Chiba is a popular driving instructor, especially among the females. However, he has a strict rule of not dating his students. Chiba’s next student is the nervous, suit-wearing Yaotome. Yaotome is a manga artist. Despite his age, he has decided to get his driver’s license. Luck is with him when he is paired with Chiba. What secret is Yaotome keeping from Chiba? Have they met before? And will Yaotome manage to pass his driver’s test?

This is a cute one-shot. I finished it in one setting. Chiba and Yaotome (especially the latter) were so likeable! I like their opposite personalities. Chiba calm and friendly personality balances out Yaotome’s uncertain backwardness.

The mangaka could have made this a two-volume deal. Perhaps throw in a little more drama with Chiba’s ex. It felt that things got smoothed over between Chiba and Yaotome too easily.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this eARC to review

This is a really cute manga, both with its art style and the story! While it is a great oneshot, I would have liked it maybe over two volumes, just to flesh the characters out a bit more, maybe give more time to the characters together where we could watch them develop in a little bit more detail. There is one character hobby that I would have liked to see more in depth.

Again, this is still great, I just thik it could have been a little more indepth and I will definitely read more from this Mangaka again.

Super cute read!! Loved the characters and how patient the MC was with the love interest. Highly recommend if you like friends to lovers romances.

This was so much fun. This manga was so cute and the main characters were both adorable little sweet hearts. Their romance was so cute and watching them fall for each other was fun. I am a big fan of two golden retriever characters falling for each other and this was exactly that. A solid stand alone manga

This was a cute little one-shot about a student/manga artist falling in love with his driving instructor, but there isn't much to say beyond that.

It was an enjoyable read, and the art style was nice. I liked both of the characters, and found Mr. Yaotome particularly endearing with his awkward introverted tendencies (and especially his driving nerves, because same). The last couple of scenes in the book were really beautiful, and I would have liked to see a little more beyond that personally. It was hard to believe that Chiba had really fallen for Yaotome when the two of them had barely spent any time together.

Overall, this was a fun read, but probably won't be that memorable for me.

A very soft and lighthearted romance, with beautiful artwork and very endearing characters. Perfect if you're looking for a light read in between heavier books.

A cute, sweet story that had me reading it all in one sitting. Chiba and Yaotome were both so likeable and I just wanted to know more about them.

a super cute and cozy bl about a guy who wants to learn to drive and his driving instructor. there are so many moments where it felt like my heart was being squeezed. chiba looks like he belongs in a shoujo... a good fav that i'll revisit from time to time, so i'm glad it is getting an official english pub!!

thank you to netgalley and kodansha for the eARC!

This was one of the cutest mangas I’ve read in a long time!

Driving instructor x mangaka who wants to learn to drive so that he can take his new cat to the vet in an emergency and also happens to have fallen in love with said driving instructor whilst previously working in a convenience store AND IT IS SO CUTE AND FLUFFY

Super quick pace (as with most one shots) and I can’t help but wish there was more to their story but eeeee I loved this so much!!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Kodansha for my ARC!

Why did this book give me butterflies!? Omg I loved it so much!! A perfectly executed romance manga!

This was a quick and cute read, though the art had a slightly unfinished feel to it. At times things felt a little rushed or hastily thrown in, like Chiba's backstory (though it's obvious early on that he has one) and the trip to Hokkaido, but overall it was a well written story. Chiba is very respectful of Yaotome and in turn Yaotome is genuinely apologetic to Chiba. I believe there will be a second volume so that makes the rushed ending easier to put up with.

My Instructor Won't Yield is an entertaining, short and beautiful exploration into the relationship of Chiba and Yaotome. A BL story full of light-hearted and enjoyable elements.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for this advanced reader's copy.

