Today we're doing things just a little bit differently. I don't typically review novels (I might in the future, but they take a lot longer to get through and for now it's just me doing... well... everything), but in the case of a manga and novel published in tandem it just feels necessary to talk about them together! So we're gonna roll with that idea. 

I think it's safe to say that Until I Meet My Husband was one of, if not THE, most hotly anticipated releases of the year. In terms of grabbing the attention of your audience, they got everything right here. The covers for both releases are gorgeous and eye-catching, the buzzwords are effective, and the timing during Pride month? Impeccable. Needless to say, it all added up to be the perfect recipe for the kind of title we all lined up for. 

Now, I'll be honest. I finished reading these at least a week ago. But due to the nature of the work, I wanted to take time to digest what I'd read and give real thought to what I wanted to share here. When reading someone's true life story I want to slow down and reflect and not just give an immediate impression. Having someone lay their life bare for the consumption, entertainment, and (inevitably) judgment of others is no small feat. It takes a lot of courage to share the best and worst moments of your life as Ryousuke Nanasaki has done in Until I Meet My Husband. 

I started with the manga first, as I felt it was obviously going to cover less than the essay novel would and I would be able to finish it in a single sitting. It was stunning. It was sweet, honest, and the art work (courtesy of BL mangaka Yoshi Tsukizuki) was gorgeous. The essay novel was ... just amazing. I'm glad I read the manga first, as the novel added so much additional detail and depth - along with entirely new memories that were not covered in the manga. I feel like the two absolutely should be read together. Once I jumped in I couldn't put it down! As a mom of three kids, my time is at a premium but I made short work of the novel anyway. I read while I cooked, I read while taking the dogs out, I read while I vacuumed. You name it. The more I read, the more I wanted to read. I was honestly sorry when I turned that last page. 

Within the pages of Until I Meet My Husband I saw a real human being whose life experiences were portrayed with the type of candor most of us would struggle to find when sharing the most intimate details of our romantic past. Seriously, I could not sit in front of my nearest and dearest and give the kind of detailed recounting that Ryousuke offers all of us. To say it was a bit of an emotional roller coaster is putting it mildly. Reading about young Ryousuke broke my heart and infuriated me in turns. SO many people I wanted to smack. So, so many. Did those people deserve my ire? Probably not in every circumstance, but as a mother... yeah, I felt the urge to smack people. As he matures, you just can't help but want to be his best friend. 

I really can't say enough about this dual release. Ryousuke Nanasaki is a breath of fresh air. His story is interesting, heart wrenching, informative, encouraging, SO many things all at once and I can only hope I manage to talk my own LGBTQIA+ teen into reading it. Normally, I want to crawl into a hole when an author/mangaka manages to find my review of their work (can't help it, y'all, I am about as shy as they come) - but in this case I hope for the opposite. Nanasaki-san, if these words ever reach you, I'd like to say THANK YOU for sharing your story with the world. Thank you for advocating for change and for being a voice and source of inspiration for LGBTQIA+ youth. Your bravery truly moved my heart. May you and your husband have many blissful years together!

In conclusion, guys.... read both. Buy them, borrow them, check them out from your local library. Just read them both.  

TLDR;

READ. THEM. BOTH. Aside from a tiiiiny bit of heat in the manga, I'd rate them both SWEET. 

Publisher: Seven Seas

Release Date: 6/21/2022

Page Count: 208 (manga) / 282 (essay novel)

Rating: 15+