Motherlover by Lindsay Ishihiro was sent to me from an Iron Circus Comics email. I was not specially targeted but that was fine. After all, I find some of my favorite reads because of things like this. Now, I was a little turned off first of all by the fact it was being promoted as a romance and a non-spicy romance graphic novel, slow burn one at that. But I have been trying to step outside my reading comfort zone, so why not give it a try? If I did not like it, nothing said I had to finish.
Well, this online reader copy (due May 2025) has all the elements. It is a love story, it is a Girl/Woman power story, and a LGBTQ story. It has a lot of things going on. And while it is lighter, there is some heavy lifting of themes going on. Our gal Imogene is leaving her husband after several years and three kids (the fourth child is from her high school boyfriend), she is a woman who comes of age in a funny, sweet and exciting graphic novel. Our gal Alex, is coming off a breakup, raising a “made herself” child, and coming to terms with the past. 
Maybe things were not as “in depth” or “heavily detailed” as I would have liked, but finding yourself “later in life” is a great introduction of the classic theme of coming-of-age, but with these new twists. It was a fun read and I enjoyed the journey. It was relatable and shows that you never stop growing, learning and “coming of age.” You just are older and hopefully maybe a little wiser to deal with it all. And while there is a lot happening all at once, it is a good “a slice of life” showing with a few modern elements. The illustrations are bold and bright. They are “roomy” and don’t skimp on details, but are not crowded. They do “tone the serious” down a bit, but do not allow it to be lost. Maybe this is not my “favorite of all time books” but I enjoy it, would read sequels and might even follow Ishihiro online/their other works. 