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Leap
A coming-of-age graphic novel following two dancers at a conservative performing arts school―exploring friendship, first love, and what it means to fall out of step with your own dreams.
Ana has been studying contemporary dance since she was little, but her heart isn’t in it anymore. Instead her focus is on Carina―a beautiful, ambitious ballerina whose fear of being outed keeps Ana in the closet and their fragile relationship from seeing the light of day. Risking her own career, Ana gives up more and more in order to fit into the shadows of Carina’s life.
Sara, on the other hand, is fielding whispers she may be the best dancer their school has produced in years. Much of that is thanks to her mentor and instructor, Marlena, who plucked Sara from the classical track and encouraged her to blossom as a contemporary dancer. Sara has always been in awe of Marlena, but recently, that admiration has sparked into something more, and Sara’s not sure what to do about it.
As junior year at their performing arts school begins, Ana and Sara are assigned as roommates. What starts off as a tentative friendship soon becomes a much-needed anchor.
Ana has been studying contemporary dance since she was little, but her heart isn’t in it anymore. Instead her focus is on Carina―a beautiful, ambitious ballerina whose fear of being outed keeps Ana in the closet and their fragile relationship from seeing the light of day. Risking her own career, Ana gives up more and more in order to fit into the shadows of Carina’s life.
Sara, on the other hand, is fielding whispers she may be the best dancer their school has produced in years. Much of that is thanks to her mentor and instructor, Marlena, who plucked Sara from the classical track and encouraged her to blossom as a contemporary dancer. Sara has always been in awe of Marlena, but recently, that admiration has sparked into something more, and Sara’s not sure what to do about it.
As junior year at their performing arts school begins, Ana and Sara are assigned as roommates. What starts off as a tentative friendship soon becomes a much-needed anchor.
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 12, 2024
22 people are currently reading
4,987 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
September 16, 2024
Leap is a fantastic YA graphic novel about dance and coming of age as a queer teen girl in Romania. It follows Ana who is studying contemporary dance and secretly dating one of the classical ballet students. But their relationship is a little one-sided, and while Ana wants to be out in safe public spaces, her girlfriend wants to keep things private. It deals with the pressures of the dance world, including body issues, but is also about finding what you want and learning to set healthy boundaries. I read it all in one sitting and really loved it. I also don't know that I've read a contemporary story set in Bucharest, so that was cool too! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.
January 22, 2025
Ana is a college student in a contemporary dance program in Budapest, but her heart has fallen out of dancing. She skips her own classes to spent time rehearsing with her secret girlfriend, Carina, an ambitious ballerina in the classical program. Her new roommate, Sara, transferred out of classical and into contemporary and is thriving in the new, more supportive environment. She's also starting to develop feelings for the kind teacher, Marlena, who helped her transfer. Both of them are struggling to figure out their relationships with their art, as well as their sexualities, as well as how safe or not safe it feels to be out at their private, gossip-prone school. This is a really well told and well drawn coming of age story; I also really appreciated it as a story of queer friendship which complicated some of the standard narratives around first crushes/first relationships/coming out being kind of anti-climatic, half affirming, half disappointing. Definitely recommend!
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January 15, 2025
A coming of age graphic novel about two teenage contemporary dancers in Bucharest: one falling out of love with dance while grasping with a hidden relationship with her girlfriend, the other struggling with her own sexuality and very strong feelings toward a teacher.
I enjoyed this book a lot.
Ana is a contemporary dancer who is absolutely brilliant, but her size (she is not wafer-thin) has sidelined her for classical ballet. She's been dating a classical dancer for three years, but Carina has had no desire to let their relationship out of the closet. It's a...really bad relationship. Carina demands Ana's time, calling her at all hours of the day to help her when her own dance partner flakes, while providing no support to Ana at all.
Sara, however, is one of the best contemporary dancers the school has ever reproduced. Plucked from the classical track a few years ago by Marlena, a classical-turned-contemporary dancer, she's been struggling with feelings towards her teacher. She loves Marlena. She wants Marlena to know her love. She knows it's wrong. But she doesn't quite know what it's like to be queer.
