Hello Sunshine

by Keezy Young

In this lush and creepy young adult graphic novel about mental health, healing, and romance, a troubled teen suddenly disappears from his small town—sending his loved ones on a paranormal journey to save him from his inner demons.

Noah is heartbroken. He returns from bible camp to find that Alex, his secret boyfriend, has had a breakdown and disappeared. He wishes more than anything that he hadn’t left that day.
 
Sky is determined. She’ll stop at nothing to find her childhood friend, even if it means alienating the people she loves.
 
Izzy is ashamed. She knew something weird was going on with Alex, and she didn’t say anything to her boyfriend, Jamie—Alex’s twin brother. If she had, would Alex still be here?
 
Jamie is angry. Angry at Alex for being gone, angry at himself for not noticing something was wrong, and angry at his long-dead mother, Desdemona, who had problems of her own.

But what if there was something more to Desdemona’s demons than just mental illness? Why is Jamie seeing her ghost? And can he get past his hatred of her if it means finding out what happened to his brother?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Horror, Young Adult, Mystery, Queer, Comics, Mental Health

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2025

Reviews

[Hari Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

AAAAAAAAH!!!! Honestly I think everyone should read this to understand severe mental illness better, ESPECIALLY any fan of the horror genre. But it was also GRIPPING, genuinely scary, both heavy in parts and beautiful and made me cry.

I was surprised how BIG the story was. Being almost 400 pages with dense dialogue and many panels per page, it must have been a massive undertaking to create - but it makes for a deliciously rich graphic novel with each of the cast’s voice and personality getting space to develop unusually fully.

The art style, spot blacks, colour, texture and grime are also absolutely perfect for YA horror and the supernatural elements of the story - I’ve rarely seen comic art enhance genre storytelling so effectively. In particular, the parts with characters experiencing delusions and psychosis are so real and vivid, and the comic and medium brings them to life completely. (To the extent that imo you might want to make sure you’re in the right headspace before reading, especially if you experience those things in whatever capacity.)

No spoilers, but the way the plot BOTH does the supernatural-horror-genre stuff extremely well, but ALSO clearly delineates and portrays the reality of experiencing psychosis is so fucking CLEVER and so effective.

Truly an incredible book and a testament to what comics can do - I hope it reaches as many teens and adults as possible.

[Joscelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

the way this graphic novel has a chokehold on me. it's so good wow

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars, rounded up

This might be a graphic novel, but it is by no means a quick and easy read. It's dark. It's heavy. And it does a really good job dancing around questions of mental illness, demonic forces, and blurred lines of reality and fantasy. It's an excellent read, but it isn't for the faint of heart. So cautious readers do beware!

Anyway, my full review is available at Gateway Reviews. Do swing by if you get the chance!

Note: I was provided with an ARC by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel very soft towards all the characters in the book. I’m very happy most of the characters were queer.

[Emily Kolach · Rating 5 out of 5]

powerful and emotional depiction of schizoaffective disorders and what happens when your hallucinations begin coming to life featuring one very good dog

[Beauregard Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm as shocked as everyone else that I'm giving a YA book 5 stars but this was really a winner. The pacing of the story is excellent. The art style really worked for me, and the background work and lettering was really elaborate. I'm impressed by the character work that was done in such a short span of time. I found it both scary at times and also emotionally affecting. If I'm knocking it for anything, it's that the final section dragged a bit and the ending wasn't quite the knock-out I thought it might be. Still, I can see myself revisiting this in the future.

[Sirah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex is gone ... or is he?
This graphic novel follows five different characters as they struggle to figure out what's real and what's fiction, and what really happened to Alex.

How can I convey to you how impactful I found this book? I read a lot of magical realism, and I know how tricky it can be to bridge the gap between whether something is real or psychosis. But I don't think I've ever seen both magic and mental health paired in a way that makes you want to understand both. In some ways, this book is truly terrifying: showing us a world where nothing is real but anything can still have real effects. In other ways, this book is defiantly compassionate, reminding us that psychosis is an understandable medical condition and that whether a person has bipolar, schizophrenia, or another condition that makes them more likely to experience psychosis, they're human and worthy of love. My heart absolutely broke as each character realized that they had the power to help or harm the situation. But this book is also wildly fantastical and beautifully illustrated. I love every character (except Greyson, of course), and I appreciate the way this book has given me a new perspective on mental health and horror media. You should probably read it too.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the whole thing in one sitting and I'm at a complete loss for words, but hopefully my incoherent babbling will suffice. Keezy Young's ability to meticulously navigate the mindspace of mental illness and articulate these experiences so that people who don't think they can relate suddenly CAN is absolutely incredible. You can feel exactly what Alex is going through with every emotion, every nuance of his panicked, confused, lost and tired thoughts as he faces these challenges almost entirely alone. Holy cow. Talk about character voice. I could go on!

