It's Not What You Thought It Would Be

by Lizzy Stewart

A poignant coming-of-age story, this debut graphic novel follows two young women on their path to adulthood. In her graphic novel debut, English cartoonist Lizzy Stewart chronicles the lives of two close friends from adolescence to adulthood. As the years go by, life nudges them in directions that they never could have expected until finally, in their thirties, they hardly recognize the women they have become. Their situations have changed, from the sleepy countryside to bustling London, but their relationships and perspectives have also gradually shifted over time. In a series of interconnected vignettes, Stewart focuses on the ordinary, slice-of-life moments ― teenagers climbing up and lounging on a rooftop, friends catching up over pints at the pub, a woman riding the night bus home ― and charges these scenes with a quiet intensity. Through keen observation and an ear for naturalistic dialogue, she reveals the complex natures of her characters, from their confidence to their insecurities, as they experience the joys and pains of growing up. Drawn in a variety of different styles, from watercolor to colored pencil to pen and ink, the style of this book echoes the evolution of the characters within.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction, Short Stories, Graphic Novels Comics, Coming Of Age, Adult

153 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 27, 2021

About the author

Lizzy Stewart is a British illustrator and author currently based in London. She has written and illustrated various books for children and adults. Her debut full-length illustrated novel Alison was published in 2022. She teaches illustration at Goldsmiths University and has also taught courses on behalf of the National Portrait Gallery.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Not What You Thought it Would be is a collection of comics short stories, and what appear to be (some? all?) autofiction. Maybe not. Definitely slice-of-life, simple stories, decidedly not dramatic events, that in various ways illustrate the title’s assertion about the unpredictability of life. Interconnected snapshots/anedotes of a life. For many of the stories we get this sense of children and teens (and this girl/woman in particular) anticipating a certain kind of future and not getting it. Not terrible, not great, it just is. But neighborhoods change, people move away; it's a reflection on life as change. So there’s a touch of sweetness and melancholy, beautifully illustrated.

The first story, “Heavy Air,” is in part about neighborhood kids creating a makeshift shelter for a sick fox. Then the apartment complex gets torn down after a storm and they all scatter.

“Blush” is just a vignette about the girl, who is easily embarrassed, shy, feeling shame about a teacher calling undue attention to her. So she doesn't really know what to say. Maybe this sets up the distance she seems to experience with other people.

“Dog Walk” is about two friends, bored, who climb to the top of a building and just look around. Later stories have them meet and reflect on their early friendship, no longer besties, not living in the same area anymore.

The title story is just about meeting a man on a bus and talking to him, but she regrettably gives him her email address. She talks with her old friend about the experience.

All the colors are muted, connoting sepia-toned memory and reflection, except the very last full page brightly colored image of the two friends--who have been watching a wedding reception and talking, reminiscing--joyfully dancing together. They are friends still? again? in spite of life changes! It’s a soft, reflective set of stories that encourage you to reflect on your own friendships over time.

[Grg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully subtle collection of interconnected short stories about how little moments of friendships make the banality of life bearable (and sometime actually enjoyable).

[Ιωάννα Μπαμπέτα · Rating 3 out of 5]

Συμπαθητικούλι! Συλλογή από μικρές ιστορίες που όμως δεν ήταν ισοδύναμες. Μου άρεσε αρκετά αλλά ως εκεί.

[Ayesha ( ˙▿˙ ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short comics about friends growing up and navigating adulthood.

Actually it took me a good part of this book to work out whether these comics were about the same characters or not. I also spent the majority of this book being mildly confused about what's going on. I'm not too sure whether I enjoyed this one but the ending did make me smile, so I'll give it a solid 3 stars.

[Shazia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection so much. The stories are simple, many of them featuring duos in different phases of their friendships - 'Dog Walk' features two best friends, hoping something interesting happens to differentiate the day from any other. In 'A Quick Catch Up' we join two girls getting together after they seemingly have not seen each other for a bit of time; they awkwardly say their goodbyes when things got a bit uncomfortable. But then the story ends with a flashback showing the two at the peak of their friendship. 'The Wedding Guests' shows two guests chatting about the newlyweds, their past friend group, and then almost without any warning, one asks the other why they are no longer friends. These few stories made me wonder - are these the same characters featured in each of the stories? I still am not quite sure, as these 3 stories definitely could connect, but each comic in this book is drawn in a different style, plus there are many other stories within the collection that feature different characters and storylines.

[⋆˚₊ ☽˚.⋆ mariel ⋆˚₊ ☽˚.⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

oh crying, screaming, and throwing up because what do you mean I have to grow up.

but I was a bit confused about whether or not these short stories were following the same two characters or if this was some kind of intertwined Love Actually sort of thing or if they were just related to the theme of life marching onward. BUT I don't have too many complaints, I feel like this is a good future summer reread !!

