I have been in love with Trung Le Nguyen's work since reading "The Magic Fish", and I was so excited to be granted access to this title! I love Nguyen's art style, and in this work especially, it maintained the perfect balance of cute and emotional. I liked the influence of manga elements on the art style, and the characters felt very Ghibli-esque at times (especially if they were reacting in an angry or frustrated way).
I liked the continued inspiration from classic fairy tales, and I thought that this book was a great reimagining of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon". I wish that the original tale had been incorporated a bit better into the story, especially since the last part where the girl has to save the bear prince after discovering his secret is never revealed to the reader, leaving them in the dark unless they are already familiar with the fairy tale.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot! I loved the art style, and the diverse cast of characters. I loved the representation of different bodies, orientations, and ethnicities in the cast of characters, and I thought that Nguyen handled the topics of grief and burnout very well. I think readers will be able to identify with Angelica's plight, along with the problems of the other characters.
I can't wait for this title to be officially published, and I can't wait to see Nguyen's next work!

What happens when you find yourself burnt out and still stuck in grief from your grandmother's death? Join the local theater, of course.

Angelica, AKA Jelly, used to be part of nearly every club at her high school, but she finds herself focusing on only helping out with the local theater production of East of the Sun, West of the Moon (a story that flows in and out of the main story, in ornate frames) with her best friend Christine. She's also been conversing with the theater's mascot, Per the Bear, online, which has offered her much support. Between Per the Bear's mysterious identity and the theater internship, Jelly is hoping she will find a solution to her burnout without having to, y'know, talk to the counselor about it.

This graphic novel doesn't just focus on Jelly, however. We learn about her friends and neighbors, and particularly her parents, but their plot lines don't feel like they overwhelm the story. Rather, Jelly's struggles intertwine with Christine's and her mom's, and they feel as natural as if the reader is navigating these different issues themselves. Not to mention, Jelly is surrounded by so many positive, supportive people, and it especially feels refreshing to see an Asian mom who might not be perfect but does active work to be there for her daughter.

Trung Le Nguyen knocked it out of the park. As he mentions in his author's note, he may have technically failed at retelling East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but he created something even more delightful and moving, so I'd say that is a resounding success.

This is one of those graphic novels where you really do have to push through the first 20=30 pages to really get into the story and the characters. Even then, I'm not 100% sure that it worked for me because there was just a lot of plot missing. The Bear Prince fable needed to be fleshed out a bit more in order to understand the connection for all the characters, and I felt that we got short changed on the story behind Angelica's best friend's relationship. I get that it wasn't central to the story, but then why even have it there? It did nothing to build on the main storyline and actually took away page space that could have been used to give us more context around Angelica's anxiety/burnout, how she overcomes it, and finds her place with Peri.

The whole Peri situation was also very uncomfortable for me because he knew who she was or it seemed that way from the start or close to it. And that bordered on stalker behaviour. At one point in time, I found those types of romances kind of intriguing. But with kids of my own, I just see them as problematic.

That being said, there is a good story here. And the artwork is nice. A few more pages may have done the trick to at least wrap up some of the non-stalker elements up better.

Angelica and the Bear Prince is an absolute delight and a must-read for anyone who likes queer graphic novels. First, I am going to give a content warning for dead grandparents, as both the protagonist and her love interest have a deceased grandparent with whom they were very close, and that grief heavily affects the narrative. Angelica (known as Jelly to her friends and family), a Vietnamese-American teen girl, is an over-achieving high schooler facing bad burnout after over-committing herself and the death of her grandmother. She gets a competitive internship at a local, small theater house which is putting on a production inspired by a Norwegian fairy tale, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. This fairy tale is about a girl who marries a bear, who she isn't allowed to see while he's sleeping. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she peeks at the bear, who turns out to be a beautiful prince, but because she peeked too early, he is cursed to go live East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Angelica's best friend, a plus-sized girl, is playing the princess in the play; it is always awesome to see a plus-sized girl in a major theatrical role as a pretty princess. Jelly starts messaging with a "fan account" of Per the Bear, the bear mascot playing the prince in the play, where she discusses her grief and burnout. It turns out that Per the Bear, both the mascot and owner of the "fan account," is actually her long-lost childhood friend, a trans boy who is the grandson of the theater owner and original designer of Per the Bear. Through the story, the two fall in love. This graphic novel has an amazing exploration of family, friendships, relationships, art as community, grief, loss, and burnout, all with an adorable bear mascot and a captivating art style fluidly moving through the story.