It's a lot longer than I expected, and there was even a portion that felt a little too fantastical, maybe filler-y or drawn out, particularly because it's almost entirely led by dialogue which can get tiring to read (I should have taken a break, really). But the last third of it really revealed everything Keezy was actually trying to say, and the delivery packs a massive emotional punch. Another one of her work (I love Sunflowers for the same reasons) that will stick with me for years.

[Readergeek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those rare books that is both fantastical horror and the horrors of reality. Mental illness is a topic that so few people write or illustrate correctly, too often delving further into the fantastic or the horrific and by doing so inflicting harm on those who deal with the reality of it themselves. No such issues with that here, as the topic is tackled with grace and conviction, letting the reader understand and experience the realities of some mental health challenges while wrapped in the realm of the fantastical. The main character deals with both, and the author clearly had something they wanted their audience to experience. It came through in spades, and I think was tackled with compassion through the agenda. I hope this is clear as far as reviews go, I'm still living in the world they created and wrestling with my thoughts. That said, this is a 10/10 story of friendship and family, magic and mental health, and excellent dogs.

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Given the number of 5 and 4 stars ratings for this graphic novel, I am clearly an outlier. Though I appreciate the creator’s effort on showing the reader what it’s like having a psychosis and wanting to break down the stigma surrounding mental illness, I had a really hard time reading it.

The images and dialogue boxes and balloons are super compressed. I wasn’t a fan of the artwork. This story is told from multiple povs and it meanders because of it. The story is super dense and slow paced. I also didn’t like the fact that fantasy was thrown into it at the last second which in my opinion didn’t add much to the story overall.

TW: suicide, murder, self harm, underage drug use, and homophobia.

[Elaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mentions of suicide, murder, violent parent towards child (potential sexual abuse), missing teen, death and grief, parental loss, ghosts, demons, kicked out by religious family for being gay, faith based summer camp, troubled family, séance, mental health issues, delusions

This was utterly fascinating from page 1! Right from the start we got a secret relationship, a teen grappling between religion and his feelings. There was a sweet coming out for both being gay and in revealing a new relationship, as well as oodles of mystery.
While this was about mental health, love of all forms, friendship and family, it was also just a bunch of scared teens who are trying their best to do the right thing and be brave, with flashes of maturity and insight.
I don't want to say much about the plot because it's a rollercoaster ride better experienced firsthand. However, I will say that I loved the cast of characters, their individual journeys and how the plot itself was explored. The flashbacks were strategically placed and cleverly used. The magic elements were just right without being too much. Most of all, it was a beautiful, reaffirming, if at times quite creepy story about love, family, friendship and brothers.
I'd read it again in a heartbeat.

[Sarah Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alllllllll the stars. 🩷

[Lorian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even with excitedly seeing previews for it online for years, this graphic novel still blew me away like nothing else I've read in a long time. I'm not feeling able to structure my thoughts at the moment, so, thematically, a list of just some of my favorite things:
-the body language and expression work is phenomenal. As a comic artist it's easy to fall into visual shorthands, but every single moment feels grounded and real, in both the dialogue and the art. (A small moment I remember: the subtle, thoughtful pause on Alex's face before he chances saying, "You know Grayson kind of sucks.")
-interesting, multifaceted, genuinely likeable characters who are never watered down to appeal to the audience
-the colors!! somehow both vivid and beautifully muted. Every friend I show this to immediately says "wow" on just flipping through the pages
-the narrative framework (multiple pov, epistolary, chronological jumps, dreamlike interludes) is both inventive and interesting and manages to never get confusing, or at least never in an unintended way
-this comic gets deeply, deeply scary. As a scary comics enjoyer I don't think I've been unnerved reading a printed comic like this in my life. The horror spans a very wide range - in a world of ghosts and demons, an encounter with a police officer (especially given real world context) is the most viscerally frightening
-on that note, finally: the treatment of the subject matter is extremely well done. No punches are pulled: it's sympathetic and gutwrenching and heartbreakingly real. Without getting into spoilers, I was curious (though never worried, because I trusted the author) how the fantastical elements would interplay with the depictions of mental illness, and wasn't disappointed. On that note:
-I think a lesser story, even a very well-meaning one, would tackle a subject like this and wrap everything up with a prettier, tidier, "easier" resolution. I really appreciated the ending. I thought it was perfect.
I'm not sure a jumble of my thoughts like this is actually useful as a review or just serves as a love-dump for the comic, but yeah. I loved it!! A masterwork I encourage everyone to check out

