Name: Patrick Book's review of Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Item: Seconds
Rating: 5
Author: Patrick Book

Bryan Lee O'Malley

A Graphic Novel

Seconds

Jessica

Follows the experience of a young restaurant owner who is given a magical second chance to correct past mistakes.

Patrick Book

This is a delightful little story about consequences and acceptance and happiness and stuff!

The highly anticipated new stand-alone graphic novel from Bryan Lee O'Malley, author and artist of the hugely bestselling (and Toronto-set) Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series. Seconds is a complex and novelistic stand-alone story about a young restaurant owner named Katie who, after being visited by a magical apparition, is given a second chance at love and to undo her wrongs. Fans new and old will love O'Malley's bold and quirky style infused with his subtle, playful humour.

Sarah Sammis

Reread, still Bryan Lee O'Malley's best work 

Victoria 

In my eye Bryan Lee O’ Malley can do no wrong! Another exceptionally crafted tale spun with his signature art style. Highly recommended, but don’t head into it expecting another Pilgrim!

Fabio Bracht

Bem legal, recomendo, mas não pirei. Nem de longe tão legal quanto Scott Pilgrim.

Existe, porém, a possibilidade de eu ter lido com pressa e não ter absorvido direito a experiência. Talvez eu mude de ideia no futuro.

Mas provavelmente não.

Izza

4 stars | Wonderful story and cute illustrations :D

Nelson Zagalo

Seconds is a comic book that works the theme of second chances, through a kind of time travel provided by some magic mushrooms. The premise is interesting, far from innovative, as well as the very course of history that is little surprising. Still O'Malley keeps us interested from beginning to end through the strong character that is drawn under the character of Katie. 

In terms of design and color, we have a beautiful job, able to generate a whole universe itself and credible, allowing us to travel to book world. Although the story being not that brilliant, the comic work is sublime, the touch of the fantastic of the story is totally uplifted by the beauty of the artwork. Hence we can easily say that Seconds provides an experience of pure delight for any lover of comics.

jess

I don't read graphic novels much but the art was soooo nice!

"Katie's got it pretty good. She's a talented young chef, she runs a successful restaurant, and she has big plans to open an even better one. Then, all at once, progress on the new location bogs down, her charming ex-boyfriend pops up, her fling with another chef goes sour, and her best waitress gets badly hurt. And just like that, Katie's life goes from pretty good to not so much. What she needs is a second chance. Everybody deserves one, after all--but they don't come easy. Luckily for Katie, a mysterious girl appears in the middle of the night with simple instructions for a do-it-yourself do-over: 1. Write your mistake, 2. Ingest one mushroom, 3. Go to sleep, 4. Wake anew. And just like that, all the bad stuff never happened, and Katie is given another chance to get things right. She's also got a dresser drawer full of magical mushrooms--and an irresistible urge to make her life not just good, but perfect. Too bad it's against the rules. But Katie doesn't care about the rules--and she's about to discover the unintended consequences of the best intentions"--Publisher's web site.

Maggie Gordon

I haven't finished my reviews for 2017, but here's my first for 2018! I've been in a reading slump and I decided to reach for something familiar instead of new as my first read. Seconds is a comic by the creator of Scott Pilgrim that feels quite appropriate for the new year. The main character, Katie, is a chef about to turn 30 and she feels like her life isn't quite what it is supposed to be. When she inadvertently causes an accident in the kitchen one night, the house spirit of the restaurant reveals itself to her, and gives her the magic to fix her mistake. Unfortunately, Katie doesn't realise this is supposed to be a one time thing, and she tries to rewrite her entire life. What if you could act on hindsight? Does it make anything better? The answer is a resounding no, plus you make magical creatures very unhappy with you. 

Seconds is a refreshing shift from the troubles of early 20-somethings to the troubles of people my age. It's about regret and indecision, the trials of responsibility, and some of those last steps towards growing up. It is all told through the cute manga-style art of O'Malley, but coloured with deep reds and blues so the atmosphere is heavier than one might expect from this artist. Katie is a bit of an airhead, but she captures a lot of the frustrations of her age bracket, just carried to the excess. It's a timely read about acceptance, moving on, and getting your act together!

Ingrid 

This was my first ever graphic novel. It was a funny and easy read.

mia ¿

i don't have much to say cuz i'm kinda still processing what happened, but wow this was really addicting to read and just very very entertaining. and it had a message! and great art! i loved it.

Martin Schmitz

Beautiful story and amazing illustrations. Finished it in one sitting

Toni Turner

That was so fucking adorable. 
It is 3am and I am smiling more than one should at 3am.