I loved how Ana and Sara's friendship forms, first as tentative roommates, and then to full-blown friends. In the world of dance, queerness is there but one where different types of dance are more open to differences in people—the rigidity and casual abusiveness of classical ballet is portrayed with stark detail here. I liked the idea that contemporary dance helps break away from ingrained abuse practices, with teachers who want to help and encourage their students, who embrace difference and experimentation (there are contrasting panels between Marlena's teaching and the classical dancers).
And I also loved how the first-love is portrayed, and how the student-falling-for-the-teacher trope was also handled. It was a well-done comic, with loving portrayal of the queer scene in Bucharest.
I enjoyed this book a lot.
Ana is a contemporary dancer who is absolutely brilliant, but her size (she is not wafer-thin) has sidelined her for classical ballet. She's been dating a classical dancer for three years, but Carina has had no desire to let their relationship out of the closet. It's a...really bad relationship. Carina demands Ana's time, calling her at all hours of the day to help her when her own dance partner flakes, while providing no support to Ana at all.
Sara, however, is one of the best contemporary dancers the school has ever reproduced. Plucked from the classical track a few years ago by Marlena, a classical-turned-contemporary dancer, she's been struggling with feelings towards her teacher. She loves Marlena. She wants Marlena to know her love. She knows it's wrong. But she doesn't quite know what it's like to be queer.
I loved how Ana and Sara's friendship forms, first as tentative roommates, and then to full-blown friends. In the world of dance, queerness is there but one where different types of dance are more open to differences in people—the rigidity and casual abusiveness of classical ballet is portrayed with stark detail here. I liked the idea that contemporary dance helps break away from ingrained abuse practices, with teachers who want to help and encourage their students, who embrace difference and experimentation (there are contrasting panels between Marlena's teaching and the classical dancers).
And I also loved how the first-love is portrayed, and how the student-falling-for-the-teacher trope was also handled. It was a well-done comic, with loving portrayal of the queer scene in Bucharest.
January 23, 2024
I got to read a few pages of this amazing graphic novel and I cannot express how excited I am to have a physical copy. It’s so refreshing to finally have a story about queer relationships in Eastern Europe 💛
December 25, 2024
The contemporary division of a performing arts school in Romania: Ana is good at what she does, but she isn't sure she wants it anymore—somewhere along the line, her passion for dance has gotten lost. She's spending more and more time with Carina, her girlfriend, who is in the classical ballet track and is deeply closeted. And while Sara's enthusiasm for dance hasn't wavered, this year is stirring feelings in her that she isn't sure what to do with. The good news: This is the year that Ana and Sara become friends, giving each girl some extra support just when they could use it.
I love that this is set in Romania and also that it focuses on contemporary dance rather than ballet; Carina dances ballet, of course, but we see a lot less of her trajectory; mostly, when we see ballet in the book, it's in the context of ballet being more restrictive and image-focused than their experience in contemporary dance—not a criticism of ballet but perhaps a (valid) criticism of some of the culture around it.
A bit more about Romania would have been nice, because it's a place I know very little about, and other than occasional comments about, e.g., Bucharest still being quite conservative (in the context of Ana being queer), this more or less could have taken place in New York or Toronto or...I don't know...Milan and needed very few changes. Not that it's the author's obligation to make this a lesson, of course, but I love it when books are rooted in place; Leap feels more like it just happens to take place in Romania.
That's a quibble, though—the book was super satisfying. Not everything is fully resolved, but in a way that makes sense; it just feels like the characters are moving on with their lives. I don't think this will be going out of print anytime soon.
I love that this is set in Romania and also that it focuses on contemporary dance rather than ballet; Carina dances ballet, of course, but we see a lot less of her trajectory; mostly, when we see ballet in the book, it's in the context of ballet being more restrictive and image-focused than their experience in contemporary dance—not a criticism of ballet but perhaps a (valid) criticism of some of the culture around it.
