Phoebe's Diary

by Phoebe Wahl Narrated by Phoebe Wahl

Overview

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

An Amazon Best Book of 2023*¿ A Kirkus Best YA and Teen Book of 2023 ¿*A Powell's Best Book of 2023

¿ “In her emotionally vulnerable YA debut, Wahl...revisits her high school diaries to deliver a fictional adaptation of her adolescence...skillfully presenting a raw, unfiltered story about growing up and taking risks that will surely resonate.”-Publishers Weekly, starred review

Take a peek inside Phoebe's Diary into a bracingly honest illustrated account of the explosive turmoil and joy of adolescence, based on the author's actual teenage journals.¿
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Meet Phoebe. She's cool and insecure, talented and vulnerable, sexy and awkward, driven and confused, ecstatic and tragic.

Like you.

And here is her diary, packed full of invaluable friends and heartbreaking crushes, spectacular playlists and vintage outfits, drama nerds and art kids, old wounds and new love. Based on her own teenage diary, Phoebe Wahl has melded truth with fiction and art with text, casting a spell that brings readers deep into the experience of growing up.

Editorial Reviews

OCTOBER 2023 - AudioFile

Listening to PHOEBE'S DIARY, narrated by the author and artist, is like opening a time capsule from the mid-2000s. Amid pop-culture references like mix CDs and Myspace, drawn from her own diaries, Wahl delivers a charming and authentic look at her teen years. From first crushes to first kisses, from body image struggles to friendships and family dynamics, Wahl opens up as if talking to a close friend. Unexpectedly funny and achingly honest, she shares her unfiltered experiences. Predominantly homeschooled, Wahl takes electives at the local high school and shares her challenges and successes. Like everyone, she is trying to find herself and blaze her own path. Listeners will find themselves rooting for her while occasionally cringing with embarrassment and empathy. A comical and touching listen. K.S.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 08/07/2023

In her emotionally vulnerable YA debut, Wahl (Little Witch Hazel) revisits her high school diaries to deliver a fictional adaptation of her adolescence. In 2006 Bellingham, Wash., 15-year-old Wahl begins working on her new journal. While it’s not the first diary she’s started (and forgotten about), she’s determined to keep up with this one, “since it would be nice to follow through for once.” Each entry, marked with chapter headers signifying the date and time, is rendered in candid, first-person narration that feels immersive as its author delves into critical events in her life. Descriptions of her experiences performing in school plays, making new friends, and enduring awkward family vacations give way to complex musings about art, crushes, and her identity as a fat Jewish girl. Accompanying illustrations in fluid, inky line and grayscale tones highlight significant people, outfits, moments, and items for her teenage self. Pacing mimics the inconsistencies of young adulthood, varying with each entry based on the teen’s emotional investment in individual topics, skillfully presenting a raw, unfiltered story about growing up and taking risks that will surely resonate. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

Praise for Phoebe's Diary:
An Amazon Best Book of 2023
A Kirkus Best YA and Teen Book of 2023
A Powell's Best Book of 2023

"Phoebe's Diary honestly captures teenage angst, confusion, and the yearning for love and identity. In parts funny and philosophical, it speaks to every person on earth."—Maira Kalman, award-winning and bestselling author, artist, and designer

"I couldn’t stop smiling as I read this relentlessly relatable book. Phoebe Wahl has created a glittering treasure map of teenage life. She illuminates a year of adolescent longing, discovery, pleasure, and heartbreak. It is deeply sweet, sexy, and true. I wanted it to last forever."—Sophia Glock, creator of the graphic memoir Passport

* "Wahl’s distinctive, instantly recognizable art adds humor and heart to each page. . . . An earnest, relatable, and affecting celebration of teenage yearning."—Kirkus, starred review

* “In her emotionally vulnerable YA debut, Wahl (Little Witch Hazel) revisits her high school diaries to deliver a fictional adaptation of her adolescence…skillfully presenting a raw, unfiltered story about growing up and taking risks that will surely resonate.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Filled with sprawling, detailed drawings and comics panels and replete with references to early aughts indie culture, this vividly captures the voice of a teen curious about herself and her future, all in an intimate tone, as if talking to a friend unabashed about what's on her mind.”—Booklist

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2023-06-21
In this work adapted from the popular artist’s own high school diaries, lonely Phoebe joins a play and finds friendship and first love.

It is 2006 in Bellingham, Washington, and 15-year-old Phoebe is in love with three different boys. She is chubby with an “elfin pig nose,” obsessed with vintage fashion and indie rock, and desperately wants skinny jeans and a boyfriend. After spending freshman year on the sidelines (she’s a home-schooler taking “only the fun classes” at her local high school), Phoebe works up the courage to audition for the summer play. From there, her life opens up. There is a rainy ride home with Owen, rehearsals with David, and kisses on the cheek from unattainable Lukas (part of the script but still thrilling). As summer wanes, her crushes fade. There’s always another production, though, and when Phoebe makes the cast of the fall play, she finds herself dreaming about smart, serious “sex god” Sam and his chiseled jaw. Phoebe’s crushes dominate the narrative, but watching her friendships develop during gossipy sleepovers, cozy snowy days, and rowdy Passover seders is no less meaningful. The story, illustrated throughout, captures the anguish of wanting to belong, to feel at home in your body, and to give and receive pleasure. Wahl’s distinctive, instantly recognizable art adds humor and heart to each page. Most characters appear white; Phoebe and Sam are Jewish.

An earnest, relatable, and affecting celebration of teenage yearning. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14-adult)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160069166
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Edition description:	Unabridged

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