SUNHEAD

After bonding over a vampire book series, a crush develops between two classmates in this queer coming-of-age story.

Rotem is obsessed with Sunrise, a novel that’s clearly meant to evoke Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. She lends the book to her classmate Ayala—and once Ayala reads it and finds it just as gripping as Rotem does, the pair become friends. Their friendship deepens as they hang out more and discuss their favorite characters and thoughts about the story. They experience everyday life in Tel Aviv—school, exams, and time with family and other friends—but each girl is dealing with her own issues. Rotem scrutinizes her physical appearance and gender presentation, while Ayala struggles with an undiagnosed, occasionally debilitating joint issue. When their mutual crush amps up, Rotem becomes scared and must find the courage to be her true self. The graphic novel’s warm, inviting art is filled with orange and pink hues. The romance between Rotem, who has curly red hair and tan skin, and Ayala, who has straight brown hair and light brown skin, is cute. Many readers will resonate with the depiction of being so in love with a book, but overall, the story feels thin; readers aren’t given access to Rotem’s inner thoughts, which keeps her at a distance and sometimes makes her motivations unclear. Many elements of the story feel underexplored or unresolved, making the ending feel not entirely satisfying.

Cozy, but too slight to leave a strong impression.