Belle of the Ball

by Mari Costa

Overview

A 2024 Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ+ Comics

High-school senior and notorious wallflower Hawkins finally works up the courage to remove her mascot mask and ask out her longtime crush: Regina Moreno, head cheerleader, academic overachiever, and all-around popular girl. There’s only one teensy little problem: Regina is already dating Chloe Kitagawa, athletic all-star…and middling English student. Regina sees a perfectly self-serving opportunity here, and asks the smitten Hawkins to tutor Chloe free of charge, knowing Hawkins will do anything to get closer to her.

And while Regina’s plan works at first, she doesn’t realize that Hawkins and Chloe knew each other as kids, when Hawkins went by Belle and wore princess dresses to school every single day. Before long, romance does start to blossom…but not between who you might expect. With Belle of the Ball, cartoonist Mariana Costa has reinvigorated satisfying, reliable tropes into your new favorite teen romantic comedy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250784124
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	175,801
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Mari Costa is a Luso-Brazilian cartoonist with a bachelor's degree in Character Animation. She's in love with creating stories and populating them with people who have very messy interpersonal drama. Some of her work includes Life of Melody, The Demon of Beausoleil, and Belle of the Ball.

Editorial Reviews

★ 01/16/2023

Though painfully shy high school senior and athletic mascot B. Hawkins tends to hide inside her costume’s large feline head, she’s finally worked up the courage to ask out head cheerleader Regina Moreno. The good news is that Regina thinks Hawkins is adorable; the bad news is that Regina recently got back together with her on-again, off-again girlfriend, star athlete Chloe Kitagawa. Worried that Chloe’s poor grades will jeopardize her 10-year plan, Regina leverages Hawkins’s infatuation to persuade her to tutor Chloe for free. Hawkins hesitantly agrees, but an initial tutoring session gets off to a rough start when Chloe realizes that Hawkins is actually a childhood friend and former crush, prompting unexpected romantic feelings to resurface. Thin b&w lines coupled with vividly saturated pink hues imbue this energetic graphic novel rom-com with a cotton-candy atmosphere that expertly conveys the trials and tribulations of first love. Costa (Life of Melody) smartly employs classic shojo manga aesthetics, well-timed comedic beats, and winningly characterized protagonists to deliver a refreshing spin on the love triangle trope that meditatively interrogates identity. Hawkins is white and Jewish; Regina is Brazilian; Chloe cues as East Asian. Ages 14–up. Agent: Peter Ryan, Stimola Literary Studio. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

03/17/2023

Gr 9 Up—When high school mascot Hawkins finally works up the courage to ask her crush Gina Moreno to the school dance, she doesn't realize that Gina already has a girlfriend—star soccer player Chloe Kitagawa, who is Hawkins's former childhood friend. Gina shoots Hawkins down, but sees an opportunity. She asks Hawkins to tutor Chloe in English, her worst subject. Hawkins is willing to do anything to get in Gina's good graces and jumps at the chance. At first, it seems that Hawkins and Chloe couldn't be more different, but over time, they learn that they have more in common than they thought. Romantic feelings blossom in the group, resulting in a love triangle. Costa's illustrations in various shades of pink throughout the novel make the story feel bright and cheerful. All three main characters are well developed and distinct from one another in their interests, personalities, and strengths. Hawkins and Chloe both show significant character development over the course of the story, becoming more comfortable with themselves and one another. Costa raises important questions about societal expectations, identity, and self-expression that will be relatable to teens. Reminiscent of classic high school rom-coms, this graphic novel is delightful and sweet, perfect for fans of Alice Oseman's "Heartstopper." VERDICT A sweet sapphic rom-com, this book is a must for any teen graphic novel collection.—Jillian Girardeau

School Library Journal

2023-01-12
A queer love triangle leads to an unexpected romance.

Belle Hawkins, high school senior and school mascot (she wanted a role where she didn’t have to show her face), finally finds the courage to ask out her crush, confident head cheerleader Regina Moreno. But she learns Gina already has a girlfriend, star athlete Chloe Kitagawa. Meanwhile, Gina has a Ten-Year Plan, and she refuses to let Chloe get them off track by failing her English class. Knowing Belle would be keen to please her, Gina gets her to tutor Chloe. Turns out, Belle and Chloe were friends when they were kids. As the school year progresses, Chloe and Gina’s relationship has its ups and downs, their friendships with Belle grow, and Belle’s romantic feelings change. With a palette of pink hues and strong black outlines, the cartoon art uses exaggerated elements for comedic effect and to cue heightened emotions. The three leads have well-developed personalities and are all lovingly imperfect and relatable. They are physically distinct with notably different body shapes, styles of gender expression, and ethnicities. Belle appears White and is cued Jewish, Chloe’s name implies Japanese heritage, and Gina is Brazilian American. Queerness is normalized, and the shifting dynamics of queer women between friendships and romantic partnerships are accurately depicted, making the happy ending believable. There’s enough conflict to propel the plot and give space for growth, but overall, this low-stakes tale feels like a warm, charming hug.

Funny, heartfelt, and absolutely adorable. (Graphic romance. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews

"...a must for any teen graphic novel collection."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher