ARC Review: Living With Mochi by Gemma Gene

Living With Mochi by Gemma Gene
Recommended: sure!
For comic lovers, for dog lovers, for pug lovers, for those kids who always wanted a dog and were never allowed to have one….
Expected Release: April 6, 2021

Summary

When architect-turned-cartoonist Gemma Gené first met her pet pug, Mochi, she felt as if time stopped. This dramatic moment and her adoring relationship with the rambunctious pug led her to begin chronicling her adventures with Mochi in a series of incredibly cute webcomics that have gained a social media following of half a million loyal readers. The comics chronicle Mochi’s life from puppyhood to adulthood, featuring Mochi’s unrequited dog friendships, his jealousy of his two dog-brothers, and his love of food. Readers and dog parents will love this humorous tale of a sincerely loyal friendship between one grumpy pug and his adoring owner.

Thoughts

I’ve never had a life with a pug, but I have known several pugs and pug-people. And a lot of these ring true for what I’ve seen from them and from their stories. 🤣 Some of these comics are definitely pug-specific quirks, though a lot are also universal-dog-owner moments. Honestly I picked this up because I haven’t had a pet dog since I was a child and I am finally, FINALLY about to be able to have one again soon. I was hoping desperately for a reminder/primer/preview of what I can look forward to (and brace myself for). This definitely fulfills all those boxes

The simple art and layout is perfect for highlighting the messages and emotions. You might have three panels where only minor details change, and that ends up being exactly the right way to tell the story. Mochi is as cute as his namesake. ^.^

One style issue I had with this was that the font was sometimes very hard to read. It seemed to be too thin in places, and pieces of letters would be missing. I could make out what it said, but sometimes it did take a moment and interrupted the flow of the experience a little bit. I had a digital copy, so hopefully it’s only an issue with that, and not something that will persist in the published copies!

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!