I loved this book because of the simple and profound way of explaining genetics. For me, it was a review of everything I had studied about genetics at university, and this made me excited to recommend it to everyone interested in this science.
The book begins with a question about the identity of the heroine as a result of her genetic analysis, and the writer completes his presentation of the origins of genetics from the beginning through wonderful drawings, moving on to the importance of genetics in treating diseases and finding solutions to the diversity of organisms and stopping the spread of viruses and other things in a dramatic narrative framework, all the way to the end that made me emotional with the drawing in the last pages that illustrated the relationship of the girl with her father and the link between the past and the present.
Good job I look forward to more from the author.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I chose to read this book because I needed something light (I usually go for a graphic novel when I don't feel like I can focus on a novel) and because the cover was just so gorgeous. Even after reading the book description, I was intrigued. Thus began my journey into this book.

Mesmerized by the first few pages of this book and its artwork, I kept reading on. I loved the way the speech bubbles were positioned, and the way the artwork showed the fatigue in the dad and the annoyance in the daughter. You can probably imagine my surprise when I realized this book was... not what I was expecting it to me, which was a heartfelt story about a dad and his daughter's genealogy.

Here's the most important thing you need to take away from my review: If you are someone who loves learning/reading about genes and how DNA works, or you're curious about the specific ins and outs of genealogy, pick this book up. If you're here for a cute and heartfelt story about family and you're not ready to read textbook-level science-y stuff, choose something else.

I am NOT a science girly. I failed Chemistry not once, but twice, in high school, and my teacher had to take time off his own summer break to help me pass. I don't mind learning about DNA, but this graphic novel was just... an info dump of everything DNA-related. Maybe it's because I came in looking for a cute story, or maybe my brain is just not enhanced enough to understand this science lingo, but I understood pretty much nothing of this book.

But again, that is just me! I am sure there are thousands of people out there that will benefit from and adore this book, not just for its artwork but for its information, too. The reason I'm giving this GN a 3 star rating is because, despite not understanding a thing, I seriously adored the art style and the storytelling.

Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a very educational comic. Maybe a little *too* complicated although I think it did a good job explaining everything it could in the easiest way it could (it's just a really complicated subject).
The art is nice and the father/daughter dynamic is the emotional centre of this story, the reason you'll remember it for months to come.

As someone with an interest/fascination with genetics, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I felt that the art style was clean and easy to follow, and I thought the explanations of the basics of genetics was easy to follow and applied well to each contextual example that they were paired with. As an enthusiast they were concepts I was already familiar with which did lead me to some skimming and impatience. I say impatience because what I really enjoyed were the human perspectives of commercial genetic testing that I hadn't fully considered. In America genetic tests are readily available on the market for anything from ancestry to metabolism analysis. Genetics at Heart explores the complications and ramifications that putting the most private of information - the very blueprints of our bodies - out into the world for people to find. This novel prompts me, and all readers, to think more carefully about what it could mean to have my genes analyzed beyond "what is the cultural breakdown of my whiteness". It's a book that I enjoyed and would add to my library but it is sadly not one that I plan to encourage my store owners to stock at our small bookstore. Science is not a sought after genre in this rural corner of Indiana - no matter how thoughtfully explained or lovingly illustrated.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author & publisher for a copy of this eARC in exchange for a reviews.

I found this an interesting read, I wouldn’t normally read something like this but the cover peaked my interest and I’m glad I did.

I think it should be clarified that this is an educational and scientific book above all else. Judging by some of the reviews, I think the book’s summary doesn’t clarify that well enough and many readers are going into it expecting more of the drama side of things instead of the scientific perspective of the benefits and risks of genetic testing that they’re getting. This definitely throws readers off and I was in that boat as well before I quickly realized this was going to be an educational book and readjusted my expectations accordingly.

The artwork and color palette in this graphic novel is great. I was getting high school biology class vibes at first, although this would have been an admittedly more exciting way to learn about DNA and genetic testing. The first half of the book leans heavily educational, the second half is still educational but leans a bit more into the emotions that are intrinsically wrapped up in genetics testing.

