'Angelica and the Bear Prince' is one of the sweetest graphic novels I have ever read. All of the illustrations are lovely and endearing. I found so much to relate to in Angelica's experience of burn out- you can handle it all until all of a sudden it's too much and you can't manage any of it. I adored the relationships in this story- the friendships, the relationship between Angelica's parents, Gable and his grandma, Angelica's sweet older neighbors. I also really appreciated the representation of queer people in this novel, their identities were clear and they flowed naturally in the story; sometimes it's heartening to see queer people existing happily without resistance or explanations. The story of the Bear Prince being shown in snippets throughout the story as Angelica experienced similar crises or joys, added a lovely element to the overall story. This is such a delightful, meaningful book, and it feels like hugging a new friend.

this was so ridiculously cute!!!

an extremely varied cast of characters, detailed and stylized art that made you want to stick around each page and an amazing story of healing and growing up.

i need 10 more of these like, instantly. i fell in love with the art style from the cover when i first saw it, then i actually got into the book and i was absolutely FLOORED.

the humor throughout the book felt light and flowed well with the serious points of the comic, of grief and coming of age.
i cannot recommend this ENOUGH!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

Meant to be a light comics about a girl finding connection, but ended up being a power story about grief. It is loose retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon which I really enjoyed. The art was super cute. So much of this book was so relatable, when the kids were talking about being overwhelmed I wasn't expecting to be holding back tears by page 14. The counselor said something that will stick with me for a long time, "You can't say yes to every opportunity" I know I am not the target audience, but this comic just hits. "Can't solve all your mental health problems with attitude and memes" I have never been so called out by a comic.

5 stars

A gorgeously illustrated graphic novel that is as sweet and comforting as its title and cover might convey. If you dislike books with miscommunication tropes, this is the story for you; characters communicate about their feelings a lot here, perhaps moreso than is realistic? Regardless, this is a sweet fable that young teen readers will love—and major bonus points for casual queer representation!

Dedication: To Flora and Ronan - upon this book's publication date, neither of you will be quite old enough to be its target reader. However, Flora once mentioned how nice it would be to have a book dedication, so I'm obliging.
First sentence: Angelica?
Last sentence: And the prince and the girl lived out the rest of their days in happiness.

I will begin this review calmly and rationally.

I WILL ALWAYS READ ANYTHING BY TRUNG LE NGUYEN BECAUSE I LOVE EVERYTHING HE WRITE AND EVEN THOUGH THIS IS JUST HIS SECOND BOOK, I WILL ALWAYS BE CHOMPING AT THE BIT FOR MORE THINGS FROM THIS AUTHOR BECAUSE MAYBE I JUST NEED A GOOD HEARTWARMING CRY OK?!?

Mm, yes, very calm, very rational.

Trung Le Nguyen writes beautiful, compelling characters who have a very realistic dash of queer mixed into their personalities. I love that Nguyen remembers that his characters are still fully-formed people EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE TRANS. SO many YA books I read just revolve around trans angst, gender grappling, tears and anxiety. Which yes, those books definitely have their place in the world and I am happy for them.
But for a YA graphic novel to have a TRANS PRINCE as one of the lead characters and BE LIKEABLE and CHARMING outside of their angst is SO REFRESHING.

Outside of the Queer themes, Angelica and the Bear Prince is about a state managment intern who is fighting grief and recovering from burnout.

ME TOO BABE.

As a young professional non-equity stage manager, I GET YOU BABE. This book hit VERY close to home, because Angelica, like me, fills up her life with THINGS TO DO to avoid grief, the emptiness. How will we cope with these feelings? No feelings, must have things to do. Yes, yes, cannot feel feelings if busy. The moment that hit me the hardest was from Jelly's school counselor: "But as time goes on, youmight outgrow some of your old coping strategies. And those old strategies calcify into habits that are difficult to break. Instead of helping, they cause new problems....So ask yourself, honestly- why do you like to be busy? What happens without constant activity in your life?"

