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Valentine #1
Valentine Tome 1
Le premier épisode de Celle que… en couleurs ! Voici Valentine, et l’occasion de (re)découvrir notre petite héroïne de 14 ans, dans son quotidien d’adolescente, désormais coloré… Pour les réfractaires au noir et blanc qui sont passés à côté de l’excellente trilogie Celle que…, plus d’excuses : la voici en couleurs, cartonnée et divisée en six albums ! Dans ce premier tome, Valentine entre en troisième et a bien du mal à trouver sa place.
Une nouvelle vie pour cette formidable chronique adolescente avec ce premier des six tomes de Valentine.
Une nouvelle vie pour cette formidable chronique adolescente avec ce premier des six tomes de Valentine.
94 pages, Hardcover
First published March 26, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
May 27, 2022
I think I would’ve liked this more if Valentine had an actual personality of her own. Without her interactions with her friends, she just exists and it’s overwhelmingly mundane at times.
Her being a witness to her friends growing up too fast and getting themselves into risky and dangerous situations with drugs and boys doesn’t make up for Valentine, as a person, being so blah. She goes to school, does gymnastics, goes home, does homework, repeat. Sometimes she thinks about the boy she likes.
It’s a story that makes me question why Valentine is the one we’re following. The most interesting thing she’s done is bully some girl for having body hair without facing a single consequence and that was it.
I think it’s successful in being very realistic in the daily life of a young girl, but why is Valentine the main character?
CW: underage drinking + drug use, body shaming, brief use of ableist slur, bullying
Her being a witness to her friends growing up too fast and getting themselves into risky and dangerous situations with drugs and boys doesn’t make up for Valentine, as a person, being so blah. She goes to school, does gymnastics, goes home, does homework, repeat. Sometimes she thinks about the boy she likes.
It’s a story that makes me question why Valentine is the one we’re following. The most interesting thing she’s done is bully some girl for having body hair without facing a single consequence and that was it.
I think it’s successful in being very realistic in the daily life of a young girl, but why is Valentine the main character?
CW: underage drinking + drug use, body shaming, brief use of ableist slur, bullying
December 27, 2017
Read in English translation.
This was a pretty good compilation about a girl and her friends as they navigate high school. There's not a huge story arc, it's mostly about their day to day life, but it's pretty engaging and the artwork is quite good. I'd be interested in reading the next instalments.
This was a pretty good compilation about a girl and her friends as they navigate high school. There's not a huge story arc, it's mostly about their day to day life, but it's pretty engaging and the artwork is quite good. I'd be interested in reading the next instalments.
January 1, 2018
Valentine is the quiet one in a group of rowdy friends. Between school and parties, her friends try out smoking and drinking and meeting up with boys, but Valentine is only interested in getting her crush to notice her. She's too shy to speak to him though, and she gets dragged along for the ride with her friends.
Despite the fact that Valentine doesn't do or say very much in the story, her facial expressions and quiet moments of repose display an emotional depth to her character in stark contrast to her boisterous friends. I really enjoyed the subtlety of Val's experiences and seeing her gentle reactions to the world around her.
Not much happens in the plot; the friends go to a party, they take an exam, they complain about PE, they tease each other, and even bully other girls at school. Valentine goes grocery shopping with her mom, who worries that Val isn't getting enough vitamins. It's very predictable and common-place, and yet the attractive illustrations kept my interest.
The colors are mild and reminiscent of old-timey comics, but it's the distinct lines of the artwork that gives the illustrations some spirit and expression.
I feel like this first volume is just all set-up, and maybe further volumes will actually have some more action in the plot.
Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.
Despite the fact that Valentine doesn't do or say very much in the story, her facial expressions and quiet moments of repose display an emotional depth to her character in stark contrast to her boisterous friends. I really enjoyed the subtlety of Val's experiences and seeing her gentle reactions to the world around her.
