This adorable comic collection is just the sweetest rendition of relationship goals I have ever seen. I am so thrilled that there is a book out there chronicling what love looks like everyday when you are totally yourself – and comfortable – with another person.
THE SYNOPSIS
From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Snug and the bestselling Little Moments of Love comes an all-new collection, In Love & Pajamas by Catana Chetwynd of Catana Comics!
When you’ve reached that sweatpants-wearing cozy place in your relationship, it’s all In Love & Pajamas! This brand-new collection of Catana Comics presents some fan favorites and half of the book features never-before-seen comics that delight and amuse readers of all ages. Wholesome, sweet, feel-good humor! from Simon and Schuster.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the electronic advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
MY THOUGHTS
I was unfamiliar with Catana Comics before reading this collection and I flew through the book. One comic after another struck me as flat out adorable. Reading them one right after the other I did start to wonder, what is the backstory on this author? Where is she coming up with this veritable well-spring of lovely moments?
On her website, Catana says this, “Catana Comics was started on Thanksgiving Day, 2016, when John made a casual suggestion to me that we should make a comic about our relationship. One hour later, the first Catana comic was created – and within the next few days, five more were created. The comics were never intended to be published online, but thanks to John, they were! I was prepared to be embarrassed and torn apart (the internet is a scary place, you know), but to my surprise, the comics took off. Completely unprepared, without a website or social media, or even a name for the comics, we got to work and started to create what we know as Catana Comics today. Thanks to John’s suggestion, his magical ability to create websites in a few hours, and his inspiring daily antics, I am now able to fulfill my childhood dream of becoming a cartoonist while juggling the responsibilities of being an obsessive dog mom.” I also discovered that Catana is in her early 20s.
I haven’t read Catana’s first two books but I cannot imagine that they will be able to top this one. This book glorifies that version of love that I enjoy the most – the day in and day out thoughtfulness of two people who love each other and who want better for their partner than they do for themselves. This is the part of love we don’t see in romcoms and romance novels. This is after the meet-cute and the first blow up misunderstanding. This is the constancy of love we are all aiming for but no one really tells you what it looks like. The author seems to find a moment everyday to laugh with and appreciate John and in return he does the same for her. This book brings home the idea that being comfortable around each other isn’t the absence of romance, it is the bullseye we all aim for in life. To be so comfortably yourself with another person and so happy….bliss.
The first time through, I did start to wonder if these two sweethearts were a bit co-dependent. This is the difficulty with collections isn’t it? What is meant to be consumed with time built in-between is binged. By reading every strip back-to-back I created a different feeling than the author, who was writing these one at a time day after day, intended.
When I read the book a second time (try to resist, its impossible!) I was struck instead that this kind of love can be shared between two non-romantic people as well. These are the things we do for anyone we love, children, parents, and friends. Sigh. I just fell in love with the book again.
Whether you are looking for a book that will convince you that love is real, a quick pick-me-up comic book, or even a Valentine’s Gift for someone special in your life, this book will fit the bill to perfection. The book is available for pre-order now and will be in bookstores everyone on February 2, 2021!
Tell me, please! What is your favorite version of love?
Silver Button Books 