Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up

I’m intrigued by this manga. It’s dark at times and has a bit of a mystery happening; all while two colleagues at a supermarket who have their own trauma find how to comfort each other through sleep.

The beginning of the manga felt a but disjointed for me, but half way through it found it’s flow. I’ve enjoyed slowly getting to know the characters along the way, whether they’re main or side.

The end of volume 1 left on a bit of a cliff so I definitely want to continue reading.

Thank you Kodansha Comics and NetGalley for providing me with this digital ARC to read. I thought this would be a heartwarming sibling story in the beginning but I was wrong. The ending really makes me want to read the next book as soon as possible.

I do like the art style and I like how the characters look. However, I am quite disappointed with the plot and the romance. The relationship seems blurry and there’s nothing much to the plot. The main lead seems quite obsessed with the idea of her big brother which does sit quite well when this is related to the love interest. Well, let’s look forward to the next volume.

Thank you, Kodansha Comics, for the advance reading copy.

I went through a rollercoaster of emotions while reading this volume. And I want more. The way you slowly get to know the characters develop as their relationships progress is what keeps you on the hook. The surprises and cliffhangers were slightly predictable at times, but the big one at the end of the volume really makes me want the next volume immediately!

☆》Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.《☆

the file has some issues with the Kobo Clara model but I could read it just fine on the computer.
I think this is a very interesting first volume to open the story, their backstories are overall more interesting than the relationship itself but it's going to be very interesting to see how they will go from the cliffhanger..
very interested to read the second volume.

This is a disturbing book, but not the way consuming anime and manga may have led you to believe. College student Rize was separated from her older brother when her parents divorced during her childhood, and she's dreamed of reuniting with him ever since. Despite the evidence in her memories that he was likely abused (possibly by their parents), he was the one solid support in Rize's life, and being separated from him left her unmoored. Her mother remained a largely absent figure during her growing up, and now all that seems to keep Rize going is hoping to reunite with her brother one day.

At first, Kairi looks like the perfect substitute - he's just like she imagines her brother would have been and his insomnia allows her to relive the shared safe space of the futon she shared with her brother in childhood. But when she discovers that Kairi killed someone, she's not sure what to think - and things just escalate from there. Both Rize and Kairi can only find solace in each other, but it doesn't take a seasoned mystery reader to figure out what happened two years ago...

At its core, this is a book about unhealthy relationships and how they get used as coping mechanisms. It's not overtly upsetting, but the subtext comes through loud and clear. I suspect that I'll be compelled to read volume two, not because I think I'll enjoy it, but because this is a slow-motion trainwreck...and I so desperately don't want it to be.

"Searching for My Perfect Brother" is NOTHING like its blurb.

"There's nothing in the world Rize likes more than to curl up in her warm bed and doze away-just like she used to with her big brother when they were kids, before they were separated by their parents' divorce."

This 100 percent gave me sad but sweet slice-of-life vibes, which is not the true tone of this series. (I thought more like The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons)

Dark, traumatic, creepy, horror, romantic, and fast-paced enough with twists that will give you whiplash. I'm interested to see where this goes and if the more context helps me not feel so weird, as others have mentioned and how they can move forward.

Thank you to Kodansha and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

★★

Well drawn but the premise is just...creepy. Rize's relationship with her long lost brother seems a little too close and the way she handles the "secret" that Kairi is keeping seems unrealistic. It felt like the romance aspect was too rushed - even from a shoujo standpoint. The whole thing made me decidely uncomfortable.

Not for me!

Rize is a college student who works part time at a supermarket. There she has bonded with her coworker, Kairi, who struggles to sleep. When she is the only one who can help him sleep, their bond grows, but secrets also begin to unravel.

When picking this up, I thought that I would have a cute manga. Maybe something with a little bit of grief and healing, but I was not expecting what I got.

Searching for My Perfect Brother starts off sweet and unsuspecting. I thought it was going to be a romantic manga and then it quickly took a turn. A complete turn that took me by surprise, but also gripped me.

While I liked the change it was sudden and could be jarring at times. From time to time I was confused as to what the story wanted to be as it would still flip back and forth a little bit between more mystery/thriller and cute slice of life.

The art was expressive and good. It managed to get across a number of emotions. It does an excellent job of adding to the story!

The cliffhanger has gripped me. I want to know more I want to know the truth. I will be continuing this series to get all the answers that this volume brought up.

2.5 stars out of 5

This is an interesting story, to say the least, and I am glad I gave it a try but I don't know if this is a series I will continue. The synopsis sounded pretty wholesome and while reading it at first I was a little worried about it being too loving between siblings but this wasn't like that thankfully. I think it is actually a pretty good representation of other ways people grieve the loss of family and how they try to fill the void or find their loved ones in others. I didn't really enjoy the twist and I typically like thriller manga but the twist is just a little too much for me, especially after the reveal at the end. I also don't like the romance aspect because of the theme of this story but that could just be me.

Disclaimer: I received an arc copy of this in exchange for my honest review.

"Searching for My Perfect Brother" is a wild read. For the blurb, I was expecting a slice of life, there was a mention of a secret but I was not ready for something dark.