Not much happens in the plot; the friends go to a party, they take an exam, they complain about PE, they tease each other, and even bully other girls at school. Valentine goes grocery shopping with her mom, who worries that Val isn't getting enough vitamins. It's very predictable and common-place, and yet the attractive illustrations kept my interest.
The colors are mild and reminiscent of old-timey comics, but it's the distinct lines of the artwork that gives the illustrations some spirit and expression.
I feel like this first volume is just all set-up, and maybe further volumes will actually have some more action in the plot.
Disclaimer: I received an ecopy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts and are not influenced by anyone.
December 25, 2017
A teenager in high school.
A teenager pining for a boy.
A teenager pining for a boy but doing nothing about it.
A teenager pining for a boy, and going to classes, and chatting with her friends.
A teenager being quiet about her feelings with her mother.
And that is it.
Go watch Mean Girls. It is a much better story, and funny too.
Once again, I feel as though something has gotten lost in the translation.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
A teenager pining for a boy.
A teenager pining for a boy but doing nothing about it.
A teenager pining for a boy, and going to classes, and chatting with her friends.
A teenager being quiet about her feelings with her mother.
And that is it.
Go watch Mean Girls. It is a much better story, and funny too.
Once again, I feel as though something has gotten lost in the translation.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
December 23, 2017
This graphic novel follows Valentine, a girl in secondary school and her three friends as they start a new school year.
There were some parts of this book that were very relatable. Val was a bit sad and withdrawn like many teenagers, she was dealing with a major crush, she went to her first party, and she was navigating the relationships with her three friends and other girls at school. Unfortunately, this graphic novel was too short and didn't give me enough. I felt it was too quick and didn't get into the characters as much as I would have liked. It was originally written in French, and I read it in English, so that may be why I felt this way. Some of the meaning may have been lost in translation for me personally. Because I felt there wasn't enough depth in this, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped I would.
I did really enjoy the art in this. I could feel Valentine's personality and her emotions come through in the art style and how she was drawn. The colours were really beautiful as well. There was a small problem with the formatting. I read this as an e-book and the text was a bit too small and difficult to read.
I'd really like to know how people felt about this if they read it in French and if they connected to the characters more than I did. It was a snapshot of a teen girls life, and it was interesting, but it wasn't my favourite.
There were some parts of this book that were very relatable. Val was a bit sad and withdrawn like many teenagers, she was dealing with a major crush, she went to her first party, and she was navigating the relationships with her three friends and other girls at school. Unfortunately, this graphic novel was too short and didn't give me enough. I felt it was too quick and didn't get into the characters as much as I would have liked. It was originally written in French, and I read it in English, so that may be why I felt this way. Some of the meaning may have been lost in translation for me personally. Because I felt there wasn't enough depth in this, I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped I would.
I did really enjoy the art in this. I could feel Valentine's personality and her emotions come through in the art style and how she was drawn. The colours were really beautiful as well. There was a small problem with the formatting. I read this as an e-book and the text was a bit too small and difficult to read.
I'd really like to know how people felt about this if they read it in French and if they connected to the characters more than I did. It was a snapshot of a teen girls life, and it was interesting, but it wasn't my favourite.
August 3, 2020
I like the main character Valentine enough to try and go through more of this series.
June 20, 2021
short, sweet & to the point. this about a shy girl in a group of party girls going about their first year of high school. this was silly and reminded me of when i first started high school lol
June 21, 2022
there wasn’t much of a plot but it was still good and entertaining and also i relate to valentine in a few ways
February 9, 2019
Olhar sensível a vida (entediante) adolescente.
September 6, 2018
The girl hate was annoying and so unneeded. I did not feel like the story engaged me at all, nor did the artwork. I can see how some people would like it; This one just wasn't my cup of tea.
