Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

More a graphic poem than an easy to follow linear narrative, Heaven, West Virginia, captured for me the sheer terror of growing up queer and evangelical in the south. The trauma of feeling watched, even inside your own head, as you struggle with "sin" resonated so deeply with my own experiences. I have often felt it difficult to describe the trauma of growing up both a pastor's daughter, expected to behave perfectly, and a lesbian, fundamentally wrong and going to hell. Teixira's use of static felt like such an apt metaphor for the way traumatic flashbacks distort and bend reality around itself, making processing what we are actually seeing and hearing almost impossible. This is not an easy or comfortable read, as it expects the reader to follow Lamont's non-linear and fragmented processing of his trauma, but I respect it all the more for that. My only criticism is that sometimes the recipes included felt jarringly out of place, though they were also a moment to pause and breathe before returning to Lamont's confined perspective. Very grateful to have had the opportunity to read this, it was deeply cathartic for me, and I'm so excited to read whatever Teixira puts out next!

A beautifully drawn story. Great romance, dark monsters, and sweet tea recipes. A short and darkly sweet read for one sitting.

I really enjoyed this! I've been looking for more sort of mysterious and spooky graphic novels and this definitely fits that bill!

I thought that the sort of blurry lines between the wolves and "real life" was a really interesting way of showing the fear and trauma that Lamont has.

The art was so gorgeous and emotive, and the color scheme was lovely!

Overall a very beautiful story of self acceptance, I love that it had a happy ending with Lamont and Coyote (my favorite character), and any book with tea recipes is a good book to me!

This graphic novel follows Lamont and explores the complexities of grieving a family member, who was seen positively by the wider community, but was a source of pain for him. I think that the story captures the feelings of coming to terms with your sexuality, navigating religious trauma, and healing in the arms of a comforting partner. As such, I know a lot of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals will relate to the story.

I absolutely loved the art as well, and even though the pacing was quick and it felt like some of the story was being told off of the pages, I didn't have any issues following along and absolutely devoured this book so quickly. The depth of exploration it had regarding grief and shame was impressive, as this is a quick read, and it felt very true to how an individual like Lamont would feel navigating the world while holding so much hurt.

Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for the ARC.

The drawing style is spiky and pointed, rather than rounded and bubbly, and it fits with the story. Use of vivid color is effective. The teas were a joy. I really enjoyed this. The topic, the format, the big feels were all relatable.

This book was strange and beautiful all at once.

It excels at showing without telling, so I had to reread it cover to cover the second I finished it. Some of my questions were never explained (were all the deaths from natural causes?) but I suppose that wasn't the point. No, this is Lamont's story, It's an extended metaphor about escaping and one's abuser. All the while, little recipies for homemade teas are sprinkled between the pages, adding a little gentleness and sweetness.

Lamont's coming out had me snot with laughter. It felt so raw and authentic. Him and Coyote make a cute pair.

All in all, a slightly experimental graphic novel, beautiful and strange.

Heaven, West Virginia is a beautifully simple yet powerful graphic novel. Stunning art, sparse words, and themes of grief, regret, and new beginnings make it a story you can truly dive into. As an Appalachia fan, I loved every page!

2 stars

Teenager Lamont loses his father so he moves to Heaven, West Virginia to live with his Aunt Latoya, who forages in the local forest for ingredients for her specialty teas (a number of recipes are included.). The stress of his father’s death and guilt about his sexuality seem to lead to Lamont seeing visions of a red eyed creature in the woods. Lamont meets Coyote, a neighbor who helps him through his grief.

I am not the target audience for this; I was interested in it because it takes place in West Virginia. It’s not for me, but I’m sure some young people will enjoy it.

I like where this comic was going and I relate to it a lot, but I don't really know if the story knew where it was supposed to end up. It really got jumbled and messy, and I honestly have no idea what happened in the end except gay, and maybe his aunt is dead??

At the moment I am having a knack for obscure comics and books! An artstyle so interesting paired with a story of queer love and mental illness so deep got me down to my bones.
I just loved the story and the scenery!

Lamont goes back to his home town in Heaven, West Virginia, after his father dies. He stays with his aunt. He keeps seeing wolves. He falls in love with Coyote, the cowboy.

The end.

There is more to this than that to it, but it felt like we were in a fever dream, and I prefer my stories to have a little bit more substance than this.

Perhaps it works for others. It didn't work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out November 11, 2025.

This reminded me a lot of work of E.M. Carrol, who I read whenever I don't know what's even happening with my life and I want to feel something. Similarly to works of E.M. Carrol, this book puts you into the mind of the main character, who is clearly going through something and is suffering due to it. The limited palette draws your senses sharper and the irregular paneling makes you understand the skill of the author. At least for me, this was mainly about the feeling that was conveyed through the book rather than the story. Don't get me wrong, it's thought and is great, but it functions more as the vessel for the feeling rather than the other way around.
I loved it, gonna be buying a physical copy when it comes out.

