New people overwhelm her but her current friends and family give her comfort. She would prefer to be alone but she agrees to the plans that others have arranged as she doesn’t want to hurt their feelings by turning them down. She would prefer to have an empty calendar than a full one. As I read through this novel, I found myself agreeing with some of the feelings that she was acknowledging, could it be that I had some traits of an introvert?
As a young child, Debbie was quiet and preferred to be alone so this is not something that has just occurred. Debbie had been struggling with social anxiety for a few years now and she keeps her guard up. As she starts to becomes an adult, she begins to rethink how she handles her social situations.
One of the reasons that I enjoyed this graphic novel was because of the messages it was sending its readers. Debbie liked being by herself and what she was doing was fine but how she felt was causing her conflict. Debbie felt that she needed to conform, to please others but she doesn’t. Debbie needs to only please herself. Debbie also doesn’t need to be upset with herself for not fitting in with other individuals in her life, she needs to do what makes her happy. I liked the way this graphic novel presents this. I also liked the illustrations, I thought these helped fuel the energy towards the messages inside the novel. I think that many readers will be able to relate to Debbie as they read this graphic novel.
This was an arc and I hope that they keep this one page as it made me smile and it is one that I know many people will be able to relate to. This page had two sections, one section was labeled “How Other People Party” and it had individuals dancing with drinks in their hands and they were all laughing and smiling. There were streamers and a banner decorating the room. In the second section of the page, it said, “How I Party” and it had Debbie in her bed with a hot drink on her nightstand. She was sitting up with a book in her hands and she was getting excited as the plot in her book thickened. I loved this.
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review.