I really enjoyed this graphic novel. A great graphic novel about forging friendships, anxiety and loss. Riley and Kota's developing friendship is a joy to read, especially how much Kota wants Riley to feel included that they learn ASL. This has been added to my 'get for the school library' list

4/5 stars
such a cute graphic novel with amazing artwork.i love how Kota finds a way to get over their fear of the beam and how they find a way to communicate with Riley. love the storyline and the characters in the graphic novel, not my usual storyline of gymnastics but was still an amazing book

I got an ARC of this book.

The art was pretty much a miss for me. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't add to the story. It wasn't anything special. Better than I could do by far, but it just didn't live up to the story for me.

The plot was a little all over the place. The ending was super abrupt and there was no real conclusion. From what I can tell this is a one volume story and not setting up for a bigger series. Even if this was setting up a bigger series, it just ends in a place that just felt random. None of the plots were fully explored. The anxiety, the dealing with grief, the gymnastics. I was just left with what felt like half a story. I liked the half I got, but it was for sure missing a lot to feel amazing.

I have such a soft spot for graphic novels, especially if they have LGBTQIA+ rep in them and this one definitely hit that mood reader spot as I had been fancying this type of book so much recently! Let’s just start by saying the representation in this book is amazing! It’s not often you find hard of hearing representation so I loved seeing that and the different methods of communication they used whilst Kota learnt sign language. I found it so unusual that the colouring was a mix of black and white alongside blues and greens but I found it quite eye catching. This book was so cute and like a hug in a book! The friendship between Riley and Kota was so complex but heartwarming!

This story follows Kota, a gymnast who makes an effort to learn ASL to communicate with new gymnastics teammate Riley. The two eventually form a deep bond that hints at the possibility of becoming something more. The LGBTQIA+ and other diverse representations were wonderful, although the choice to set the story in the 90s was a difficult one for me as someone that grew up in the 90s.

I love the unique art style that draws many characters in an androgynous style that removes an emphasis on gender and places it instead on the beauty of friendship and teamwork and what can be overcome when we allow ourselves to form deep connections and comfort one another. I like the limited use of color, but I do think it can confuse some kids and even older readers new to the graphic novel form. Throughout most of the story, Kota wears green and Riley wears blue, but when they communicate through their shared journal, Kota's text is blue and Riley's is green.

I wish there was a bit more depth to the story, and it would have been 5 stars for me.

Thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for a review.

I loved the messages in this book, the characters face unique and real challenges in their lives that are addressed in this book really well. This book also has amazing representation that is powerfull to see in a graphic novel!

I wanted to like it more but it just felt a little bit too abrupt for my liking. The subplots like Kota's anxiety felt like it was just introduced just for the plot. It wasn't developed and did not have much substance at all. It was a very underdeveloped idea. The book features a wholesome and healthy friendship tho. I literally almost cried and teared up several times. It's the sweetest thing I've ever read, and I loved Kota and Riley so much. However, the plot and the pacing just felt like a minicomic webseries. Or rather, fresh out the oven, not all the way cooked.


Also I'm so sorry but the subject nature like Riley having two dads, a conversation about ableism, and the girls being openly teasing each other about homosexuality in a light hearted manner would not have happened or been a thing in the mid 90s. Idk it just felt very unrealistic. Kota's band shirt parodies, however, did ;). Hello? Blurry(blur) anyone? Also the outfits and things just didn't scream 90s to me...Maybe the author should have set it to modern times because the initial Era that the book took place in had me very confused.

Riley just moved from California and joined a new gymnastics team. She’s struggling with feeling lonely, her old friends have seemed to forget about her and she’s weary about making new friends. To make matters a bit more difficult, Riley is hard of hearing and no one on her team knows ASL. Kota is determined to make Riley feel comfortable,she asks the coach to teach her ASL so she can communicate with Riley. Soon the two spark a friendship, learning more about each other and how to conquer their fears.

First I just wanted to thank NetGalley and to Oni Press for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The art wasn’t my favorite,it kind of reminded me of older webcomics I read when I was a teenager. Which is totally fine but for me the style along with the colors weren’t that pleasing to my eyes.

