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Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack.
Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.
View All posts by Erica Ezeifedi
I’ve always been a fan of graphic novels, but, as with virtually every other genre and form of book, working at Book Riot has exposed me to so many more. I have read more of the kinds of graphic novels I already knew I liked, like various fantasy and sci-fi series, for instance, but I’ve also delved into new and exciting territory.
The territory in question? Slice-of-life and romance, mostly. I had never outright disliked either genre, but I just thought that I needed a little more action and high stakes in my graphic novels.
But now? Now, it’s all about the low stakes. There are enough hyper-stressful, high-stakes things going on in the news cycle. Sometimes I need a moment to detach from all of that and place my mind elsewhere—somewhere that will soothe me and let me recalibrate. And I have to say: reading a good cozy graphic novel can feel so restorative.
There are a few graphic novel/manga series that have me feeling noticeably less stressed after I read them. They get bonus points if they are super adorable romances, like the book I talk about below. Which, by the way, Alice Oseman (author of Heartstopper) has said is “Super sweet and totally heartwarming!”
All Access members, continue reading about a super cute sapphic romance!
Erica Ezeifedi, Associate Editor, is a transplant from Nashville, TN that has settled in the North East. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a victim advocate and in public libraries, where she has focused on creating safe spaces for queer teens, mentorship, and providing test prep instruction free to students. Outside of work, much of her free time is spent looking for her next great read and planning her next snack.
Find her on Twitter at @Erica_Eze_.
View All posts by Erica Ezeifedi
If You’ll Have Me by Eunnie
In addition to being sweet and heartwarming, If You’ll Have Me is something else. Something that surprised me a bit, honestly. It is realistic.
It’s got bubblegum-cute characters with anime eyes and a color scheme to match, and yet, the romance doesn’t feel like insta-love. It’s a slow build that actually starts with a little doubt,