If you go into the book with that in mind, it’s quite a good read! It has some humor to keep things going and I loved the true crime podcast section because I’ve heard about DNA testing in that capacity many times.

I think at the heart of it, this book is about informed consent when it comes to genetics testing. There are major benefits to genetic testing, but there are also potential risks in terms of who could have access to the data and how it could be used against you. Of course, when doing genetics testing you may also find out things that you later realize would have been better kept hidden away. At the same time, it can be used for preventative health and disease treatment purposes to save lives.

Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel. I think the marketing just needs to be a little clearer so that readers know what they’re getting into because I do agree that the info dumps are off-putting, especially in the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I honestly thought that it would be a different book. It’s way more informative on genetic than I had hoped for. I thought it would follow the girls story. Overall I enjoyed reading it. It just took me a little longer to get through because of all of the information.

I do think this would be a fun and interesting book to read in science class when going over the topic of genetics. It is a little advanced with the scientific vocabulary so I recommend it for older classes. But if you’re a teacher looking to have a fun book I would recommend this one.

The story in the beginning was interesting, everything else felt like an informercial for being smarter with who you give your DNA. I guess that's important, but it made the story draggy and boring. I love biology as much as everyone else, but I did not want to sit down and read long block of text just pounding information into me. If I wanted that, I would've read a textbook. I'm sure there were better ways to present the information without taking away from the story. If it had stuck to the story of the detective, I'm sure it would've been a way more enjoyable story that could incorporate all the information the author wanted us to know.

Genetics at Heart has great artwork and is based on excellent concept, genetics and DNA. The novel started off great but as I read further, I noticed that too much information is clustered on single page which was quite difficult to read in this style. But this style of learning is very interesting when compared to boringly reading about these concepts in Biology.

Overall, I would have enjoyed only if too much information was not squeezed as I liked all that is shared about DNA and genetics.

Thank you #Netgalley for an early copy of this graphic novel, due to be published on the 26th of July by #EuropeComics.

You guys might have noticed I’m on a bit of a GN kick and this cover and title caught my eye on Netgalley. Purple? Yes please! Science? Also an easy yes!

This was such an unusual yet fun read for me. Not only is the art style gorgeous but it even came with a science lesson or two! I think this would be a great way to introduce the basis of DNA and biology to young teens or older kids. It also talks about the use of DNA analyses for crime solving which has always been something that fascinates me. Since it touches on this topic it does also talk about violent crimes and the Golden State Killer so beware of that before giving this to kids/ teens. Although none of it goes into detail.

This GN also deals with how much should we really know about ourselves? Do you risk getting a 23andme type test done and find things out that you would later regret? At times it felt a little like anti DNa sequencing propaganda.

However it then moved on to explaining certain genetic illnesses and how they manifest and I found that a lot more interesting again. It also touched on several other topics.

Overall it was an easy way to learn more about DNA and all the consequences our recent scientific advances in this area have had. I recommend it for anyone who is already interested in learning about this topic but isn’t overly familiar yet as I did find that most of the stuff explained I was already aware of!

This was a cute story but I agree with other reviews, too informative and too little narrative. I liked the artwork and colour style, but the third part went on to be too slow.

First up a big big thanks for allowing me to read this book! I just love what kind of comics the publisher brings out into the world and love seeing all sorts of comics/GN appear!

HOWEVER, this was just boring. And that from a girl who loves biology and genetics. I had thought that we would get a book about family, about DNA tests, and maybe some information on DNA, but currently I am at page 40-ish and it is just info dump after info dump after info dump and not about the family, oh no, it is a story from the dad about a detective and how she learns about DNA stuff. It could have been interesting, though disjointed as well as I don't feel it really fits the story that I thought was going to come, but it was just like someone poured a text book into a graphic novel. The illustrations were what was keeping me reading, and the information at points as well, but it is just info dump after info dump. I am going to read another of the graphic novels I requested. Sadly, this one isn't for me. 2 stars because of the art/panels and some of the information.

