I really enjoyed this one. Loved that the story was about that if you try to do to much for to long you will have no choice but to take a break. Which is what happens to Angelica. For along time she can't get herself move on till one day she takes an internship at the local theater. Loved the social media aspect in the way that talking to a complete stranger can get you to say things and feel things you might not have otherwise. Loved the twist on who she was actually talking too. Felt like things came full circle. I know that the story was talking about grief but it didn't feel like you were being gut punched with it the whole time.

I so enjoyed how sweet and cozy this book was, while also handling the subject of grief very well. The fairy tale aspect is done just the right amount, and I think the target YA audience will absolutely eat this one up.

Gorgeous art of course and a sweet story about living through grief and burnout. The romance felt unnecessary to me and I sort of wished it was a friendship instead, but I think a lot of kids will love the romance and that's the intended audience, not me! The way Angelica is more comfortable opening up to an online friend than any of her friends or family in person will be relatable to a lot of young readers.

First of all, thank you to Random House Graphic for sending me an ARC of Angelica and the Bear Prince in exchange for an honest review! All opinions here are 100% mine — and honestly? I had so much fun with this graphic novel.
This book feels like stepping into a fairy tale and realizing the woods are full of magic, mystery, and snarky side characters. The world Trung Le Nguyen has built is whimsical and vibrant, with a dreamy vibe that makes you want to live inside its pages.
Let’s talk about Christine for a second — she absolutely stole the show for me. Every time she opened her mouth, I laughed. Hard. If I could bottle her sarcasm, I would. Pair that with characters who feel surprisingly relatable despite the magical setting, and you’ve got a cast you can’t help but root for.
And the art style? Gorgeous. It’s bold, colorful, and full of life. Every panel feels like a mini masterpiece — the kind you want to screenshot and set as your lock screen. The visuals perfectly balance the cozy fairy-tale vibe with flashes of humor and emotion.
If you love magical adventures, relatable characters, and art that makes your eyeballs happy, this is your next read. Honestly, Trung Le Nguyen has delivered something beautiful, funny, and heartfelt all at once.

Angelica is a fixer. Peri is a doer. Fixing things led to Angelica burning out, so she is trying to start fresh with a new theater internship. Peri can't believe his old friend is back in his life and messaging his social media account. But he also doesn't know why they fell out of touch. Maybe the Bear Prince fairytale, which the theater is performing, will provide the answer.

After the Magic Fish, Trung Le Nguyen once more returns to using fairy tales to bridge a gap between friends. I felt it hard when Angelica's friend asked her not to fix things, to just listen.

This graphic novel was so sweet! I loved its portrayal of familial relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships and how hard it can be to balance them all! Jelly was a relatable main character and I appreciated the portrayal of her burnout as well as her grief.

I loved the interludes of the Bear Prince Story. Those panels were especially stunning! I only wish there had been a little more of the fairy tale weaved into the book. This was a beautifully illustrated and written book that I think will resonate with many teens and adults alike.

This story and artwork says it all. Whenever I need a quick fun read I go to manga and this was exactly what I needed at the time to separate some of my more serious reads. The artwork was one of my favorite styles I’ve seen. Highly recommend.

I gave this a four out of five stars, I really like the art style in this. I liked the story a lot, it was cute. It had themes of grief and being burnt out. I feel like the author portrayed being burnt out really well. I like Angelica as the side characters and I liked the side characters as well.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this was a very sweet graphic novel with great lessons. The plot was inventive, the art style was captivating, and the characters were so relatable and lovable. I appreciated how the mother/daughter dynamics presented, and the conversations about grief. Grief is one of those feelings that everyone experiences, but is unique for each person and each experience. This graphic novel tackled the topic beautifully, and showed that there is not one way to grieve but it is important to recognize that the support you need to grieve may be different from a loved one.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children's Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a stunning book! I have to read Nguyen's Magic Fish now--still haven't read it yet but I will after reading this. The artwork is stunning, the characters and their emotional journey are wonderful to see.

I especially like the details in the hair Nguyen adds--it must've taken so much time to get the details right but he did an amazing job!

It's a very sweet story about how to deal with a loss in the family as well as dealing with stress. I like how the characters were fleshed out and the diversity in body types was a big plus (ha) to me, as a plus size woman. It's overall a very sweet and chill graphic novel.

Angelica and the Bear Prince features beautiful artwork and offers a heartfelt contemplation of grief, depression, and the often fraught misunderstandings between teenagers on the cusp of adulthood and their parents or caregivers.

However, for readers familiar with The Magic Fish, expectations may naturally be higher and harder to meet. That earlier work masterfully wove fairy tales into the narrative, gave equal emotional weight to the mother’s story, and included tender, meaningful details like that lovingly patched jacket.

