It was a cute story, but I was expecting a bit more.
Gotta say that the art style was not 100% my cup of tea. Nonetheless, it was very pretty, I specifically liked the usage of colors.
Regarding the story, it felt a bit rushed and waaay too idilic.
I understand that it is a coming of age and a story about following your dreams, but one thing is that, and another thing is everything being completely perfect from moment 1. The main characters moves to NY with no money, no phone, no house, no job, no prospects or plans, but ey, as soon as she arrives, she meets someone that helps her, and suddenly she has a rent free house, a huge group of friends, a possible love and plans for her future, and only in a matter of days.

I did like how easy it was to read it, and also, as a bilingual person (Spanish and English), just like the main character, I enjoyed seeing some dialogues full in Spanish. I also liked the ending, but still, I felt it idealized everything way too much.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I don't know if it was because the story was simply hard to follow or if it was because of the way it was formatted but sometimes... there were scene jumps that were so jarring I had to check to make sure I didn't skip two pages. We'd go from Blanca and Co in one place and then suddenly we were at the nightclub with the drag queens. Or Blanca would be in a scene with Emile (I think that's how you spell his name?) and then with no prelude she'd suddenly be with Dominic and it'd be a new day (and there was no "next day" tag or anything to show that we were moving on).

Other than that, I did enjoy the story and the art. It was nice to see so many queer and POC people in a graphic novel. I'm a little surprised that Blanca was accepted by this house of people so fast especially since she's SO YOUNG, barely even 18, and many of them seemed A LOT older than her. I also clocked Charlie from so far away. He was so sketchy when he arrived on scene and how old is he??? Like again... she's 18 and he's apparently old enough to be a private detective? Like what? That was a little concerning. I am interested in reading the second volume but I'm not sure if it's something I'd actually want to buy.

Wauw, this graphic novel was so good.
I loved the story, the characters and the plot. The only thing that was kind of “annoying”, was that nothing went wrong for Blanca.
But I loved the representation and I wanted to hang out with all of them, always.
Also that ending! I cant wait for volume 2

This is extremely cute and very queer! The art style is absolutely lovely, and it's got a really engaging cast of characters, all who have their own things going on. If it had any weakness, it's that nothing goes wrong at all for our heroine -- she decides to run away, and within a few hours of arriving in New York has made a new friend who gave her an apartment to live in totally free-of cost, and all the other roommates in the building instantly absorb her into her friends group; she begins to design clothing for drag queens, and meets a hot guy. I think probably volume 2 will show some more complications coming in -- her cruelly overbearing mother has hired a private detective to find her, and there are a few hints the hot guy may be a bit sus -- but for this volume itself, it feels almost unreal how perfectly everything works out for her. Nevertheless, it's a really beautifully written, gorgeously illustrated volume, and I think would be a great gift for a young adult in your life (especially one who is exploring a queer identity or passionate about fashion).

I enjoyed this graphic novel. The style is really good and the storyline keeps you engaged until the end. I liked the diversity on it. Ñooking forward to volume 2.

That ending!!!
This was a fantastic graphic novel. The storytelling was phenomenal, the art was bright and gorgeous, and it was a perfect length. The representation was widespread and as a queer person I appreciated that so much.
A great found family story about growing up, exploring who you are, and following your dreams.
And did I mention that ending? Can't wait for Volume 2!

This was phenomenal. The story, the art style, and the colors were fantastically done. The illustrations were so vibrant that I had to pause as I was reading, point my screen to my sister, and say, "look at this!" I was very impressed with it all.

I felt such a connection to this story: yearning (and in the main character's case, actually doing) to leave everything you know to start life anew, following your dreams, and cutting off everyone in your life from before. The main character really just DID THAT. Jealous. The author's note at the end made clear what I was feeling the whole time: this story is inspired by fairy tales. It's inspired by found family and quests and following your dreams. I loved that aspect of it.

The queer found family was everything to me. Even though the cast of characters is large, the reader gets a special scene between each of them and Blanca which really helped differentiate and flush them out. I'm super excited to see where character development goes in the second volume. My mouth was literally HANGING OPEN at the ending. Howwwww can I wait an entire YEAR to see what happens next?!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a lovely graphic novel with a beautiful illustration style. The characters were diverse and easy to learn and love. The storyline is really good. I was sad when this volume came to an end, but I am looking forward to the next.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It's a quick read and has elements of many different fairytales. Blanca runs away from her home to somewhere completely different because she doesn't want the life her mother has planned out for her, she's chasing her dreams - which gave Ariel from The Little Mermaid vibes to me because she leaves behind everything/everyone she knows to go on an adventure and follow her heart. Moving in with 7 roomies has Snow White written all over it and Thai Dishes's drag show with two other queens reminds me of Cinderella when her dress is unexpectedly ruined and Blanca works her magic to fix it. There are so many small pieces of the story that feel like a nod to fairytales but with an entirely fresh take and original story. The artwork is beautiful. It's so colorful and detailed. The story flows well from scene to scene. The characters all have their own style and personality and the LGBTQIA+ representation is fantastic especially because it shows completely different people, with different styles, jobs, mannerisms, and levels of comfort in their own skin. Not all of the characters are completely sure how they identify and this is all so normal and relatable but not always portrayed in media. I also like that the characters are at different stages of their lives and careers. Everyone has a different path and takes different routes to get to where they want to be and I think in a setting like NYC especially, the diversity in their interests and what they want to do should be expected in a city of millions.

The found family trope is a favorite and you'll definitely find that here! Blanca is accepted basically immediately and despite everyone's differences, they all come together and support each other. It's a very fun story with some drama and suspense at the end that will have you wanting to read the next volume as soon as possible. I'll definitely be continuing with this series and recommend it to anyone looking a sweet new graphic novel to get into.

Thank you Oni Press for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this story. The writing style and illustrations were impeccable. I loved the characters and electric group of found family, which is one of my favorite tropes. I definitely will be buying this when it comes out.

This was the sweetest graphic novel I’ve read since discovering the Heartstopper series! The easy friendships, queer representation, and found family in this story made my heart feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I know that queer stories are becoming more and more accessible as time goes on, but just reading this story and seeing so many stories reflected back made me quite emotional.

Story wise, the plot is sweet and predictable. That isn’t a bad thing, but I do feel like it’s necessary to keep that in mind when jumping into the book! There’s something to be said about a story and artwork that can completely pull you right into the very heart of the story. The nod to the adaptation of classic fairytales is a bit campy, and I am definitely here for. I am very much looking forward to reading the next volume!

A special thanks to these amazing authors and illustrators, along to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC. I’ll be looking for these authors in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Blanca is such a cool character and I really liked her in this story. You could tell she cares about her friends and her going after her dream is admirable. All of the roommates seem so fun and I hope we get to know them better along the way. The different LGBTQA+ identities were interesting. It makes me want to go to New York. The ending was suspenseful if not obvious but I’m so excited to see what happens next!

Ahhhhhh…so much fun! I already need the next one NOW! This graphic novel made my nonbinary queer heart skip a beat! Fabulous Drag Queens, and so much representation of the LGBTQIA+ community! It felt like a chosen family I wanted to be part of and the characters weirdly made me feel like I knew them! I couldn’t stop getting lost in their world and root for them to make their dreams come true! We all need chosen family like this and everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community needs to embrace community and stick together so we all succeed, just this the characters in this book!!