*Provided by Netgally*
*Provided by Netgally*
December 31, 2017
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This was a hard nut to crack - very little happens and we are pretty much a fly on the wall of a quiet and reserved teen girl who is navigating friendships, booze, sex, and boys. That sentence makes the book seem more interesting than it was - most was just pensive looks, with some occasional interactions in between. I can't say there was much of a story here; certainly, there was no structure. I guess if you would find it fascinating to watch the mundane week of the life of a teen girl and not really know what she's thinking, then this book would be equally interesting. For everyone else, it was challenging to get into it.Story: I typically put a synopsis of my own idea of the story here - but there really wasn't one. Girl goes to school, girl goes home, girl likes boy and stares at him a lot, girl has friends, goes to a party where everyone gets drunk, has selfish friends, end of story.
The art is fine but in a book with so few words from the main character, I can't help but feel that there was something being said but we didn't get it from the art or dialogue. It's mostly Valentine staring blankly at things - whether walking home or at the cute guy at school. You can see her maneuvering toward him but she is pretty much a blank slate thoughout.
I can't say this was terrible but it's something that I started forgetting immediately after reading. As well, with every teen smoking and drinking to excess all the time, I can't help but wonder what school this is - no one I attended. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
July 20, 2021
This is a review for all six volumes of Valentine by Vandya, as I read all six in one go, and the story is so slice-of-life and outside of any typical plot structures that each volume really blends into the other. The story is that of Valentine, a French teenager who is going through the typical difficulties that come with transitioning through adolescence. There's self-doubt, romantic longing, peer pressure, developing identity, changing friends...all that. But the way it plays out so softly and so gradually, this almost feels like a kind of documentary where we're watching the evolution of a young woman without any major forced dramas. It's all just...life. The artwork is terrific for this - manga-inspired with great use of angle, frames and color. But know this: by the time you get to the end, don't expect a major resolution of anything. Life just continues on for the characters, as it had been going on before we began reading about them. That's the point here. And the enjoyment isn't in seeing everyone's story tie off in a bow - it doesn't - but in sharing their reality for a while. Terrific stuff.
December 30, 2017
'Valentine book 1' by Vanyda follows a teenager as she navigates through school and life. Not a lot happens, but I think that's ok.
Valentine lives with her mother. She goes to school. She likes boys. She plays on the edges of bad choices and sees what some of those choices do to her friends. In her group of friends, she's the shy one, which means that Felix, the boy she likes, may never know she exists.
Throughout the book, it feels like Valentine is more of a voyeur to the life around her. The story moves slowly through her daily life and we get a sense that she's not really alive. Her friends seem to pull her along and she seems to blindly follow them. Perhaps this changes in later volumes. I was reminded of manga by the story and the art, which I really liked.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Valentine lives with her mother. She goes to school. She likes boys. She plays on the edges of bad choices and sees what some of those choices do to her friends. In her group of friends, she's the shy one, which means that Felix, the boy she likes, may never know she exists.
Throughout the book, it feels like Valentine is more of a voyeur to the life around her. The story moves slowly through her daily life and we get a sense that she's not really alive. Her friends seem to pull her along and she seems to blindly follow them. Perhaps this changes in later volumes. I was reminded of manga by the story and the art, which I really liked.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
October 29, 2022
This was a bit of a hard story to get into. It's mostly teen drama (school, friends, parties, to do extracurriculars or not), but the tone is very quiet, almost to the point of malaise. The protagonist seemed to feel indifferent towards everything, which is not the most comfortable to be with.
I was okay seeing where it was going, until her school friends started to be really mean to another person. The protag spoke up, and I thought she was going to call out her friends but instead piled on to the person and at that point it felt like bullying. They were making someone feel bad about who they were. And that is not okay. It was being mean for the sake of being mean, in a group against an individualt. There was nothing later to indicate this was a bad thing. And that's when I went from feeling indifferent, to not enjoying it.
I did finish the volume, but feel doubtful about continuing the series, even though .
I was okay seeing where it was going, until her school friends started to be really mean to another person. The protag spoke up, and I thought she was going to call out her friends but instead piled on to the person and at that point it felt like bullying. They were making someone feel bad about who they were. And that is not okay. It was being mean for the sake of being mean, in a group against an individualt. There was nothing later to indicate this was a bad thing. And that's when I went from feeling indifferent, to not enjoying it.