[Diamond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like other reviews - I agree that the stories were a bit hard to follow when it pertains to how they all link with each other. I personally do not think Lizzy Stewart can do any wrong, her art really is stunning and has such a soft, human side that really stands out to me.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of vignettes across several periods of two women's lives (though I'm not sure if the connections between the different stories was just how I was interpreting it). A Quick Catch-Up and The Wedding Guests in particular really floored me - Lizzy Stewart's dialogue is so real feeling and natural, and that really increased the emotional resonance of this book for me. I've not read any of her work before, and had little idea of what to expect going into It's Not What You Thought It Would Be, but I found it a very satisfying reading experience. I also loved the art style - in particular, the great use of texture. This was a quiet, introspective read, that made me think about a lot of my own experiences.
Thanks to Fantagraphics and Edelweiss for the ARC.

[Hannah Garden]

Very light, very youthful collection of sketches/short stories. I'm going to read some reviews before I see if I have anything else I need to say here.

[vivian ! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tore through this in 30 minutes. In hindsight I feel as though that was a disservice to the book and myself, so I’m definitely going back for a second read the moment I’m done writing this.

I have no idea how this books was able to encapsulate that one weird feeling that stuck with me whenever I thought about how my current friendships would look in the future. There is something deeply moving about reading about strangers going through the same thing as you, just in different contexts.

This book reminds me of a friend I have. And for that I got super sentimental at the end but honestly, it’s such a good book. I’m going to binge the rest of Liszt Stewart’s works, because this was too good.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh, I just loved this one! I’ve been reading a lot of graphic novels/stories this year. This was definitely one of my recent favorites. Lovely dialogue and thoughtful, intimate moments between friends. Will definitely be returning to the art & stories here, and want to read more of Lizzy Stewart’s work!

[Armando · Rating 4 out of 5]

A greatly illustrated series of 'slices of life' stories detailing a woman's growth from childhood into adulthood. I loved how personal this story was, how eye opening and powerful it could be, as well as how humbling and unabashedly honest about growing up. This deals with broken dreams, broken friendships, but also hope and growth. It is a very beautiful story.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet vignettes of the still childhood moments that stay with you, illuminating relationships that you hope will always stay and how they change.

[sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

super poignant w/ wonderful artwork. i really liked the last story + the way the art style changed from vignette to vignette

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful drawings and thoughtful, reflective vignettes.

I loved the first vignette, Heavy Air, about the narrator’s experience growing up on an estate (which I learned is the term to a large planned housing project, with a somewhat negative connotation) and how it was special and how that time & place is gone.
I also appreciated the final story, wedding guests, with 2 former friends reconnecting. It feels true to how relationships change over time, and is relevant to my stage of life.

The book as a whole confuses me a bit and I just wish there was clearer marketing/ description. I started reading it thinking it was a memoir, but then part way through the perspective changed in one of the vignettes, and I realized it’s not a memoir at all (or at least I don’t think so). Also I’m not 100% sure if all of the stories were about the same narrator because the same story about the 3 friends and their experiences being woman doesn’t totally seem to fit the timeline. Or maybe that intentionally shows how life chapters can suddenly start and end? I’m not sure. I may need to reread, but also, it’s not super clear.

[Courts · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really sweet set of short stories about friendship and the weirdness of growing up.

I loved how it started with a story of childhood and rough, monochrome lines and colours. The tone is set by that first story; a little melancholy and awkward but slightly hopeful as well. As our main character, Meera, ages so does the art, maturing in style and colouring. The material used changes as well, rough pencils and grey or sepia watercolours to bright coloured pencils to firm digital lines and bold colours.

I found it really touching and beautiful. And I felt the teenage scenes in my chest because I remember those clothes and the Romeo + Juliet movie/soundtrack and jumping on the top of portables with the same sepia-tinted nostalgia.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wistful recollections of the moments of youth that at the time are what they are supposed to be: seemingly boring filler while we yearn for more with our friend(s). Wholly relatable. What were moments of boredom then are moments recollected and of reflection. We could t know then and we almost know now.

There isn’t always a moment later to talk about and process what we mean and meant to one another. Time marches onward, and we with it. Sometimes we reconnect, sometimes we won’t. We choose either way.
But we remember moments and our people, wistfully. They are what make us then into us now.

A good read. Melancholy and reflective.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A winding and interspersed story made up of small vignettes where the characters age each time they reappear, their friendship and lives waxing and waning from their pre-teen years to the time they reconnect at a wedding. They live in different places and get into different relationships and lead different lives, but friendship comes and goes and changes over time too.

[Kaden Herchenroether · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit hard to follow. Perhaps a little meaningless. But I enjoyed it. Or maybe I’m lying and it actually scares the crap out of me that one day my friends who I consider “forever” will only be fleeting. That better not be the case.

[Katy DiNatale · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a collection of vignettes, but I found myself wanting more points of connection between them and a stronger narrative arc.

[Alfredo Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.3 stars.

A collection or connected stories starting with kids living in estate towers in the late 80s, moving to 90s teens, 00s college students, 10s college grade, and 20s adults, not always in linear order and covering many topics, mostly centered on female friendships, growing up, life as a woman, and how all of these things intertwine.

