A very nice read I deed. This book has on a different and a more immersive take on facing one's fears. The plot and story is so intriguing that I wouldn't have been able to see it coming at all. This story is totally unlike anything I have ever read before and it sure has made me captivated that I read it in one sitting. This book teach readers to not be be afraid of our fears but to embrace them because we are the master and we shouldn't easily be defeated.

manu is a character that always embraced his role as a strong, protective man, until one day his world is turned upside down. with his girlfriend walking out on him, being passed over for a position at work in the name of gender parity. In an effort to regain his bearings, he clings to a family of seven troubled children, determined to rescue them from their social misfortunes.
i liked this graphic novel, especially the art. i love books/graphic novels that talks about fears and anxiety, and overall this was a nice reading.

#themanforthejob

This was quite a surprising book which I really enjoyed.

Manu is having a difficult time. He proposed to his girlfriend but she rejected his proposal and broke up with him. He thinks she is bi-polar but she doesn't appreciate his amateur diagnosis.

Manu is then passed over for promotion at work. He is told that the person who got the job was appointed because they needed a woman. (I am waiting for the day someone will give me a job because I am a woman - as if). Manu then has a tantrum at school about not getting the job and he is advised to take time off.

As he drives around during his time off, he meets a family of seven children who live with their mother in a hotel in a really deprived area. The mother runs the hotel but the children are not in school. He starts teaching the children but what he doesn't know is that appearances can be deceptive. Manu gradually realises that something is wrong but it might prove to late for him to escape.

The artwork was good but it was the story that I really liked. It really packed a punch and I wasn't expecting it to devlop in the way that it did. Suddenly Manu has to face his fears and his past in order to gain freedom. I thought this was great.

Copy provided by Europe Comics via Netgalley, in exchange for an unbiased review.

The story focuses on a man in his mid forties and he grieves on certain aspects of live which eventually gets him into trouble.
First thing, I like the graphic style. But to my heartbreak that's the only thing I liked about this book.
I don't see a point in demoralising every single woman in this story. Now the author might not have such intention and it is in fact, which I really want to believe, a certain side of our hypocrite society. But as a reader, to me, and possibly to other people, this might appear as a deep rooted misogyny and sexism. And this kinda ruined my excitement for the book.
In the later part, the author did his best to present a surrealistic taste which I appreciate to a great deal. However when you are dealing with surrealism, you gotta be very detailed and handle your plot carefully to avoid unnecessary bizarreness. But this one feels like a bit here, a bit there. This work would've gone better with something wholesome.

Lastly, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I have to admit that the grade I'm giving this book can be a little bit unfair, but I use this to control how I'm feeling about what I'm reading, so I have to give this two stars. This is a story about a guy who is in a pretty bad place of mind and thinks he have to hold the weight of the world in his back, but everything changes when he decides to teach a teenager to read.

I have to admit that this went to really bizarre places that I wasn't expecting. First of all, this is not some type of wholesome comic, we actually have kind of a psychological thriller. We have a bunch of scenes that should come with a trigger warning like child abuse. Actually, if you're someone that can't handle with child suffering, I wouldn't recommend this book.

But now let's talk about what was good: the mental health situation was brought in a really nice way and the art was incredible in portraing this. I have to admit: it would be an awesome book if didn't have some of my triggers (and I wasn't expecting).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher to give me the opportunity to read this book in exchange of an honest review!

This book is definitely not what the synopsis had led me to believe it would be, so I was quite taken aback by the turn the story took midway. I think the concept is rather interesting, but the execution could have been better. The ending felt quite abrupt. The artwork is pretty good though.

Muchas gracias Netgalley por el envío de una copia avanzada de este libro.

Bueno, siendo completamente sincera, me quedé muy sorprendida con esta novela gráfica. Pensé que sería una historia tierna y agradable sobre una familia sacrificada que buscaba salir adelante y un maestro estresado con una vida complicada. Sin embargo, terminó siendo una novela reflexiva con tintes de misterio suspenso para poder reflexionar sobre los miedos, temores y verdades que ignoramos sobre nosotros mismos.

No sé cómo definir este libro, ya que me parece que hay dos ideas completamente distintas que NO QUEDAN MAL pero se leen de manera muy extraña y te dejan con ganas de haber concluido al historia de otra manera. Quizás fue el resultado de una lluvia de ideas que pudo haber quedado bien si se le hubiera enfocado de cierta manera desde el principio, aunque también puedo considerarlo como un plot twist maravilloso.