A bit more about Romania would have been nice, because it's a place I know very little about, and other than occasional comments about, e.g., Bucharest still being quite conservative (in the context of Ana being queer), this more or less could have taken place in New York or Toronto or...I don't know...Milan and needed very few changes. Not that it's the author's obligation to make this a lesson, of course, but I love it when books are rooted in place; Leap feels more like it just happens to take place in Romania.
That's a quibble, though—the book was super satisfying. Not everything is fully resolved, but in a way that makes sense; it just feels like the characters are moving on with their lives. I don't think this will be going out of print anytime soon.
January 9, 2025
The beginning is a bit of a slow burner, so I had to restart once reading it, cause first time I wasn't in the mood, but overall I really liked the storytelling and the drawings in this. A beautiful coming-of-age story focusing a lot on queer friendship, a topic very dear to my heart. I loved how the friendship unfolds between the main characters, all the emotions drawn, all the beautiful Bucharest buildings popping up and the Romanian dorm atmosphere. I wish however that Bucharest would have got more space in this cause apart from the buildings and the dormitory, most of the scenes in the dance school could be anywhere, I was somehow waiting for a story more interwoven with local queer culture. But anyway, I loved how a really healthy and supportive friendship is portrayed, in complexity, something quite rare I think. In the beginning I wasn't a fan of it, but in the end I even loved the dancing scenes, and I appreciate a lot the amount of research put into accuracy here. Well done!
December 13, 2024
wow!! This is a graphic novel following two friends, focusing small-scale as they talk about relationships and school stuff at a very competitive dance school in Bucharest.
But the school pressure, tension - including about how more and less traditional arts disciplines are seen, burnout, and whether to be out and to who - is all told so realistically in such a grounded way, I found it so emotionally impactful by the end. It doesn't shy away from the complexity of being in a long secret relationship / in the closet in a changing but still conservative environment, or the secondary storyline of a character's crush on a teacher.
Even knowing literally nothing about dance, the story is contained but the emotions feel so big and real to being a teenager - I went in not knowing what to expect, but found it really moving.
But the school pressure, tension - including about how more and less traditional arts disciplines are seen, burnout, and whether to be out and to who - is all told so realistically in such a grounded way, I found it so emotionally impactful by the end. It doesn't shy away from the complexity of being in a long secret relationship / in the closet in a changing but still conservative environment, or the secondary storyline of a character's crush on a teacher.
Even knowing literally nothing about dance, the story is contained but the emotions feel so big and real to being a teenager - I went in not knowing what to expect, but found it really moving.
January 18, 2025
Every page of this I was like “damn this author can DRAW!!�
March 19, 2025
Veldig søt og fint laget. Mange viktige temaer og søt story. Likte veldig godt at karakterene fikk farger når de danset og var i bevegelse, mens ellers hadde bakgrunnen farger. Veldig rask og behagelig å lese!
May 27, 2024
This book explores the relationships Ana has with her 3-year-in-the-closet girlfriend, Carina, and her new roommate/best friend, Sara. Ana and Carina have a very one-sided relationship. Whenever Carina calls, Ana answers--no matter what that means for Ana's personal life. Ana will skip class to help Carina with her classical dance rehearsals. Ana's contemporary dance teachers notice and eventually she gets suspended for attendance. Sara helps Ana realize how toxic and harmful Ana's relationship with Carina is. Ana's open and honest conversations with Sara helped her work out her sexual identity. Ana and Sara's relationship is the real star of this book. They are so completely supportive of each other. I would definitely recommend this book.
April 15, 2024
guys i’ve read this and it’s just like walking in a field of daffodils on a very sunny day (not an extra hot day tho, kinda breezy, just the right amount)
March 11, 2025
It's not often I get super invested in the characters in graphic novels, but I felt really connected and interested in these characters. I loved the setting so much; I think this boarding school setting added so much atmosphere and another level of stakes with the coming-of-age/coming-out storylines. The illustrations were beautiful and the style really matched the dance setting well. Highly recommend!