[Bin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Impeccable mix of spooky, romance, and real mental health experiences

[marta✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i believe the message this book is trying to teach is overly important, and people should talk about it, because talking about mental health is not tabbo, it's not a bad thing, and we should normalize not feeling 100% ourselves, withouth feeling guilty. the overall story is important, is powerful.

however, this was impossible to read, and believe me, i tried. every single one of the formats netgalley offers you showed me this graphic novel in the grainiest version possible. i spent the entire time i spent reading this graphic novel squinting my eyes and trying to figure out what the words said.

thank you NG, LBB and keezy young for the arc of hello sunshine!

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A big big swing — large in page count, narrative density, and thematic ambition. It’s a thorny exploration of mental illness and heritability and family trauma, but crossed with supernatural horror... and for teens!

Now, I'm already familiar with the use of supernatural elements as allegories for psychological situations. And my experience of this book is colored by reading the author’s prior short work Sunflowers , a candid nonfiction comic about their experience as bipolar. What makes this one extra challenging is that it does both — fantasy stuff as allegory for mental illness, AND explicit discussion of mental illness, with both layers coexisting and intersecting at the same time. Reading through it, I sometimes wondered: is that choice narratively self-defeating ("a hat on a hat"), or perhaps an insult to the reality of these disorders and the people who live with them? But by the end I was won over. The book has its cake and eats it too.

It doesn't hurt that Keezy Young is terrific at visual atmosphere — a "real world" that feels grounded and appealing, juxtaposed with truly horrific depictions of mental breakdown. I am not much of a horror fan, but Young may be the most effective artist I've ever seen in demonstrating Lovecraft's insight that losing one's mind is far more frightening than any monster or violent threat. And Young's skill with the comfortable "realistic" scenes, combined with the lengthy story giving us time to get familiar with this world, makes the threat of the climax stronger because we feel what's at stake.

After decades in the comics industry, I so appreciate this reminder that the field still holds plenty of surprises. I never would have predicted such fertile territory to lie at the midpoint of such disparate segments of American comics: Mike Mignola, Raina Telgemeier, Tessa Hulls, Nate Powell, E. M. Carroll, Ngozi Ukazu, etc. That's not to diminish any of Young's accomplishment here, which indeed feels quite personal. As John Russell Taylor's The Art Nouveau Book in Britain recently reminded me, art often evolves when you juxtapose surprising elements of preexisting work and then synthesize/fuse them together.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, this is an unexpected INTENSE and tender read.

I really appreciate how this story is not only a captivating supernatural, horror read but, also, a thoughtful exploration of a young person’s first psychotic episode.

As this author mentions in their end note, there are not a lot of good representations of people with disorders like schizophrenia (schizoaffective)—especially not of young people. Most people experiencing an intense episode for the first time are depicted in media as being violent and uncontrollable. That’s obviously a very damaging portrayal.

Here, this story does a good job of not only portraying Alex’s struggles with compassion and understanding but also of explaining why people don’t seek help sooner or are afraid of reaching out for help. It’s brain chemistry; not a character flaw.

I liked all of that.

More, I appreciate how mental illness is the bogeyman here. There’s ACTUAL magic and spell-casting. Having schizophrenia is not the horror; it’s the feeling of being isolated and unable to ask for help that needs to be overcome—and that requires friends who care and love you enough to be there no matter what.

This is such a good story.

It’s some genuinely good, meaningful storytelling paired with some killer illustrations. There are some horrifying, deeply unsettling scenes in this one.