In contrast, Angelica and the Bear Prince doesn’t integrate its fairy tale elements as seamlessly. The fantasy thread feels underdeveloped and less essential to the overall arc. The adults lack depth; in particular, the grandmother’s grief, which is so central to the plot, feels abrupt without a more fully fleshed-out backstory. Several narrative threads, including Jelly’s burnout, the tension between Christine’s and Jelly’s mothers, and Christine’s mom’s casual racism, are introduced but left unresolved.

Real life is undeniably messy, and the story’s choice to end with a romantic “happily ever after” feels oddly neat, especially considering the characters’ youth and the emotional weight of the issues raised. A conclusion that centered more on friendship and familial dynamics might have felt more authentic.

It’s interesting to see the extent of Trung Le Nguyen’s artistic transformation, experimenting with more ambiguous, slice-of-life storytelling and moving away from a more formal aesthetic toward a more modern style, particularly in conveying the interactions between Jelly and her mother. I’m curious to see what comes next.

Thanks to Random House Graphic and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

I love a good retelling and this one sets itself up in a wonderful way. While there are many storylines going at once, each is give adequate time and attention. The drawing style is wonderful and fits the story very well.

A new beautiful graphic novel from Trung Le Nguyen, once again steeping readers in a tale inspired by folklore. Angelica has always pushed herself hard, but it takes burning out hard to realize that there are limits to what she can do. She finds an unusual way to recover — messaging the person acting as her theater’s mascot, a bear. The boy behind the mask, Peri, hides his true identity from Angelica, but that gets harder the more they fall for one another. It’s a sweet story, and Nguyen’s illustrations are once again beautiful and hep convey the story so well.

Lovely graphic novel. The art is beautiful and the story is light, cozy, and comforting while also diving into deeper subjects like anxiety, grief, and burnout.

This was such a sweet and well-crafted story! All of the characters felt so real, and it was sweet how realistic Angelica herself was! She is suffering from burnout and is trying to get back to her old self. She slowly learns that opening up and allowing others to help her can really make something great. There are so many characters in the cast, but none of them feel flat. They're introduced with just enough information to make them relatable, and then the story does the rest of giving them depth. The pacing was honestly fantastic. A steady pace throughout the entire novel, and it never dragged or went too fast. The art was fantastic! I really adored the way that it never lost the charming storybook feel, even when it switched back to the "real world" parts.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen

My 13-year-old daughter absolutely loved Angelica and the Bear Prince! She read it in about an hour and was completely hooked from start to finish. The story captured her attention right away, and she couldn’t stop talking about how cute and heartfelt it was.

This is a beautifully illustrated, charming teen love story that’s perfect for young readers and fans of graphic novels. Whether you're a teen, young adult, or just someone who enjoys a sweet and visually engaging story, this one is worth picking up.

Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for the opportunity to read this lovely graphic novel.

I do believe that the best term to describe this book is "empathetic." We are introduced to so many characters, and we learn about both their goods and their bads. The true enemy in the book is revealed to be ourselves. . . or at least the way we can self-sabotage our own happiness. Overall, it felt like a realistic portrayal of humanity while still feeling lighthearted.

I thought this book was a wonderful depiction of different ways grief can look and told such a beautiful story. Trung Le Nguyen's art is stunning as always, really bringing out the beauty of the people he draws. They all look different and they're all obviously given care. I think this is an excellent addition to any YA collection

While the book is a retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, the story is really about managing grief and burnout. This sweet story is paired with beautiful, full color illustrations that make it an absolute delight to read. The pacing is fast, which keeps the heavier aspects of the plot from overwhelming the overall whimsical feeling of the book. All of the characters are irresistibly likeable, including the side characters and parents. The ending of the book was a bit rushed, and conflicts were resolved quickly, but that is typical of the format.

About one year ago, now seventeen-year-old Angelica, or “Jelly,” hit a roadblock in her life. Growing up as someone who had to be involved in everything, she finally burned out, and all the obligations she had lined up for herself became too much to bear. To reduce her level of overwhelm, Jelly began speaking to a counselor and focusing on one thing at a time. And when both an internship at the local community theatre and a touching Internet-based connection with a beloved mascot came her way, it was just the right combination of elements to help Jelly find her path once again. This young adult graphic novel is illustrated in an anime-like style, featuring a wide range of character types in skin color, physical appearance, and both gender and sexual identity. Not only are the characters themselves more relatable because of this variety, but it also helps the book feel like a real story that could take place anywhere. Throughout the novel, the narrative makes frequent shifts in time, space, and protagonist, which gives the story a fluid quality while maintaining a consistent forward momentum. The magical nature of Jelly’s blossoming connection with an initially unidentified character adds a delightful level of whimsy to the tale, which is balanced with occasional strong language to be true to the natures of the young adults in the book. Despite her perfectionistic tendencies, Jelly frequently runs up against things she needs to do better. And as she begins to understand and embrace her limitations, beautiful results take place. An inclusive and emotional tale about the power of love and acceptance, this imaginative story is a thoughtful addition to graphic fiction collections for young adult readers.