Book Review:

Having enjoyed the Giant Days graphic novel series which I read last year I was super excited about the novel based on the series. I was especially excited as it was being written by Non Pratt who is one of my favourite YA authors right now. Giant Days, therefore, did not disappoint me being a greatly entertaining read from start to finish. I devoured this book.

One of the best things about the Giant Days series, in general, is the university setting. I feel like Non captures this so well and as someone who has recently graduated from university, it gives a sense of what it is really like to be there. Although neither Non or I had been Sheffield, the research that she did into the University was so good that it felt like I was there experiencing university with the Giant Days girls.

I think that the other draw to the book that I loved is the friendship element and the whole chaos that is Freshers Fair. As someone who was actively part of societies during their time at university, I loved the concept of the Zoise as it was completely crazy and I do feel like something like this could happen on a university campus. Seeing Daisy slowly go deeper into the society was crazy but I loved reading about her experiences.

The characters themselves are also just really great as well. The lengths that they go to protecting each other especially Susan and Esther protecting Daisy who is completely naive about university life was just a great friendship dynamic. I also loved how they each had their own lives at university and we got to see how their different friends and situations which I loved and felt invested in. In the beginning, I was a little confused about what was happening but I felt this got better as the book progressed. I did love this book and would highly recommend it!

The Verdict:

Giant Days is a sweet and endearing read that wonderfully captures the trials and tribulations of university life, perfect for fans of the Giant Days series or those who want to give the series a go.

I recently discovered the Giant Days comics, and they are awesome!

I really liked reading about characters that I was already familiar with. I could imagine them perfectly, since I knew what they looked like, but it was also nice to see them do more than what they do in the comics. I found that each chapter was like one volume of the graphic novel. The chapters were fairly long and they covered one topic that they all participated in, such as community service or balancing their schedules.

The story takes place in a university in England. I live in Canada but I attend a university in England remotely, so I could relate to some of the terms that were used in this book. For example, their student council or government is called the student union, and their individual courses are called modules. I learned those terms in my classes, so I could relate to them in this book.

This book was also hilarious. There were drunken moments and romances. Ed Gemmell was still trying to date Esther and Susan was avoiding McGraw… most of the time. These similarities with the graphic novels made me feel a connection with the novel.

I loved this book! I recommend it for fans of the series and new readers!

I'm a big big fan of the graphic novel series and I was very excited to see it was being made into a novel. I think Non Pratt does a great job of taking on the characters, they all felt like their graphic novel counterparts. You could also pick up this book without reading the original series and not be lost at all.

3 very different students get thrown together in the same halls of residence: Daisy, the home schooled sweet and innocent archeology student; Esther, the dramatic, gothic English student; and Susan, the mysterious, sarcastic med student. They help each other through 1st year of university and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. It's a fun take on the graphic novels, though I did find that the main plot of the story dragged a bit towards the end. Most of tales are covered in the graphic novels but it was still fun to read the novelisation of the series (how many times can I say fun?!). If I had to chose though I would pick the graphic novels, I love the drawing style, the expressions on their faces and the little jokes hidden throughout. However, this is perfect if you're looking for something to tide you over waiting for the next volume to be released!

I haven't read any of the graphic novels that this is based on, so went straight into reading this with no context or idea at all of what to expect.The story revolves around three college freshmen who live on the same dorm room hall. We also get a cast of great supporting characters who add to the fun. This book left me laughing and crying and smiling and yearning for more, so I very much hope that as the graphic novel series continues, this YA adaptation also continues.

I wasn't familiar with the graphic novel series before I picked up the novelisation of Giant Days, but was keen to read it regardless because I have enjoyed everything Non Pratt has written. Although the novel lacks a central single narrative, being instead a collection of everyday adventures as our heroines Daisy, Esther and Susan tackle their first year at university, with all of the ups and downs that entails. I would have absolutely loved this when I was in my late teens, and Pratt brilliantly captures the highs and lows of being a student.