My Instructor Won't Yield is a cute BL story that wraps up in one volume. Story follows Chiba - the driver instructor and Yaotome - the one getting the driver's license. As they get paired up in for driving lessons they discover different sides of one another and get to know each other. Eventually which leads to romance blooming. It is a simple setting but it works. The art is pretty and pleasant to the eye, characters are handsome and author definitely put some effort into drawing and studying cars. This title might not be avoiding certain shoujo/rom-com tropes, but if you are looking for an easy light BL romance read this one is definitely a way to go. Giving it 4*. The only reason why it is not a 5* it is because it is not exactly groundbreaking. But not all reads need to be and it is still a good enjoyable read!
Thank you to the Kodansha and Netgalley for digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for lending me an ARC of this manga. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

Chiba, a driving instructor, is famous among the women studying with him because he uses his charms to make sure he gets good reviews: pretty face, kind manners, a disarming smile...but he's firm about always rejecting their advances and keeping it professional. Until he gets assigned a new student: mysterious Yaotome, the "sharp-suited prince" as he always comes dressed like that to the lessons, as well as keeping some secrets that may or may not be related to Chiba himself. Secrets that risk being put under the light when the men start spending time together outside the driving lessons. Turns out that Yaotome is a manga artist! But what else is he hiding from Chiba?

I loved this one! Super cute, with mature characters that know how to communicate, an interested background for them... This manga is described, in the official blurb, as "a fun and moving one-shot BL romance that’ll have you hugging the turns", and I couldn't agree more with that statement. I laughed through most of it with Chiba and Yaotome's interactions, but also with how the side characters played into it all and contributed to the calm atmosphere and the funny side.

It is also remarkable how this two characters manage to find love when they couldn't have been more different at the start, when they meet. What I loved most was Yaotome's growth, gaining confidence and, also, being a man in his 30's getting his driving license, because (and the manga gives an overview of how things are in Japan with driving licenses, so we can learn and compare), where I do live, while not mandatory, is quite socially ingrained that people should want and must get their license the moment they turn 18 (legal adult age). And, lets face it, not all of us can or want to do that, so...thanks for characters like Yaotome, really, that aren't shamed for getting their license later in life.

On the other hand, I also appreciated how Chiba was shown to have a very human reaction to learning some things about Yaotome and being upset and having to ponder over it and wanting his time while also being open to listen to Yaotome's side of the story and how things could actually being after making his (Chiba's) assumptions. Meaning, that these two learn many things from the other in both their driving lessons and the after-hours moments that they spent together, and one of those things is to communicate. An aspect that I think a lot of couples lack in romances, and most of the time is not even excuse or used properly. So, it is always pleasant to find healthy couples like the one in this manga. A story can have drama, and conflict and angst and all those elements that will come between the characters and slow down their romances and getting together, but, in my opinion, they need to be treated with care and done correctly, otherwise, I loose interest.

All this is lace with an amazing art style that had me admiring the pages for more time then necessary, probably😂 Anyway, Deme Kingyobachi is definitely a mangaka I'll keep my eyes on, should they write more wholesome stories like this one

Overall, I do recommend this one. A wholesome romance with enough conflict to carry the story to a sweet end that will move even a heart of rock. Chiba and Yaotome deserve the world and I'll carry their story with me for a while; I wished more romances in manga were like this one... Anyway, go read this one when it comes out in August and enjoy it as much as I did! (or not, that's valid too; but if y'all a fun of cute romances, I can assure y'all will like it)

Review to come end of August to my blog/other places.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I just COULDN'T resist this one when I spotted it up on Netgalley. That cover was just gorgeous and fun! Plus, I could use some more BL in my life~

😍 I love that this one takes, for quite a bit, place at a driving school. So fun and creative! With Chiba being an instructor. Yaotome the newest person to have to learn how to drive. It was just so much fun to read, especially since the whole driving stuff was so different from how it is here. There you have a whole terrain to practice on, there are classes, and more. It sounds like such a fun way to learn driving and I think if we had something similar here I would have tried for my license (I wonder how expensive it is in Japan to get your license, here it is way too much, which is another reason why I don't have a license). I loved seeing Yaotome get better, yes, he was panicking at times, but he did make big improvements.
😍 I loved seeing Chiba and Yaotome getting closer and even meeting up outside of the school. At the start coincidental, afterwards more on purpose. They have chemistry so I was rooting for them hard to figure things out and start dating. I knew they would make a perfect couple.
😍 I also liked that things weren't so easy, while I would have loved that as well, I liked that we had something to get over. A hurdle. Namely Chiba's ex who hurt him. We see that Chiba is willing to try a new relationship but that he worries it will all end up the same way. I was rooting for him to figure things out and defeat that hurdle.
😍 I loved that Yaotome was a manga artist! I would definitely love to read his manga, it sounds like something I would definitely enjoy~
😍 I loved that we learned that Yaotome has known (and been in love with) Chiba for a while now. Haha, what a mask, glasses, and a dead inside look can achieve. The patience this guy has to just keep on pining!
😍 The cover! While I love the OG cover, I just like the new one a bit more. But I am also glad to let you know that you can find the older cover inside the volume as well! So you can enjoy both~
😍 When they finally kissed (and haha, did more though we didn't see that), I was just squeeing in delight. It was such a romantic moment and it was perfect. While with some of these kind of manga I want things fast, the slow burn in this one was just better fitting and I loved seeing them get closer to that moment.
😍 The art was just so much fun! I always love it when one character is blonde and the other has black hair, I am not sure how to explain, haha, but I just like it.

