This is incredibly cute! I love the art style and the storytelling here. Angelica (Jelly) is navigating grief and burn out when she gets an internship to work at the community theater. She also starts an online correspondence with the Bear Prince character who participates in the play, not knowing their identity. What follows is a pretty cute, low angst tale as Angelica and the Bear Prince try to save the community play, and it is interwoven with The Bear Prince fairy tale, which seems to be a hybrid of The Beauty and the Beast and the Frog Princess. While this is a much more light hearted comic than Trung Le Nguyen's debut, The Magic Fish, I still found it incredibly relatable and full of feelings. The comic has themes of grief, learning to lean on others, and expressing instead of bottling your emotions. There's also a minor romantic plot with a trans love interest. A wonderful read overall, especially for a younger audience.

Thanks to Random House Children's for the gifted review copy! Thoughts are my own.

This was SO CUTE!! Like The Magic Fish, the art in this graphic novel is gorgeous. The story is sweet and full of badass ladies who love and support one another. Jelly and Christine's friendship is lovely (the fight and the ordering of a donut is adorable) and Jelly's relationship with her mom felt honest and real.

I will absolutely be buying this for my school's library!

This was AMAZING! The illustrations were beautiful and the story was amazing. It was a beautiful story about grief, loss, and mental heath. While it focused mostly on Angelica, the relationships that the side characters had with each other and their own emotions were interesting to read. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be picking up a copy with it is released.

Thank you to net galley and the publisher for the arc!

thank you, first off, to netgalley and the publisher for the arc, of course.

what a charming little graphic novel this was. the illustrations were absolutely phenominal, and the dialogue was really nice and fleshed out for a graphic novel (something i often find graphic novels lacking in is dialogue, so i am really impressed how the dialogue was handled here). i really enjoyed the positive depictions of therapy and proper coping mechanisms, i love how the topics of burnout and grief were handled, and most of all, i adoreeeeed how sweet and cozy this was. there is a sense of reality within this novel that makes it an absolute joy to read, and i was hooked from the first page.

definite five stars. absolutely seek this out if you want a sweet little slice of life graphic novel with beautiful illustrations and lovable characters.

Angelica (Jelly) is awarded a coveted internship working with the beloved local theater. After (sort of) recovering from burn out, Jelly is sure she is ready to handle just one project. Jelly has always loved the theater, and an online correspondence with the theater's mascot, Per the Bear, only strengthens her resolve to give the internship her all. But all is not as well as Jelly wishes. Friction with her parents and best friend as well as complicated grief over her grandmother's death a decade ago may crack her perfectionist facade. And when an accident threatens both her friendship with Per and her internship, Jelly's struggles may be too much to handle on her own.

Told through intricate illustrations and well-rounded characters, Angelica and the Bear Prince is a beautiful retelling of the fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon and an authentic exploration of grief.

Angelica and the Bear Prince focuses heavily on the concept of grief, the sense of loneliness, and learning how to feel your own emotions and leave space for those around you to share their emotions. It was cute, sweet, a bit romantic, and very introspective. The only part that took me out of the story a bit was a few times where it began to feel "tell not show," but otherwise I enjoyed it a lot and I'm a big fan of the artwork.

Angelica and the Bear Prince is a fantastic follow-up to the Magic Fish. This book really deals with being an older teen and dealing with grief, but hits on notes of being a good friend, being a good romantic partner, and managing burnout and other emotions.

This book has fantastic diversity in body shape, gender, sexuality, age, and race. The non-binary character's backstory is hinted at, but the story in the book is about that character right now and just being a teen, this is not a 'coming-out' or 'transitioning' story and that is actually fantastic. True representation goes beyond just coming-out or transitioning.

This is a must-buy and a must-read. I see this becoming just as popular as The Magic Fish. I truly hope books like this can help teens work through their feelings and maybe eventually be better at it than us when they grow up.

I just finished reading Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen and oh my goodness, my heart is absolutely bursting! 💖 This graphic novel is the perfect combination of cute, simple, and utterly captivating. I literally couldn't put it down and devoured it in one sitting!

​The story is just so sweet and charming. It's a wonderful, straightforward tale that feels like a warm hug. What really brought the story to life, though, was the stunning artwork. Trung Le Nguyen's drawing style is so beautiful and unique—I'm completely in love with it! The colors are so pretty and vibrant, perfectly capturing the whimsical and magical atmosphere of the story. Every page is a feast for the eyes and a testament to their incredible talent.

​If you're looking for a quick, heartwarming read that will leave you smiling, I highly recommend picking this one up. It's an absolute gem! 🐻👑

Thanks to netgalley for letting me read this ARC copy.

Reading *Angelica and the Bear Prince* by Trung Le Nguyen was a gentle, heartfelt experience that beautifully captures the quiet ache of teenage burnout and the slow, sweet journey back to joy. Through expressive illustrations and tender storytelling, the graphic novel introduces us to Angelica—a high-achieving teen who’s hit her emotional limit and is learning how to pick up the pieces. Her world feels heavy at first, but Nguyen fills it with softness, humor, and support in the form of genuine friendships and one particularly mysterious bear mascot who seems to understand her in ways others can’t.
What makes the story shine is its quiet magic—the kind found in community, creativity, and unexpected connections. Angelica’s budding friendship (and maybe more) with Peri, the bear-costumed theater mascot, adds a layer of whimsy and wonder to her recovery, and her internship at the local theater becomes a space for self-discovery and healing. With a dreamy, fairytale-like quality, *Angelica and the Bear Prince* blends emotional honesty with charming romance, reminding readers that even when you lose your spark, you can find magic again—in yourself, in others, and in the most surprising places. It’s a soothing, visually stunning graphic novel that lingers long after you close the cover.