These characters are the greatest! I definitely want to go and read the graphic-novels after reading this. This was a great introduction to Daisy, Esther and Susan, it gave me a good insight into their personalities and relationship with still enough time for a few quirky adventures. Having not read the graphic novels, I can't say much about how it would fit in with the series, but I feel it would add a nice extra adventure in for fans.

I loved all the girls so much, but I think Daisy was my favourite. She was so sweet about throwing herself into the various clubs and feeling like she couldn't let them down. It was quite an accurate snapshot of the whirlwind first term of Uni (to me at least) and signing up for loads of clubs that you never actually go to, because most of us aren't as afraid to let people down as Daisy is.

I loved the adventures of the other two girls as well, of course, but Daisy stuck out to me. I can't wait to get my hands on the graphic novels to read them too!

A few weeks ago, I discovered the delight that is the comic book series, Giant Days, a brightly coloured, wacky story of something a lot of young people go through – university. It may not seem like the most imaginative premise, but the series immediately won me over with its relatable characters and scenarios which were all rendered in such beautiful and striking technicolour. Cue me finding out that this novelisation existed and jumping at the chance to experience this narrative and these characters in a more extended and detailed format. And I loved it.

The trio of Daisy, Susan, and Esther are wonderfully realised – each girl has her own unique voice and characterisation, and they’re all so different and yet somehow manage to come together in the weird sort of companionship you only really find in the already weirdly arranged setup that is university halls. As it’s (mostly) a random process of assigning first-years onto the same corridors, you can end up neighbours with a person that is your complete opposite (you’re quiet whilst they’re loud, or you’re a shrinking violet whilst they’re the life and soul of the party etc. etc.), and that spirit of strange friendship despite your dissimilarities is exactly what Non Pratt has captured so well in Giant Days. Likewise, she’s captured equally well the cocktail of personalities which often causes less than pleasant scenarios in those first few weeks of term – making friends with people who turn out to be not nice people, struggling with bouts of anxiety and homesickness, feeling like you don’t know where you belong in this new and scary place. The fact that Non Pratt takes the time to capture the less-than-glamorous minutiae of the university experience (whether that’s having to listen to a mansplaining dude in class or needing to put up with ‘rugby lads’ on a night-out) was something that definitely won me over to this book.

Although the plot quickly devolves into what seems alarmingly sinister and concerning for an otherwise mundane scenario, I appreciated that the story was always rooted in this main trio of characters and their individual reactions to the upheaval of being uprooted from one’s home town and plonked down into an unfamiliar university environment with new people and new classes and new problems to work out on your own, or maybe together, if you’re lucky enough to make friends like Esther, Susan, and Daisy. This trio of girls all had their own problems of fitting in, and different reactions to it. Whilst Susan, working so hard to construct her image as jaded and sarcastic med student, dealt with university in one way, we had Esther, feeling like university maybe isn’t for her because she struggled to do the actual ‘going to university’ bit and then focused her energy instead on making friends with a girl she admired from afar who, it turns out, was kind of rude and unkind to her, despite Esther’s best efforts to be friendly.

Daisy, meanwhile, experiences that all too familiar reaction of homesickness, which manifests in an amusing interlude where she desperately yells during a phone call home to her granny not to replace the microwave at home. Despite the amusing scenario, it displayed something all too real – the worry of things at home changing when you’re no longer around to witness them for yourself, of feeling like your home is no longer quite the same place as you left it when you went off to university. I loved that the novel was unafraid to explore this and focus on Daisy as she tries to bottle up the feelings of loneliness, since everyone else around her is having such a good time, and instead throws herself into literally every club and society she can find during Freshers Week, thereby leaving herself no time at all to actually dwell on the feelings she’s experiencing.

The plot aside, the writing style of this book worked well to balance the seriousness of the underlying emotions and motivations of the characters against the witty narration which allowed us a glimpse inside their heads and their own thought processes, all of which helped the reader to get to know the characters better along the way. There was something about Non Pratt’s turn of phrase that was amusing, instantly engaging, and endearing; it made me want to gobble up the book all that much more, and I was hooked to the point of finishing this book inside a couple of days. Likewise, it was also very deliberate and self-aware, with the book casting judgement on even its own characters, without it feeling too much like it was forcing the reader to think a certain way about a character.