😒I did think it was a bit iffy/creepy that Yaotome created a character for his manga based on someone he likes. That is just a red flag for me. At first I thought that it was just accidental, given things, but then the truth comes out. Yeah no. But eventually I got over it and decided it was OK. As long as Chiba was happpy.
😒I wasn't such a fan when Yaotome, near the end of the story, assumed things and just ignored/got very meh about Chiba. I mean seriously, just talk to him. Yes, you saw him with another who is his ex, maybe he has a reason? Maybe his ex was annoying? But no, he immediately went for drama. *rolls* I am so tired of this bullshit. Can we just fucking communicate with each other? Please?

In overall though, I really had a lot of fun with this one and I flew right through it. These two had chemistry and I was there to ship them! I would recommend it~

My Instructor Won't Yield is a cute, quick read with a unique concept for a meet-cute. The opening panels set the stage for the intimacy of driving classes and how easy it is to fall for your driving instructor which felt ridiculous at first - I initially was hesitant to read this because it didn't feel like this driving school conceit would work but it actually did.

This manga follows Chiba, a driving instructor, and Yaotome, a manga-ka working to obtain his driver's license, as they form an initial friendship and later relationship throughout the lengthy process of Yaotome getting his license. Knowing in advance about the time and money needed to obtain a license in Japan, I could fill in the blanks about how long Chiba and Yaotome had been interacting with one another which helped sell me on their relationship progression. Kingyobachi's art style is very cute and consistent throughout the manga and helped to really convey each character's emotions throughout the story. It's refreshing to see protagonists of a lighthearted BL novel who aren't teenagers or early 20s and the characters were endearing. The final chapter had me a bit tired from the classic last act conflict that didn't really end up being a conflict to where the story wrapped up a bit too fast. A quick epilogue set after the events of the main story might have been nice to read since this was a one-shot volume but this was still enjoyable as-is.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 on Netgalley. Thanks to Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for the opportunity to read this ARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

thank you netgalley for an eARC of this book. this was such a cute and fast BL manga. I do think the ending was a bit rushed but overall I enjoyed it

A delightful and romantic LGBTQ manga featuring two main characters who are both in their 30s. Chiba is a diligent and friendly driving instructor who has no interest in romance due to a previous relationship. Yaotome, on the other hand, is a new student at the driving school. He is kind-hearted and nervous.

This manga is amazing, cozy and downright funny, but also gets more steamy as it goes on. The portrayal of Yaotome’s nervousness and anxiety about learning to drive is realistic and well-handled. Additionally, the pacing of the story is engaging and well-executed.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

My Instructor Won't Yield, by Deme Kingyobachi
★★★★★
196 Pages


This was a seriously cute one-shot BL romance! I absolutely loved it. There was so much storyline for less than 200 pages. It honestly felt more complete and well rounded than some novels I've read.

Yaotome is a manga illustrator and is just starting to learn to drive at the age of thirty. Chiba is his instructor and a hot commodity in the office. Two years ago, Chiba got dumped by his boyfriend when the cheating scum announced he was getting married to a woman. That was, coincidentally, the day that Yaotome – watching from afar – realised he was falling in love with Chiba.

The art was lovely, the font was really easy to read, and the story itself was a sweet, charming one-shot that wrapped up the story nicely. It makes a great solo read with plenty of heart and loveable characters. I fell for both the main characters equally.

What a super cute story. I had a really good time reading this, it was funny and sweet. An amazing one volume story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for letting me read this early!