High school can be an incredibly emotional time, but add in missing your best friends and things get harder. This is what Winifred experiences in The Greatest Thing, a young adult graphic novel written by Sarah Winifred Searle.

Starting sophomore year of high school should be easy and fun, but Winifred only feels dread. Her two best friends have transferred to a private high school, leaving her alone. She isn’t sure how she will survive high school, but she soon meets April and Oscar. They quickly become friends, making zines, having sleepovers, shopping at thrift stores, and helping each other survive the school madness. Their friendships help Winifred cope with what’s she’s feeling, but her underlying problems are still there. At times of quiet or unease, she slips back into old habits. Winifred has been keeping a secret from her friends, her family, and even herself. If she doesn’t find a way to deal with it, it could destroy all of her relationships.

This young adult graphic novel tugged on my heart strings from the very first page. The author has clearly put a lot of thought and emotion into this story in order to deliver such an honest story of self-growth, self-acceptance, and love. Friendship is an overarching theme throughout, but what I appreciated was that not everything worked out perfectly at the end. It was clear that Winifred and her friends have a lot of things to work through, but also that many tools are available to help if they want them. Overall, this is a message of hope for anyone struggling.

(Content warnings for eating disorders, anxiety, depression, and self-harm)