Es una novela gráfica confusa, con ilustraciones bonitas pero también me genera conflicto el claro tinte sexista/machista que tiene en algunas conversaciones el protagonista con su entorno (si lo leen, ya entenderán la razón) y me incomodó bastante.

En fin, una novela que disfruté a medias pero que recomendaría a quienes quisieran leer algo diferente.

I received a free e-arc from Netgalley for an honest opinion.

The first half I was so into the story, loved it! But then when the kids turned out to be evil spirits, It started not enjoying it. It wasn’t my cup of tea. But beautiful illustrations.

This book has on a different and a more immersive take on facing one's fears. The plot and story is so intriguing that I wouldn't have been able to see it coming at all. This story is totally unlike anything I have ever read before and it sure has made me captivated that I read it in one sitting. This book teach readers to not be be afraid of our fears but to embrace them because we are the master and we shouldn't easily be defeated.

NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.

The Man for the Job is hard to review simply because it’s one of those stories that is better served if one has no prior knowledge of the plot. Do yourself a favor and DO NOT read too much about the story before diving in, to hold up my part of this I’ll try to avoid spoiling too much here if I can. What starts out as a heartwarming tale of a man that has fallen on hard times, finding a new purpose in life tutoring kids, takes a few sharp turns as this story moves on. I honestly had no idea where the story was going towards the middle. I was afraid I had gone into some VERY dark territory, and was about to drop the book, but I’m glad I didn’t jump to any conclusions. What unfolds is a very intriguing read, and definitely isn’t what you think it’s going to be.

"Manu always embraced his role as a strong, protective man, until one day his world is turned upside down. In quick succession, his girlfriend walks out on him, and he’s passed over for a position at work in the name of gender parity. In an effort to regain his bearings, he clings to a family of seven troubled children, determined to rescue them from their social misfortunes. Thus begins a long descent into the heart of his fears…"

As I mentioned, there are a few instances where I was worried about where the plot was going. One example, that I will talk about, is that Manu (our protagonist) feels utterly disrespected when he loses out on a job promotion, and blames affirmative action-styled diversity hiring for his misfortune. He goes into a rage, and blames the woman that got the job since everyone sees her as unfit for the job. At this point I was REALLY worried this was going to be a right-wing misogynist story about a man getting trodden on by women, but thankfully that was not the case.

In fact, this insecurity and fear Manu was holding inside him, only briefly appearing as white-hot rage at an inopportune times, is one of the many causes for the drama in the story later on. There are a couple of other blips like racism against Romani, and inappropriate relationships that gave me pause, but they are never pushed, and largely exist as part of overall theme of the second-half.

What ultimately unfolds is a story about what it means to be a man, society forces men to cram their emotions inside of themselves, never to let anything slip out. For some men, this causes issues with accountability. One never looks at themselves when a bad thing happens, perhaps it’s this lady’s fault, or perhaps these people over here. learning to properly deal with emotions is important, and Manu is made that much more strong when he finally realizes this.

I enjoyed this a lot despite my fears of what this book was doing. I feel that, my only major quibble was that the third act flies past at a break-neck speed. Once the entire plot is revealed it’s a race to the finish that I would have loved to see explored more. That said, the book is overall solid, and I definitely recommend it. move past any red flags you get and see the story to the end, its worth it!

Book- The man for the job

Author- @loulubie

Review-- Sky high brilliant. Exquisite writing, one hell of an amazing narration. Out of the world artwork. Must must read. Highly recommend.

My rating-5/5

Suggested reading age- 16+

It's about a man, fighting society's expectations, weaving his way through the journey of life with more twists than you all can imagine.
The story- 👌👌 perfect. Literally, anything I saw will give the entire plot away. But I think I can safely say this much, a horror, mystery + thriller story with a mind blowing ending. A quick read. I really truly found it scary for the major parts though.

Where are my fellow Psychology enthusiasts at? SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE-- GO READ THIS

Honestly, the only reason I requested for this comic was that I just wanted to get into Europe Comics, and thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity, as this sure was an intriguing read, which shook me in some unexpected ways. While the story starts off as a simple do-gooder trying to help some kids, which some very likable artwork, suddenly shifts gears before heading into directions one could co-related with something like 'Get Out'. Especially with its third act throwing out all aspects of a coming of age story to bring in some creepy albeit creepy elements, which left me quite surprised. Sure, the ending is not that up to the mark, and felt rather resolved to quickly, yet I do appreciate the work Lou Lubie has put in to bring this story alive.

