Thanks to NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

<i>Thieves</i> is French cartoonist Lucie Bryon's debut graphic novel, following queer high schoolers Ella and Madeleine as they embody the phrase "be gay, do crimes".

Making a belated release in translation, following its initial French release earlier this year, the graphic novel puts its own spin on the well-established queer YA romance / coming of age story that has been popularised in recent years by the likes of <I>Laura Dean Keeps Breaking up with Me</I>, <I>Bloom</I>, <I>Heartstopper</I> and the work of Molly Knox Ostertag and Tillie Walden. <I>Thieves</I> follows two high school girls who bond over their mutual sticky fingers and uncertainty about the future as they approach graduation. Ella, the protagonist, in particular feels really well-rounded and expressive on every page and relatable as a main character.

Bryon first crossed my radar via her short comic <I>Food Baby</I>, published by Shortbox, and her emotive and intuitive artistic style scales up beautifully in this full-length story. The current trend for art style in this genre is leaning ever more minimalist and clean (think Alice Oseman) but <I>Thieves</I> delightfully springs from maximalist layering to abstract metaphor to cartoonish exaggeration deftly - all wrapped up in Bryon's charming character designs. For readers newer to comics, <I>Thieves</I> may well come across a little busier or hard-to-follow than its equivalents but I personally found it really charming and uninhibited in its ziney nature.

A bit more context into the backgrounds of the characters physically on the page would have helped round out this story further but <I>Thieves</I> is a charming and well-drawn queer YA tale that delivers on its aims.

“live another life for one night. not a costume to stand out…a costume to blend in.”

This is such an adorable read. I was hesitant about starting it because I wasn’t in a good headspace and I thought that would affect my rating but honestly it perked up my mood so much. The whole story made me so incredibly happy. Its a great mix of coming of age, friendships, a blossoming relationship, casual queerness and just an all around fun plot.

The artstyle of this stands out so much to me in the most positive way, it’s probably one of my favourite styles ive seen in a graphic novel lately. The author made fantastic use of colour and imagery throughout and it does such a good job at making it interesting to read. The colour palette is also so stunning and I love that each setting throughout the book had its own colour palette. The author also does a great job of visualising emotions throughout their art, my favourite instance of this was when it was showing feelings of anxiety it made the characters appear as though they were drowning in their feelings and it really made me relate so much more to the story. The story does a great job at addressing characters mental healths and showing that through art.

The main relationship in this was also incredibly easy to root for. They were both flawed characters but there was a sense of comfort in knowing that they were able to better one another. I also loved how their relationship went from a place of having a lack of communication to a place that valued communication and valued and listened to each partners feelings. It just felt like such a realistic portrayal of a young relationship. Their whole relationship was just very believable and I really love them so much. Also the pining by both partners throughout was so cute and I constantly found myself smiling over their relationship.

A heart-warming story about 2 girls falling in love. Stunning artwork throughout and an overall great book! Loved the relationship between Ella and Madeline and also Ella's friendship with Leslie! Would recommend to all heartstopper fans. 4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨

A very sweet story about 2 women falling in love and making better choices. I'd highly recommend this book for any graphic novel lover, it has gorgeous art and a really sweet story!

This book is so sweet. The artwork is great and the characters feel so real. Is it morally grey? Yes. Did I absolutely love it? Also yes!

I really want to buy this physically when it comes out because I know that I'll want to revisit it. Plus I'm already thinking about buying it as Christmas gifts!

A delightful read! I enjoyed every aspect of this book. It was such a unique take on supporting your partner in a relationship. I will definitely be re-reading this book, purchasing it when it is published, and recommending it to friends.

A cute love story full of lovable but flawed characters. Leslie is the best and I loved how straight to the point she is!
Read this if you're a heartstopper fan.

Triggers - Bullying; Cheating (parental); Cussing; Drinking; Smoking

A beautiful story with flawed characters, that you love. An adorable romance.
The colour palette is really soft and soothing which is so nice to look at. It's just a very cozy read that looks at;
anxiety, bullying, kleptomania (recurrent inability to steal items) and righting wrongs.
Madeleine throws a party while her parents are away, the next thing she knows things have been stolen. Ella has a crush on Madeleine but she's the thief.

I definitely get Nick & Charlie vibes.
Listen to those around you, as they might be shouting for help, but you might not be listening.

Very sweet and soft, the colour palette is really soft and soothing and so nice to look at. It's just a very cozy read looking at anxiety, bullying and kleptomania, righting wrongs, very heartwarming. I do wish that we knew more about our main character Ella, as we don't really get any background information on her apart from that her parents relocated, but other than that, a super cute, sapphic graphic novel.

Ella went to a party with her best friend and got wasted. She remembers next to nothing from it, expect that she grabbed a bunch of things from a closet (and puked in it.) The next day, Ella's crush Madeleine shows up at the door and let's her know it was her house she was at the day before. And then, chaos ensues.

Guess who's the dummy who requested a French book in English by mistake.
It was a bit weird reading something in English that was so obviously set in France and written by a french person, but I didn't mind too much.
I enjoyed this graphic novel. The characters were quite layered and intriguing. It was a fun reverse-heist story and I liked how the plot took me. Not all of it was truly believable but that was okay with me. The entire thing was basically a cute, fun sapphic story.
I'm really intrigued by this author and would like to read more of her work.

