My Life As an Internet Novel Vol. 1

Gr 7 Up–Printed in English for the first time, this story follows Dani Hahm, 14, as she navigates her life after waking up one morning to find that she is now living in a world where she is the sidekick to an internet novel protagonist. Dani immediately tries to distance herself from her beautiful best friend Yeoryeong but soon runs into equally gorgeous guys. Despite her resistance, she befriends Yeoryeong and soon the two have gathered a small clique. Fans of K-dramas and manhwa will enjoy the attractive character designs and bits of satire. However, the premise is lethally hampered by the art style and a confusing plot. Rather than being drawn, the art mostly consists of 3D models. Facial expressions come off as vacant and unreadable, while also featuring small errors, such as characters’ noses gaining a superfluous line in many close-up panels. Character introductions are quick and clearly prioritize creating an aesthetic trope. The book especially struggles with its timeline, through which the plot jumps frequently, without much context. The plot is difficult to follow, as it references events from before Dani’s life changed, while moving between her middle school and high school years, during which some mysterious tragedy occurred. There are so many time shifts that, by the end, very little has happened overall. Although diehard manhwa fans may be eager to read another romance, this is not as romantic or comedic as similar comics, such as HERO’s Horimiya.