Verona Comics

An ALA Rainbow Book List Pick You've Got Mail gets a queer YA twist. --Teen Vogue A deep dive into first love while learning to manage significant mental health challenges . . . Dugan's strength is in creating a diverse cast of characters. Ridley is bisexual, Jubilee struggles with how to identify and label her sexuality, and most of the supporting characters are queer-identified. --School Library Journal Dugan takes her cues from Romeo and Juliet, empathetically exploring mental illness, suicide ideation, and the stigmas of each . . . A smart, compassionate love story to and for teens. --Booklist Dugan infuses her characters with a warm sense of depth and compassion, particularly the socially self-conscious Ridley, a boy plagued with immense anxiety and frequent suicidal thoughts . . . This one's a winning choice. Breathlessly sweet. --Kirkus Reviews Part fresh romance, part honest exploration of the impact of depression and suicidal ideation on individuals and relationships, Dugan's story--told in alternating first-person narratives--encapsulates an inspiring level of compassion from its flawed, endearing protagonists and an inclusive secondary cast. --Publishers Weekly This heartfelt story of young love turned codependency offers an honest, sympathetic portrait of depression and anxiety . . . Give this to fans of Green's Turtles All the Way Down and readers who want their adorable-couple stories with a healthy dose of introspection and emotional heft. --BCCB Rom-com lovers will readily embrace [Verona Comics] . . . However, not all of the story is light; the plot also centers on Ridley's anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts . . . Sexuality is another topic that is discussed frankly throughout the book, depicting several queer characters of various sexualities, including the main characters themselves. All of these issues are presented realistically. --School Library Connection