MariNaomiRecensioni

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher of Simon & Schuster, and the author MariNaomi for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I didn't know the differences between the original and expanded version, besides the author saying there was an additional epilogue. There could be some other technical differences such as the inking and coloring being updated or some scenes re-drawn. Besides those details, the graphic novel was a fun and compressed travelogue journey as the author travels throughout Japan and works as a hostess. Their struggles to relearn their native/mother tongue are quite relatable. While, I didn't particularly enjoy the presence of their boyfriend, Giussipe, I understand why he was included. I'm surprised there wasn't much interaction between their parents as they traveled in Japan. Including those elements would have been interesting or brought some insights about the author's life and their themes.

I wish I could explain why I loved this memoir, but anything I say won't do it justice. So, simply, yes

MariNaomi captures the voice of a woman, confused by years of emotional, if not practically useful, memories regarding her acquaintance turned best friend turned nemesis turned ghost... As well as how those memories are another nemesis.

The format of "archaeologist notebook turned graphic novel" was a beautiful exploration of how experiences are formed, forgotten, and reformed in our minds.

graphic memoir - mixed race Japanese-American's experiences working in a Japanese-style hostess bar in San Jose, then later traveling to Tokyo (with their boyfriend) and working as a hostess there, and struggling with the language barrier all the time. (author currently identifies as nonbinary)

a quick read and an interesting story :)½

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Trigger warning for violence against women, including stalking and rape.)

What began as a casual acquaintance eventually blossomed into a best friendship - one that ended seemingly without warning. Mari and Jodie were friends from ages 14 to 28, at which point Jodie abruptly disappeared from Mari's life, leaving Mari to wonder what she did wrong. It would be more than a decade before she learned the truth behind Jodie's exodus, first from mutual contacts and, finally, from her ex-best friend herself.

I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME is a sort of excavation - of Mari's friendship with Jodie; the fragile and fleeting nature of memories; coming of age as a biracial, bisexual feminist in the '90s; and building (and losing) relationships and trust - through prose, letters, journal entries, and mixed media collages. It's got a distinct Gen X vibe to it that I love.

The mystery of Jodie's departure is, at least to this outsider, so mundane as to be anticlimactic (Of course that was it. OF COURSE.), but the journey leading there is interesting, in a voyeuristic kind of way.

That said, I worry that I missed out on some of the nuances of the story. The ARC I received from the publisher was incredibly pixelated; the (charmingly) typewritten index cards proved difficult to read, and anything handwritten - such as Jodie's notes - were plain impossible. The difficult reading experience likely dampened my overall enthusiasm for the book. So, grain of salt.

I Thought You Loved Me is a graphic memoir about the author's decades-long friendship with someone who eventually betrayed her. Told through excerpts from her journal and calendar entries, MariNaomi rediscovers parts of their friendship, both the parts she remembered and parts she had long forgotten. It's an intimate look at a relationship that has changed and shifted over the years, and it's a testament to how our memories can distort the way we look at our past. The artwork itself is unique, and it lends well to the method of storytelling that is used here.

From a technical standpoint, as someone with vision issues I did have difficulty reading certain pages based on certain fonts/backgrounds, so that is something to keep in mind.

Thank you to Amble Press and Edelweiss for providing a copy for review.½

I'm not quite sure what I expected - maybe a more in-depth examination of the author's alienation from her culture, or less focus on the romantic aspect of her life, but either way I didn't get it. I understand that romance and who you date and love really impact your life and how you live it, but Mari didn't really seem to like Guiseppe very much, and their relationship wasn't really explored in depth (which was disappointing, since it seemed she eschewed examining her cultural alienation to focus on that relationship).

The little vignettes (of her time as a hostess, of her mom's reluctance to talk about her past) were well-done and reminiscent of how memory works - sometimes things flit in and out with the barest of connections to what you were talking about before, but made the whole narrative feel disjointed and choppy.

I just tore through this, loved it! A great time capsule of adolescence, Marin in the 80s, heartbreak, tripping, the punk rock boy dating a cheerleader, the snippets of music, the personality shining through. Congratulations Mari!

It wasn't until about halfway through that I started to get into this book. It was a lot of drama with little substance, but I liked how messy it got and the way MariNaomi interpreted the characters as they morphed through their emotions. I've been reading a lot of "nice"-feeling MG and YA slice-of-life graphic novels lately, and though I initially bristled at the grittier subject matter, I really appreciated this in the end how it doesn't shy away from some difficult topics that are no less relevant to teens. I'm definitely game for Book Two.

Many thanks to Graphic Universe and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/89OCBJ-6kQ4

Enjoy!

Honestly, this title was boring. I could not relate to the characters in any way. While the main character, Nigel, is said to be trying too hard, it felt like most of this book was forced. While each character gets their chance to tell their own story, it was never compelling.

Interesting! Covering an array of teenly life issues, this story zigs and zags to tease and captivate. I liked it, but need to see where it's going to make a full judgement.

Capturing pointed vignettes of life that depict true ironic introspection. Really enjoyed it. Art is spare but extraordinarily expressive. Stories are bare and raw and sobbingly hilarious.

Uncomfortable and funny account of dalliances with a throbbing thread of introspection and consideration. Distinctive art style.

A bunch of unlikable teens deal with typical coming of age stuff while vague supernatural elements sort of intrude around the edges of the story. Each chapter switches perspective and, in an interesting choice, comes with a change of art style by the creator.

I wanted to like this, but the characters and their actions just really irked me. Probably because they were fairly accurate depictions of teens, and I'm a cranky old man who more than anything just wants them to stay off my lawn.

This was an okay graphic memoir. I was a little disappointed because I expected to get a little more culture and story but what I got was an overview of her trip to Japan. There was a bit of interesting culture surrounding hostess bars and how American and Japanese morals differ, but not enough to merit a high rating in my opinion.

This has been sitting on my shelf for years and I finally got to it. I think the reason I wasn't super thrilled with it is that I was expecting a more cohesive story line and it was extremely episodic. I didn't feel like I got to know Mari or any of the boys she dated/fooled around with very well and it just sort of disappointed me. I don't think it's poorly done, I just think it's not what I was expecting/wanted at the time.

This has been sitting on my shelf for years and I finally got to it. I think the reason I wasn't super thrilled with it is that I was expecting a more cohesive story line and it was extremely episodic. I didn't feel like I got to know Mari or any of the boys she dated/fooled around with very well and it just sort of disappointed me. I don't think it's poorly done, I just think it's not what I was expecting/wanted at the time.

This has been sitting on my shelf for years and I finally got to it. I think the reason I wasn't super thrilled with it is that I was expecting a more cohesive story line and it was extremely episodic. I didn't feel like I got to know Mari or any of the boys she dated/fooled around with very well and it just sort of disappointed me. I don't think it's poorly done, I just think it's not what I was expecting/wanted at the time.

This has been sitting on my shelf for years and I finally got to it. I think the reason I wasn't super thrilled with it is that I was expecting a more cohesive story line and it was extremely episodic. I didn't feel like I got to know Mari or any of the boys she dated/fooled around with very well and it just sort of disappointed me. I don't think it's poorly done, I just think it's not what I was expecting/wanted at the time.

I agree very much with jasonli's review. It was a lovely book to read, but too little. The short chapters just felt like wisps and I was left wanting to have known more.½