Netgally ARC

The themes of grief in this book (friends moving, parent, grandparent, and spouse bereavement are very prevalent and well done but I related to the missing connection between myself and my teenager who is so busy doing all the things that I grieve the time we once had together. No matter if you read this book for the retelling, or for diversity, or just because it's a graphic novel I think there is something inside it for everyone.

A sweet graphic novel with beautiful illustrations! In a story about grief, we walk with Angelica as she navigates a new chapter in her life. Great for younger readers and more mature audiences alike.

I own "The Magic Fish" by this author/creator, the art was beaufitul, and I really enjoyed the use of fairy tales to address emotional topics. Angelica and the Bear Prince was recommended by a friend, and I immediately requested it once I recognized the author's name. Similar to The Magic Fish, the story also drew from fairy tale of sorts to address loss. The art was still my favorite part of both stories, the colors used bring the story to life in avery enjoyable way but I also enjoyed the characters explored in this graphic novel. Will be picking up a copy for my physical collection once this is published ❤️

I’m so happy that I got to read the e-arc. I loved the art style very much and the story was really sweet. Some part of me wishes that we could’ve gotten a little more of the romance but I’m also the first who complains when everything always centers around romance. The book has a lot of emotional value as is.

The artwork in this is stunning thus the two stars. The contrast between the bright shiny illustrations and ever so slowly sad and darkening feelings of the protagonist is an interest contrast.

I know it say it often but this is one of those stories that needed a good editor. The story wanted to be too many things at once, and the multiple plot points were sometimes hard to follow--maybe it's on purpose to make us feel like our protagonist? She is feeling overwhelmed and spreading herself very thin.

I liked the meta nature of the students doing a production of East of the Sun and West of the Moon and that that is sort of used as the framing device of the story but wish they would have leaned deeper into it as a framing device.

Angelica and the Bear Prince will be published October 7, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books | Random House Graphic, and Trung Le Nguyen for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Years ago, I remember reading and falling in love with The Magic Fish. That feeling left me excited to dive into Angelica and the Bear Prince. There are a number of beautiful things about this and something missing.

Nguyen's art style is beautiful. There is this softness to it that is aided by the soft colors chosen. Small details, like the stars in Angelica's eyes, helped bring life to the story. The facial expressions were perfection! Not only did they expertly expression the emotions, but really helped get across personality of the characters. Some of the expressions really left me chuckling as it felt easy to associate a certain tone with the words too.

How this tackles grief and talks about it is beautiful. It explores how differently grief can affect people, and the surprising ways that it can show up when one isn't expecting it. Burnout and trying to recover from that was also done well. That struggle of figuring out what to add back into life without leading down the same path was good. At the same time though, there is a part of me that feels like there was not enough time to handle these topics (among others).

Like The Magic Fish, Angelica and the Bear Prince weaves in a fairytale; this time it didn't blend as well. It left some disconnect and could be almost jarring at times in the switch from the fairytale to the story.

As previously mentioned, there wasn't enough time to dive into all the topics that were brought up. While there was some beauty in how burnout, grief and loneliness were discussed, it could have been much deeper. The focus did seem to be more focused on those topics which did leave a feeling that the characters weren't fully given the space to be explored and really grow—Gable, especially, suffers from this.

Despite some of my hang-ups about this, there is still a comforting softness to this graphic novel. With the topics and the healing that does happen, and the way diverse characters are accepted without a second thought, Angelica and the Bear Prince is still a worthy read.

Angelica, a teen girl who is recovering from burnout, joins a local theater as an intern helping out with a production. She's already been communicating on social media with the Bear Prince of the show, who's real identity she doesn't know. In those messages, though, she's been vulnerable and is keen to find out who is under the mask. This is a young adult romance graphic novel that's lighthearted while also exploring bigger issues like burnout, mental health, racism, and relationships/community.

Personally, I didn't enjoy the back-and-forth exhibiting the parallels between Angelica's real-life story and the play. I would've rathered Angelica and Gable's story to play out on it's own with the play taking place only in the background. The book was good, but I'm not sure that I'll be adding it to my YA collection at the library, because nothing really stood out about it.

Wow. What a book! So emotional, a little sad, but hopeful all the same. I love the focus on grief in this story and the focus on it's ok to not be perfect and a little rough around the edges. Trung Le Nguyen does what he does best in this book, mixes fairy tales with real life and wraps it with a bow with their beautiful illustrations. If you are looking for a season to read this in, winter is your best bet, however, you can read it any time you want. Highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review

I really liked this. I liked the characters and thought that they were all very well fleshed out. I loved the art style and the color palette. It was very cute!

Sweet and adorable describes this book and nearly every character in it. I am a big fan of books that don't manufacture drama through people's unexamined bad behavior, and this one hits that mark. Each every-day problem, mom/child relationships, romantic foibles, and even grief is addressed realistically but also with empathy and kindness. While the story walks a fine line, right up agains too painfully sweet, in the end I enjoyed it.

The way I instantly downloaded this book. I absolutely love how much heart Trung Le Nguyen's graphic novels have. This book is about grief, but also how we deal with it. After the death of her grandmother, Angelica deals with her grief by staying busy. That is, until she burns out.

I loved how we explored different ways to deal and process grief. It's all packaged in this beautiful story of friendship, whimsy, and first love. It was beautiful, the art was beautiful, I wanted to hug everyone, all the stars.

TW: grief, infidelity, racism, micro-aggressions; mentions death of a grandparent, death of a husband

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Random House Graphic in exchange for an honest review.