A sweet but not exactly surprising story about a high school student who is working at a local theatre. Her story loosely follows that of The Bear Prince, a real world fairy tale and the subject of the play she is working on. Subplots include dealing with burnout, family relationships, different ways to support others and process problems, grief, and crappy boyfriends. Multiple LGBTQIA2S+ characters have roles, big and small, in this inclusive story and homophobia is not a plot element. Trigger warning for one instance of racism, which is correctly called out and commented on. There are moments of great humor throughout, sometimes because of the plot but most often because of the delightful illustrations.

Oh, my heart. I absolutely adored this. I'll read any adaptation of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, but this one felt extra special and unique. Nguyen did a really lovely job of exploring how everyone processes grief differently, and tying Jelly and Gable's story to the original fairytale in a way that felt modern and relevant. I'll definitely be recommending this to library teens!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!
I think this would be wonderful for both middle and high school readers.
The story is wonderful, deep and rich with fully fleshed-out characters that made me wish I had a little more time with them. I think this tackled a lot of social-emotional topics beautifully, especially grief and the coping mechanisms we have for it. As someone who dealt with grief in the same way Angelica does for a very long time, it was so nice to it explained in a way that I think would be really helpful and impactful to younger readers who might be going through a similar situation. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who loves beautiful art and sweet storytelling. Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year.

I was so excited when I saw I got an ARC from NetGalley and Random House Graphic for “Angelica and the Bear Prince” by Trung Le Nguyen! His debut book “The Magic Fish” was amazing and his beautifully illustrated tarot deck is one of my favorites. So of course my expectations were high, and happily they were met. It’s a beautiful book.

“Angelica and the Bear Prince” is the sweet story of a girl and the mysterious Bear Prince mascot who has given her comfort during a tough time in her life. It deals with difficult emotions, like burnout and grief. It also touches on maintaining healthy relationships and healthy communication. None of these aspects ever felt forced or preachy, they flowed naturally from the characters and their interactions. The cast of main and side characters were likeable and interesting, as well as the adorable town they all lived in. (All the couples het & queer were so so cute) This is a story about teens, but I’m sure adults would also find this story touching and engaging. I’ll definitely be recommending this book to my graphic novel loving library patrons when it hits shelves later this year.

I love anything with a fairy tale and graphic novels have my heart. Angelica and the Bear Prince weaves together community and love and grief and anxiety and all these complex emotions in a beautiful, vivid story. I love the relationships between Angelica and all of the people in this story, especially because they are not all perfect and she needs to learn from what people in her life need from her. Angelica is also a perfectionist that causes her to not rely on people, always look for solutions and leads to her having a panic attack which I can relate to and I loved watching her in this story.
There is also the discussion of grief and how grief makes it hard for us to communicate to the people we love the most and that grief never goes away and we have to learn to live with it. Trung Le Nguyen truly weaves so many messages in the colorful pages of this story and I am excited to see what comes next.

This was a cute story, but it was also so full of character and heart. I love the illustrations. If you enjoyed the author's first book then you'll be delighted by this one as well.

A gorgeous whimsical story about a high schooler's journey recovering from burnout, finding love, and the healing of grief. Angelica thought she could do it all until she suddenly couldn't and now she finds herself burnt out. Yet despite that there has been one constant source of comfort: her online pen pal friend who runs a fan account on Peri the bear from the local theater, Peri is a bear character that is from Angelica's favorite childhood story and when her local theater decides to put on the play... Angelica begins messaging said bear. Angelica is dealing with the grief of losing her grandmother, of growing pains, friendship drama, and trying to understand her own limits and what she can handle with the help of a friendly bear mascot. This was such a sweet and delightful story, I was truly touched by how sweet it is. As someone who lost her own grandmother when I was near Angelica's age, I found her burnout very relatable and the way she felt so authentic. The friendship and romance in this story was very sweet and the overall feeling of reading this book was just like a cozy warm hug. I absolutely adore this book and was stunned by the beautiful artwork. I will absolutely be recommending this to readers!!

Release Date: October 7, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's Books | Random House Graphic for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A cute, cozy romance based very loosely on East of the Sun and West of the Moon, that also delves into mental health and typical teenage feelings of self worth. Jelly's parents and her best friend Christina are the standout characters. Not as poignant as The Magic Fish.

A YA graphic novel retelling of “East of the Sun and West of the Moon” + Beauty and the Beast.
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Angelica burned out last year after taking on much more than she could handle. Now she’s ready to get back out there, winning an internship at her town’s local theater. Ever since Jelly had her breakdown, she’s been communicating with the star of the theater, Peri the Bear, through social media. That Bear saved her at her lowest point and now she wants nothing more than to meet them face to face, but the person behind the mascot might surprise her.
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I am so glad we have another @trungles book out in the world! I loved the return to the fairytale retelling we got from Magic Fish. Make sure to read the Author’s Note about his failure (which ended up being a fantastic win, in my humble opinion). This book had great representation: fat positivity, therapy, nonbinary & AAPI rep. I can’t wait for release date: October 7!

CW: infidelity, anxiety, grief, death of a grandparent (off page), mental health struggles, toxic relationship