Nat Welch

Great book. Feels very similar to his other books, although maybe a little more grown up?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY USA TODAY AND THE DAILY PLANET The highly anticipated new standalone graphic novel from Bryan Lee O’Malley, author and artist of the hugely bestselling Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series Katie’s got it pretty good. She’s a talented young chef, she runs a successful restaurant, and she has big plans to open an even better one. Then, all at once, progress on the new location bogs down, her charming ex-boyfriend pops up, her fling with another chef goes sour, and her best waitress gets badly hurt. And just like that, Katie’s life goes from pretty good to not so much. What she needs is a second chance. Everybody deserves one, after all—but they don’t come easy. Luckily for Katie, a mysterious girl appears in the middle of the night with simple instructions for a do-it-yourself do-over: 1. Write your mistake 2. Ingest one mushroom 3. Go to sleep 4. Wake anew And just like that, all the bad stuff never happened, and Katie is given another chance to get things right. She’s also got a dresser drawer full of magical mushrooms—and an irresistible urge to make her life not just good, but perfect. Too bad it’s against the rules. But Katie doesn’t care about the rules—and she’s about to discover the unintended consequences of the best intentions. From the mind and pen behind the acclaimed Scott Pilgrim series comes a madcap new tale of existential angst, everyday obstacles, young love, and ancient spirits that’s sharp-witted and tenderhearted, whimsical and wise. Praise for Seconds “The cartoonist, best known for the Scott Pilgrim series, delivers one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had all year with this magical graphic novel. I dare you to not read it all in one sitting.”—Whitney Matheson, USA Today “Seconds arrives with high expectations, and it meets them all, delivering the style and humor of [Bryan Lee] O’Malley’s past works with greater emphasis on mood, detail, and complex character relationships.”—The A.V. Club “Richly imagined and vibrantly drawn, Seconds is a funny, surprising, and enchanting read.”—Publishers Weekly “In Seconds, Bryan Lee O’Malley plays the angst of youth against the fabric of a larger epic. In doing so, he enriches both. A great ride!”—Guillermo del Toro “Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Seconds is adorable, haunting, funny, and beautiful. A perfect recipe for a great graphic novel.”—Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics

Madhuri Gubbala

A very predictable yet captivating story of second chances and unfulfilled dreams.

Olivera Mitić

Samantha Seeman

This book was about a restaurant owner, who is trying to open a new restaurant. The main character, Katie is really unlikable, which made it hard to continue to pick the book up to finish it. In the book, Katie finds these magic mushrooms that allow her to right her “mistakes,” but because she does not share them with her house spirit, things get a little out of hand. The artwork for this book was really nice, and I liked that the narrator spoke with/to Katie (and she answered). I thought that was unique and definitely helped the book stand out a bit despite the unlikable characters.

Alexis 

3/5 stars 

I honestly didn't know too much about this graphic novel before i started reading. It was just all right, and maybe a little odd in my opinion. I really don't have too much to say. it was average. I didn't love it and i didn't hate it.

Angelyna Mintz 

b.andherbooks

**Actual Rating - 4.5 stars

Katie is a hot-shot chef at the highly successful restaurant Seconds (which she also helped open), but wants more, especially her very own restaurant. After a bad kitchen accident sends one of the young waitresses of Seconds to the hospital, Katie finds a cryptic notebook and a magic mushroom that promises to fix mistakes (if you follow the rules). Little does greedy Katie know that she will soon find herself in a classic reality altering debacle. Can changing the past really brighten your future? Probably not.

LOVED the artwork and coloring in this graphic novel. Katie is a short, feisty, and awesomely coiffed leading lady. I love that she is kind of a jerk, and her snarky humor really works for me. I only downgraded this a bit because the ending was just a bit too neat for me. Highly recommend.

Elad Schulman

Everything about this book was beautiful - the pictures, the plot, the characters. I loved the premise, and it didn't let me down. I flew through this graphic novel and will reread it soon.

 Bruna Acioly Leão

This comic was so cute!
A very interesting and unique story. ^^

Kate

I loved this so much, it was the perfect balance of and utterly bizarre and utterly brilliant. It was funny, creepy, suspenseful, intense, adorable and impossible to put down (literally. I was reading it at 4am...) The artwork was gorgeous and the unique concept had me hooked from the first page until the last. I absolutely loved that it followed a cast of characters in their twenties and the fact that it centred around a restaurant was so much fun. It had a diverse cast of characters, all of which I instantly warmed too. I thought the occasional interactions between the narrator and Katie (the main character) were so much fun and so different from any graphic novel I've read. It was a blend of multiple genres and not at all what I was expecting, although I hadn't a clue what to expect going into it but I think that made it all the more intriguing? I had a huge amount of fun reading this and I'm certain it will be one I'll reread in the future.

Gretchen Gomez

This is a perfect read to get you moving from a reading funk. Or just a perfect read for the weekend.

It's fast paced and easy.
I personally didn't find any plot or premise to the story, it was just enjoyable.

Jessica &
Seconds by Bryan Lee O'Malley

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