I love me some graphic novels and this is no exception. Welcome to the kickoff of Freshman Year by Sarah Mai Book Tour hosted by TBR and Beyond Book Tours

About Freshman Year

A stylish graphic novel about the unique angst, humor, and self-doubt universal to the experience of going away to college—from a promising debut talent—for fans of  Heartstopper .

Everyone gets a fresh start. Who do you want to be? 

Sarah is leaving suburban Wisconsin for her freshman year in Minnesota. She has high hopes for the  impress her professors, meet interesting new people, stay close to her best friends and boyfriend back home, flourish as an artist, and shed her lingering high school anxieties. What seems manageable at first quickly unravels into a Sarah’s high-achieving roommate puts her to shame, her summer love dissolves, and she is quickly overwhelmed by the freedom, the isolation, and all the possibilities that await in this new environment.

Based on the author’s personal college journal and comics,  Freshman Year  navigates the inner workings of an 18-year-old girl in witty, honest, and heartfelt detail.  This graduation gift pairs perfectly with OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!.   Dr. Seuss’s sentimental graduation picture book is beloved, but the one teens really need is Freshman Year.  This graphic novel debut shows the places students actually  do  go—the home goods aisle at Target; lavish libraries; grungy parties off campus; cereal-for-dinner at the dining hall. 

Whether you’re anxiously looking forward or nostalgically looking back, this is the perfect read for anyone who loves realistic graphic novels about the laughable growing pains of almost-adulthood, like Check, Please! and Bloom . 

Review for Freshman Year

The excitement of college goes out the window as Sarah’s freshman year in college unfolds. Relationships end, comparisons begin, and making new friends is tough. Her new hope is figuring out how to make it on her own and we are privileged to watch it unfold in a unique way. Through delightful illustrations, the characters develop and grow continuously giving those about to embark on college life their own hope. Delightful. But I am a graphic novel junkie…

About the Author

Sarah Mai is an illustrator and writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has a degree in English Literature from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she developed a passion for graphic novels, and is the illustrator of The Cool Code and The Cool Code 2.0: The Switch Glitch written by Deirdre Langeland. Freshman Year marks her author-illustrator debut.

Website  –  Instagram  –  Goodreads 

Freshman Year Book Tour Schedule

Follow along and see what others are saying! 

Join my Newsletter

For all the best of bookish – join my newsletter – and get the most fabulous new releases delivered straight to your inbox (just twice a month). Guess what? There’s usually a giveaway or two going on! What are you waiting for?