I had already read this book in its original German and so I was very interested to see what the translation would look like! I enjoyed the first time around and did so this time as well. I think it captures the time before graduation very well: the stress of preparing for final exams, the looming future and all the questions of people around you, decisions of what to do next, what will happen to friendships and relationships, parties, alcohol, toxic relationships... It's a time of change for most teenagers and I think Michèle Fischels captured it all.
The art style is decidedly less "cute" and more rough than many graphic novels I have read recently but I think it fits the story very well. The fact that this was a final project for a master thesis still impresses me. A very well balanced story between serious topics and some lighthearted fun!

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Outline is a really solid coming-of-age story about three friends trying to figure out who they are while everyone around them expects them to already have their whole future planned out. What I liked most is how natural the characters feel, they struggle with personal issues, relationships, and the pressure of becoming “adults,” which makes the story easy to relate to.

The artwork and color palette were probably my favorite part. Different scenes use different color tones, and it gives each moment its own mood and emotional weight without feeling overdone. It makes the comic feel very atmospheric and personal.

Outline is fascinating. I had no choice but to read it in one sitting. I love the art style and the use of colors are breathtaking. I enjoy how the graphics extend beyond the comic box to give the scenes even more depth. My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer.

Outline was a thoughtful graphic novel that stayed with me after I finished it. I really appreciated the way it explores identity, belonging, and the pressure of trying to fit into expectations that may not feel right. The story takes its time with the characters and their emotions, which made their experiences feel authentic rather than rushed.
It left me wanting to spend more time with Andreas and learn more about where his story will go. I found myself invested in his journey long before I reached the end of the book, and I was not quite ready to leave him behind when it was over. The story gives you enough to understand and care about him while still leaving room to wonder about the future and the choices he'll make.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Outline

We are following two characters who used to be great friends: Ben and Andreas and their last year of high school.

The art in this book was stunning. I loved all the colours and the way the characters and environment were drawn.

The story was great and showed the difficult relationships that you can have in high school, but also the questions that come with ending this period of your life.

It was not too long and a great graphic novel! 5 stars for me.

Outline is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel about that strange in-between moment where everything feels familiar, but you know change is coming. Set during the last year before graduation, it captures the uncertainty of growing up, finding yourself, friendships, first loves, and trying to understand your place in the world.

The artwork was easily one of my favourite parts. The colours and illustrations created so much atmosphere, and I loved how the visuals added extra emotion and depth to the story.

I honestly could not put this down and ended up reading it in one sitting. It pulled me straight back into those teenage years: all the intense emotions, confusion, hope, and uncertainty about the future. It also made me very glad I’m not that age anymore. 😅 There is something both nostalgic and exhausting about remembering a time when every little thing felt so big.

What enchanted
• The beautiful artwork and the way the illustrations helped tell the story.
• The nostalgic feeling of being young and trying to figure out who you are.
• How honestly it captured those messy, complicated teenage emotions.

What faltered
• My only real complaint is that I wanted more. I would have happily spent longer with these characters and their story.

Overall, Outline was a tender and atmospheric graphic novel about growing up, change, identity, and all the emotions that come with standing at the edge of something new. I enjoyed it so much I could honestly see myself reading it again.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars

Outline by Michèle Fischels is a graphic novel following a group of friends in their final year of school, grappling with complicated friendships, new relationships, and doubts about their futures.

The art style in this novel is fantastic - it’s loose and a little messy at times, but that adds to the utter charm of this story. The simple color pallet gave everything a cozy vibe that I adored sinking into.

The story itself was delightful and reminded me of both why I miss high school and would never want to revisit those years. The dynamics between the characters were so effectively conveyed in very little panels, which helped the story flow effortlessly.

The ending left me feeling a little hollow, in a sad and aching sort of way that you don’t always get with stories like this. I loved that it didn’t feel the need to give a happy ending with everything tied up nicely in a bow.

A one-shot brimming with atmosphere, imbued with a bittersweet melancholy. The comic boasts a distinctive aesthetic, built around a palette of greys, beiges and browns, which conveys the doubt and hesitation of adolescence; that time at the end of secondary school when everything seems possible and yet nothing at all.
One might say this is yet another coming-of-age story, but Outline succeeds in giving the reader the feeling of having truly shared fragments of the lives of this romantic ‘triangle’; of having traced the contours of this defining (and sometimes idealised, often romanticised) period for so many of us.

Outline is a painfully tender story about ending of school, and the decisions you need make it after it.

Ben and Clara are a picture perfect couple who love each other and everyone else loves. And then there’s Andreas, their old friend who has been distancing him self from them, and everybody else, these past few years. All three of these “friends” are coming to the end of their schooling journey, and have to answer the question of, what’s next? University? Career? Gap year? All scary prospects.

I thought that this graphic novel was phenomenal. The story is heart-wrenching and real. Everybody knows the dread, the anxiety, the terrifying unknown of what comes after the end of school. The art style was loose and helped exaggerate the characters emotions in their pivotal emotional moments. Also the coloring was great, I loved it. The author uses colors in such an engaging way, I felt the warmth of the sunny day, the cold, darkness of a rainy evening, and the seriousness of the depressing grey tones. It really made me feel more connected with the characters.

I loved this. A nice, no cutesy summer read is needed sometimes, and this checks that box.

Initially I didn’t pick this book up because the cover made me think it might be a dark, mysterious or gritty kind of story. It was actually such a beautiful, atmospheric coming of age story. Really captured the hazy feeling of graduation and all the excitement and uncertainty! I loved the artwork so much.

So grateful to NetGalley and Oni Press for the ARC!

I love the art style of this coming of age graphic novel so much. The story was so delicate and subtle and perfectly encapsulate those feelings we all know when life is about to change drastically and move into the unknown.
I think this would be perfect for those who enjoy the Heartstopper series. It's real and heartwarming, and seamlessly make you care for the protagonists of this story.
Easily bingeable book, I read it in one sitting.