Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 09/01/2025 *Starred Review* In his author’s note, Nguyen states that, after 2020’s relatively heavy The Magic Fish, he set out to tell a lighter story. And the trappings certainly seem lighter as we meet 17-year-old overachiever Angelica, aka Jelly, who, after starting an internship at the local theater, enters a deepening relationship (via DM) with the unknown (masked) actor playing the current show's titular Bear Prince. The story shifts seamlessly between Jelly’s present, the actual Bear Prince story (based on the seminal fairy tale “East of the Sun and West of the Moon”), and a flashback to Jelly’s early childhood, when she first saw the show. In Nguyen’s hands, it’s a smooth ride, made better by the fact that he (admittedly) failed to avoid heavy subject matter. Jelly and her parents are in lingering grief over the loss of her grandmother, and this theme of grief and coping with change is a throughline. It’s the balance between these high-stakes personal struggles and the genuinely sweet budding romance between Jelly and the mystery bear that makes for such an intoxicating cocktail. A phenomenal artist, Nguyen flexes his writing chops, too; with a bit of flourish in each scene—the extra page or panel or even line—he gives his characters room to breathe and express their endearing idiosyncrasies, resulting in a masterfully paced queer romance grounded in reality and starring the most lovable (and beautifully representative) cast. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.