Stars in Their Eyes Review

 TW: The disease that shares its name with a zodiac sign, some ableism

Stars in their Eyes by Jessica Walton and Aska is about Maisie, an amputee who goes to her first ever fan convention with her mother. She and her mother love to geek out on all sorts of shows, and Maisie is excited to see an actress from one of her favorite shows, Midnight Girls, who is an amputee just like her. While there Maisie and her mother meet Ollie and their dad, who are volunteers and the convention, and they immediately become friends. Ollie and Maisie find out they love a lot of the same things, especially when they see shows that have people who are like them (nonbinary, bi, and/or disabled). 

Unfortunately, the panel Maisie wanted to go to gets cancelled because her favorite actress gets really sick. So she spends more time with Ollie, and they get really close. Maisie wonders how they will stay close when each one of them lives so far away.

Everything I that I like in storytelling was present in this graphic novel! A diverse cast, geeky people like me, nuanced conversations on being queer and disabled, etc. It was all so well done! And such a sweet story.

I did give it 4.5 stars, but that's just because of some material that's kind of triggering. Maisie had the disease that shares its name with a zodiac sign when she was younger, and she also faces some ableism (it is handled well, though). Just keep these in mind!

I felt seen in this book, too. I am queer (AroAce) and disabled (autistic).