Drawn Together - A Review of ‘Outdrawn’ by Deanna Grey
Outdrawn by Deanna Grey
Published by Deanna Grey
Romance, LGBTQ+, Rivals to Lovers
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It isn’t always lonely at the top.
Noah Blue’s finally got her foot in the door. After clawing her way to the top of the charts with her webcomic, she’s garnered enough attention to earn a full-time position at a comic company re-launching their cult classic comic: Queen Leisah.
Queen Leisah is predicted to be an instant bestseller with movie deals already in the making. Things are falling into place. There’s nowhere to go but up…as soon as she gets one person out of her way.
Sage Montgomery has always been the best artist in every building she’s stepped foot in. Raw talent’s gotten her webcomic to the top of the charts every month for the past eight years. She’s been the best for as long as she can remember. Sure, her career has plateaued but that can be fixed with a big, mainstream comic.
She was promised full creative control over Leisah. Instead, she got a shared credit with the one artist who’s been breathing down her neck since college. The one artist who has a fighting chance of being better than her. Sage and Noah have to work as a team — or, at least appear to work as a team. They thought the hardest part of the relaunch would be drawing together. But that’s easy in comparison to resisting their feelings for each other.
I picked this up because I am in my Enemies to Lovers Era. This, however, fits more into the category of Rivals to Lovers which is a very necessary distinction to make. The primary differences are that the majority of their hostility comes from some kind of shared goal that they are competing for rather than a foundation of actual dislike. Also there is no stabbing. Which is a shame, but we go on regardless.
A lot of the same feelings are invoked between Enemies to Lovers and Rivals to Lovers and I think this book definitely captures some of the snark and banter I hold dear in the first part of this book. I wish there had been a slightly more gradual build into falling for each other – I feel we went from “I am going to ruin this woman’s entire career” to “but she’s so cute though” very abruptly – but I do like that they kept a lot of their banter up even once they started dating.
““Are you trying to threaten me?”
Noah smiled. It was sweet on the surface, but the dark in her eyes revealed a deadly center. “What do you think? Or do I have to explain the definition? Vocab doesn’t seem to be your strong suit.””
The romance itself was absolutely lovely. Noah and Sage are definitely those girlfriends that would prep an entire room to burst into applause when their other half enters just because they feel they deserve it. There is obviously so much mutual respect for their craft as well as love and desire for each other. It’s a joy to watch it unfold. Grey also resisted the urge to fall into a very ubiquitous romance book trope and instead focussed on conflict and resolution throughout the path of their relationship, which I really appreciated.
““You’ve made me feel a lot of things, Pastel, but never less than. You’ve never seen me as less than. If anything, I was more when I didn’t deserve to be.””
The two main characters work very well apart as well as together. They both have demons to overcome and, while their relationship with each other does lend strength to slaying these demons, they very much face them down themselves. I really liked both characters and enjoyed the ways they were different as well as the way they were similar. Noah is adorable and Sage is a badass. I want to be friends with them both. This does touch on themes of depression, suicidal ideation, toxic families and disability in the form of carpal tunnel. It all feels like it’s handled with grace but I can’t strictly speak to any representation.
Overall this was a joyous read with a very sweet romance at it’s centre set against the fresh backdrop of comic book artistry. It’s clear Grey has passion for the subject and it shines throughout. I will definitely pick up more from the author.
Recommended for: anyone that has weird UST with that asshole at work, sapphic story lovers