As someone who very much enjoyed the university experience, as well as found it challenging socially, Giant Days reminded me of that feeling of being a student in halls all over again, and the weird and wonderful friendships and situations you find yourself in in that strange environment that they call ‘university’. For those looking for a fun but also thoughtful contemporary with excellent characters and great friendships, I’d heartily recommend Giant Days.

I am a huge fan of the Giant Days graphic novels and was really interested when I heard there was going to be a book version. There were things I liked about Giant Days (the book) and a few I didn't. Ultimately, I thought the book was ok, but it added nothing to the story and I would recommend the graphic novels first and foremost. If someone just couldn't get enough of Esther, Susan, and Daisy, then I'd suggest the book.

First, I loved the friendship between the three girls. It feels real and it has ups and downs. I like that this is a YA book that really doesn't have a romance. It is focused on the girls and their lives at college. The girls are likable and relatable and each of them are their own person.

However, the book jumps from point of view without warning. It would have been better (in my opinion) to focus each chapter on a different girl and her POV instead of just jumping to whomever when the author felt like it. It took me out of the story and made it just feel off.

You need to be familiar with the graphic novels to understand what is going on in the book, too. I was expecting a standalone book that would be able to stand on its own without knowing the graphic novels. I was expecting a story of how the girls met or more of their backgrounds that we don't see in the graphic novels. Instead this felt like another story that could have just been an issue for the comics and it probably would have worked better.

All in all, this book is a fun, quick read that Giant Days fans will like. But if you are not already familiar with the story, characters, and world, I would suggest starting with the graphic novels.

*I received an ARC from netgalley*

I wasn't too sure about this to start with, but then I got involved in the lives of the three main characters and really enjoyed it. Every evocative, reminded me of youthful university days and the intensity of experiences.

In my opinion, this novel doesn't measure up to the comics, like at all. I had high expectations for it because i loved the Lumberjanes novels, and the Backstagers novel, but this one just doesn't measure up. Unlike the other 2, it doesn't flow well from the comics. And the girls' bond isn't as established which is my favorite thing about the comic! This book was a huge disappointment for me. I couldn't even finish it.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

2.5 stars

I'm so BUMMED!

I absolutely adore the graphic novel series this book is based off of, but just couldn't get into this. The book reads much like how the comic is... which I just don't think worked. I don't like POV switches mid-chapter without warning or division (might have just been the ARC or e-book copy but it was one paragraph about Susan then switched to Esther, then after 2 paragraphs to Daisy-- repeat and there was nothing to show clear division of change).

I also thought things were going too quickly and we could have slowed down to enjoy some of it more. The scenes don't always feel connected, but rather are just segments featured out of their lives, which I think works better for the comics.

Also, there is some overlap with the comics. Some things that happen in the comics are written out here and other things are talked about which happened in the comics, but you wouldn't know that if you hadn't read the comics. So, I wish they would have picked if this was a companion or not.

I did laugh a few times, I smiled at a few scenes, and my heart warmed when I recognized scenes or knew exactly what the characters would look like or would be doing because I'd read some of the comics. And while I mention that things go by quickly or feel more like featured segments, there is an overarching theme and a connecting thread, so that felt like it brought the story together more.

So, super bummed about how I just wasn't interested in this... maybe I hyped it too much??? At this point, I think I'd recommend the graphic novels over reading the book, but fans might enjoy this and have fun with reading about these characters in a different format.

Novelization of a series of graphic novel about three girls in their first year of college. Friendship is at the core of this story that also deals with crushes and identity and the search for belonging. I loved the relationship between the three core characters. The ending was fantastic. In the middle there were times that dragged as the relationships were established and as the girls started to grow apart for awhile. Some mature content (drinking, drugs, etc.).

I was expecting so much more out of this story, as I didn’t find it either enthralling or funny as the synopsis said it would be. My biggest complaint is that the plot felt very scattered and rushed in parts. There is a lot going on in the beginning, a very slow middle, and then a crammed ending that leaves more to be desired. The chapters weren’t divided up in a way that made sense to the progression of the story, and I felt that the plot lacked any sense of excitement or adventure (for my taste). From the beginning it was obvious that Daisy was getting herself involved in a cult-like group, but it was overshadowed by Esther trying to impress a goth-girl and Susan becoming overwhelmed studying medicine.