This felt like it was trying to cry reverse sexism, which didn't sit right with me. The art was actually pretty good, but this wasn't what the synopsis led me to believe it would be. This is more supernatural than anything else, and I was gearing up for a gritty realistic tale of poverty and hardship. Just not for me.

2/5 Good art but bad story.

I really disliked this story but gave it two starts because of the art. There are many topics I didn't expect from this and I wish the synopsis had described the book better so I would not have picked it up. I really hate how most of this story is just the main character blaming his problem on women. The whole story is supposed to be about beating your fears and in the end the main character does but it just wasn't what I was expecting. If you are an adult and are looking for a physiological thriller/mystery you may enjoy this.

I read this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

-- SPOILER ALERT: SPOILERS WILL BE BELOW THIS LINE --

The Man for the Job by Lou Lubie is a dark graphic novel for adults that blends several different genres: family drama, coming of age for adults, psychological thriller, action, and fantasy. The story revolves around a man named Manu, short for Emmanuel, who kisses a 15 year-old student. Then, her overprotective mother finds out and decides that he will marry her when she turns 18. He is upset that other people will think that he was preying on students, and a lot of the drama in the book revolves around that. As a subplot, he also has unresolved family issues involving his brother, his father, etc.

Overall, The Man for the Job is not what is described in the synopsis. I was expecting a completely different book and ended up not enjoying the plot once I figured out exactly what it is about. Things turn supernatural near the end of the book, and I was very confused about what happened. Since I didn't enjoy this book, I will not be posting this review to Goodsreads or to my blog. I will keep this review on NetGalley only. I want to be honest with my reviews, but I don't want to leave negative reviews for no reason. If there are adults who are into graphic novels with dark subject matters, they might enjoy this book. It was released just last month.

The narrative in this graphic novel is ABSOLUTELY GENIUS. I had no idea what originally happened to Manu as the main character at first. At the middle-end, the story give me a real thrills and mysteries. If you are a fan of graphic novel + mystery-thriller + psychological genre (just like me) you'll be hooked with this one!

I think, this book is relatable to any adults, the story is safe and suitable for us who currently dealing with our anxieties, fears, and unhealed wounds. The messages from the story are strong and clear: It's okay to be vulnerable, it's okay to reach out and receive support, and we belive you can make it through!❤️❤️❤️

This was a nice, quick read. The art was also nice and it went well with the story.

At first, I didn't really know where the story was going (and I still don't see the point behind some things), and I was fairly shocked and even disgusted by some things. Until I figured out what was actually going on. I liked the metaphor and the message this story brought and I enjoyed the read, overall.

Manu's been having a rough time. From being passed up on a promotion that he was promised and perfect for to his recent breakup, but it's a mans world, and Manu isnt the vulnerable type.

I don't often read graphic novels but I thought this was an enjoyable, quick read. Going into it, on the surface it's not quite clear where the story is going but as you continue it's clear that it's more of an exploration of humanity; we cant survive hiding and succumbing to our fears. I liked the message and I enjoyed watching Manu work this out.

The art style was really nice and the story was compelling and clear, and overall a good read.

i can't express how much i loved this graphic novel... it almost made me cry 🥺
at the start of the story until the middle i felt creeped out like who tf this family is that Manu had met, but at the end... god 🥺
literally nothing i hadn't liked about this novel. i loved the art, i loved the characters, i loved the main thing behind the story and what it teaches us about our fears and anxieties.
definitely, 100% recommending this to those who are struggling with depression and anxiety, even breakup. i can't thank the universe enough for bringing this novel into my tbr 🖤

This is still a meaty drama, however obvious and predictable a certain aspect of the plot might be. It's a story that demands as little foreknowledge as possible, so I'll let it rest that a teacher in his thirties gets passed over in promotion for a greater role at his school, and so stumbles into becoming unpaid private tutor to a disparate bunch of kids, stuck with disabled siblings and an ugly hotel-running mother. When the obvious happens, it raises the obvious question in the reader's mind – did the creators design to make it so bloody obvious? Or did they think they had both the rug under us and some good carpet-pulling muscles, because they didn't.

But then...

But then what they bloody well do know is how to shift everything into a completely unexpected realm, a kind of Lynchian oddity existence. And it's this disarming aspect that really gave a kick to my thinking about this book. It was fine as it was – really good, if safe, visual design, strong and clear story-telling – but once we start to see what it is that drives the story everything feels the recipient of a marked improvement. So much so that I could scoff at the end about what it was ultimately about – the first world problems, rich white guy issues et al – but I could not at all scoff at how expertly they were conveyed. Disarming, intriguing – this is definitely in the top two of the May 2021 Europe Comics review copies.