Motherlover is a fantastic and heartwarming queer graphic novel by Lindsay Ishihiro (5/5 stars)

Motherlover is a fantastic and heartwarming queer graphic novel by Lindsay Ishihiro.

Technically, this is kinda a re-read for me, as I support Ishihiro on Patreon and read through the webcomic version as it was being published. Practically as soon as it was announced to have a print run, I preordered it from bookshop.org. I ate this up the first time I read it online in chapter-sized bites and I ate it up again in its full physical form. I just love Ishihiro’s art style.

This delightful graphic novel follows two moms from their meet cute the first day of school drop-off through months and months of strengthening their bond of friendship into something more. Both MCs appear to be in their late 30s, and I always find it wonderful to experience someone realizing their queerness “later” in life. Both MCs also struggle, in different ways, to figure out who they are outside of motherhood.

I especially adored the breadth of diversity represented throughout this book. One of our MCs is a plus-sized stay-at-home mom of four. The other is Asian, lesbian, a single mom by design, and plays the cello for a local fancy orchestra. There are a wide variety of races, sexualities, and family structures throughout the wide cast of characters.

This was so good, and I highly recommend it.

Rep: queer MCs (one is a lesbian, the other isn’t specified but appears to be bi/pansexual), plus-sized MC, Asian MC, queer side characters (trans, lesbian, gay)

Tropes: strangers to friends to lovers, forced proximity

CW: parental death (prior to book), emotional abuse (mostly prior to book), infidelity (not directly on-page), divorce

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