“Roaming is gloriously rendered… A love letter to New York, but also an ode to traveling as friends when you’re both young and carefree and every new experience is exciting and wondrous.”―Robert Ito, The New York Times Book Review
"Cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki revel in the time-distorting magic of true young adulthood, when a week can feel like a year, and a day can change your life."―Michael Cavna and Jacob Brogan, The Washington Post
“That whimsical feeling of experiencing New York City is the backdrop… but the story is really about this friendship between the two main characters, Dani and Zoe.”―Ayesha Rascoe, NPR Weekend Edition
“A big book full of small, meaningful moments.”―Michelle Hart, Electric Literature
"Roaming is about two Canadian kids on spring break to New York… It turns out to be surprisingly emotional even though it’s a very simple story. I’ll admit: I shed a tear.”―Alicia Desantis, New York Times Staff Picks
"The city’s sights, sounds and smells leap out of the pages... We can feel the brush of fingertips and the catching of breath with as much sensitivity as the rush of Times Square or the breeze in Central Park – and that is a treat you can’t miss."―NPR
"[Roaming] acknowledges the necessary messiness of young adulthood without judgment."―The Globe & Mail
“Roaming perfectly captures so much of what it feels like to be both fully grown and still becoming who you are. The utterly brilliant Tamakis show the highs and lows of friendship and love and what it means to explore. A beautiful book for any 19 year old, yes, but also for anyone who was once 19.” —Emma Straub, author of This Time Tomorrow
“I've never been a young Canadian tourist visiting New York for the first time in 2009, but Roaming made me feel like one. It's a beautiful, immersive slice-of-life, and Jillian Tamaki's artwork has never been more observant, inventive, and breathtakingly alive.” —Adrian Tomine, Shortcomings and The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist
“Roaming is a masterful telling of a story we almost never get about young Asian American people experimenting with love, selfhood, sex, affection, artistic ambition, personal ambition, all while looking for the friends who can see you through. We are the third third wheel to this trio of friends, old and new, who come to get lost in the magic of New York, who I suppose is the fourth friend—it is after all a love letter to the city too.” —Alexander Chee, How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
“Roaming made me wanna be 17 all over again. Mobbing the streets of NYC with my angsty, goofy, dare-devil friends skateboarding at the cube on Astor place and riding the Cyclone at Coney Island, screaming at the top of our lungs, feeling like nothing could ever stop us. The Tamakis give us NYC youth magic on a platter scuffed with glitter, make out sessions and tourist stops at Times Square. I wanted to read Roaming over and over again. It’s a love letter to the greatest city in the world and all the beautiful tender queer kids running wild and free.” —Gabby Rivera, Juliet Takes A Breath
“Tender, honest, and gorgeously illustrated, Roaming charters a course through the choppy waters of a queer fling with aplomb. Following a trio of friends from Canada on a short trip to New York City, Roaming doesn’t shy away from the splendid messiness of a sudden, passionate connection between two strangers. Jillian and Mariko Tamaki embrace the humanity of their characters and allow them to exist outside of the sanitized expectations so often imposed on media with LGBTQ representation. Like any great destination, it left an impression on me, and I’m looking forward to coming back.” —John Paul Brammer, ¡Hola Papi!
"Roaming perfectly captures that weird second adolescence between high school and adulthood: the thrill and torture of new experiences, the growing pains of old friendships, the feelings that are ultimately both silly and life-altering. It might evoke embarrassing memories of cringey arguments or dramatic flings, but then it takes those formative moments seriously. This book loves its characters, and you will, too."—Tavi Gevinson
“Roaming is a nuanced, intricately observed, and bittersweet love letter to the yearnings and frustrations and fears and joys of friendship during a particular moment of change and growth that we will all recognize from our own lives. I felt so much for these vivid and complex characters and their relationships, brought lovingly to life by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s exceptional words and artwork. The Tamakis are masters of the medium of the graphic novel — I cannot imagine this breathtaking work in any other form.” —Jonny Sun, New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of Goodbye, Again and Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too
“Roaming took me right back to those sweet, messy years when everything felt terrifying and heartbreaking and gorgeous, all at once. With lush artwork and heartful storytelling, Jillian and Mariko Tamaki have done an uncannily good job capturing what it was like to be a queer 19 year old in 2009, tromping around in search of the 'real' world, in search of one’s real life. I want to hand this book out to everyone I knew and loved in those years; I know they would fall in love with these characters as much as I did.” —Franny Choi, The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On
“Read and experience the thrill of a crush, the pain of being a third wheel, the joy of being inside the M&M’s store.”―The Walrus, Best Books of Fall 2023
"A fizzing, brilliantly observed tale of the kind of youthful city break that might only last days but can echo for a lifetime."―The Guardian, James Smart’s Best Graphic Novels of 2023
"Cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki revel in the time-distorting magic of true young adulthood, when a week can feel like a year, and a day can change your life."―The Washington Post, Best Graphic Novels of 2023
“A shrewd and wistful coming-of-age story that may be their best work yet."―Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"The Tamakis' keen understanding of how friendships shift and change is at the heart of many of their books together, but it’s at its heartachingly vivid best here. Absolutely superb."―ALA Booklist, Starred Review
“How exhilarating it is to be young, to be in love, to explore new places and aspects of yourself, and to experience each emotion, good or bad, so very intensely.”―Library Journal, Starred Review
“With a modern, queer sensibility, the Tamakis skillfully portray the intensity of fleeting relationships and the whirlwind feeling of exploring a new city.”―Shelf Awareness
“Messy, tender and teeming with life, Roaming is exactly the kind of story young people today should be reading. I couldn't put it down.”―Julie Depenbrock, NPR
"Gorgeous, wistful… This is a book for anyone who’s tried to figure out who they are and what brings them joy while, unfortunately, acting like a total shithead in the process. And isn’t that all of us?―Them, 23 Favorite LGBTQ+ Books of 2023
“Jillian Tamaki’s bluish color palette in her illustrations serves to accentuate both the melancholy and buzzy warmth of the story, while Mariko Tamaki’s dialogue expertly captures the essences of the characters.”―Sarah Neilson, Shondaland
“The beauty of Roaming is that it captures its characters at a potent moment of change, one that holds possibilities and that also contains loss.”―H Felix Chau Bradley, Xtra Magazine
“For LGBTQ+ readers, Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s newest graphic novel is a treat on par with a classic New York City slice.”―Samantha Riedel, them.
“Anyone who’s been nineteen can identify with Roaming’s overarching themes: the messiness of learning that the freedom of adulthood still has boundaries and that exploration has its limits.”―Gabrielle Drolet, The Walrus
“[Roaming] explores friendship, sex, and identity in an energetic romp through New York City rendered with sharp dialogue and in mesmerizing tableaus of soft peach and purple.”―Alexandra Trnka, Quill & Quire
"Lushly drawn, Roaming is an immersive, compelling read showing both Tamakis at the top of their game."―Autostraddle
"An instant classic."―Comic Book Resources