Still, once you realize that this is going to be closer to a thriller, some plot twists become more evident. Otherwise, why mention it?

Personally, I think I would have enjoyed the story more if the romance hadn't given me incest overtones. Our FMC infatuation is based on the fact that the MMC reminds her of her lost brother.

However, I think it is a manga that has the potential to be reread once it's complete and some scenes can be recontextualized with the complete information, so I will wait for the next volume to see how it goes.

That was a wild read. I went in without reading the description and I honestly didn't know which way the story was going to go. Some parts were a little predictable but the story had a darker tone to it than I thought it would.
I definitely have to check out the next volume after that kind of ending. Godspeed to Rize-san.

Thanks NetGalley and Kodansha for the ARC!

This book toes the line between romance and horror. There was a refreshing realism to the behavior and coping mechanisms of our two main characters, each trying to make it through the day with their own trauma. I’m looking forward to see how the MC’s relationships will develop in regards to emotional intimacy, as she has been quite codependent on the idea of her big brother. I’m eager to read the next volume after that cliffhanger!

Some readers may find the incestous-like relationship weird or disturbing, so tread lightly if this is a trigger for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for sending this e-book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I was a little bit sceptical at first because I haven’t read anything from this author before and the title was a little bit misleading. This is a story about a female who lost her brother when she was younger and the male lead can’t sleep very well because he killed someone and he’s running away from it And it’s about them finding asleep with each other as a peace and respite from their insomnia which I think was actually a really cute idea. I put the cliffhanger on the end of this book was absolutely brutal. I can’t believe that that’s how they left it when there’s not another volume to read , I will 100% be carrying on the series as soon as the next book comes out and I absolutely love the characters. I love the progression. I love the relationship and I think this is gonna be a really good series.

I’ve seen people recommending this manga on the internet and i’m so glad to see the first volume here.

This story is just right up my alley. The mystery, then the romance, and everything. *chef’s kiss*

I’m looking forward to read the next volume. #netgalley

Searching for My Perfect Brother is such a good manga. It has suspense, mystery, sadness, love, obsession, and so many more emotions packed into a short read. The twist at the end (while its one i expected) was still an amazing reveal and I cannot wait to see how this story develops and the direction it takes. The only thing that's slightly off putting is the lowkey incest vibes i get from the MC, but those vibes are essential in telling you exactly how much the twist at the end affects her.

No grazie. Questo manga è decisamente troppo creepy per me e sinceramente non riesco a capire come la protagonista possa continuare ad avvicinarsi al protagonista maschile.
Ho continuato a sperare fino all'ultimo di sbagliarmi riguardo a quello che era successo al fratello di lei, e speravo sinceramente che la storia non sarebbe stata cosi banale, ma che l'intrigo fosse più complesso e ci fosse qualche tipo di fraintendimento... ma il comportamento tra i due rimane davvero inquietante.

Non fa per me purtroppo e decisamente non ho nemmeno voglia di sapere come continua. I gialli decisamente non fanno proprio per me. Pensavo che sarebbe stato un normale shoujo dalla copertina...e invece.

Grazie Netgalley per avermelo fatto leggere in anteprima!

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No thank you. This manga is definitely too creepy for me and I honestly can't understand how the protagonist can continue to get closer to the male protagonist.
I continued to hope until the end that I was wrong about what had happened to her brother, and I sincerely hoped that the story would not be so banal, but that the plot would be more complex and there would be some kind of misunderstanding... but the behavior between the two remains truly disturbing.

Unfortunately it's not for me and I definitely don't even want to know how it continues. Mysteries are definitely not my thing. I thought it was going to be a normal shoujo from the cover...but i was wrong.

Thanks Netgalley for letting me read it!

Searching for My Perfect Brother reads like an A24 dark dramedy film. The art is great, the premise definitely made me curious enough to request an ARC, but as to where the story left me by the end of volume 1, I am not sure. I am interested enough to see how things go by volume 2, at least. In spite of the title/description, the story didn't revolve around incest-y creepiness, but more along the lines of "clearly she should have had therapy for this." (I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.)

This was fantastic, it had some great twists and turns that kept the plot moving along and made the story that much more interesting. I cannot wait to see how the relationship between Rize and Kairi progresses. I'm so curious to see if Rize will stay with Kairi after she found out what he did (no spoilers here)!

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for a copy of Searching for My Perfect Brother!

"There's nothing in the world Rize likes more than to curl up in her warm bed and doze away like she used to with her big brother when they were kids before they were separated by their parents' divorce. Working late shifts at a supermarket while attending university, she dreams of someday finding and reconnecting with her lost and now grown-up-big brother. Her penchant for being able to nap in the break room draws the attention of Kairi, a co-worker who struggles with insomnia. Something about him reminds her of her big brother, and she finds herself growing closer to him…but when she discovers his secret, her whole world will be turned helter-skelter."

Ok this was WILD lol. What a great cozy, romance turned psychological thriller--and I love how the art reflects that. There were panels that went from "aww" to "oh shit". Searching for My Perfect Brother is not very dark but uses hints and character quirks to show how messed up people can be underneath. It's hard to review this without spoiling much, but I highly, highly recommend it to anyone wanting to branch out to psychological thrillers!