Book Review: Dreamover by Dani Diaz

“In this captivating debut YA graphic novel, two best friends becoming more than friends feels like a dream come true. But when one sleepover literally turns into a dream, will they ever want to wake up again?”

Goodreads blurb for Dreamover

Review:

It’s the beginning of summer vacation and before the start of high school. Amber, Nico, and their friends have a strong friend group, but when Amber and Nico confess their feelings for one another, they notice a new distance between them and their friends. First love has the young couple oblivious to those around them and it takes a shared dream for them to realize their part in the rift. Their dream also provides a sounding board for their relationship. High school has made the already shy Nico even quieter, making him wonder why someone as upbeat as Amber would be interested aside from the fact they grew up together.

This was a sweet story accompanied by nice illustrations, especially during the dream sequence. I do wish there had been a deeper look at especially Nico’s character in particular as there is a lot of vagueness around him. We don’t see too much of Amber and Nico’s connection until the dream. That said, this might not be as big of an issue for the younger readers this book is geared toward.

Thanks to IDW Publishing | Top Shelf Productions and NetGalley for providing a free digital ACR of the book! 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• Nice illustrations.
• Loved the nostalgic glimpse at 2000s-era instant messenger! (However, this left me a tad confused about when this book is meant to be set as early on the kids are seen with cellphones and the chatroom was very early 2000s style and before most middle schoolers were carrying around cellphones.)

What I didn’t like:

• I noticed some plot holes.
• Overall I just felt like there was something missing.

Afterthoughts:

I tagged this as YA over middle grade despite the characters being a little bit younger than typically found in YA novels as I personally feel a couple of moments were too mature for younger readers. Brief, but still there.

Where to buy the book: