Verona Comics

An ALA Rainbow Book List Pick

“You’ve Got Mail gets a queer YA twist.” –Teen Vogue

“A deep dive into first love while learning to manage significant mental health challenges … Dugan’s strength is in creating a diverse cast of characters. Ridley is bisexual, Jubilee struggles with how to identify and label her sexuality, and most of the supporting characters are queer-identified.” –School Library Journal

“Dugan takes her cues from Romeo and Juliet, empathetically exploring mental illness, suicide ideation, and the stigmas of each … A smart, compassionate love story to and for teens.” –Booklist

“Dugan infuses her characters with a warm sense of depth and compassion, particularly the socially self-conscious Ridley, a boy plagued with immense anxiety and frequent suicidal thoughts … This one’s a winning choice. Breathlessly sweet.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Part fresh romance, part honest exploration of the impact of depression and suicidal ideation on individuals and relationships, Dugan’s story–told in alternating first-person narratives–encapsulates an inspiring level of compassion from its flawed, endearing protagonists and an inclusive secondary cast.” –Publishers Weekly

“This heartfelt story of young love turned codependency offers an honest, sympathetic portrait of depression and anxiety … Give this to fans of Green’s Turtles All the Way Down and readers who want their adorable-couple stories with a healthy dose of introspection and emotional heft.” –BCCB

“Rom-com lovers will readily embrace [Verona Comics] … However, not all of the story is light; the plot also centers on Ridley’s anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts … Sexuality is another topic that is discussed frankly throughout the book, depicting several queer characters of various sexualities, including the main characters themselves. All of these issues are presented realistically.” –School Library Connection

Jennifer Dugan is a writer, a geek, and a romantic who writes the kinds of stories she wishes she’d had growing up. She’s the author of the graphic novel Coven, as well as the young adult novels Playing For Keeps, The Last Girls Standing, Melt With You, Some Girls Do, Verona Comics, and Hot Dog Girl, which was called “a great, fizzy rom-com” by Entertainment Weekly and “one of the best reads of the year, hands down” by Paste magazine. She lives in upstate New York with her family, their dog, a strange kitten who enjoys wearing sweaters, and an evil cat who is no doubt planning to take over the world.

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