This was a simple read. Both drawing style and wtiting style. I picked this up after watching the TV series and I have to say, I think I like the tv show better; we got to know the characters and everything felt deeper. I don't understand how James fell in love with Alyssa in the comic while I do in the tv series. Glad I read it, but I will most probably never re read it. Maybe a flick through once or twice. Too simple and I dislike the art style too.

Edit: Upon rereading, much better. Hate the ending though. Not because it's bad, but because it is so bleak. I still think the show ties together the depth of their relationship better than the book, but I see the book's attempts better this time around.

First read: It's cool to see the original work, but I think the show has a lot more heart and is a lot more fleshed out.

I dont know what to say... the story wasnt as strong as the show, but I still very much enjoyed it. Probably gonna re-read soon.

This is a story about a lonely boy and a lonely girl who find each other and I can’t describe how this book and the show make me feel. The character development is amazing, because James literally wants to kill Alyssa at first but ends up loving her.

“ i’m almost 18. And i think i understand. What people mean to each other.”

I mean damn thats some character development right there.
The comic style is also adorable but simple which i love and the story itself is just so dark.

Can we just run away like James and Alyssa?

I read this book because I loved the series and I wanted to see how the book differed. As I suspected based on the description, it was much darker! That doesn't mean that I didn't like it, however, and in fact I enjoyed how twisted it turned out to be. The contrast between the simple illustration style and shocking plot twists is jarring (but not in a bad way).
I would warn fans of the show that they probably won't like this book for any of the reasons that they like the show. TEOTFW on Netflix has more of a teen adventure spin on it, and the characters and more sympathetic and cute. While I ended up rooting for James and Alyssa's relationship in the series, I barely felt any sympathy for their book counterparts. The outcome of the book is bleak and there are some dark elements that were cut out of the show. That being said, I like a bit of shock and horror in my reading now and then, so I loved the book in a completely different way than I loved the show!

I wasn’t planning to read this after the disappointment with I Am Not Okay With This, but I got a notification that my library hold was ready, and so I decided to make the library’s hold retrieval worth it. This ended up being slightly less disappointing. Yes, the show is still much preferable to the comic, but the comic has its own… not exactly charm, but draw, maybe. For one, the hardcover edition is just nice. And it’s a short read, as I read it on two bus rides over the course of an hour. Like the other novel, this one is dark and grim and veers extremely towards the nihilistic side of being a teenager. The protagonists, James and Alyssa, are both extremely broken individuals with not much to live for, except each other—and even this relationship is built on a gossamer web of lies.

I am biased from the show, but the show version of the characters will always be superior to me. Still, the comic versions weren’t bad either—their feelings, or lack thereof, were displayed quite clearly on the page. As before, the art style is nothing to win awards, but its simplicity makes the dark and disturbing scenes that much harsher to behold. I wasn’t a huge fan of the alternating perspectives; here, it isn’t always clear whose perspective it is, and sometimes after reading the section through, I still wasn’t sure. Because of its length, we don’t get an extended time to see Alyssa and James grow into their relationship, so some of the resolution feels a bit accelerated.

I did enjoy that the comic gives a somewhat different focus than the show, which ends up taking a kind of mystery/chase route. The difference between setting in the US and in the UK was also interesting, as I feel the comic depicts more of that working class/“white trash” subsection of America, which the show obviously doesn’t have (though it involves the class angle from another lens). This also has that plot element, but the comic makes sure to keep the spotlight on Alyssa and James as characters, as well as their emotional struggles. Their relationship and understanding of it is key to the whole thing, and I was glad to see that come through strongly in the comic as well. My takeaway from this one is that being a teenager sucks (of course), but it sucks slightly less if you have someone who gets you… and even then, it could be a sociopath.

Interestingly, this comic was first serialized as a mini-comic—I wonder if the original formatting suits this style better than reading it once through as a collection in hardcover.

i demolished this book in the car ride hone and as a fan of the show it definitely didn’t disappoint but it did feel a little bit like the storyboard for a version we never got to see

the book is definitely more vague on the details of the story and probably a completely different experience if you don’t have any prior knowledge

3.5/5

Aunque la historia es bastante corta debido al formato en qué fue publicada originalmente, creo que da a entender bien el tema central de la relación entre James y Alyssa.

what the fuck did i just read

Heart-breaking. The psychopathology of one boy, the evils of parenthood, and a road trip to remember. I loved every moment of it.