I did finish the volume, but feel doubtful about continuing the series, even though .
May 30, 2017
Les années collèges que c'est loin tout ça et pourtant j'ai adoré me replonger dans mes souvenirs à travers cette première bd qui reflète très bien le comportement des adolescents au collège, les profs, les bêtises, premiers amours, premières cigarettes, l'alcool, soirées avec les copains et moqueries pour conclure. L'histoire est centrée sur Valentine et sa petite bande de copines qui rentrent en 3e. Les retrouvailles sont belles, comme à chaque rentrée quand les élèves découvrent leur emploi du temps et les profs... Et plus on avance dans l'histoire, plus on découvre une Valentine un peu à part, mais qui laisse quoi qu'il arrive une belle empreinte. Très bon moment de lecture que je vous invite à découvrir et même à le faire découvrir à votre/un ado. Et pour ma part, j'ai hâte de poursuivre avec le tome 2.
January 4, 2018
I’m not normally a keen reader of comics/graphic novels, but this one caught my eye. The artwork is clear and expressive, capturing emotions and thoughts, with a range of colours that don’t feel overwhelming.
Valentine is the first volume in a trilogy about a girl who is the quiet one in a group of friends. We are taken through ‘a day in the life of’ a teenager, covering boys (teen crushes), drinking, parents, parties, smoking and friendship groups.
It isn’t as fast moving as I expected, but that suits the main character who comes across as gentle (mostly) and reflective.
I did wonder (like some other reviewers), whether some of the nuances in vocabulary had been lost in translation, as characters occasionally sounded a little clunky. Would be interested in reading this in French, to compare.
I was given a free copy of this book on Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review
Valentine is the first volume in a trilogy about a girl who is the quiet one in a group of friends. We are taken through ‘a day in the life of’ a teenager, covering boys (teen crushes), drinking, parents, parties, smoking and friendship groups.
It isn’t as fast moving as I expected, but that suits the main character who comes across as gentle (mostly) and reflective.
I did wonder (like some other reviewers), whether some of the nuances in vocabulary had been lost in translation, as characters occasionally sounded a little clunky. Would be interested in reading this in French, to compare.
I was given a free copy of this book on Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review
August 4, 2022
read it just now. There’s no plot and it rather fell flat. Art style is gorgeous but I couldn’t relate with the main character and the friend group. This is like mean girls and euphoria but graphic novel and minus the drugs and sex. It’s definitely not for kids. There’s alcohol, smoking, and inappropriate language throughout this book and I advise parents to not get this for their 6 year old child. Also, the only thing I can relate to the mc is that she’s shy and is pining for a boy. My 9th grade self would have loved this lmao. This review is all over the place. But I will continue with the series. I hope that these characters will be once be nice and stop shaming our girls. If you shame other ppl for them just being them, grow the fuck up. It’s not that hard to be nice. Okay that’s all, I’m sleepy bye ✌️
January 22, 2023
1,5 ⭐️ Mouais… bof bof. J’étais plutôt fan des couleurs au début mais finalement pas particulièrement des traits du dessin. Je n’ai eu strictement aucune attache pour aucun des personnages et je suis restée complètement indifférente à l’histoire. Mes années collèges étant bien loin derrière moi, suivre le quotidien de collégiennes ne m’a pas paru très palpitant. Je comptais mettre au moins la moyenne mais une scène où Valentine et ses copines shame une de leur camarade sur son physique et parce qu’elle ne s’est pas épilée m’a fait revoir la note à la baisse. Ça m’a juste rappelé à quel point le collège fut une période horrible et difficile pour moi et m’a rendu très mal à l’aise.
December 4, 2021
Okay
I enjoyed it enough, I’m trying to read more graphic novels and didn’t know anything about this before picking it up. The art style isn’t my favourite but I liked some of the style choices, highlighting the MC and her crush was a nice touch. It’s a slice of teen life I’ve seen before, the ending was little odd.
