ARC Review: “Curlfriends: New in Town” by Sharee Miller

Curlfriends: New in Town by Sharee Miller

Publication Date: October 10, 2023

Genre: Middle Grade, Fiction, Graphic Novel

Synopsis:

Charlie has a foolproof plan for the first day at her new middle school. Even though she’s used to starting over as the new kid—thanks to her military family’s constant moving—making friends has never been easy for her. But this time, her first impression needs to last, since this is where her family plans to settle for good.

So she’s hiding any interests that may seem “babyish,” updating her look, and doing her best to leave her shyness behind her…but is erasing the real Charlie the best way to make friends?

When not everything goes exactly to plan—like, AT ALL—Charlie is ready to give up on making new friendships. Then she meets the Curlfriends, a group of Black girls who couldn’t be more different from each other, and learns that maybe there is a place for Charlie to be her true self after all.

Sharee Miller’s graphic novel debut starts off an exciting contemporary series featuring four Black girls who each have a unique story, and each learn lessons about friendship, family, and being their true selves.

Review:

This is the graphic novel that I wish I had growing up. Graphic novels like this are the reason that representation in books is so important and why kids need to see themselves in the books they read. I’m glad to see more graphic novels such as this!

Curlfiends is a beautiful celebration of black girl magic, friendship, family, and staying true to yourself. Charlie, the main character, struggles with being the new girl in town since her family has always moved around constantly. Charlie (and her family) wants to put down roots and feel as if she belongs. Through the first installment of this series, we get to see Charlie open herself to others and become more confident.

Though the story mainly focuses the story mainly focuses on Charlie’s story I appreciated that we also get to know the rest of the gang (Cara, Nola, Ella) too and see their friendship start to bloom. It was a very sweet and wholesome story. The story celebrates the differences that made everyone special as well as capturing the joy and sometimes awkward feelings of making new friendships. Miller’s artwork is charming and vibrant giving the story so much life and creates memorable characters who readers will love!

Final Verdict:

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.