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A review by purplepenning
Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan
5.0
4.5 stars
This is so much more than I was expecting! And I was expecting a modern Romeo and Juliet by way of You've Got Mail with queer rep and a comic-book-geeky setting! Which it is!
But what it isn't is another light YA rom-com with a goofy vibe like Hot Dog Girl. There's humor here and sweet nerd joy and, yes, awkward teen relationships and coming-of-age awareness about sexuality, but I wouldn't really consider this a rom-com. I'd call it a contemporary YA that skillfully and sensitively tells the story of two star-crossed young lovers who, like their Shakespearean counterparts, don't need to blame the stars for their trouble when it's clearly being generated much closer to home — by their feuding families and the mental health issues that can grow from unhealthy family dynamics.
Jubilee is so tightly wound about her upcoming cello auditions that she's hit a wall and no amount of practice can get her through it. Under orders to let go and live a little, she follows the advice of her best friend and master of the ComicCon crush — she dresses as a peacock character (we'll call her Peak) and flirts with a cute boy in a half-assed Batman costume at the con prom. She's supposed to ghost him, but Bats lives safely on the other side of the country, so a fun text-only relationship doesn't seem like the worst idea.
Bats turns out to be Ridley, the anxiety-riddled black sheep son of the aggressively competitive comic book chainstore owner that is the mortal enemy of Jubilee/Peak's indie store–owning mom. Of course that doesn't all come to light until later. After Peak and Bats discover how well they click, after Jubilee and Ridley (who is current NOT living on the other side of the country) discover how important they could be to each other, after they endure some no-win situations, some friends and family angst, several panic attacks, some truly bad decisions, and a few courageous course changes.
The writing sparkles, the characters are fleshed out and fun and endearing, the pacing could be tightened up just a bit, but it's the representation and careful portrayals that really shine here. In particular, there's diversity in character ethnicity and family structures; honest conversations about bisexuality, sexuality, and labels; and realistic, sensitive portrayals of anxiety, depression, codependency, and narcissism. It feels fresh and needful and like I want to put it in every high school library.
Content notes: strong language, lying, codependency and enabling behaviors, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, grounding exercises, suicidal ideation, past suicide attempt (described and discussed; resources for hotlines and lifelines given), teenage runaway, emotionally abusive and detached narcissistic parents, alcoholism, car crash, hospital scene
This is so much more than I was expecting! And I was expecting a modern Romeo and Juliet by way of You've Got Mail with queer rep and a comic-book-geeky setting! Which it is!
But what it isn't is another light YA rom-com with a goofy vibe like Hot Dog Girl. There's humor here and sweet nerd joy and, yes, awkward teen relationships and coming-of-age awareness about sexuality, but I wouldn't really consider this a rom-com. I'd call it a contemporary YA that skillfully and sensitively tells the story of two star-crossed young lovers who, like their Shakespearean counterparts, don't need to blame the stars for their trouble when it's clearly being generated much closer to home — by their feuding families and the mental health issues that can grow from unhealthy family dynamics.
Jubilee is so tightly wound about her upcoming cello auditions that she's hit a wall and no amount of practice can get her through it. Under orders to let go and live a little, she follows the advice of her best friend and master of the ComicCon crush — she dresses as a peacock character (we'll call her Peak) and flirts with a cute boy in a half-assed Batman costume at the con prom. She's supposed to ghost him, but Bats lives safely on the other side of the country, so a fun text-only relationship doesn't seem like the worst idea.
Bats turns out to be Ridley, the anxiety-riddled black sheep son of the aggressively competitive comic book chainstore owner that is the mortal enemy of Jubilee/Peak's indie store–owning mom. Of course that doesn't all come to light until later. After Peak and Bats discover how well they click, after Jubilee and Ridley (who is current NOT living on the other side of the country) discover how important they could be to each other, after they endure some no-win situations, some friends and family angst, several panic attacks, some truly bad decisions, and a few courageous course changes.
The writing sparkles, the characters are fleshed out and fun and endearing, the pacing could be tightened up just a bit, but it's the representation and careful portrayals that really shine here. In particular, there's diversity in character ethnicity and family structures; honest conversations about bisexuality, sexuality, and labels; and realistic, sensitive portrayals of anxiety, depression, codependency, and narcissism. It feels fresh and needful and like I want to put it in every high school library.
Content notes: strong language, lying, codependency and enabling behaviors, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, grounding exercises, suicidal ideation, past suicide attempt (described and discussed; resources for hotlines and lifelines given), teenage runaway, emotionally abusive and detached narcissistic parents, alcoholism, car crash, hospital scene