The archive date for this book was changed three times and the last time I checked it was set to September.

This novel does a great job in depicting the various things what teenagers, especially young girls go through. The sad reality of teens coming in contacts with bad habits such as smoking and how it is back promoted by other responsible adults is shown correctly in the book as I have come across these thing myself.
The story is about a 17 year old girl who is hardworking but it is still not enough! She struggles and finds herself but the path is tough.
I liked how it showed the reality and things that teens go through in their lives. #MyRiot #NetGalley

A coming of age story about Val, a girl who was just trying to find her way through the 90s. She starts a band with a girl and finds herself. I didn't find the lyrics that were included in the novel to be any good? But maybe it's just going over my head. It was nice to see a person grow and change and find herself. I'm going to rate this 3 stars as the art style wasn't for me either, but I enjoyed the story! I liked the characters and the way that they support each other.

This was a fun book, set during the early 90s, about rebelling, finding yourself and growing into you, unapologetically.

Unfortunately it was just okay for me. I found myself kind of irritated at some things, particularly how one character reacted in regards to someone not being their first sexual partner, the using of people to gain attention of others and this weird steryotyping of black people in regards to others being shocked that we can be alternative too... one even said "but you're back" and it just wound me up the wrong way that this wasn't addressed and just laughed off.

I didn't enjoy reading how forcefully the ballet teacher encouraged smoking and forcing to lose weight, encouraging eating disorders. Yet, I feel like it was an accurate representation of something that sadly happens, not just in the professional dance world but other communities too. There were also mild skimming of racial tensions, sexism and slut shaming. I just wish we had more of that discussion.

Overall, although I loved the girl power and the friendships and the overcoming of some hardships, it was just kind of basic and not something that really captured my attention.

I thought it was a very enjoyable story of a girl finding her place in the world. The time jumps near the end were a bit annoying though, I'd rather see more volumes taking her to where she is 'now' than see this enormous time jump in this one volume. But yeah, I enjoyed the story, I liked the characters and the art style was amazing (though seeing the art wasn't as colourful as the cover was a tiny disappointment).

I really enjoyed this. A gutsy, nostalgic and gorgeously drawn dive into the world of riot grrrl, homemade zines and coming of age.

This graphic novel, I loved it, I enjoyed it, I wished it had another end but it didn't so... It was cool, I'm gonna give it 5 stars and thanks netgalley for this ARC, it was such a great story

This graphic novel is the place where ballet and punk rock collide in one teenager's life. Spoiler: punk wins.

My Riot by Rick Spears is a fast paced, short, 80s/90s romp that brings all the angst and fun of the teenage years.

This was a very fun read that kept me hooked! The illustrations were also great! This coming of age tale is a great read for lovers of graphic novels.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Fierce. Feminist. POWERFUL.

MY RIOT is full of rawness and teenage angst, friendship and self-discovery, wrapped up in a bundle of ballet, boyfriends and punk-rock. The graphic novel's panels are gorgeous, their texture and palette conveying atmosphere flawlessly. The narrative is compelling, and I found myself flying through the story in just a couple hours.

It's a coming-of-age story, for sure, but it's SO realistic. The characters are flawed, yet they work through their troubles. There's no real "happily-ever-after" -- but there's a realistic ending that's tinged in hope. That's part of what makes this story so appealing -- it's not a fantastical version of reality. It IS reality. The ups, the downs, the love, the hate, the beginnings and the endings.

I'm so glad I got the chance to read this title -- Val's story is poignant, turbulent, raw and emotional, and both her challenges and her perseverance will stay with me for years to come.

My Riot is just about everything I love in a graphic novel. The character designs were simple but easy to tell who was who, the characters were just so fun and the setting in the early 90's punk scene was just perfect for me! As a punk fan, this story was just a really fun time and I loved it endlessly. There were some questionable topics in the early chapters, but no real reference to the triggering topics, and as the story progressed they were all left behind. A perfect story.

This is a really unique premise of a graphic novel about a girl joining a punk girl band. However, it's not very unique in the story telling which is what brings the rating much lower. The artwork is really good and I think the characters had potential but since the plot is so generic and typical it falls short of it's possible greatness. The main character Val was a normal good girl doing ballet, but she starts to fall apart and finds solace in the punk scene. A definite trigger warning for weight issues / eating disorders (anorexia / bulimia), which is explicitly shown on page since this is a graphic novel.
The beginning is where all the depth begins and ends and once Val creates her own girl band they are immediately opening up for a few tour dates, then getting booked for their own tour, getting a label and ultimately doing a festival. It all happens swiftly and there isn't much to the characters development from there.

This cute, fun, messy graphic novel has a lot of important stuff to say and I loved the 90s RiotGrrrl aesthetic so much, but I don't know how I felt about the actual art of storytelling here. I found myself bored at times and experiencing whiplash at others due to the complete inconsistency of pacing, and the entire final chapter was rushed and felt untidy and strange. I'd say this is a solid 3.5 star read for me, and while I'm glad I picked it up, I don't foresee myself recommending it much simply because it feels like the sort of forgettable story I won't think back on very often after today.

✨ Content warnings for: girl-hate, fat-shaming, eating disorders (incl. bulimia & vomiting), smoking addiction & withdrawals, racism, slut-shaming, misogyny (all behaviors are eventually challenged in the text, though sometimes vaguely)

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with this review copy in exchange for an honest review!