I might pick the next volumes up next year if they’re on Kindle Unlimited still.
I enjoyed it enough, I’m trying to read more graphic novels and didn’t know anything about this before picking it up. The art style isn’t my favourite but I liked some of the style choices, highlighting the MC and her crush was a nice touch. It’s a slice of teen life I’ve seen before, the ending was little odd.
I might pick the next volumes up next year if they’re on Kindle Unlimited still.
January 24, 2023
Beautiful illustrations
🌟🌟🌟💫
For some reason, reading this made me feel like I was watching Beverly Hills 90210 *lol*
I loved the illustrations.
Story was about Valentine, her pals, and dealing with school be it schoolwork or boys or being top biatch.
Since it is a five-part series, I will complete it. Would I have bought it? Doubtful but if I chanced upon it at the library I may have picked it up.
🌟🌟🌟💫
For some reason, reading this made me feel like I was watching Beverly Hills 90210 *lol*
I loved the illustrations.
Story was about Valentine, her pals, and dealing with school be it schoolwork or boys or being top biatch.
Since it is a five-part series, I will complete it. Would I have bought it? Doubtful but if I chanced upon it at the library I may have picked it up.
December 29, 2017
*thank you to Netgalley the author and Europe Comics for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
2 stars.
So, what was this ment to be about? 100 pages and nothing happens? Is it ment to be a glimpse into what high school is like? I dont get it. But, I like the cover and I enjoyed the graphics. But that's about all.
2 stars.
So, what was this ment to be about? 100 pages and nothing happens? Is it ment to be a glimpse into what high school is like? I dont get it. But, I like the cover and I enjoyed the graphics. But that's about all.
January 3, 2018
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy of the English translation.
A very quiet story about a girl trying to navigate high school, with crushes, changing friendships, and parties (with drinking at them!).
Slow moving story that is not plot driven. But honestly that made it feel more like high school that way.
A very quiet story about a girl trying to navigate high school, with crushes, changing friendships, and parties (with drinking at them!).
Slow moving story that is not plot driven. But honestly that made it feel more like high school that way.
January 15, 2018
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What was the point of this book? I’ll never know.
All it is about is this girl named Valentine who does normal, everyday teenager things. She goes to school, crushes on a boy, hangs out with her friends, does homework, goes to a party. You get the idea.
That is literally all that happened in the entire book.
What was the point of this book? I’ll never know.
All it is about is this girl named Valentine who does normal, everyday teenager things. She goes to school, crushes on a boy, hangs out with her friends, does homework, goes to a party. You get the idea.
That is literally all that happened in the entire book.
July 12, 2020
Quick read. Drama is pretty minimal for the most part. But it is still fun. A good read after something heavy or dense. There’s a bit of nostalgia wrapped up in it for me. Reminds me of my time in middle and high school. Also kind of feels like getting a glimpse into my kid’s life, so that was fun.
December 28, 2017
I started this with a lot of interest in the mini-skirted, panda-loving teen girl, but it soon devolved into just being about booze and boys - nothing that has not been done countless times before. It looks alright, but I wouldn't hurry back for the five other books in the series.
April 14, 2020
am i the only one that really liked this once understanding it wasn't about anything? i guess it's leftover nostalgia from reading a lot of teen girl fanfiction when i was an actual teen girl. it was chill and i want to read the other volumes.
December 9, 2020
The art is cute but i have no clue what the point of the story is. It just felt like we spent the day following valentine doing absolutely nothing. Her and her friends were bland characters with no depth.
January 9, 2021
Sweet, well-observed story about a French teenager who has a group of friends, but not a true best friend, and the leader of the group isn't very nice. It's good, but ends oddly, perhaps because it was originally the first half of a longer black and white book, Celle que je ne suis pas.
January 1, 2018
Got this via netgalley. Not much of a story arc. Basically the day to day life of a teenage girl.
January 14, 2018
***I was proved this ARC for an honest review from Netgalley.***
*I read the English version*
*I read the English version*
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews