i feel like this one’s pretty underrated and a more fresh take in the shojo genre. other highly recommended:
frieren!!!!!
apothecary diaries!!!!
love is war!!!
bonus points if it’s cowritten by her sister mariko tamaki (POWER SIBLING DUO WHAT??) she does a lot of my favourite genre that i like to call “diary of a sad and weird teenage girl”!! my favs are:
✶ super mutant magic academy - mostly one page episodical skits (?) until the end BUT it’s awesome and fun and its my favourite graphic novel ever ✶ skim - very much diary of a depressed teenage girl (who is into wicca) ✶ this one summer - no spoilers but heavy on the coming of age and learning internalised misogyny
✶ laura dean keeps breaking up with me - exactly what it sounds like (also not by jillian tamaki but written by mariko tamaki)
[honourable mention: SNOTGIRL!! by bryan lee o’malley and leslie hung. ongoing series and ITS GORGEOUS!!!!]
By Keiko Kawakami 221 pages, its about a girl struggling with loneliness and mental health issues. It touches on issues of alcoholism. Its sosoososo good!!! Its not plot heavy, it may seem boring to people since not a lot happens during it. It focuses more on her and her lonliness, but its one of my favorites!!
bc it's so healing and soothing to know the dyke couple ur rooting for will end up together and there will be a happy ending. and also bc summer i've read and loved: -sorry bro, taleen voksuni
i felt seen by the specific story of a lesbian who's brown mom is very invested in her finding a husband. -just as you are, camille kellogg
berlin/ ny dykes, why are we like this😂 this one subverts the black bff trope -the perks of loving a wallflower, erica ridley
bridgerton boy drag! -payback's a witch, lana harper -she drives me crazy, kelly quindlen
the only ya i like -one last stop, casey mcquinston
i made them, people comment on them all the time, the barista at one of my local coffee places was really sad about the non-existence of my etsy store.