If you’re a fan of more thoughtful horror stories, I’d definitely recommend checking out this one~

[Meggie Ramm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic is a goddamn work of art and I'm so blown away by it that I'm going to have to break its greatness down into sections, but before that (and most importantly): the dog lives and everyone is gay.

First, the narrative. Young takes horror tropes, a genre that is often damaging to those with mental illnesses, and repurposes them to make a story that is as horrifying as it is healing. There are moments of violence, but they aren't used as plot points or to make characters seem volatile. All of this would be impressive enough, but it's also quite literally scary in multiple ways. Fear and jump scares can be difficult in a graphic format but this book will have me double checking shadows for weeks.

Second, the art. This comic is a MOOD. These pages would be kickass on their own in black and white but the colors give it a leery haunted vibe. Bright saturated reds and yellows mark scenes where Alex feels happy and safe, then dull and darken into blues and ochres as his mood and mental state change.

Thirdly, the lettering. If Young doesn't get an Eisner nomination I will be BEREFT. Each character has their own font style, voices in Alex’s head chorus across wallpapers and out of paintings and through windows, it's the most impressive lettering I've seen all year.

This book deals with mental issues so lovingly, with a horror story that switches to a found family story so fast that it'll replace the shivers down your spine with tears. 10/10 recommend.

[Mothlight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartfelt, scary, and beautifully illustrated, Hello Sunshine is the best sort of catharsis horror can offer while also not letting the genre off the hook. The way we examine and filter our fears can have unexpected consequences—not just for us, but tremendous collateral damage. This was a very, very good deconstruction, all while still being a love letter to horror.

The characters were wonderfully written, and I feel as if I’ve known echoes of them through my life—within myself, as well. It’s good shit.

And I cannot tell you how delighted a certain twist made me. 🐈‍⬛

(Also, Alex is right: I hate the word ochre.)

I recommend pairing Hello Sunshine with two other of Keezy Young’s comics: Sunflowers and Just Going for a Walk. Both are short, so check them out.

[tillie hellman · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was really intense but really wonderful as well. a very well thought out and complex depiction of schizophrenia and what happens when you also have magic. horror, fantasy, small romance, friendship, mystery. i loved the use of different povs (very rare in graphic novels) and the art was spectacular. really great and varied rep, great characters with really strong/complex relationships with each other, their families, and the world. so much happened in this book and i was here for all of it. almost cried and very glad i read this one!
also just the best dog ever!!!

[Log · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it - very well done graphic novel with a charming cast of characters and strong message from lived experience. Art was sick, I love the overall vibe. Also not sure if it's intentional but the lack of eye whites in the art style seems like a scooby doo reference to me, which fits considering this mystery solving teens and a dog premise.
I have some nitpicks, but they didn't impact the reading experience for me.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best graphic novels I’ve ever read, and one that handles mental illness so well. This book expertly combines a delicate portrayal of mental illness with the supernatural (without making it a metaphor - two things can exist at the same time). The art style is phenomenal, both modern and drawing on classic comic styles. Also, the diversity and the way it is portrayed in this story is so well done.

Definitely pick up if you are a fan of horror comics or supernatural mysteries akin to Twin Peaks or Stranger Things. Also, you know what, I’m going to say it - Scooby Doo. Do yourself a favor and go in knowing nothing and follow our intrepid group of friends.

[Marielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is heartbreakingly beautiful in it's art, scary and unnerving, but most of all it's about love and hope and not giving up and how hard that is. I'm so happy I happened upon the authors art and went along from there.

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you like graphic novels at all, please read this book. even if you don't, I still recommend it.

[Izzy Iz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, my old friend.

[Meg Tosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep, dark, and spooky. Was the perfect october read by one of my favorite artists! The book is gorgeously illustrated and is an excellent doorway to understanding mental illness from an uncommonly shared perspective. Plus, there's mystery, demons, and a dog.

