of on rocky grounds but manage to be drawn to one another.

Adrian is a ‘go with the flow’ kind if gut and Carter is a ‘goody two shoes and always studying’. The banter between the two main characters is actually pretty good and eventually you can start seeing the adoration for one another throughout the story.

Funny, cute and sweet!

An adaptation of the popular webcomic about an opposites attract romance between gay teenagers Carter and Adrian. A cute graphic novel that will appeal to fans of Heartstopper. Some things in the book - drinking, intense partying, and the focus on wanting a causal hookup - may seem unrealistic to contemporary teens.

The webcomic began in the early 2010s and definitely feels of that time - so much so that the plot felt stale to me (someone reading it for the first time).

Thanks to NetGalley & First Second Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

A pretty fun and sweet slow burn romance.

I feel like I always run into this issue with webcomics that they were updated weekly, monthly, whatever, and so the story always feels disjointed or you're missing something. Apparently the writer/author duo did add new pages here for context which works well. It still doesn't answer remotely all of the questions the story and its characters bring, but at least it was added at all.

Fair warning, Carter does repeatedly harass Adrian for at least two weeks to have sex with him. Which brings the rating down because that's just always an ick....

This webcomic began in 2012 and you can tell with its outdated themes.

This was a very cute graphic novel. At first, I wasn't sure about Carter, who couldn't seem to take a hint and leave Adrian alone. But after a while, he grew on me. I liked the romance between the two, as well as how the authors tackled issues teens deal with, like school, crushes. parental expectations, and more. I would have liked a little more closure at the end of the book, some issues were left open-ended for me. But all in all, it is a very sweet coming of age story.

This was one of the first webcomics I read online, I was late to the webcomic game, obviously. I remember really enjoying it. I even rated it 4 stars on Goodreads. I still enjoyed it this time around, though not as much apparently. Probably because my tastes have changed over the years. It's a cute story. Carter is a douche with a solid moral compass. Adrian is a little stereotypical but with a bit of depth. Overall they work well together. I would have liked some sort of resolution to the issues that are brought up. Does Carter ever get his act together at school. What about Adrian and his shitty parents? What happens with the musical? We never find out. Side note, I love when gay comics include hockey in someway, even though it doesn't have a lot to do with the actual story and one of the hockey bros turns out to be a piece of shit. I think my main issue this time reading it is that I remember the story being longer. It's not, and it kind of needs to be. But I did still enjoy it, even if it wasn't as much as the time.

No means no?? Like the beginning really bothered me. I get it is supposed to be a cute YA romance, but after the beginning with Adrian saying no and declining Carter that's where it should have stopped. He was just too predatory at the beginning that trying to like him later was not possible Or at least get rid of it. While I finished the book, I still felt gross because I couldn't get over the lack of consent.
Carter asking a drunk Adrian for consent was a bit ehhhh (which he doesn't go through thank the deities). Like by the others ratings I was really looking forward to this book, but this was all just too much.

This was a sweet romance between two teenagers in the early 2010s. Heartstoppers fans will fully enjoy this title!

Super cute and just as fun as I remember reading as it was when I was waiting for chapter updates. The updated art is so good and the new Carter faces AHAHAHA so funny. I missed these boys.

This was such an adorable, upper YA queer graphic novel that releases 11/11 from 01Second! I loved how the main characters change throughout going from shy to bolder or cocky to sensitive. A great one for high school!

I’m so excited to see this coming to print! I remember discovering this story as a webcomic a few years ago and have been hoping to add a physical copy to my shelves since. The story is just a cozy read and the art is even better in the edition coming to print as I can definitely tell it’s been updated! Thanks to NetGalley for providing the e-arc.

Always Raining Here details Adrian and Carter’s blooming friendship as they face school stressors, parents with high expectations, and rocky relationships. This adorable graphic novel strikes the perfect balance between relatable teen challenges and genuine humor. The cast includes a litany of likable main and supporting characters; Maria was one of my favorites! Adrian and Carter are the embodiment of the sun and moon relationship, even in their respective color palettes. I enjoyed the video game references throughout the story, with nods to Animal Crossing, Mario Cart, and Silent Hill. Fans of Hicks’ Hockey Boy Loves Drama Girl and Oseman’s Heartstopper series will love Always Raining Here. Overall, this is a fantastic graphic novel, both in its writing and art, that any romance reader will enjoy.

If there is one thing you should know about me, it’s that I will devour any graphic novel about the gay experience, no matter which version of that it is. Always Raining Here was incredibly cute and sometimes eerily familiar to what I myself dealt with in high school, which made it much more enjoyable.

DNF @ 33%

I am just not ... liking this at all. I don't like the pressure from Carter that seems predatory, running on cliches. It's icky. It's outdated? I stopped reading after the party scene where Carter x Adrian have a steamy make-out session. Adrian is drunk and Carter repeatedly asks Adrian's consent. Immediately after, Carter also saves Adrian's bff from a potential rape, which does shift my perception of Carter a bit.

Unfortunately, it's just not enough for me to keep on reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Carter has just discovered that he's gay and runs into Adrian. Adrian is in drama and also gay. Hijinks commence. Sorry this is a little vague, but I couldn't think of anything to write that wouldn't spoil the story! Adrian struggles with some self image issues, but Carter is super silly-and heroic. You'll understand when you read it.

This has me crying from sadness and laughter in turns and is an excellent addition to any collection.

Thank you for NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I was not really a fan of this book. I think it was too young for my tastes. I am also not a huge fan of the way the main two characters, who will be a couple, began. The needs for only sex relief to get Adrian to like Carter just did not do it for me. I do think it has potential to be cute and well-developed in their relationship, though, especially near the end, thus adding it to 2 stars.

another review said you can definitely tell this was from the early 2010s and i have to agree with that purely because of the One Direction reference. a jump scare that I loved. overall this was super cute! I wasn't sure about it in the beginning but Adrian and Carter, specifically, grew on me and I loved them by the end. very reversed Heartstopper relationship meets Dead Poet's Society #letgayboysbeintheplay