Rainbow! follows Boo Meadows who has pink hair and a very vivid imagination—so much so that the has trouble separating what’s real from what she’s conjuring up in her mind. In her daydreams, she gets to dance at balls in beautiful gowns or fight the baddest monsters of them all. In reality, Boo has to deal with a complicated home life, stress at school, at work and a huge crush on the girl of her dreams. But when a new student, Mimi, shows up at school, Boo gets to explore a side of herself she never dared look at closer.
What a fun graphic novel! The art has such a dreamy quality to it and therefore fits perfectly with the story and the overall theme. What I really enjoyed and kept me on my toes is that oftentimes, you can’t tell whether Boo is fantasizing or whether what’s happening is actually happening. Every dream has this magical quality thanks to the illustrations but I loved how you learned more about Boo and Mimi by how they reacted in “real life” and how that changed when Boo was the one making up the scenes she dreamt.
Both Mimi and Boo were really relatable—from the problems they encounter to the way they deal with it (especially Boo and her home life had my heart aching for her) but of course their gradual friendship is what drew me in from the get-go. Boo’s motives for dreaming so much (to escape the struggles she faces not just with her mom but in life in general) made so much sense, because isn’t that what we all do sometimes when we escape into books? I think readers will feel so connected to Boo and Mimi.
The novel does end on a cliffhanger (I’m guessing there’s already more to the story on Tapas where it originated) so be warned that your new favourite characters are going to face some challenges.
If you’re looking for a sweet pick-me-up to warm your heart and escape from the real world for an hour, Rainbow! Will provide you with just that—a dreamy, syrupy sweet story.
Rainbow! Vol 1 is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 5th 2024.
Will you be picking up Rainbow! Vol 1? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
From Tapas Media, the same webtoon platform that brought you Magical Boy, comes Rainbow!, a new LGBTQ+ YA graphic novel series!
Teenager Boo Meadows has pink hair and a very vivid imagination — she has trouble separating from the real world. In her daydreams, she dances beautifully at balls or fights monsters as a magical girl. In reality, she has a complicated home life, work stress, school stress, and a wicked crush on the girl of her dreams. When a new student, Mimi, arrives at school, Boo starts exploring a side of herself that she never considered before. As she grows closer with Mimi, it may finally be time for Boo to face reality . . . Who is the real Mimi? The one in her dreams? Or the one in real life?
Rainbow! is perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Magical Boy, full of heart, adorable illustrations, and a storyline that any teenager can relate to!