This story follows three characters; Daisy, Esther, and Susan, who become best friends since they all share the same university residence. I understand the motive behind this friendship, but the three don’t really have anything in common and it hard for me to picture them all together. Daisy grew up home schooled but was written to be so overly-naive that it became more annoying than endearing, and Susan was blunt and forceful enough to make me roll my eyes a few times. Of the three I would have to say Esther was my favourite, because she went through the most character development, and came out stronger on the other side. Plus she’s just kind of a bad ass.

Overall, I think you would be more likely to enjoy this novel if you have read the Giant Days graphic novels or at least know their plot. In hindsight I really wish I had gone read at least the first collection of stories before picking this up so that I would better understand the characters and have a better idea of the world that was created. I will say that this novel made me very nostalgic for my early university years, and I had to give it credit for that. This will not be the last book by Non Pratt that I pick up, but I’ve definitely learned that I prefer her original stories opposed to adaptations.

Giant Days by Non Pratt Pub Date August 21st

Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books and ABRAMS Kids for my Advance Readers copy in return for my honest review!!

Let me start by saying If you haven’t read the graphic novels of Giant Days, then you are missing out! Go check your local library or local comic shops and get a couple of trades and read these now! You will not regret it!

When I saw This pop up in my NetGalley feed I literally flipped. I knew I had to read it! Pratt does an excellent job with these characters. The book follows Susan, Esther and Daisy, along with their friend Ed and Susan’s frenemy McGraw during their first semester of university. A lot of the book is essentially what the first trade was. We really enjoyed it tho! Stick with it, because it picks up towards the end.

The book is fun filled with emotion and lots of heart.

We are giving the book a solid 3/5 stars. Why only 3 stars if you loved the comics? The comics were what I fell in love with. Duh

So, give this book a try! Check it our at your local library or purchase it!

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Angemon

In the last year, I discovered the graphic novel series Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Whitney Cogar. I fell in love with the illustrations of the characters and the different personalities of Daisy, Susan, and Esther. Each character was vibrant and extreme: Daisy the innocent, organized, and colorful; Susan the sardonic, frumpy smoke addict; and Esther the dramatic, gothic attire wearer, and skipper of classes. Often the “college girl” is seen with a stereotypical appearance. The graphic novel broke that representation by giving diversity to its characters. I also liked that the characters faced real issues. So, when I found out that there was going to be a novella based on those same characters I felt I had to get my hands on it.

The novella delves deeper into portraying the characters and the issues they face. While I did miss the lovely illustrations that the graphic novel offered, Non Pratt captured university life with the gang beautifully. Often when a new work is released, and it is based off something else, the original gets lost. Sometimes there becomes a battle between the original and the new. With this novella, that is not the case. I felt Pratt kept the characters’ actions and thought processes closely to the original graphic novels. I loved both interpretations of the characters.

Giant Days was so much fun. Although I feel like I know the three friends; Daisy, Susan and Esther pretty well from the couple of Giant Days comics I have read, it was great to have more time with them n this full-length book. Although you definitely don't have to read the comics to enjoy this book.
Overall it was a really fun and enjoyable book about three friends at Uni and their usual high jinx. It was nothing groundbreaking but a great read all the same.

A fun tale of feminism and first years at university. So much of this story was eerily familiar, capturing perfectly the environment of some of my own times as a fresher, so I can't help but have a soft spot for it. Story-wise, things rumble along between a series of vignettes with three ongoing story threads which are resolved towards the end, so this probably isn't for you if you are looking for something more narrative focused. I liked the episodic nature of a lot of the action, how it felt more realistic in capturing university experiences, and while I haven't read the comics (I now intend to), I'm assuming this is also a throwback towards the original stories which inspired the book. Not entirely sure where I'd categorise this as a genre: it feels very YA, but at the same time, a lot of my enjoyment came out of how perfectly it captured finding new friends at university, so I'd be tempted to say this is the perfect book to go buy as you struggle through the first few weeks of being a fresher.

Though I had never read the graphic novels upon which this book is based, I was still all in from the very first page. As soon as I was introduced to these three ladies, I knew I wanted to know them better.

• Pro: This book was pure fun. I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I read it. Giant Days was a combined great characters, snappy banter, and pitch perfect tone to produce a fabulous reading experience for me.

• Pro: I loved how different each of the women were, yet how well they complimented each other. There was a great synergy, when they were together, and I loved watching this friendship take shape.

• Pro: Non Pratt captured those early days at university so well. The feeling of being out of place, being a little lost, missing home and your old life. All of this plus academic demands can be quite stressful, and I thought that came across really well in the book.

• Pro: The whole Yogic Brethren plot was sort of hilarious. I couldn't help but think of the Scoobies during those scenes, which just added to the fun.

• Pro: There was a ton of satire in here, which delighted me to no end. Well done!

• Pro: This book had the three Hs: humor, hijinks, and heart, which always makes this girl happy.

Overall: A fun and entertaining look at the lives of first years, which does a fantastic job capturing the highs and lows of university life. I hope we get to explore more Giant Days with Daisy, Susan, and Esther.

I couldn't get through this one which really sucks because I love the Giant Days comics. It's a realistic view of college and college life, with a little bit of hyperbole. But when bad things happen at this age, it really feels like the world is ending. You're under immense pressure and you can see that in the frames.

Esther, Daisy, and Susan are a dynamic trio who can face anything together, even if it takes them time to get their heads out of the sand. The personality of each girl really comes out in the comics with their facial expressions and little details. I love when the art is drippy and exaggerated when they're drunk. The art is what makes this story even more special and the experience isn't the same without it.

I found switching between narrators exhausting and I feel like the girls' voices were lost. They didn't sound like their signature selves nor was I invested in their journey. It fell flat to me and had none of the signature flair of a Giant Days comic. Not to mention constantly hearing their inner thoughts was exhausting. I can see what they're feeling and thinking in the comics which makes the read easier and more unique. I found myself trudging through this book. The comics, however, I inhale like a can of Pringles.

One day about two months ago, I was browsing the YA section of Netgalley, as I do, taking in all the new and interesting titles for request, when something caught my eye: Giant Days, by Non Pratt. My heart started to flutter, my eyes widened (probably to the size of saucers) and my fingers could not click the request button fast enough. Could this be?? My FAVORITE graphic novel series being adapted into a full length novel? Oh yes, it most absolutely could.

Let me just start out by saying you don’t have to have read the graphic novels to understand this book and enjoy it. The characters are introduced in a way that it’s easy to fall in with them without there being too much info dumping. The college setting is for lack of a better word, set up perfectly, and the plot is just wacky enough to still be believable, which is one of the things the Giant Days graphic novels excel at so well.

I was pretty sure going into this I was going to love it, and I can now one hundred percent say that I did. I loved this book so hard.

As a lover of the graphic novel series, this felt like getting one giant omnibus of the story at one time instead of waiting month to month for a new issue, which is what I have been reduced to after binge reading all the bound up volumes last year. It’s a good thing I live down the street from a comic book store. The plot itself is completely new in regards to the already existing story, feeling more like a side story arc that could have taken place in the early pages of the graphic novel, but off screen/page. There are mentions to things that did occur in the graphic novel (such as a particular time my favorite, Susan, plays a somewhat humiliating prank on my other favorite, McGraw) but not in a way that makes it hard to understand anything that’s going on. The references just act more as Easter eggs, planted for the fans of the graphic novel.

Susan, Esther, Daisy, McGraw, Ed, and all the supporting characters are written beautifully and fully embody and feel true to their original iterations. This book one hundred percent felt like reading an issue of the comic, just without the graphics to go along with the story, which I feel is the key to any successful adaptation.

This book left me laughing and crying and smiling and yearning for more, so I very much hope that as the graphic novel series continues, this YA adaptation also continues. I will absolutely be here to keep reading both.

*Thank you to Amulet Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*