The story itself was cute, I can understand why Riley was guarded with the team at first because I’d be the same. I think it was super sweet of Kota to learn ASL for her new teammate,it shows the kind of person she is. I was frustrated with Kota taking a while to open up about her anxieties with Riley, especially since Riley opened up about everything. The ending felt sudden, I honestly wasn’t sure where this story was going and when it ended I felt underwhelmed.

🌟Representation🌟
-Deaf MC
-LGBTQ+

Whenever I see graphic novels/queer YA books compared to Heartstopper, I get so excited yet am filled with terror at the same time because, more times than not, the comparison falls incredibly short pretty soon and this unfortunately is no exception.

Yes, I can appreciate the representation and having a character who is hard of hearing but that can't be the whole personality of the character or the whole point of the story. It should be an element, part of it, not the sole ground on which to base your story.
Here everything seemed reduced to that one thing, the story felt forced and grating and not real. The characters seemed fake, their story seemed fake, no complexity or emotions shown.
Also, I found the illustration choice for the balloons quite confusing: what's the point of putting those black likes for the balloons when you know you're going to use black lines to draw the sign language on the page? I don't get it.

A fail for me.

This was a cute story about friendship, found family, and community. It was nothing too deep but was a quick read that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I really wanted to love this book. It was queer, it had d/Deaf rep, it had competitive sports! Unfortunately, it just didn’t connect for me the way I hoped. I found both Riley and Kota to be quite impenetrable as characters, making it hard for me to really understand their desires and motivations. Riley mentions that she worries what else she has besides gymnastics, and a part of me was wondering that alongside her. The ending felt rushed and sudden, as if it was building to a love story (or at least a resolution of a crush) that never came to fruition.

However, on a positive note, the art of the gymnastics was beautiful. I loved the “sequence” style, particularly when they were on the beam. It felt very reminiscent of a flip book style, and it was a really great visual. Similarly, the inclusion of ASL was lovely, and the way it was portrayed in art reminded me of Kay O’Neill’s The Tea Dragon Festival. I would’ve loved to see more of Riley and her papa, perhaps in flashback, and see the impact he had on her life and that of her dad, too! I did like the way Kota considered alternate communication styles, inspired by the language barrier that existed between her own parents, and think it would’ve been nice to see the way Riley’s fathers shaped her in a similar way.

3.25 stars

Riley is a new member in a gymnastics team. She's recently moved, and with no friends and homeschooled she's feeling a little isolated. She's hard of hearing and she takes out her hearing aids when she practices gymnastics so she's having a hard time making friends at Station Six, especially when no teammate but the teacher know sign language.
Kota is a long time gymnast at Station Six. She loves the sport, and she's really vibrant but lately she's been having a lot of anxiety regarding one specific part of her routine. When Riley joins the team, Kota is excited to meet the new member of Station Six. However, communication is a little difficult at practice. After the first session, she immediately asks their coach to teach her ASL and that's the first step in Riley and Kota's beautiful friendship.

This is a lovely story of two girls who love gymnastics becoming best friends and each other's support. Riley has suffered from a big loss in her family, and Kota is having issues with her self-confidence and anxiety. They both begin their friendship writing and sharing their thoughts on a journal while Kota learns to sign.

I really enjoyed reading this graphic novel. There's not much dialog, so it's a very fast reading experience. The illustrations are quite simple, the art style is very plain, with blue, green and gray being mostly the only colors used throughout the entire novel.

Though the summary classifies this as a young adult novel, I'd recommend it more to a middle grade audience. Although there are themes like grief, loneliness and anxiety explored in these pages, the story is quite straightforward and simple so I think a younger audience would really like I Felt Myself Slipping.
Also, though I've seen this marketed as LGBTQ+, the relationship between Riley and Kota is pretty much platonic. There are hints about Kota having romantic feelings, however their relationship stays just a friendship. It pretty much reads like an innocent first crush.