November 12, 2024
aw the last panel was so cute � happy pub day to this book! :)
March 22, 2025
cute and heart-warming (and we love to see a romanian artist & author thriving and getting them international deals!!!)
February 24, 2025
i teared up a bit ngl
January 25, 2025
I adored this precious graphic novel. The illustrations were beautiful, especially the dance scenes. I liked both of the main characters and their relationship was so sweet. The ending was refreshing and felt realistic. Such a lovely story!!
March 19, 2024
I'm a sucker for dance stories (especially ballet), so I was really excited about a LGBTQ+ dance graphic novel... and Leap didn't disappoint. Popescu uses a gentle wash of colors to tell the story about a contemporary dancer and her secret ballet girlfriend. The story touches on all of the typical dance tropes- eating disorders, cruel instructors, envy among the students... but at the heart it's about a girl who is trying to figure out what she wants out of life, and what she deserves. The story was lovely, but I especially loved the illustrations of dancing. There's so much movement and grace! Popescu has delivered a great graphic novel that will suit many types of readers.
Want to read
March 8, 2024sapphics who questioned their sexuality because of doing sports with other girls- we stay winning!!!!!!!!
Read
March 19, 2025adorable!
March 27, 2025
Really well-done story. I was afraid I wouldn’t be into the art style, but it actually went really well with the story and the backgrounds were beautiful and detailed. Some of it hit very close to home. I cried at the end.
April 1, 2025
This book was cute, light, and wholesome. The graphics were beautiful and the story was sweet, yet real. It didn’t exactly have the ending I expected, but I liked it nonetheless.
3.75/5 ⭐️
3.75/5 ⭐️
December 27, 2024
Ballerinas and lesbians. What sequential art was made for.
'Leap' (no relation to the 2016 animated film, thank goodness) is a quiet, gentle little LGBTQ+ coming-of-age graphic novel. Well, maybe not little as it is close to 300 pages long, but the whole story - how it plays out and progresses, during an important, crossroads period in teenage girls' lives - is understated, unpretentious, sincere. It feels honest, and therefore all the more heartwarming, heartbreaking, and real. Real and lovely.
It's like the best, most fluid and ethereal ballet performance; not haunting, exactly, but it will feel like it's touching on enough human experiences to stay with you for a long time after you've watched it. Its ghost lingers within your heart.
It helps that it's an autumnal and wintery graphic novel, cold yet cosy, with snow. Feel the atmosphere this holiday season.
It's also a bit like a rom com (except definitely not, but I'll get to explaining that) or a sitcom miniseries, but the laughs are underplayed, and the moody drama that is life takes over, pouncing, punching on every page.
I like ballet, and I'm all for more queer stories being told, so I had the mystical, prophetic foresight that 'Leap' would be right up my alley. My ballet alley.
I don't want to spoil anything about the story and the characters, because it is nearing the end of the year now and I am beyond exhausted--oh, and because it is best to leap into 'Leap' (sorrynotsorry) - to go into any slice-of-life, coming-of-age experience blind; as unknowing about the lives, the revelations, the shocks, and the turns and changes of the characters as they are. Into the unknown indeed.
I will add, however, that 'Leap' manages to subvert practically every LBGTQ+ cliché in storylines everywhere ever. And it ends up becoming - blossoming, blooming into - a big platonic love story; any romances and crushes are in the process of being moved on from. That's change. That's life.
So, not a rom com or a sitcom.
'Leap' is a comic about friendship between queer girls.
The ending isn't rushed and underwhelming - the last few pages are perfect.
Sorry, I won't reveal why, because spoilers. Read 'Leap' to find out what I'm talking about.
The diverse rep is great, to boot (to pivot). It is set in Bucharest, Romania. There are queer girls and women, fat girls, and foreign girls and women. No disability rep, as far as I could tell, however. There are nearly no male characters.
The ballet aspect sort of takes a backseat to the drama going on, too, but not by much. Side characters, like in the main girl friend group, are not as developed as I would have liked them to be, sadly.