We follow Val, a teenage ballerina, as she falls in love with punk rock and forms a band.
This is a very short read, being under 200 pages which I enjoy in general as some graphic novels/comics are unnecessarily long. However, because there was so much to the plot, I felt like some things could have been left out. There are so many components to this story that a few things could have been omitted, for example the eating disorder was never resolved and for me the ballerina part could have been less developed and other, more important things could have been focused on more. Which leads to another issue I had: Kat, our main characters' best friend isn't developed at all.
Overall, I enjoyed this, especially the female representation in this book: how women should never be ashamed or made to feel bad about sex and how you don't need to be in a relationship to be happy.

My nerdy little wannabe 90s girl rocker heart loved this. It’s a coming of age story about a teenager who is not sure she’s on the right path. The story is very fast paced, so much happens. But it’s awesome to see a young woman find herself and I loved that it took place in the early 1990s. The art is punchy and gritty. It doesn’t have a lot of colour but it uses colour well. Excellent character development. I liked how this wasn’t light and fluffy but instead was a bit dark and showed how hard it is to find oneself.
Trigger warning: fat shaming, bulimia
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My Riot was a very interesting read on feminism. The graphic novel follows Val on her journey to self-discovery. She go from ballet to learning to playing an instrument.

I enjoyed this quick read. I feel that the main character Val was very relatable. I understand what it's like to not fit a certain mold that is expected of you. The author also include a relationship between Val and longtime crush. As much as she cared for him, she let him go to continue her dream. That is truly inspiring! I think what I loved the most about this book is that it took place in the 90s!

I would definitely recommend this book to someone trying to understand feminism. It is also great for a quick read or getting out of a reading slump.

Thank you Oni Press for letting me have early access to My Riot!!!

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I loved the characters, the design, the art, the plot, the friendships and the family relationships.
It was a really fun and unique story.

"My Riot" is a raw, poignant romp through the era of the 90's Riot Girl and the chaotic, frenzied punk rock scene.

For nearly every emerging adult, there comes a time when they look at their lives and ask themselves, wait, who decided this is who I am? For 17-year old Val, that means a sudden switch from classical ballet, skinny-girl expectations and the conservative romantic life that her parents encouraged her in. Instead, she pursues the freedom of expression that comes from creating punk music and growing as the lead in an all-girl band. The theme is an iteration of the Riot Grrrl movement of the early 90s and showcases both how far equality has come and how far it has yet to go. Both the story and the art draw a sharp contrast between the pink facades of female expectations and the gritty, sometimes dangerous world of freedom of expression. Even if one has never danced ballet or picked up a guitar, this is a story that is easy to resonate with.
Trigger Warning: abuse of authority, assault, eating disorder, bar fights, strong language, cigarette and alcohol use.
As I read this story, a part of my heart lifted up and flew away with Val and Kat. Sometimes as an adult it's easy to forget the teenage pressures of fitting in at school (dance school and high school), not disappointing your parents, making friends and boyfriends happy, and struggling to be true to yourself. Yet there is a part of me that still wishes I could go back and do it over again, choosing to be free like Val. Kat is the best friend I wish everyone could have, unashamed of her weight, body hair, gender expression, sexuality, and dreams, and she is totally willing to share that cheeky confidence with Val throughout the story. I'm so proud of Val's mom. I understand her frustration and fear at the beginning of the book, but I love her letting go and willingness to love through it all.
There's really just so much crammed into this relatively short book, my review could go on much longer. I'll stop here with a high school/young adult recommendation, and advise anyone who is curious about why some women seem so angry all the time to give this novel a chance.

Welcome Back!


I have been trying really hard these past few weeks to wrap up some reads that I have had on my list for a while or reads I have just started and stopped for no reason (other then my mood shifted). I love reading graphic novels because I can pick them up on a work break or right before bed and read the whole thing in one sitting (most of the time, there are some bind ups and super long mangas). I was given an E-ARC of this graphic novel on Netgalley and I really wanted to read it but again my whole mood shifted and I just stopped so last week I sat down and read this graphic novel, and I enjoyed my time with it!


SPOILERS AHEAD


Val is a teen ballerina, her dream is to become a professional ballerina someday but that all changes this year. When Val's ballet school announces they are putting on a performance of Swan Lake she is called into the head teacher's office. Here she and her best ballet friend are both told they need to lose weight before the performance or they will not be cast. Val is crushed and wants to be in Swan Lake more than ever, she is willing to do anything including start smoking to try and lose the fifteen pounds her teacher demands. Val heads to a local store to try to buy cigarettes, but of course, she is turned away by the clerk. Another girl in the store sees her struggle and steals the cigarettes for her. Val never expects to see this girl again but she does during a riot in their neighborhood. From here the girls become fast friends and even start a band! They form an all-girl band (who mostly has to practice over the phone because Val gets grounded). Eventually, when she is ungrounded they perform their first gig and things take off! People love their band! They do a small tour, Val quits ballet, and embraces her love of music and herself.


Val's story was not an easy story and I hated her ballet teacher. In the end, I loved where Val ended up (I am not going to spoil the end of the graphic novel but they do tell you where Val ends up after high school). Additionally, I loved all of Val's bandmates. They stood up for one another and were always a team no matter what was going on. I really enjoyed my time with this story and I loved the illustrations!


Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars





***I was given an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review