Starting something new can be daunting for anyone. Anew job, a new project, a whole new life in some cases. Luckily, that’s not the case with this book column. NovelTEA is The Sartorial Geek’s new book review column, wherein new books and fresh recipes are spotlighted for your amusement.
To kick things off, we have My Boyfriend Is A Bear. It’s an original graphic novel from writer Pamela Ribon (Ralph Breaks The Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2), and artist Cat Farris (Emily and the Strangers Vol. 2: Breaking The Record).
Let me tell you, it’s exactly what you think it is:
Girl meets bear. Girl falls in love with bear. Girl’s friends and family react appropriately when they find out their loved one is head-over-heels in love with a wild animal who could claw her face off in the middle of… err, mating season.
But before I delve deeper into the review, let’s get this standard disclaimer out of the way:
DISCLAIMER: I received an ARC of this GN from the publisher. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Okay, so honestly? I got this book and wasn’t expecting much from it. ‘A girl and a bear?’ I thought, before I’d even made it past the front cover, ‘I’m intrigued, but mostly horrified. How could anyone ship a human and a freaking bear?” Listen: I was wrong, and I admit it. Truth be told, My Boyfriend Is A Bear is totally weird— but not for the reasons you think.
For a graphic novel like this, characterization is everything.
In 28-year-old Nora, Ribon has crafted a leading lady who is a lovably relatable underdog. Nora, who lives in a one-bedroom apartment in East L.A., works at a call center for a computer pop-up scam that mostly swindles technologically-illiterate geriatrics out of their pensions. (She tries her damndest to refund them without getting fired, because who needs to be unemployed in this economy?) She makes her own clothes, relies on her cat, Nutso, for companionship, and is constantly dating douchebags who inevitably break her heart, and send her scurrying to her BFFs— and alcohol— until she’s ready to give romance another chance.
But everything changes the day she meets The Bear, an American Black Bear whose most-oft form of communication is “Grah.”
(Not sure if that’s a grunt, a grumble, or a happy-bear-noise, to be honest). Their first encounter scares the daylights out of her. But after their second, sparks fly and they barely leave the apartment as they tend to their fledgling romance and get to know each other. Naturally, Nora’s friends and family are loathe to embrace this interspecies relationship, a strain that’s only compounded by the fact that winter is coming. The Bear must return to his cave in the woods to hibernate, leaving Nora on shaky ground as she wonders: is this love meant to last? Or is it just a fun, furry fling?
If you’re on the fence about this one (I certainly was), let me tell you that it is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a long time.
I actually laughed aloud. Ribon’s script is sassy, her dialogue sharp, and when paired with Farris’s cutesy art style and enticing colours, the over-the-top plot just really works. Maybe Disney won’t option this as its next feature film, but it certainly has an audience somewhere. My Boyfriend Is A Bear perfectly— if cheekily— captures the essence of dating in your late 20s. The mad scramble to find someone. Wondering if true love really is out there— or worse: what if it exists, and you just got left behind? That one friend who’s so unhappy with singledom, they’re ready to harpoon your relationship, and the utter relief when you find your Prince Charming (even if he’s not necessarily what you pictured. Like, a bear, for instance. No one pictures themselves falling in love with a bear).
Calling it now. I think My Boyfriend Is A Bear has earned itself on my favourites of the year list. If there’s ever a sequel, I’ll be first in line to pick it up.
So because My Boyfriend Is A Bear was such an unexpectedly heartfelt surprise, I’ve decided to pair it with a recipe for coconut sugar cookies, definitely a sweet treat! Recipe credit goes to Lindsay over at lifeloveandsugar.com.
If you’re looking to pick up your own copy of My Boyfriend is a Bear, feel free to shop our Amazon affiliate link here!
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