Trung Le Nguyen has such a beautiful way of storytelling, artistry and has an unmatched way of choosing color palette. This story was magical and sweet, whilst dealing with a mix of grief and burnout and following sweet clues towards a part time bear, part time therapist that turns this book into a beautiful romance. I was so excited to see a non-binary love interest too! I love surprise queer rep! This was so sweet, so pretty and I will definitely be recommending this story frequently as well as buying a trophy copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I am so thrilled to have had the opportunity to get a hand to read this before it was released to the public. This graphic novel was absolutely adorable and I think even better than Magic Fish! For fans of Jen Wang’s The Prince and the Dressmaker or Deya Muniz’s The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich, this uplifting, funny, and romantic fairy tale retelling is the graphic novel we all need!

This is a story of burnout, learning when to take a step back from taking on too much and not taking time to breathe, be yourself, and delegate to those around you. Angelica has been going strong for a long time. She does everything, never says no, and seems to enjoy the constant busyness of her life. Until it all becomes overwhelming and she needs to take a break. She gets a revered scholarship internship at the local theatre and finds herself falling for the person who wears the Per the Bear costume. Will the theatre and Per the Bear help her find her zen and will she learn to lean on others and enjoy the simple things?

Composed of a diverse, believable, lovable cast of characters who you are sure to root for, this graphic novel belongs on all high school and public library shelves. Recommend to those who love LGBTQ+ friendship stories, stories about learning how to deal with the stresses of teen life, and those underrepresented individuals who need to see themselves represented in stories. A delightful and necessary story that you’re going to recommend to everyone and want to come back to again and again!

I really loved this & totally did not tear up & feel called out at any parts at all............ Initially I wasn't going to read this one....the bear on the cover creeps me out a bit. Once I read more about the book and that it was Trung Le Nguyen’s work which I absolutely loved the The Magic Fish I decided to pick it up & was not disappointed at all. It's a cute, whimsical, & funny but also heavy at times but has a nice balance. The art is simply gorgeous! Loved!

This was a very sweet story! I loved how the author handled the themes of love, loss, and generally growing up. It was refreshing and a cozy story overall.

I loved this graphic novel. The story was charming and moving. It dealt with grief and change in a really thoughtful way. Also, the illustrations were so lovely.

Trung Le Nguyen’s Angelica and the Bear Prince is a deeply adorable graphic novel that centers a teenager’s experience with burnout and her journey dealing through the repercussions of such an experience. Themes of grief are also present, whether from the loss of a grandparent, loss of a spouse, or the end of a relationship. All are handled with incredible nuance and fit very well into the overall plot of the story.

Our story begins with Angelica, having taken on so much and run at 100% for so long, seemingly out of nowhere one day she suddenly cannot engage in even the most basic of functions. Everything becomes overwhelming and all Angelica can do in response is lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. I have to say, the beginning of this graphic novel elicited from me one of the most visceral feelings of relatability to what the main character was going through that I’ve ever experienced. Burnout has become such a prominent experience these days—there is a reason behind why millennials have been referred to as the burnout generation. Having the feeling drawn out in such a real way in front of me was quite the experience, let me tell you.

Despite the majority of the story deciding not to focus so heavily on the burnout, having Angelica and the Bear Prince begin in this manner centered so much of the story on the strength of that portrayal. We soon find ourselves following Angelica some time later as she finally decides to take on a single extracurricular activity, an internship at the local theater which has played an important role not only in her childhood, but also in her overall emotional journey as she’s grown. Angelica had loved the staple play of the theater her whole life and finds emotional relief in following and DMing the instagram account of the “bear” from the theater, run by the owner’s grandson who just so happens to also be the actor who wears the costume.

One thing I adored, and an absolute strength of this story, is how it delves into the burnout and grief amongst multiple characters and how it has affected all of them differently based on who they lost. Very true to real life, all of this is happening as Angelica and Gable, the boy behind the Peri the Bear Instagram account, grow closer and the play that means so much to the both of them is told in between events. I loved how Nguyen melded the stories of all the characters and the play together, still managing to tell a beautiful story and stick to all the deep themes that affect each of them.

This is one of the most impressive graphic novels I’ve read to date. It’s relatable in numerous ways and the characters are adorable and fun to follow on their independent journeys. There is no question in my mind that this is a book any reader can learn from while it hits all the right emotional beats, builds compassion, and has a cute love story along the way.