This started off well, and I love the three-paneled artwork throughout, but the story failed to develop due to sidetracks into long, sometimes quite technical, explanations of the applications of genetic testing. Some was informative but other sections (particularly the final third, which moved into illustrated pamphlet territory) were too much for the shell story to hold. I did love the final, nearly wordless twenty pages and wished the artist and illustrator spent more time with the father/daughter relationship throughout the story.

Thank you Europe Comics and NetGalley for the arc.

A young woman speaks to her father after she and her sister receive their genetic test results. What they learn from these tests leaves them angry and confused, and their father explains why he has mixed feelings about genetic tests, and how people often do not fully understand the scope of what could happen if you have the tests done. The rest of the novel is told through different short stories from the father's life working as a geneticist.

There were some really interesting points raised in this graphic novel and the illustrations style was really nice. Some of the pages were very educational which felt a little info dumpy BUT I feel like they did fit the context of the story (the illustrations for these pages were really cool!). I also felt as though the overarching 'plot' was a little disjointed but I think if you go into this expecting to be taught something as opposed to more of a typical story, you'll enjoy it.

5⭐️

It’s an incredible how this illustration able to explain things about genetics but with a direct approach but still easy to understand.

I highly recommend this for someone that curious about genetics in general but didn’t have the time to peruse the textbook. It’s a good and short summary that still offers the explanation but not too confusing for someone that know next to nothing about genetic.

Thank you Netgalley, Publisher and Authors for this book, so many great and valuable things i learn from this book!

This graphic novel explores the present and future of genetic testing websites and their effect on our society. As someone who used to be a researcher in a genetics lab, I can say that the explanation of how DNA works and how genes are passed on to progeny is done well. It is concise, yet simple enough that anyone can understand.

I really liked how there was a fictional story presented alongside of the nonfiction content. It really kept my attention throughout the entire graphic novel.

I also loved the illustrations and color scheme.
Very well put together!

Should we test DNA or not, this comic looks at this question. Do we want to know about our DNA? An important question for anyone who has or needs a DNA test. Reading this comic was the first I knew about the DNA testing ban in France. This comic tries to deal with the big questions around the aftermath/outcome from DNA testing. The questions considered are all ones I have asked my pupils to think about. I would have given the comic 4 stars, but there seems to be a tendency in the comic to focus on the negative consequences rather than a more balanced reflective perspective. Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for the comic ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am sorry to say that I tried to read this and put it down because of how boring and info-dumpy it was. The story starts with a young woman who is being berated by her father for taking one of those DNA tests that tells you about your ancestors. He starts to tell her a story of a detective who has to learn about DNA to help find a murderer. The basic premise of this book is: beware of genetic testing because they will sell your information and then anyone can find you.

While I have no thoughts either way on genetic testing, I was bored to tears about 20 pages in when the story starts explaining genetics to the reader. Page after page is just an info dump on DNA. This may be a great way to learn about it in a science class. But I am reading a graphic novel so I can see beautiful artwork that tells a story. In this book there were pages and pages of diagrams about DNA and genetics. It was not the beautiful artwork that I would expect from a graphic novel, and I don't really read graphic novels to be info dumped a whole ton of scientific information. I was completely uninterested in the premise. I found that even skipping the info dump sections, I still could not finish the novel, although I did get through about half.

I think this could be an interesting novel to read if you were learning about genetics in school, or if you are super into science. But personally for me I would not recommend except to that niche audience.

2/5 stars. I'm sure the author knows what they are talking about. But the artwork was uninteresting and so was the plot.

This was an interesting book. However, it did feel a little disjointed at times and it was a little hard to follow the connections between the story elements. But over all I enjoyed it.

While I admit I was expecting a scifi dystopian story, I'm not disappointed with this book at all! I learned a lot from this graphic novel about genetics, dna, and even cancer. It's frightening to know how dna testing could be abused. It's also exciting to just... know what our dna means and how we can use it to help people. We definitely need to start thinking about this asap.