Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Annelie Geissler
Categories
Books for very young children, children’s picture books & activity books

I FEEL AWFUL, THANKS

Lara Pickle

A lushly illustrated debut graphic novel that explores the hardfought journey of self-acceptance in a complex world of swirling emotions and powerful potions.

Joana has dragons inside her. Can she tame them before they burn her life down?

Joana is a young witch who secured her dream job with a coven in London, her favorite city, where she can dedicate herself to creating potions, her favorite activity! However, she will soon discover the reality of city life is not so idyllic. Finding a flat is an ordeal, her "dream job" is stressful, and she's totally alone. Little by little, she makes her place, but fatigue, sadness, and doubts threaten to topple her hard-earned success . . . until she starts talking to a professional who helps her realize in order to take care of herself, she must know herself.

Lara Pickle is a Spanish-Romanian illustrator and visual development artist based in London. Her work has appeared in animation, video games, and theater production, and her debut graphic novel, Estoy fatal, gracias, was published in late 2022.

Available products
Book Published 2024-03-05 by Oni Press

Comments

winner of the 2025 Alex Awards from the Young Adult Library Services Association.

Pickle's whimsical debut employs a fantasy setting to gently untangle issues of mental health and self-care. [...] Pickle's soft, friendly artwork fits the story's cozy vibe, with appealing characters exploring detailed London streets and colorful interiors. The panels break into jagged shards whenever Joana has an anxiety attack, and swirls of color represent her whirling turmoil. The self-help advice may not be revelatory, but the charming art and worldbuilding bolster the reassuring message that "it's okay to not be okay." Readers will be won over.

The story captures the slow-burn nature of young adulthood's familiar challenges and models how to manage them. [...] The slightly fantastical setting of a magic-infused London and Pickle's cute-but-cool character designs provide a useful framework to hold the all-too-raw experience of entering adulthood at arm's length, while also offering helpful techniques to understand and manage one's profound and complicated inner world.

If you're looking for a lovely book with great friendships and a focus on mental health, look no further. I Feel Awful, Thanks is incredibly wholesome with a great message. This is a perfect read for the upper-YA and post-YA crowd, but it's also a great read for adults. Pickle does a great job at making mental health feel more normalized and less stigmatized, which is still lacking in society. I Feel Awful, Thanks also has a lovely romance side-plot and adorable, healthy friendships. What more could you want?