The New Girl: First Crush

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Author(s)

Cassandra Calin

Publisher

Graphix

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

May 05, 2026

ISBN

978-1338762488

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Cassandra Calin returns with this charming and comical follow-up to The New Girl, her long-form graphic novel debut that became a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Indie bestseller! This middle-grade graphic novel about crushing and being crushed is the perfect next read for fans of Guts by Raina Telgemeier, Fruitcake by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza, and Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang.

Lia is finally feeling settled into her new life. Her friends are amazing, her French is improving, and her periods... ugh, those are still terrible. But Lia's crush, Julien, is noticing her. Lia thinks he likes her, but she can't tell for sure. And while she's obsessing over him, Lia's not noticing another person's growing crush on HER. With so many big feelings and even bigger changes, could things get any worse?

In this sophomore follow-up to the breakout hit The New Girl, Lia's relationships -- with her friends, her crush, her mom, and even herself -- are all tested like never before.

Editor review

1 review

Friendship and Anxiety

June 28, 2026 (Updated: July 18, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

“The New Girl: First Crush” by Cassandra Calin is a graphic novel that is the sequel to “The New Girl,” and it follows main character Lia’s relationships as she worries about her crush, her friends, her family, and her own personal feelings about growing up.

When Lia realizes she likes Julien and that he may actually like her, it is thrilling for her. She loves the feeling of liking him so much and having him like her back. He’s noticing her, spending time with her, and he seems to like who she is without her having to change for him. The problem is that there’s another girl who seems to by vying for his attention, and Lia doesn’t think this girl is particularly friendly or kind. She wants to trust Julien, but this other girl is making it difficult.

As she copes with the reality of her new relationship with Julien, some of her friendships begin to fall by the wayside, and she alienates one of the girls whom she really cares about, albeit unknowingly. When she discovers what has happened, she wants to fix it, but she knows she was in the wrong and doesn’t know quite how to make up for it.

The story is built around themes of friendship, worry, understanding (and the lack thereof), and anxiety about all of the travails of adolescence. Young readers will find connection with Lia, her friends, and the struggles they find themselves in the thick of as the story progresses.

Good Points

The story is built around themes of friendship, worry, understanding (and the lack thereof), and anxiety about all of the travails of adolescence. Young readers will find connection with Lia, her friends, and the struggles they find themselves in the thick of as the story progresses.