Nagata Kabi

The sequel to the viral sensation My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness! Struggling with the idea of living alone and adjusting to the effects of her previous book’s success, this follow-up to the award-winning autobiographical comic continues the author’s quest for self-acceptance and love.

The Sequel to My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness

My Solo Exchange Diary Vol. 1

Madelaine Jarcew

Fortunately, I never had to deal with violence or separation or poverty. (I really am thankful for that.)

So, I thought I had no right to be struggling or in pain.

I basically ignored it, but still— it really was hard. It really 

I FEEL SO BAD FOR KABI OH MY GOD :( like how can you, as parents (and as PEOPLE) know your messy and rude behaviour is getting aired out for the public and STILL act this way and say these things 

👩💬: Oh, right. Dad knows someone who told him about the magazine. He already knows the name of it. That person might show it to Dad.

👵💬: I’m worried about that, too. He doesn’t need anyone outside of the family telling him to look at his own shame.

renee badenoch

I loved My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness so much that I wanted to read more by Kabi Nagata, and enjoyed Solo Exchange Diary just as much. While My Lesbian Experience dealt a lot with mental illness and anxiety, Solo Exchange talks a lot about cutting out toxic parents and setting up boundaries within relationship. 

Even while a lot of the book was hard to read because of Nagata's unflinchingly raw examination of her life, it made me happy to see her move out of her parents house, make friends, and even go on a date.

The sequel series to the award-winning My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness! Living on her own is harder than Nagata Kabi expected. Building relationships is difficult too, but with a new friendship to cultivate and a new perspective on her family, she’s doing her best to open up and become a warm, compassionate person! “[...]readers who devoured Lesbian Experience with Loneliness need to pick up this volume, if for no other reason than to know that happiness is a never-ending battle for many, but there are always reasons to keep putting up the good fight. ” –Anime News Network

My Solo Exchange Diary Vol. 2

I deeply loved My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness and Solo Exchange Diary vol. 1. I'm not sure why this one wasn't as poignant to me. A huge part of the book follows Nagata's depression, suicide attempt, and subsequent hospitalization. I think the sort of fuzzy lack of clarity she felt in her life blends into the book and gives it a less structured, focused feeling than her previous two books. Like in My Lesbian Experience and Solo Exchange Diary 1, Nagata is honest and unflinching in a way that's both hard to read and refreshing. Despite not loving My Solo Exchange Diary Vol 2 as much as her previous works, I'd still be interested in reading more of her works and hope they will be translated into English.

Maggie Gordon

My Solo Exchange Diary is much less about sex than the cover implies. Instead, Nagata Kabi takes on her issues of anxiety and depression, particularly as they relate to her family and living situation. It's another brutally honest look at mental illness and its challenges, and I do wish marketing would stop trying to make the books look so sexy as the topic is so much more nuanced.

My Solo Exchange Diary Vol. 1 The Sequel to My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness

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