This book was made for me: theatrical elements, stage managers getting chewed out unfairly, queer people, winter without being inherantly Christmas themed, snow, a PLUS SIZE MAIN CHARACTER WHO IS CAST AS A LEAD ROLE..... I am a huge fan of this book and reccomend it to everyone in the universe.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU NETGALLEY FOR AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK!

Very few people have both writing and artistic talent like Trung Le Nguyen, and his sophomore graphic novel is nothing short of perfect. The illustrations and color palette were wonderful, and each character was fully fleshed out, dealing with grief in their own way, whether it’s loss of a loved one it death of a relationship. I thought it was intriguing how the story of the bear prince was weaved into the main storyline, which also handled friendship, mental health and the issues of burn out really well. A relatable yet magical tale worth reading.

Special thanks to Random House Children's Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest, independent review.

It was an amazing book! Such a cute story! I loved Angelica! And Christine was so sweet! I hate Christine’s boyfriend chip. Also Gabe was so sweet.

Another great tale entwined with fairy tale lore and realistic teen drama. I loved every part of this story, and only wished it was longer. I cannot wait for more by this author!

There is so much about this book to love: the beautiful illustrations, the depiction of grief, the normalization of queerness, the sweet relationships between the characters. I truly believe that there is something in this story that anyone who picks this up will connect to.

ARC was given by NetGalley & Quill & Random House Children's Books | Random House Graphic


Content/Trigger Warnings: Grief, loss of loved ones, loneliness, isolation, discussions of burn out, on page cheating


This was such a wholesome, emotional, and beautiful graphic novel to read! While I loved the retelling aspects of this story, what I really loved the most was the discussions of burn out, the way grief manifests differently for people and seeing that shown throughout this book, and the friendship dynamics and working through the really tough moments. This is my first time reading anything by this author, but I think I can say I've found a new favorite author and I want to read everything by them. The artwork was absolutely stunning, the various topics discussed throughout this story, the romance, just everything filled my heart with so much love and appreciation. If you're looking for a wholesome graphic novel with wonderful messages bundled with love and care, definitely pick this graphic novel up!


All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.

I've been dying to read The Magic Fish since I've heard about it, but as a mood reader, I never felt like it was the right time for it. That's why I'm so glad and thankful I got to read this story. I get now why people think the world of Trung Le Nguyen. Their words and illustrations are both so excellent and emotional.

Angelica and the Bear Prince is a wonderful story (although I reckon wonderful just doesn't cut it as a single word. I think it needs all those adjectives that describe something beautiful) about the way grief differs for everyone, self-discovery and learning to be more open in regard to one's feelings.

This was so sweet and so cute but also still real and emotional. The author's note at the end felt so poignant to me because I could completely see the lighthearted idea and the real emotions and life experiences that snuck into it. Those things that the author described in his process is also what the reader feels as they read this story.

The characters in this book were lovely. I really appreciated that the was representation for race, sexual orientation (and for older folks too which you don't often see), AND body type rep and all of those things were just part of the characters and not even commented on as though we're all just human beings and none of that stuff matters. I would love if we lived in a world like that and it's so nice to see it representes in stories.

I loved the artwork and improved the winter setting. Both the frosty vibes and the cozy vibes really added to the story. Like a background metaphor for pain and happiness and beauty existing in both. But as a background metaphor, it kinda just sent that in vibes instead of being too heavy handed.

I'm not sure what else to say other than despite being an obviously talented artist, Nguyen is also clearly a master storyteller. I've read his debut already and loved it but I for sure will be keeping my eyes on any future works he releases.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for a very uplifting book that covers the topic of grief (without getting in deeply in the weeds about the set up of that part). And people who live a dash of cute romance and the unknowingly pen pals trope.

This graphic novel expertly discussed heavy topics such as grief and burnout all while weaving a wonderful story with beautiful illustrations and memorable characters. One thing I loved about this graphic novel was the representation of all kinds of people (lgbtq+ individuals, people of different ethnicities, people of all different shapes and sizes). There were many subplots surrounding the main plot, but they all came together perfectly in the end. This is my first book by this author, and I will definitely be reading more of their works!

