How Could You

Strapp’s breezy debut rom-com features queer college students grappling with messy, intertwined love lives. The narrative centers on a pair of couples who have recently split up. Molly has just been dumped by Olene, who’s studying abroad in Marseilles. Tagging along with Olene is Yona, who has dumped her paramour and Molly’s bestie, Lou. (Molly bemoans her fate to Lou: “At least Yona dumped you in person... not from Europe in an EMAIL!!!”) Molly begins to develop feelings for Lou, who starts seeing yet another friend—one who is also attracted to Molly. Meanwhile, Yona nurses an intensifying crush on Olene. As drama ensues on both sides of the Atlantic, readers will side with Jackie, another mutual friend, who takes all this in with increasing weariness. Strapp is a confident cartoonist, who seems to delight in capturing the comically bugged-out facial expressions of her cast as they (frequently) freak out. Though the characters aren’t always sympathetic (Molly and Yona are huge drama queens), the youthful ensemble’s trial-and-error approaches to matters of the heart ring true. Fans of queer romance will enjoy this. (Dec.)