If you are looking for a heartwarming story about friendship I think you will enjoy this one. It was very uplifting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

"I Felt Myself Slipping" by Ray Nadine is a YA graphic novel about adversity, insecurity and friendship. It is a wholesome, heartwarming and relatable story that deals with themes of grief, anxiety, gymnastic competition, deafness and ASL.

I appreciated the representation/diversity presented in the various characters as well as the peek at the pressures of competition. The use of ASL was refreshing. The story is open-ended and may feel abrupt at the conclusion. Itwas a quick and enjoyable read.

Short and sweet, definitely a wholesome storyline and quite heartwarming especially towards the end. Heads up, there's an open ending. I actually really enjoyed that but I know it's not for everyone.

But honestly overall just didn't grab me, didn't feel like there was a lot of depth to the story. Also aesthetically I really didn't enjoy the colour scheme. I know that's not relevant to the story but still.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

This was such a cute, queer graphic novel ready for pride month. I read it in a single sitting.

It was a really sweet story, and I loved the inclusion of a two dad household to add to the queer joy.

One thing I would have liked is some sort of title card showing the time skips - the novel took place over the course of a year and they seemed to be moving really fast, it was hard to keep up.

Welcome Back!

Last week, I tried really hard to focus on my reading and make it through the week. Each night wrapping up work and spending time reading in my favorite cozy space in my home. I also set up my wax melter and put in some fun fall scents (I know it is summer but I love fall scents so much)! Sitting in this spot each night I was able to read quite a bit over the week. I am not sure if I was just in the reading zone last week or if the books were just really bringing it but either way, I am excited to chat about what I read! One of the first things I picked up was a graphic novel E-ARC of I Felt Myself Slipping (thank you so much to the publishers for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions).

SPOILERS AHEAD

The gymnasts at Station Six gymnastics are hard-working and driven but they also all support one another. Kota a long-time gymnast at Station Six has been working hard to try to make their Olympic dreams come true. This year as Kota is running to gymnastics one day, Kota sees another person on the path ahead of them. Which is highly unusual, Kota is the only one who takes this pathway to Station Six. Once at practice, Kota learns they have a new team member named Riley. Riley and her dad have just moved here but she has been in gymnastics for a long time. On top of being new to the area, her dad works a lot and she recently lost her other father (which has been devasting for her and her dad). Riley is also feeling isolated because she does not really have any friends here not even at gymnastics. Riley has hearing problems and speaks ASL, during gymnastics Riley takes her hearing aides out. The coach has told everyone on the team and has offered to teach ASL to anyone interested. Kota really wants to talk to Riley so Kota takes the initiative and begins to learn ASL and eventually begins to try to talk to Riley. Riley and Kota strike up a friendship and begin to really bond, even sharing their dreams and secrets for their lives and for gymnastics!

I really enjoyed my time with this graphic novel. Getting to know both Riley and Kota as well as their families, gave a small peak into the world of gymnastics and how tough it can be to make your gymnast dreams come true. I also really loved seeing Kota, want to learn ASL and want to be friends with Riley. Kota preserved and even spoke with their family about how they communicated in the past when they had their own barriers. I definitely recommend picking up this graphic novel when it hits shelves on September 10th, 2024!

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

****Thank you so much to the publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

thank you netgalley for giving me an arc of this graphic novel

this was a cute read but it didn't quite captured me, i felt like it was rushed and something was missing. I liked the color and the art style was cute

Sweet story about 2 gymnasts who overcome boundaries become friends. Kota learns sign language to communicate with Riley and Riley learned that she's not just a gymnast with Kota's help. They obviously both enjoy the other's company more than anyone else, but handholding and hugging are the extent of their physical signs of affection. Maybe there will be a second book with a more serious relationship on the horizon?

i love how popular graphic novels are these days and this one is just so good, so lovely, cute, heartwarming, pulls you right in from the very beginning. i loved the relationship of riley and kota, i loved their dynamic, the connection and understanding between them. the art style is a cherry on top, clean, simple but very lovely.

a sweet and powerful graphic novel about a gymnastics team and a hard-of-hearing MC.
with a story set in the 1990s, we've got ourselves a heartwarming novel with a very inspiring message and the touch of learning ASL was amazing.