Such a simple and yet sweet story, absolutely beautifully drawn, especially the use of colour and visually portraying emotions. The characters are so lovable, even tho they are flawed. I very much enjoyed this!!!

Firstly, thankyou to NetGalley the publisher Nobrow & the author for a gifted copy of the Ebook in exchange for a honest review. Thieves was originally released in French, the English version is released 06.10.22.

I enjoy a graphic novel now and again, especially if I’m reading something heavy. It was the heartbreak series which got me hooked so I always have high expectations with graphic novels. I loved the art and the full page spreads, the pastel colour theme worked great for the book. We follow the love story of Ella & Maddy, they support they provide each other is adorable

❤ Cute quick read although a little bit repetitive ❤

I just reviewed Thieves by Lucie Bryon. #Thieves #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

I really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed the friendship between Ella and Leslie and how Leslie help Ella out. I enjoyed the relationship between Ella and Madeleine. I enjoyed watching there relationship grow as they both discovered they had both lied to each other and Ella helping Madeleine fix her lie. Would recommend reading this.

Thank you to Nobrow Ltd and NetGalley for this eARC. This was such a sweet and wholesome sapphic romance, told in dual-POV. Ella steals when she drinks and Madeline steals to feel some control over her depression, they both go on a mission to return everything that was stolen.

This was such a fun and sweet book! The relationship between Madeline and Ella was so caring and wholesome, I loved it so much. I also loved Leslie and Ella’s friendship too!! I really enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone who likes sapphic romances!

TWs/CWs - Bullying; Cheating (parental); Cussing; Drinking; Smoking

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lately, I’ve had a few “misses,” reading in the young adult space, and I was starting to wonder if I should take a break– could I somehow be “outgrowing,” young adult whilst mantaining my affection for children’s fiction? Thieves categorically proved that I wasn’t, and that YA could still blow me away.

Everything about this graphic novel is outstanding. The art style is unique and super charming. I love the character's expressiveness- not just in expression, but in every ounce of their body language- and the intricate environments that feel so truly lived-in, the cute and memorable character designs, the clever use of limited colour palettes to create atmosphere. Even Bryon’s panelling is creative and serves to support the story. I adored her use of water to symbolise panic and the warped line quality to signify a character’s drunkenness– it was all so beautifully done, and made for a very visceral, emotional read.

Not to be undone, Bryon’s writing is also fantastic. Thieves has natural dialogue that flows smoothly, and is by turns touching or funny: I’m not sure if she translated herself, but whoever did the translation did an absolutely stellar job. Thieves has wonderful pacing– this was a short story, and Bryon still manages to depict characters that are not only likeable, but also that feel nuanced and believable. I was seized by a brief worry early on in the narrative that Madeline, Ella’s love interest, might end up being a total cipher, but this worry was so laughably unsubstantiated I look back on it with some measure of guilt for not putting more trust in the author. The story is certainly more slice-of-life than high-stakes or soap-opera, but it still has some surprising turns and I was definitley never bored- indeed, I stayed up much later than intended, because for the first time in a long while, I was unwilling to put my book down to go to sleep.

Bryon explores themes of blossoming relationships, social pressure, and coming-of-age with empathy and kindness, and a much-needed dose of levity. Thieves is a beautiful encapsulation of teenage woes with an inherent queer sensibility, despite not being mired in or focused on homophobia, coming out, etc. I think it will be well-loved widely both by current teens and ex-teens, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy after its publication- I definitely want this on my shelf. I’d especially highly recommend it to fans of Alice Oseman and Tillie Walden.

one of the cutest graphic novels I've ever read!! the art style was impeccable, and the characters had so much depth! I will be sharing a full review of this on my bookstagram, as part of #sapphicseptember!!

Super cute art, a charming set of characters, a little bit of reverse heist adventures sprinkled with very minor drama about retaliating against public image of perfection and compliance with, well, stealing things. It was a very feel-good read overall, and supporting characters were truly supporting (Leslie best girl! And god, her and her bf in pirate and princess costumes respectively made me crack up so much!)

Overall, I’d recommend it for those who loved The Prince and Dressmaker and Anya’s Ghost — it has a similar kind of charm that makes you smile when reading, and of course, has lovable queer characters.

Beautifully illustrated this sweet YA romance is a heart warming, quick read that also touches on themes of friendship, bullying and breaking bad habits. The blossoming relationship between the core characters is adorable and relatable. I've no doubt this will be enjoyed by readers aged 13+ and I look forward to reading more from the author myself!
Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and Nobrow Ltd for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thieves is a very sweet graphic novel, following two girls who come up with a plan to return items that one of them stole. And in the midst of it all they fall in love. Probably my favourite aspect of it was the art. Not only was it very cute but it got the emotions of everything across very well. The art is possibly the primary reason I enjoyed this one so much, although the story itself was also very engaging and creative. Although the main plot was about the characters falling in love, the side plots of returning the stolen items and also Ella's relationship with her best friend, also kept the story moving along. Overall this is one I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nobrow Ltd for the chance to read an arc of this graphic novel.

This was such a different kind of graphic novel than I’d normally read but the description sounded really interesting. The story and art was good and I liked the way the pressure to be perfect took a different turn for one of the characters and how she found a way to take back control.