Short, sweet and hopeful. Exactly what I needed to read when I needed to read it. Reach out, there's always people out there willing to listen and help make everything a little bit better.

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me this book to read.
It's Lovely. Perfect for talking about feeling and building empathy. A great book for any library.

This is such a lovely and heart-warming read and one that I read in one sitting. I absolutely loved the illustrations in this graphic novel as despite being simple, they conveyed so much which is just incredible in my opinion. This book is a wonderful depiction of what it’s like to feel lonely and not knowing who or where to go for help with that. I truly think that this book is likely to help a lot of people which is just what we want with a book like this. It’s a book that I am sure I will re-read whenever I need it.

These books are just so great aren't they? A huge hit in our library, they're doing invaluable work developing the awareness and discussion of mental health.

I was lucky to get a copy of Sad Ghosts Club by Lize Meddings and published by Hatchette via Netgalley I was so excited. I was having trouble reading this on my Kindle so I decided that I would get hold of Physical copy as I really really wanted to read it. There was something special about this graphic novel. I wasn't sure what it was but I knew it had an important message. I loved that the drawings were black and white I don't think it would of worked because the subject matter was about anxiety. As a sufferer of Anxiety I found myself in the characters of Socks and SG and know how alone you feel but when you talk to a fellow sufferer you finally realise that there are people just like you and there were people who could understand you even though their anxiety may different to yours. I particularly liked the resources at the back of the book. I believe there is going to be a follow up and I will be buying it I am dying to find out what happens to Socks and SG and for all these reasons I am giving The Sad Ghost Club 4 stars

Unfortunately, this was quite a let down for me.
I'd enjoyed similarly told stories, such as Sheets and Delicates by Brenna Thummler. Similar in both illustration style and coming of age tropes including elements of mental health discussion.

However I found the art style in The Sad Ghost Club to be a little lacking. Yes, some designs were cute. However such a huge percentage of panels were so similar throughout the entire book it felt as if they could have literally been copy and pasted or repeated and only infinitesimally changed. I also found there was quite a lack of variety in the scenes, in that so many illustrations were of the two characters just walking or sitting side by side throughout multiple pages and because the art style is quite minimal in nature, this became boring quite quickly.

I also found the dialogue quite boring and repetitive. I can see what the author was trying to do in opening a discussion around anxiety and depression but the conversation between the two characters just read to me as an awkward text conversation between near strangers based on an adult's idea of what teenager's dialogue is.
Coupled with the fact that the message and advice given about anxiety and depression was so cliche it added nothing new to what you could find on any mental health advertisement or pamphlet. Talk to someone, tell your parents/friends. Speak to a professional. Which, for me, again just tied into the repetitive nature of the rest of the story.

My reading experience was further hampered by the layout of the e-book. There were huge formatting errors where character's dialogue was either completely mixed up or the sentences made no sense as it would have part of one character's speech and the secondary character's mixed together. Which made for an extremely difficult and aggravating reading experience, trying to piece together which character was the one speaking and to then understand what was being said.
At the time which I read this e-arc the art wasn't final so text was not inserted into the speech bubbles provided, coupled with the text problems I've stated it made it very difficult to tell who was speaking at certain times.
I understand both characters were supposed to be shy and quite anxious meeting each other but their dialogue was so "samey" there was very little differentiation between them. In their physical design and in their speaking.
Hopefully these formatting errors were fixed in the published e-book versions of this book so confusion is avoided.

It saddens me to have so few positive points about a graphic novel I was initially excited about, especially one that tries to bring awareness to mental health, but I have to say I would undoubtedly recommend the similar works by Brenna Thummler (mentioned above) over The Sad Ghost Club. Similar art style while also in full colour, while also being a much more fleshed out storyline and a better representation of harder hitting issues such mental health discussion.

Relatable, and I love the illustration style. I've been following Like Meddings' work for a while and so happy that this book exists!

I'd heard bits and pieces about The Sad Ghost Club, but I hadn't realised how beautiful, touching, or hilarious it would be. Also relatable. So relatable. I think everyone has felt like a sad ghost at one time or another, and this just captured the feeling of anxiousness, loneliness, and being alone when you're surrounded by "friends" so perfectly. The story is gorgeous, the art is gorgeous, this is just a must read, especially if you know someone who's suffering from anxiety or depression and you want to understand even a tiny bit of how they might be feeling.

I can see how this would be comforting to a lot of people but it just wasn’t for me. Although I did like the discussion about how much pressure we put on ourselves to figure our lives out so early & how it’s unhealthy to centre your entire being around grades & results :)

This was such a lovely and heartwarming graphic novel! We follow a person with anxiety through one day of their life. When they manage to hype themselves up to go to a party, they meet another person like them and make a friend.

This simple and sweet story lacks plot, but that doesn't take away from the book at all. I really enjoyed breezing through this graphic novel and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for some warm, fuzzy feelings or for any teen who feels like their mental health us isolating them. You are not alone!

