Pham deftly shifts art styles between Shannon’s real-life experiences and her gauzy fantasies, and subtle shifts in color and panel shape-not to mention the expressive fonts giving voice to her anxious thoughts and destructive self-criticism-powerfully signal Shannon’s gradual drift into depression.
In her vivid daydreams, Shannon imagines all the things she’s sure will make her happy-winning the election for class president, catching the attention of a book agent, being a generous friend to everyone, finding a boyfriend-but when she tries to achieve those things, she not only is disheartened when they don’t work out but also perceives those failures as proof that she’s worthless, even as she unmistakably succeeds elsewhere. Juggling everything from friendships that don’t quite fit to feeling like she isn’t living up to her parent’s expectations, Friends Forever is a total page-turner, filled with relatable feels.It’s eighth grade, and Shannon finally has some solid friends and is doing well in school, so why doesn’t she feel happy? Hale and Pham’s third installment in their excellent graphic memoir series turns the spotlight on young Shannon’s growing anxiety, fueled in large part by her desire to be perfect. If you thought things were complicated before, things are about to get really tough as Shannon struggles with self-esteem and feeling like she’s not enough. With their signature humor, warmth, and insight, Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham have crafted another incredible love letter to their younger selves and to readers everywhere, a reminder to us all that we are enough.
Is something wrong with her? Can she be the person everyone expects her to be? And who does she actually want to be? Everything keeps changing, her classmates are starting to date each other (but nobody wants to date her!), and no matter how hard she tries, Shannon can never seem to just be happy.Īs she works through her insecurities and undiagnosed depression, she worries about disappointing all the people who care about her. Shannon is in eighth grade, and life is more complicated than ever. Following up their mega-bestselling Real Friends and Best Friends graphic memoirs, Shannon Hale and LeUyen Pham are back with Friends Forever, a story about learning to love yourself exactly as you are.
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