Can’t wait to see this one hit the shelves! You can be sure it will end up in a prominent space on mine.

This is a lovely book! I was lucky to receive a digital ARC of this graphic novel from NetGalley to review. After loving The Magic Fish, I was eager to read Trung Le Nguyen’s latest, which is set to release in October 2025. The full color illustrations are dreamy, gorgeous feasts for the eyes. After overextending herself, Angelica turns to a place that has captivated her and brought her comfort: the local theater and its upcoming production featuring Per the Bear Prince. This story has a little of everything: family drama and grief, a second chance romance, friendship, and more. While this sophomore book doesn’t feel as deep or impactful as its predecessor, it still gets top marks for me. Young audiences will love it and older readers will appreciate it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-arc!

I read this author's previous work and had some mixed thoughts on it but overall still looked forward to a future release. This release did not disappoint as I love every minute of Angelica's story. I felt this book was a step up from his first work and it has moments that many can relate to. I also think the juxtaposition between both Angelica and the main character in the play is worth noting. I also enjoyed the side characters in this as well as they each had a moment to shine. If you are a fan of this author, then you will enjoy this release and I highly recommend picking it up when it releases.

this was so so so sweet. a very cute and mostly lighthearted story with a variety of positive representation

Hello! I received this book as an ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!


3.5/5 ⭐
Review starts here:
For starters, I would like to say that I adored the art style of this graphic novel! With this being said, I feel like there could have been a bit more character development and a little more clarity with the storytelling.

Characters:
Angelica (aka Jelly):
Jelly is a teenager who was involved in everything, but one day her drive just vanished. She felt like she just wanted to sleep all day (I don't blame her, though), and when she was feeling at her worst, she decided to message an anonymous account for a local character from her favorite childhood theater named "Peri" the bear.

Gable:
I wish we could get to know Gable more. I feel like they could have had so much more character development. We know more about Gable's past than we know about their future.

Christine: She deserves better


Overall thoughts:
- The Art is beautiful
- The romantic relationship could be more fleshed out
- I like the way this talks about grief
- relationship between her parents is soo cute <3
- Concept is cool

Details you may want to know:
- Saphic romance
- deals with grief
- Really cute art style <3

Content/trigger warnings:
- Cheating (not with main characters)
- greif
- Depression/mental health issues

A beautiful story about grief in many different forms, the loss of a family member, the loss of a friend, the loss of a boyfriend, and the loss of your passion. It is also a story about how to move on from the this lost but at the same time not forget. Despite the heavy topics it is stilly a light hearted and enjoyable story to read.

Trung Le Nguyen very quickly became and instant favorite with me after reading THE MAGIC FISH, which was one of my favorite reads of 2020. So, needless to say, I had high hopes for ANGELICA AND THE BEAR PRINCE and, thankfully, it did not disappoint. The whimsical artwork combined with the emotions of all the ways grief can manifest make this a graphic novel to cherish and love on everyone’s bookshelves.

3.5 Cute, very much one that can put you in your feels about either being a teenager or a parent. The art is very cutesy, I initially thought this was middle grade but think it’s more young adult to really have a solid impact on the themes of the story. I would buy this for tweens, teens, and parents who are all going through some growing pains.

I've come to expect tender delicate storytelling and breathtakingly detailed art from Trung Le Nguyen, and this book delivered on both counts. Such care and attention paid to every page-- a beautiful fairy tale retelling on every level.

The brilliant author / illustrator behind one of my all-time favorite graphic novels, The Magic Fish, is back with another fairy tale inspired story, this time drawing on East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Angelica and the Bear Prince frames a modern retelling of Easy of the Sun, West f the Moon through a community threatre putting on a production of that same fairy tale. Burned out high schooler Angelica (Jelly) decides to focus her energy on an internship at the community theatre she loved as a child. What she doesn't know is that the online friend she's been texting isn't only working at the theatre with her, they're her childhood friend who moved away ten years ago. This was a really sweet story about dealing with emotions and grief, learning to communicate, and the importance of reaching out for help when you need it. It didn't sweep me away in quite the same way as The Magic Fish, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was no less than what I expect of Trung Le Nguyen--a masterful retelling that makes the emotions of the fairy tale so, so relevant to the story of the real people surrounding it. His first book The Magic Fish was a gut punch, and this one is too! The portrayal of grief and complicated relationships was beautiful. It was such a sweet story filled with love.