The Sad Ghost Club is both pleasant and charming. It has lovely artwork that absolutely captures the angst that teenagers suffering from anxiety feel. The writing here is perceptive and on point. It balances humour, pathos, and, sweetness exceedingly well. Sam is given to bouts of overthinking which give way to a sense of hopelessness and the self-doubt. Sam cares about his pets, parents, and cares about what people think of him. Socks also suffers from bouts of low feelings, but her experience and way of handling it are different from Sam’s. They are both characters you root for as they are sweet kids trying to do their best. It is a book that left me feeling warm all over. Without sounding too worthy, I think this is an important book. The stresses and strains that the pandemic has caused are likely to cause young people to become more vulnerable to mental illness. The message at the heart of the book is that you are not alone. You have a tribe that understands you. The hard thing sometimes is finding them. I was a shy teenager and grew up into the sort of bloke that you’d very much in the kitchen at parties. I would have very much liked to have read The Sad Ghost Club while I was growing up. It might have made things a bit easier. A lovely book.

The Sad Ghost Club is a fun, cute graphic novel that I managed to read in about half an hour (which I felt bad about considering how long it would have taken to draw all those pages, but such is the nature of graphic novels!). The drawings are cute, human forms hidden behind draped sheets over heads to symbolise their Sad Ghost identity. The art is warm and cute, but I can't say much more as I read this on my Kindle which doesn't support colour, so the art didn't come through as I'm sure it would on the page.

The story was lovely. It was warming and refreshing to see mental health talked about so openly and candidly, using accessible language that readers that apply to their lives, and practical advice and ways to move forward. Obviously this book is no match for mental health therapy or medication, but that feeling it gives you that there is a way out, that there are going to be better times and there are people to know how you feel. It was a very quick but soothing read, not too heavy but not too light that it won't make a difference to people lives.

So much of what was written about is so realistic and relevant, especially to my own life. The should I go, should I make an excuse, what if I get caught out in my excuse, is it worth it, can I pluck up the courage to say something, can I just push myself out of my comfort zone and hopefully it will be worth it. This is a really good depiction of anxiety and depression, and there are some really good links and resources at the end for readers struggling.

I'd been looking forward to reading this book ever since I heard it was coming out and I wasn't disappointed. It's an origin story of the sad ghost from the zines and online comics. I even spotted Skelly on one page! The black and white watercolour art is beautiful and the story strikes a good balance of being hopeful without being twee or dismissing mental illness. The sad ghosts don't find a magical fix to their problems, but the book leaves them on an optimistic note after discovering the importance of friendship and having someone to talk to.

I found The Sad Ghost Club a little disappointing if I'm being honest. I don't know if it's because of the way it was displaying in my kindle app, which made it difficult to read, but I never connected with the characters and it felt like I was reading for the sake of reading, if that makes sense, rather than because I was engaged in the story. I'd be quite interested in seeing a physical copy of the book so I can see what it shold look like though!

This is a graphic novel about depression and anxiety so hashtag relatable (I swear that's an ironic usage), with the imagery of people dressed up as bedsheet ghosts. The author/Artist has been doing Sad Ghost Club for a while, and I'm pretty sure I've seen her work floating about the internet, but this is my first time really consuming it.
It does a good job of showing Anxiety spirals. It's a very brief look at mental health. It just shows one day in the life of these characters who are different places of their mental health journey.

I like the art style, it's this black and white water colour vibe. It's sort of relaxing. This is being sold as similar to HeartStopper by Alice Oseman which I get, the art style are in the same school of style. In terms of plot, it's not as in-depth as HeartStopper but this is only one volume and does cover both themes. HeartStopper is only really getting into it's mental health stuff seriously now. I am curious to see how future volumes would be structure. A second volume for next year has been confirmed. This is still quite self-contained so I wouldn't wait for the next volume if you're a binge reader.

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for Cat Food. It's a YA book and probably is the perfect thing to sit in a school library. It's definitely a book I would have picked up then because of the title and cover (same as to why I picked it up now). It's probably too simplified for to ever touch me deeply, but that's mainly because I had six levels of trauma by that time I went into high school, but getting proper help as soon as possible is important to message to spread. It also probably a good book to give to someone who you're worried about. The perfect book to make you feel less alone.

This was a quirky and heartfelt read! The illustrations and dialogue meld perfectly to form a sweet tale that stays with you long after the last page.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought the illustrations were beautifully done and the story overall sends a really good message. Especially to those who feel like they're completely alone with their depression and/or anxiety. It sends the message that there are other people out there feeling the way you do and albeit in different boats with different baggage, you're all battling the same sea. And sometimes its better to speak out and seek some help than suffer in silence. But also, that it's okay not to be okay.

4/5 stars.

What a beautiful and sweet story! I really enjoyed the artwork, it was sweet and simplistic but really conveyed the story about loneliness. Its a great read that was uplifting and made me feel less alone :)

The Sad Ghost Club is a very sweet graphic novel that depicts the loneliness we feel even when we're surrounded by people and the fear of not being accepted as ourselves. The illustrations are beautiful yet simple and the story focuses on the anxiety and pressure young people feel when they're struggling with school work, making friends and deciding on opportunities for the future. I really enjoyed this graphic novel and would have loved for it to be a bit longer, it really emphasis the importance of speaking about your worries and fears and realising you're not alone.

This beautifully illustrated graphic novel truly warmed the cockles of my cold, anxious heart.

Meddings' depiction of that teeny window of chaotic hope between feeling at your lowest and realising you're not (and have never been) alone was just immaculate.

I've honestly never felt so seen in my life while reading. To have my *anxiety voice* be in a real book with pages and a cover is so surreal and I'm lost for words.

ALSO THE SAD GHOSTS WERE SO ADORABLE I literally can't.

I'm ever so grateful to have received this as an e-arc. Thank you to Hachette Children's Group.