[Flo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of my most anticipated books this year, and it did not disappoint. Keezy Young has grown a lot as a storyteller in the past few years, and with this, she has created a visually gorgeous, deftly woven, and deeply meaningful graphic novel. Told through the perspectives of five teenagers, Hello Sunshine manages to be a supernatural horror story at the same time as showing compassion for people dealing with mental illness, who have so often been cast as the monsters of the genre. It boldly does away with metaphor and confronts us with a setting where magic may be real, but mental illness and hallucination still are as well. It reminds us that even when painfully dragged into a reality the rest of us cannot grasp, people with, for example, schizophrenia are still more similar to us than not. And that reminder is all the more important as stigma, social exclusion, discrimination, and outright violence against mentally ill people continue and even expand today.

The story revolves around the disappearance of Alex Lombardi, a sensitive teenager shunned because of his lower-class background and deceased mother's well-known mental illness. While most of town spins cruel rumours about Alex' fate, his twin brother, his boyfriend, and his two best friends set out to find him, no matter what - discovering, along the way, horrifying secrets and the troubling question of what is really real and for whom.

The characters in Hello Sunshine follow recognisable archetypes, but that is in itself a conversation the story enters with the horror genre and its tropes. Despite the well-worn roles they take on, they remain unique, especially as they each get to tell the story on their own terms. They are also, and this takes a refreshing backseat to the point the story makes about our treatment of mentally ill people, almost all of them queer, forging bonds not just in their common devotion to Alex but in the support they can offer each other in exploring their identities. Their sticking together becomes the key to resolving the horrors that lurk in this story, as their feeling of community and unquestioning love provide the safety that Alex needs to return to them.

The two layers of the story - the very real struggle with mental illness and the supernatural challenge of magic and demons - are thus closely intertwined. Alex is suffering from schizoaffective disorder and is dealing with a mental health episode which he needs the support of his loved ones to overcome. Alex also, however, possesses magical powers that breathe unholy life into his terrifying hallucinations. Either layer would be invalid without the other, and at no point does Young let the conceit of magic deter her from dealing with the unadorned reality of mental illness. She makes perfect use of the graphic novel format to convey the experience of hallucination, the different types of speech bubble blurring which words are real and which not, the subtle manipulation of backgrounds and character styles giving way to big spreads of dark colours that suck the reader into the hopelessness the characters are experiencing. Overall, the book's art style is lovely and unique, using quite muted colours and very fitting stylisation to create all but tangible moods.

Even though I'd say I don't lack intention when it comes to supporting mentally ill people, Hello Sunshine has definitely helped me understand better what the experience of hallucination feels like and what concrete support a person experiencing them needs in that moment. But the book is not just some preachy educational pamphlet. It is a story that skillfully burst genre conventions and strikes straight for the reader's heart. Whether you come for the horror or the queer content or the emotional beats, you will be satisfied.

[Jays · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't normally go into spoiler territory when talking about books because I generally think if a book can only be discussed by its plotting than it's probably not all that great of a book. I'm making an exception here not because this book is bad, but because to unpack any of the book's themes you have to discuss the reveal of what happened to the "main" character.

First I want to say I did enjoy reading the book. Anyone who confuses this with some light little graphic novel is doing the story and the author a disservice, because this sucker is dense in all senses of the word. It is dialogue-heavy with multiple perspective characters giving us a pretty in-depth look into the world it is creating. It's appropriately creepy, not only in concept but in execution. The author's use of color palate is really exceptional and they do a wonderful job at setting up the premise and the major scenes not only with the art but with the script as well. The story is atmospheric, eerie, tender, and extremely genuine.

Where it went a little south for me is in the reveal of Alex's fate. Lots of authors have presented stories where the central line of questioning is "Is this supernatural thing actually happening to our character or is the character just mentally ill?" This is practically a trope, so finding that same question presented here is somewhat familiar ground. What Hello, Sunshine does to distinguish itself is opting to go the route of both - in this case, Alex is experiencing haunting, tormenting demons BECAUSE he is experiencing his first schizophrenic episode but he ALSO is a genuine witch with magic powers he is just learning about. Unfortunately, doing both at the same time is where the story lost me. It's not that I think authors can't find ways to blend mental health disorders with actual magic or supernatural events, I'm just not sure this author is quite seasoned enough yet to pull that off effectively. It felt a little too cute by half.