5 stars

This is utterly magical. If "Bear Prince" is giving "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" vibes, you are on the right track, but this is so much more than just a fantastic adaptation of that memorable gem.

Angelica, aka Jelly, is a junior in high school and she is hitting a wall. She's a high - okay OVER - achiever, but she's feeling burned out. Like her mom, she isn't good at expressing her emotions, but that characteristic is catching up to both of them. While Angelica is still doing a lot, including recently landing a coveted internship at the local theater, she's just not quite herself. As the work progresses, it's clear that some of this is related to the loss of her grandmother a decade ago. Experiencing grief 10 years later? Yes. I'm here for it. I love how unsanitized this aspect is.

In an effort to process some of her challenges and find a sense of clarity, Angelica begins corresponding with Per the Bear. Of course, there's a human inside of that costume, and this person's identity, not to mention their care for Angelica and ability to be there for her and for her big feelings, make this whole reveal absolutely dreamy.

There is so much to love about this graphic novel. The illustrations add so much. The friendships - whether they are with peers or multigenerational neighbors - are layered and complicated and fulfilling. The feelings are very big and very messy and very real. The hope? It springs eternal even in the darkest times. The representation? Now that is a highlight among highlights.

I enjoyed this so much and cannot wait to recommend it to students and teach it in the near future. What an absolute gem.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-ARC.

First off, the artwork is captivating. It is gorgeous to behold! The framing of panels was also great to see. It showed the heart of the matter, like how overwhelmed Angelica could be with emails when they flooded the scene and spread into other frames. It showcased the build-up, snowball effect that led into her burnout. The emotion is displayed fantastically.

Also, this graphic novel's Bear Prince is the same prince from one of my favorite fairy tales: East of the Sun and West of the Moon. It's rare for me to find it connected to a novel, but try finding it as a graphic novel! I was charmed by how well this fairy tale was woven into the plot.

This was so Cute!
A very easy read with adorable artwork.
I would definitely be interested in reading more of this authors work if the opportunity should arise

This reminds me of a delightful teen romantic movie from the 90s and I don't really know why other than that the love interest is a boy with floppy hair that gets in his eyes.

I digress, Nguyen does it again. The Magic Fish was an iconic queer graphic novel on many levels but it's necessary to say that Nguyen is not a drop in the bucket because his sophomore graphic novel is as enchanting and magical as the first. A girl, Angelica, grieving the loss of her grandmother and having these feelings and she uses a DM with the local theater's Peri the Bear to emote her feelings only to discover who the real person is behind Peri the Bear. The reveal is perfect both for the romance and the humor of it all. And then the wraparound, from the snowy setting, to the parents and parental figures, to the friendships surrounding Angelica, makes it the five star read that it is because everyone feels fully-developed and authentic.

The kind of graphic novel to be read and loved.

I hadn’t read anything by this author before, but I ended up loving this little gem. The art in this graphic novel is so colorful and full of charm. The story is super cute and whimsical, but also has some deeper moments that touch on grief in a really thoughtful way. The characters felt real, and the dialogue actually sounded like how teens talk (which is rare!). Overall, it's such a cozy, feel-good read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book

This is a really cute story about childhood friends reconnecting in a unique and meaningful way—through something they both loved as kids and continue to enjoy as teenagers. The story touches on a variety of important topics like biting off more than you can chew, dealing with burnout, and navigating relationship challenges. It's a great read for teens who may be putting too much pressure on themselves and need the reminder that it’s okay to step back and take time for yourself. A heartfelt and relatable story with a strong message.

I came into this graphic novel without having read the authors other works and I was pleasantly surprised by this incredibly darling story. The characters felt real and the dialogue felt like something teenagers would actually say. The art was very cute and I loved the diversity in bodies that the author drew. All around a really sweet holiday read that I'm sure will delight anyone who happens to pick it up!