'Leap' is a look into the lives of ballerinas, young and older, and it is a Swan Lake portal-mirror into the hard reality of growing up and discovering you are queer in a society that largely won't except you for who you are. You may have to live in fear and hiding. Any coming out or nonconsensual exposure could damage your personal life and career. Hiding who you are might be surviving, but it won't make you happy; there is constant constraint and stress, and no joy and freedom, and it may negatively effect others as well as yourself. It will effect your relationships.
Everybody suffers in ignorant, queerphobic communities.
The art is simple and shadowy, with pinks and beiges, and a few full colour pages, like during dancing sequences, which are beautifully drawn. I'm not a big fan of the art, overall, but it works for what it is, and what its heartfelt purpose is.
I'm confused about the stylistic choice of not every line of dialogue being surrounded by a white balloon - it looks like a character's thoughts sometimes, instead of what they are actually saying. But the lines have, well, a line connecting them to a character, so we know it is supposed to be dialogue. What is the meaning behind that? Is it to do with a particular mood?
Ah, well. I love and appreciate everything else about this taffeta tome.
'Leap', what a charming, personal queer book.
Sapphic ballerinas, leap and soar! You deserve it. You deserve to be loved and valued, for all your worth. You are worthy. Of all kinds of love and connection. Every kind of relationship is open to you.
Final Score: 4/5
'Leap' (no relation to the 2016 animated film, thank goodness) is a quiet, gentle little LGBTQ+ coming-of-age graphic novel. Well, maybe not little as it is close to 300 pages long, but the whole story - how it plays out and progresses, during an important, crossroads period in teenage girls' lives - is understated, unpretentious, sincere. It feels honest, and therefore all the more heartwarming, heartbreaking, and real. Real and lovely.
It's like the best, most fluid and ethereal ballet performance; not haunting, exactly, but it will feel like it's touching on enough human experiences to stay with you for a long time after you've watched it. Its ghost lingers within your heart.
It helps that it's an autumnal and wintery graphic novel, cold yet cosy, with snow. Feel the atmosphere this holiday season.
It's also a bit like a rom com (except definitely not, but I'll get to explaining that) or a sitcom miniseries, but the laughs are underplayed, and the moody drama that is life takes over, pouncing, punching on every page.
I like ballet, and I'm all for more queer stories being told, so I had the mystical, prophetic foresight that 'Leap' would be right up my alley. My ballet alley.
I don't want to spoil anything about the story and the characters, because it is nearing the end of the year now and I am beyond exhausted--oh, and because it is best to leap into 'Leap' (sorrynotsorry) - to go into any slice-of-life, coming-of-age experience blind; as unknowing about the lives, the revelations, the shocks, and the turns and changes of the characters as they are. Into the unknown indeed.
I will add, however, that 'Leap' manages to subvert practically every LBGTQ+ cliché in storylines everywhere ever. And it ends up becoming - blossoming, blooming into - a big platonic love story; any romances and crushes are in the process of being moved on from. That's change. That's life.
So, not a rom com or a sitcom.
'Leap' is a comic about friendship between queer girls.
The ending isn't rushed and underwhelming - the last few pages are perfect.
Sorry, I won't reveal why, because spoilers. Read 'Leap' to find out what I'm talking about.
The diverse rep is great, to boot (to pivot). It is set in Bucharest, Romania. There are queer girls and women, fat girls, and foreign girls and women. No disability rep, as far as I could tell, however. There are nearly no male characters.
The ballet aspect sort of takes a backseat to the drama going on, too, but not by much. Side characters, like in the main girl friend group, are not as developed as I would have liked them to be, sadly.
'Leap' is a look into the lives of ballerinas, young and older, and it is a Swan Lake portal-mirror into the hard reality of growing up and discovering you are queer in a society that largely won't except you for who you are. You may have to live in fear and hiding. Any coming out or nonconsensual exposure could damage your personal life and career. Hiding who you are might be surviving, but it won't make you happy; there is constant constraint and stress, and no joy and freedom, and it may negatively effect others as well as yourself. It will effect your relationships.
