I really enjoyed this book at first, especially since the art style reminded me a lot of the Heartstopper comics. At some point nearly every character seemed to start making dumb decisions - causing tons of drama - and I grew a little tired of it.
So overall I did have a good time reading How Could You, but I could've done without most of the character's antics.

The story follows queer college students through one semester. We read about their journey towards self-discovery and the different relationships they encounter. I absolutely loved the art, but I did not vibe with the characters. They were so unlikable (except for Lou maybe) and they all made a mess of their lives. This could’ve worked but instead none of them really experienced character growth and learned something. I feel like this story had potential but it didn’t fully deliver.

I really loved the art in this and I do think this will be really enjoyable for some people, but it didn’t completely work for me.

I think the main issue I had was the characters. The majority of them were extremely unlikable and infuriated me a lot of the time. It really hindered my enjoyment of this.

That being said, I enjoyed parts of this and as I stated above, the art is beautiful! I think it’s definitely worth giving a go if it sounds like something you’d enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley, Ren Strapp & Oni Press for this ARC. This graphic novel is about a bunch of queer young people navigating college life and growing up. The main criticisms from others of this book seems to be that the characters are all evil. I strongly disagree, I thought it was an excellent depiction of how your late teens/early twenties challenges your ability to make and maintain relationships.

I found the storyline gripping, it was a quick read and I read it in one sitting. I would 100% read any follow ups to this story or any other novels the author releases. I also thought the illustrations were stunning, Ren really brought the characters to life.

I would recommend this book to fans of queer graphic novels with complicated characters and relationships. I think it would be best appreciated by late teens and up, it's not inappropriate for younger readers but I think they may miss the nuance.

I simultaneously loved this graphic novel and hated it. How Could You, Ren Strapp, make me feel so many different emotions over the course of an hour or so? If you are looking for a book that features almost every emotion us gays can feel about being gay, read this, but only if you don't want an HEA.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
For college student Molly Song, it’s all about the friendships and love at school. However, drama creeps in when Molly least expects it, with breakups, fights, and losing friends along the way.
I got lost several times, because of all the DRAMA! So much was going on (regarding the drama) for Molly and her close friend Lou. The exes who are in France, and roommates who are graduating soon and the hookups that came out of nowhere. A mix of college parties and dating thrown in together creates a little bit of a chaotic mess.

I don't think this story was bad, but the outcome didn't make me feel satisfied. I think there was a lot of good that happened throughout but I wouldn't pick this up again.

Firstly, I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for sending me a copy. I really liked the art style, it reminds me of Heartstopper. I also liked the LBTQIAP+ represantation. But I found that I didn't connect with the characters and that the story didn't really grab me. The characters are a bit unlikable and the ending was very vague, but I guess young adults can sometimes be selfish and confusing and that friendships can just fade, without having a clear resolution. Overall, it was an okay read. Maybe it was not for me, but I can see people enjoying it.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this graphic novel

This was a interesting read about relationships (romantic and friendship), showing the effects it can have on one's actions that can lead to situations that where reversed to their original nature but also the feeling of loneliness one feels after a break up.

This book in places was emotional and also their was a part that hit me when talking about trying to control situations

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review.

I didn’t mind ‘how could you’ but I feel the end was unsatisfying it left too many things in the air, nice illustrations though I like the look of the characters.

Rating 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

How Could You is the debut graphic by Ren Strapp and follows the relationships of a group of queer women at college. I really enjoyed this story and the characters felt really tangibly clueless about how to navigate their feelings in the way that you do when you’re just starting out in life as a queer adult.

This book gave me similar vibes to Mimosa by Archie Bongiovanni, with a more new adult spin, although realistically it reads more Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me but every single character is Laura Dean.

Some reviewers have been turned off by how messy or unlikeable many of the characters are, but for me that is what young queer relationships are like - too many feelings and no brakes; in a world that feels so tiny and yet so vast compared to years of not understanding yourself. I was charmed, your mileage may vary.

Strapp’s character designs and layouts also really shine here - the beats that really embraced whimsy and cartoonish breaks in the form really added a sense of levity to this story of heavy emotions.

This was a book that left me feeling sad, and also frustrated for the characters? Nothing is resolved. They just end it all up in the air. And while all of the characters are flawed, there's at least one character that acts like they did nothing wrong and the plot does nothing to address this. I think I would feel less disgusted if all of the characters were acknowledged as flawed.

Thank you for sending me this advanced reader copy. I loved How Could You, it was such an easy read and I felt like I understood the characters in the short amount of time I spent with them. I would love to see another story in the same style as this one from Strapp. Thank you again.

This graphic novel is delivered in a very cute art style which reminds me of Heartstopper. I loved the characters in the novel and how it depicted the issues young people have in college in relation to relationships and sexual orientation. I would love to see a follow up for this to see where the characters go in the next year.

I really enjoyed this book so much!!
The story captivating with flawed but lovely characters, the character design was amazing!! loving the diversity and casual representation of not only many different cultures but also disabilities and bodies <3

I felt so uncomfortable reading this the whole time. there was horrible writing, characters with low motives for the most immature reasoning. especially Molly! These are college students? the author has probably been out of uni for a while now or has never gone at all.

I adored this graphic novel, the characters felt so real each one was unique and the art was eyecatching and expressed so much emotion. I highly recomend everyone gives this book a read becasue I loved this coming of age story!

How Could You is a slice of life queer romance about a group of friends and their interpersonal problems and lives. The main friend group is all queer in college, dealing with their sexualities and former and future relationships. There wasn't a huge grand plot here but I really enjoyed the characters and seeing this kind of friend group being highlighted in a book was very refreshing. I'll definitely read more from this creator.

Thank you Oni Press and Netgalley for giving me an ARC I return for a fair and honest review.

How Could You? Is a story of selfishness, growing-up, and being messy following Molly Song and her group of friends/girlfriends/exs navigate their finals years of collage. And yeah, it's perfectly mid.

None of the characters are really interesting but are held up by a decent plot that doesn't go as far as it could. It handles its themes of toxic relationships and what behaviour is acceptable, what's not in and out of a relationship well with a conclusion to Molly's story that's overall satisfying. The dialogue is good, with threads of humor and snark throughout that work really well. The art style as well is absolutely gorgeous and fitting for this kind of graphic.

I think that's my biggest issue with this book, though: it's super safe, doesn't really stretch itself, and is simplistic in a way that borders bland. I just wanted a little more out of these characters and plot that was never actually delivered on. A massive shame!

If you like any of Alice Oseman's work, then I think you may really like this, especially if you're craving something a little more mature or a little more sapphic. On the whole though, this novel is more missed opportunity than anything else and not going to be my go-to nomination for the best queer graphic novel of 2024.

How could you is a story about mistakes and living with your choices and trying to see if you can fix them. I enjoyed this story because it wasn’t all happy and rainbows. Mistakes were made. It shows that everything has a reaction and consequences, and you can either try to fix things or just move on. I think even though the story wasn’t my favorite it still has good aspects to it and a story that the author felt that needed to be told. It’s giving for me one of those drama tv shows where you want to look away and lowkey hate most of the cast but you can’t look away at the same time.