Name: You Brought Me the Ocean
ISBN: 9781401290818

Alex Sanchez

Jake Hyde yearns for the ocean and is determined to leave his hometown in New Mexico for a college on the coast, and while his family and friends encourage him to stay, he must deal with his secrets of being gay and some strange new blue markings on his skin giving him a glow when he touches water.

You Brought Me the Ocean

The New York Times bestselling illustrator of Blue is the Warmest Color, Julie Maroh, and Lambda Award-winning author Alex Sanchez (Rainbow Boys), present a new coming-out romance set against the backdrop of the DC Universe. Jake Hyde doesn't swim-not since his father drowned. Luckily, he lives in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, which is in the middle of the desert, yet he yearns for the ocean and is determined to leave his hometown for a college on the coast. But his best friend, Maria, wants nothing more than to make a home in the desert, and Jake's mother encourages him to always play it safe. Yet there's nothing "safe" about Jake's future-not when he's attracted to Kenny Liu, swim team captain and rebel against conformity. And certainly not when he secretly applies to Miami University. Jake's life begins to outpace his small town's namesake, which doesn't make it any easier to come out to his mom, or Maria, or the world. But Jake is full of secrets, including the strange blue markings on his skin that low when in contact with water. What power will he find when he searches for his identity, and will he turn his back to the current or dive head first into the waves?

You Brought Me The Ocean

Sarah Sammis

You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh is set in the DC universe but is a side plot. At first glance it's like a graphic novel reimagining of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz set in a world where it's possible to see Superman flying across the horizon, or to see news reports about superheroes.

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Gabriel Noel 

ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review

A fun new retelling of Aqualad. The art was sketchy and had character and there was wonderful POC representation. The storyline was a little cliche and quick for my taste but it gets the job done. I like the inclusion of other superheroes (like Aquaman and Superman) from the DC universe to buff up the lore. Hopefully we'll be seeing more about Jake, Maria, and Kenny!

Becca Futrell

Thank you to DC Ink for providing me with a copy of You Brought Me the Ocean in exchange for an honest review! 

You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sanchez is an Aqualad novel. This graphic novel tells the tale of Jake who absolutely loves the ocean, but has an overprotective mother who tells him to stay away. Jake believes the reason she doesn’t want him near the ocean is due to his father drowning. He later discovers that this is not necessarily the truth.

Unlike most of DC Ink’s graphic novels, this one isn’t action-packed. In fact, Jake never physically comes across a supervillain — okay, kind of, but not? Hashtag spoilers. Instead, You Brought Me the Ocean focuses on a story of friendship and figuring out who you are.

Jake has a best friend, Maria, who’s known him since their childhood days & Maria has a thing for him. However, Jake has a secret — he’s gay. He doesn’t really get to explore his sexuality until he starts hanging out with another student named Kenny; something he keeps secret from Maria.

Black Manta, Aquaman’s supervillain enemy, is referred to a few times in You Brought Me the Ocean. But the villains in this graphic novel are a bit smaller than him — & honestly, even scarier because they are hella homophobic humans. This group of bullies attack Jake and Kenny and, at points of the story, declare “kill the queers.”

All-in-All, You Brought Me the Ocean is such an important story for young readers, especially those who are coming to terms with who they are.