The vignettes, considered in their vacuums, to me were wonderful pretty much across the board. The writing is understated, insightful, artful, and pointed in a way that speaks to me. I have a true passion for these kind of wandering, snapshot-esque coming of age stories, and this hit that target well. My major issue came with a running confusion as to how many characters I was keeping track of. For a while I thought we were following one girl-turned-woman, then her friend, but then I was confused to see that we were maybe adding a third friend? Usually this is traceable by names or hairstyles, but names are rarely given and hairstyles of the same person changes from scene to scene anyway, as one would expect over the years. That frustration over keeping track of the connections probably overshadowed the story a bit for me, and I’d be curious if I was the only one.

That said, I might feel differently a second read, where I think I’ve nailed down how the three friends are differentiated. As it stands, even just coming to each story on its own merits, they were truly lovey. I could’ve read a dozen more!

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 Stars

A fragmented look at friendships traversing childhood, teen years, and young adulthood, and an ode to female best friends. The book starts roughly, to the point where some readers may give up on it. Awkward, dull text and off-putting art may try patience here, though both 'faults' may be an attempt by the author to reflect the hazier and simpler recollections of early youth. As the stories progress, though they lack the excitement our modern brains are so accustomed to, and though they are indeed fragmented, they form accurate landscapes of time spent with friends, and occasionally, on one's own in a city. The most impressive element of the book is how it really captures what it's like to move away from a best friend, and how the relationship survives, suffers, changes -- how communication can become a mountainous hurdle of shame, guilt, and longed-for re-connection. All-in-all, this is an important book on friendship.

[Lisa]

This is the type of collection that I usually adore, and I purchased a copy for myself (which I almost never do - almost everything I read is from the library). And for some reason, I liked it...ok. This could be part of an overall book slump, but the author covers some of my favorite topics and I just wasn't that interested. Part of it may have been the artistic style, which was completely fine, not my favorite, and I had a bit of a hard time telling who was who (or rather, who was the same person throughout). I guess I was expecting more from coverage I saw https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/bo...

[Elna · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I finished and saw that Stewart comes from a zine background, it all made sense: these stories are exactly the kind of thing you'd find in a zine (short, confessional, aimless, with characters spouting lots of intelligent dialogue in speech bubbles that consume the page).

There's some interesting and relatable themes here, with good art, but somehow it just didn't land for me. I appreciate the evolving art and the different styles, but it was hard to tell if characters were the same across vignettes or not.

And it's very intimate, which is something I struggle with in my own comics: this isn't just Stewart's story to tell, it's her friend's too. Is her friend comfortable with everything that's been put out? With the way she and their story are portrayed?

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read graphic novels and I confess I got this out of the library on a recommendation not realizing it was one but I'm willing to give things a try. I was pleasantly engaged with the book - it was a series of short vignettes of sorts, taking the reader on a journey of two youngsters who grow apart as they age and enter different paths in life around college age then meet up again as adults unexpectedly. I don't know much about the actual artistry of graphic novels but this one's subtle palette and wispy depictions appeared to fit the flighty nature of the topic at hand. Dialogue was realistic and on point. Overall I enjoyed this foray into graphic novels and I guess I shouldn't be so reluctant to try another in the future, based on how I enjoyed this one.

[Laura Sackton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed every single one of these comics individually, but I was baffled by the book as a whole. Is it a book of short stories? Is it supposed to be one cohesive narrative? The copy made it sound like a graphic novel, but it read like a collection of vaguely-linked shorts. Some of them felt complete on their own and some of them didn't. So while I loved the art, and the way Stewart explores how friendships change over a life, I was continually adrift, wondering how I was supposed to be piecing it all together.

[Dbgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like all the illustrations here, but some I did. I liked the stories, but I didn't like there were many, because at first I thought this is so messy until I understood it has many different stories. But I liked the main story where two friends just chat with each other, as teens and as adults. This felt so real it hurt. I wish I had a friendship like theirs, because I have one ex-friendship that really didn't go as I thought it would be, as didn't go my life either. This has many good notes of daily lives, I envy those who can write so sharply from a daily life.

[Kat W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so… human. I kept starting the first couple pages and stopping, but I’m so glad I finally stuck with it.

I really related to the person who made art at first for herself, and later for her audience. But that audience consumed her and it became too much—too hard to fulfill the needs of her viewers. Later, she just made art for herself. It’s exactly why I decided I couldn’t major in art, and why I deleted my Etsy account. The needs of others made me forget the joy of creating.

This book was full of those simple and profound relatable moments. Enjoyed it!

[Hazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesse gave me this book for Christmas. I treasure it by keeping it next to my TV as a cruel encouraged rivalry. It stars childhood friends who meander their way through different chapters of life, highlighted by the varying style of art used to distinguish the timeline. The beginning chapters seem to use digital crayons or something, and the final chapter is illustrated in a more complete/finished style to indicate that growth has taken place.