Everybody suffers in ignorant, queerphobic communities.
The art is simple and shadowy, with pinks and beiges, and a few full colour pages, like during dancing sequences, which are beautifully drawn. I'm not a big fan of the art, overall, but it works for what it is, and what its heartfelt purpose is.
I'm confused about the stylistic choice of not every line of dialogue being surrounded by a white balloon - it looks like a character's thoughts sometimes, instead of what they are actually saying. But the lines have, well, a line connecting them to a character, so we know it is supposed to be dialogue. What is the meaning behind that? Is it to do with a particular mood?
Ah, well. I love and appreciate everything else about this taffeta tome.
'Leap', what a charming, personal queer book.
Sapphic ballerinas, leap and soar! You deserve it. You deserve to be loved and valued, for all your worth. You are worthy. Of all kinds of love and connection. Every kind of relationship is open to you.
Final Score: 4/5
January 31, 2025
Jeg har ventet i to år på å lese denne boka!! Ved å følge skaperen på Insta har det vært mye forventninger knyttet til denne. Syns den var en veldig fin bok, jeg liker stilen så godt! Det er imponerende å lage en tegneserieroman om dansing, siden det involverer at man må skape mye bevegelse med stillbilder. Veldig fint å lese en skeiv bok om dans i Romania, og perspektivet det tilføyer. 4 stjerner 💖
July 17, 2024
*4.5 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good graphic novel and that was definitely that. The characters were layered which isn't always easy to do in such a short format.
I read this quite fast but I felt every second of it. I loved the school setting and its location, I'm not used to reading books set in Romania and I enjoyed seeing it through the author and their characters.
I enjoyed seeing both characters' journeys throughout the book. I didn't expect the directions the story took and that made me love it even more.
Anyway, I love the gays and you should read this.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good graphic novel and that was definitely that. The characters were layered which isn't always easy to do in such a short format.
I read this quite fast but I felt every second of it. I loved the school setting and its location, I'm not used to reading books set in Romania and I enjoyed seeing it through the author and their characters.
I enjoyed seeing both characters' journeys throughout the book. I didn't expect the directions the story took and that made me love it even more.
Anyway, I love the gays and you should read this.
November 19, 2024
4 stars
Ana and Sara are young dancers who have devoted their lives to their craft. They spend all day in class and practice, and they spend the rest of their time as new friends and new roommates navigating the complexities of their experiences.
Readers who enjoy a great graphic novel and solid queer representation will appreciate the way that Popescu weaves elements of coming of age, identity, sexuality, friendships, romantic relationships, and more nuanced connections, such as those with clear (and potentially concerning) power dynamics.
This work is more a snapshot of a particular time in these characters' developments and experiences versus a climactic, dramatic tale, and that is one of the many elements I enjoyed throughout this read. I'll be recommending this one to students and reading more from this author.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Ana and Sara are young dancers who have devoted their lives to their craft. They spend all day in class and practice, and they spend the rest of their time as new friends and new roommates navigating the complexities of their experiences.
Readers who enjoy a great graphic novel and solid queer representation will appreciate the way that Popescu weaves elements of coming of age, identity, sexuality, friendships, romantic relationships, and more nuanced connections, such as those with clear (and potentially concerning) power dynamics.
This work is more a snapshot of a particular time in these characters' developments and experiences versus a climactic, dramatic tale, and that is one of the many elements I enjoyed throughout this read. I'll be recommending this one to students and reading more from this author.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
October 11, 2024
Leap is a graphic novel set in a competitive dance school in Romania. The story follows two roommates over the first few months of their junior year. Ana is a contemporary dancer whose heart is no longer in dance, but with Carina, a classically trained ballerina who has little time for romance. Sara had been studying classical dance, but switched to contemporary dance at the suggestion of one of her instructors who she quickly developed feelings for. The story follows them as the girls try to figure out what they want for their futures and how their romantic feelings will play into that.