The story behind this graphic novel: 5 ⭐️

The execution: 3 ⭐️

I have to admit that I was confused through half of this story. It was told in short vignettes and very little very little explanation of what we’re seeing. The romance was just there and again, nothing was explained and just inferred. If you like that, it might be something that you like a little more than me.

This had a wonderful concept and an amazing cover, it's is regretfully unfortunate that its insides didn't match what it promised. This book was way too short, for one, and the story progressed far too fast for anything to make sense. It felt as if there were pages, or even chapters, missing from the bulk of the story. Plus, the art style was super messy and inconsistent, which might have been just unique perks if they hadn't made the reading experience a little more difficult. Wish I had liked this one.

3.5 Stars Very quick fast-paced read. The dedication reads 'To anyone who has ever tried to escape the evil they inherited." I think that sums up the story nicely as we follow Lamonts story. It felt short but conveyed the point. Touches on some heavy topics.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

Heaven, West Virginia
by Ravi Teixeira
★★☆☆☆
172 Pages



Unfortunately, this one really didn't work for me.

Personally, I found the entire plot full of contrivances and convenience, which made little sense and had no depth of real emotional impact. The story itself was illogical, with plot points that appeared out of thin air with no explanation, with the only purpose being to force Lament into yet another confrontation with his inner demons, the wolves. And the ending was so out-of-left-field and illogical that I don't even know what happened, if I'm honest. I just didn't get it at all.

I would have given this 1* but there is an attempt at a story here, it just falls too flat to really make an impact.

~

The art wasn't my style at all. It didn't have any nuance, any real definition or individuality between characters. For example, I didn't even realise that Auntie Latoya was female until it was spelled out during the recipe pages, because there was a distinct lack of depth or individuality in the characters. People tended to blend into one or they were so flat that it was hard to notice individual features. It was very choppy and lacked realism or depth.

The characters were extremely one-dimensional. No one had a back story, they were all just exactly what they appeared on the page at the time of reading, with no history, no complexity or real personality, which made them quite flat and boring.

The romance was...non-existent. I mean, Lament met Coyote and is instantly attracted; fine. But he gets scared in the forest, accidentally stumbles across Coyote's cabin and, after about three words exchanged, Coyote kisses him out of nowhere. And the very next time they're even tangentially alone together, they sleep together. They've only exchanged about a sentence with each other until now and there was not even the most basic hint of chemistry, other than instant attraction.

Lament saw wolves everywhere. I presume they were a symbol of his...depression, being gay, his father, his inner demons...or all of the above? It's hard to say. I know the main themes are grief at losing his father – which I saw nothing of, really – and internalised homophobia – which was rather plainly and obviously stated rather than show – but everything is more implied rather than properly explored throughout the story and its themes.

For me, the story missed on nearly every mark. The art could be overlooked as personal preference and that wouldn't normally affect my rating, but the art was really all there was of substance, because some pages were literally just art and no story, which can only work if there's depth and dimension and purpose behind it, which this story lacked.

Ravi Teixeira's graphic style is unique, with colorful panels accented by gray tones reminiscent of television static. The layout is sophisticated, sometimes resembling church stained glass windows
.
Adorable little tea recipes from the protagonist's aunt punctuate the scenes. Lamont initially rejects this practice before embracing it.

Lamont's repressed homosexuality and his fear of other people's gaze are represented by wolves, a metaphorical monster that terrifies him. The protagonist's traumas are evident throughout the story.

The ending brings a gradual sense of acceptance, although I found it a little rushed. Some scenes take place off-screen, which can be disconcerting for the reader.

I have a few things to say about this book! The main one being how much I loved the included recipes?! The mint and blueberry one sounds insanely good.

The art style is incredible as well, I loved the use of colours to show the emotions/feelings. There is religious trauma in the book, particularly surrounding sexuality and coming to terms with being queer after growing up in a homophobic society.

There was one scene that I found really cute, I won't say because it's a spoiler but it made me smile. There was also one graphic scene, although nothing intimate was shown - just a warning for anyone who may not like that!

I really loved Coyote and Lamont. The ending was perfect, seeing Lamont overcome/heal from the trauma.

This was a beautiful graphic novel and I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to read it early. Thank you!

This story had the potential to be something, but instead was pretty much nothing. There's barely any dialogue, and most of the story is told in wordless scenes. I understood the gist of the story, but it flew by so fast that you barely get to experience it. I can't even write much about the story cause there's really nothing to say. It was essentially a short story stretched out into an entire graphic novel. I did like the art style; it was unique.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I thought this was an interesting way to portray internalized homophobia (and overcoming it) and dealing with grief mixed in with religious trauma. I appreciated the overall story but felt like it could've gone a little deeper. This could come with a longer graphic novel or maybe more character development, but I think this was still good. I really appreciated the use of color, and lack thereof, to express emotions throughout.