I should also say that Keezy Young is open about their own mental health diagnosis and it's clear they wrote this story with a ton of sympathy toward Alex as a character going through what he is. There's a sense of wish-fulfillment at play here that I can only assume Young is expressing for themselves. Unfortunately for me, that resulted not in sympathetic characters and a storyline that made me want to know what happened, but instead it turned into an extended period of indulgence. We have characters that, in coddling Alex for his illness-based delusions, are intended to come off as kind and supportive but do so in ways that, in life, would actually be horribly destructive. I may be making too many assumptions here, but it feels like the author saying, "this is how I wish I had been treated when I first began to struggle with my diagnosis" without possibly considering that unconditional support and indulgence in a delusion is not, in fact, healthy for someone experiencing a major health event (even one that could be, in the case of the story, helped along by actual magic and manifested demons).

I can tell that Hello, Sunshine was a deeply personal project for the author. They're still a little green, as evidenced by some flashback sequences not being clearly set up and so the experience of suddenly shifting scenes can leave the reader disoriented. But they have a clear point of view and they're plenty talented at storytelling. I will definitely check out future projects they work on.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think there's much I can say that someone else hasn't already said about this particular graphic novel, except that it's a crime that it was so hard to find in Australia! I searched about six book stores before finding it in person, and the online options were either the Big River or backordered for weeks. This wonderful book needs to be in every shop for people to just stumble upon and pick up. I managed to find the last available copy at Dymock's and was flabbergasted. Shocked, I tell you.

I first came across Keezy Young's fabulous art on social media some months ago, so when they started promoting this upcoming release, I was really excited. I don't normally read much YA work, but their discussion of the release intrigued me. It was clearly a very personal and intimate project, but one that was ripe with promise for a wider audience. Reading the afterward and their personal remarks about the graphic novel confirm that intimacy, and reaffirm how carefully they approached their subject matter for this work.

Young's artwork is absolutely lush with texture and moody colour palettes. They use their skills to great effect in Hello Sunshine, setting the tone for each narrator not just with the character's unique voice and personal framing choices (a prayer journal, investigation notes, a personal diary, letters to a dead loved one), but also with the overall colours and visual cues used. Pops of bright colour and hope are sprinkled throughout the gloom of the work. I'll avoid spoilers, but their incredibly clean and purposeful panel layouts establish a sense of stability and order that they undercut beautifully in later chapters.

In addition to the wonderful art, Young's writing really shines in this graphic novel. The pacing in particular will keep you from wanting to put it down (I would've finished in one sitting, but ... life), and the flashbacks interspersed throughout the story are well-timed and placed, adding tension and building character relationships without interrupting the flow of the plot. There is a balance between real-world horrors (homophobia, bullying, domestic violence, mental illness stigma) and supernatural horrors (demons, ghosts) that Young ties into their themes deftly. Horror tropes are jokingly mocked, while a few red herrings may lead the more genre-aware off-track and into a surprise or two.

From start to finish, Hello Sunshine is refreshing, tense, but ultimately hopeful and enjoyable.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

__**Hello Sunshine**__ by Keezy Young is a horror mystery graphic novel following 4 teens looking into the sudden disappearance of a member of their friend group as rumors swirl about the cause and otherworldly events start taking place. Starting when Noah the blonde teen in the middle gets home from summer bible camp to learn his boyfriend has gone missing! You get each character's perspective as they try to uncover what they didn't know about someone they had been close to but didn't think to reach out until they were gone. It mixes supernatural story elements with character writing on themes of identity, mental health/illness, queerness, and social constructs.

I loved Hello Sunshine it had me captivated throughout! Whether it was the really engaging character writing as you learn more about what each character is hiding. The art is gorgeous really clean lineart, very visually pleasing intentionally limited color palettes to guide the tone of the pages, the lettering that can really effectively show anger, exhaustion, or a sense of foreboding eeriness! If great art alone can sell you on a comic then you'll be very pleased by this story. The story really keeps you guessing as it provides a mix of clues and red herrings while even surprising you with further unexpected reveals! If you love a good horror the story delivers that really well with strong horror character designs, and a growing unease as the story darkens twisting the character's perspectives on the world. There's also plenty of interpersonal drama to connect you with the characters' and their stakes in everything! When they were upset I was upset! You can tell Keezy Young put a lot of research and herself in the book with extra care to characterize the focal point of the story Alex, the boy who went missing, and the horror surrounding the factors leading to his disappearance. Overall just a really great read I recommend checking it out!!