I really enjoyed the story that was being told in Leap. I don't know a whole lot about dance, but the characters' struggles and feelings were still relatable. The artwork is really nice and I especially enjoyed the way that color was used throughout. The dance sequences were frequently in full color and did a good job of showing movement and the feelings the characters were experiencing. This will be a great graphic novel for people who enjoy coming of age stories, stories about difficult relationships, and stories about friendship.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted copy.
I really enjoyed the story that was being told in Leap. I don't know a whole lot about dance, but the characters' struggles and feelings were still relatable. The artwork is really nice and I especially enjoyed the way that color was used throughout. The dance sequences were frequently in full color and did a good job of showing movement and the feelings the characters were experiencing. This will be a great graphic novel for people who enjoy coming of age stories, stories about difficult relationships, and stories about friendship.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the gifted copy.
October 30, 2024
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Leap is a testament to friendship which comes at the perfect timing. It's about friends being a soft space to land, someone to tell us the truth, and someone who can see through our pained smiles. A good friend is invaluable and that's one of the lessons learned in Leap. From the beginning, I loved the color scheme and bold lines. The dancing panels were some of my favorite in their sense of movement and color. For Leap, both Ana and Sara are struggling to figure out their own feelings and their future.
Leap is a testament to friendship which comes at the perfect timing. It's about friends being a soft space to land, someone to tell us the truth, and someone who can see through our pained smiles. A good friend is invaluable and that's one of the lessons learned in Leap. From the beginning, I loved the color scheme and bold lines. The dancing panels were some of my favorite in their sense of movement and color. For Leap, both Ana and Sara are struggling to figure out their own feelings and their future.
October 31, 2024
ARC review of Leap by Simina Popescu.
🩰 This is a YA graphic novel set in a dance school in Romania with queer/sapphic main characters. The story centers on the importance and impact of friendships when you’re growing up and getting to know yourself. It was a very heartwarming story and I really enjoyed the representation in the story.
I was not a huge fan of the artwork and I’m not sure if it was my copy, but the illustrations were out of focus while the lettering was crisp. Hope it was just my download.
That being said I would still recommend this book to someone looking for queer graphic novels.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
🩰 This is a YA graphic novel set in a dance school in Romania with queer/sapphic main characters. The story centers on the importance and impact of friendships when you’re growing up and getting to know yourself. It was a very heartwarming story and I really enjoyed the representation in the story.
I was not a huge fan of the artwork and I’m not sure if it was my copy, but the illustrations were out of focus while the lettering was crisp. Hope it was just my download.
That being said I would still recommend this book to someone looking for queer graphic novels.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
November 30, 2024
I tried. I really tried to read this slower. To savour it for a bit longer, but I still ate it up in a second, because it was really that good! Dare I say it's the best sapphic graphic novel I've ever read? Because it is. It might have to share the 1st place with "On a Sunbeam" by Tillie Walden, but me putting some other graphic novel on the same place with it says something.
And the thing I loved the most? It focused on friendship. I feel like there aren't enough queer stories focusing on friendship, on the found families we, as queer people, build in our lives.
So this is the easiest 5 stars I had to give in a long time and I can't wait to recommend this to every queer person I come across, both in my circle of people I know and at work at the bookstore.
And the thing I loved the most? It focused on friendship. I feel like there aren't enough queer stories focusing on friendship, on the found families we, as queer people, build in our lives.
So this is the easiest 5 stars I had to give in a long time and I can't wait to recommend this to every queer person I come across, both in my circle of people I know and at work at the bookstore.
February 26, 2025
Ana and Sara are two girls studying at a competitive dance school in Bucharest, Romania. Initially just dormmates, but they evolve to become friends and confidants as they navigate relationships, sexuality, and their relationship to dance. While I liked this story of friendship, I wasn't a fan of the artwork. The dance sequence panels are hard to follow in the physical movements. I also noticed inconsistencies with the dialogue-sometimes occurring in a white balloon dialogue and others just in black text. There were no notations about the differences.
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