August 8, 2022
Szamosi employs witty narration and stark b&w ink to deliver a sincere, offbeat cautionary graphic novel of social media’s pitfalls, including its effect on mental health and body image. Olive, a recent N.Y.C. high school grad, dreams of becoming a professional fine artist like her late grandfather. But her Hungarian American mother, who works for a golf magazine, urges her to be practical. Hoping to help her “understand how people in the arts really make a living,” Olive’s mom uses her industry connections to get Olive an internship retouching fashion photography for a magazine. She immediately notices the unrealistic beauty expectations perpetuated by digitally created images of people called virtual models. The more she learns at her internship, the less she wants to see, but the body positivity movement’s increasing prevalence, as well as heart-to-hearts with mentors—including her boss, who stays grounded by making paper collages, a form of “unretouchable” art—help Olive navigate an occasionally disheartening media landscape. Szamosi’s art sometimes leans into abstract renderings of the protagonist’s feelings (Olive often visualizes her own body morphing to fit her mood and circumstances). If the narrative moralizes a bit, it does so with candor and refreshing realism. Ages 14–up.
September 15, 2022
Grades 9-12 A recent high-school graduate learns about the limits of social media through an internship at a fashion magazine the summer before she starts college. Olive lives with her mother, and she feels aimless and stressed about how she's going to make a living as an artist. Her mother gets her an internship with the company that owns the magazine she works for, mainly retouching photos for Fash Magazine. Olive gets a crash-course in the fashion industry and finds out about the concept of virtual models. In addition to editing images of live models, Olive works to create models from mannequins from scratch, and eventually, the lines between real and fake blur. Olive also alternates between being totally sucked into social media and stepping away from it entirely. Although this book doesn't offer any new answers to the problem of social media and how it affects teenage minds, Olive's journey to seeking balance in internet spaces is important. The black-and-white drawings contrast well with Szamosi's plot that grapples with the gray areas of contemporary life.
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June 15, 2022
A young artist spends her summer after high school learning about the extent to which commercial photos are digitally altered. Olive is headed for art school in the fall, and though she experiences some self-doubt, she understands that she's lucky to be able to live rent-free at home in New York City with her mom so near her college. She doesn't hesitate long before accepting an internship her magazine executive mom finds for her working with a photo tech retouching images for a fashion publication. Olive's uneasiness with altering photos and even completely inventing digital models grows as her feelings about herself go into a tailspin, not helped by her complicated relationship with social media. This tale pairs bold, blocky, black-and-white art with text sharing Olive's deeply introspective musings. With support from her pragmatic mom and her best friend Toni, who is trans, plus a host of new co-workers, Olive learns about body positivity, explores the ubiquity of social media, and comes to understand how augmented reality affects our perceptions of the world. The decidedly message-driven narrative is tempered by Olive's earnest, gently comic foibles. Main characters read as White; although there is some racial diversity in secondary characters, the book mainly leaves unexamined racism within the fashion industry and how it intersects with many of these issues. An appealing look at important issues through the lens of a privileged protagonist. (Graphic fiction. 12-18)
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September 9, 2022
Gr 8 Up-Szamosi's debut follows Olive, who spends her first summer after high school as a digital tech intern at a fashion magazine. She is supported along the way by her mom, BFF Toni, maybe-not-real internet crush, "Guy," and internship supervisor, Giorgio. Readers observe Olive as she realizes how far removed from reality digitally edited photos are. Over the summer, she re-examines her own relationships with her body and with social media, crescendoing with the discovery of the (very real) all-virtual model phenomenon. With touches of surrealism, the book's chunky, blocky, black-and-white art portrays the world as Olive sees it, instead of literally. The lack of color makes it difficult to portray a variety of skin tones, but Szamosi does include a variety of body shapes. BFF Toni, who is trans, brings more diversity to the story. Olive's story will resonate not just with readers struggling with their body image, but also with any teen dealing with a new job or internship. It also functions as a digital and social media 101 for teens-the book makes readers think critically about the messages media sends and the control young people have over their responses. Yet it never feels like a lecture watching Olive navigate these issues. VERDICT Entertaining and thought-provoking. Fans of all ages who appreciate The Devil Wears Prada and the fashion/modeling industry will also appreciate this quick read.-Tammy Ivins
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