French Milk

I was disappointed when I received French Milk by Lucy Knisley in the mail. I had ordered it online and Amazon neglected to call it a graphic novel. The official review on the page mentioned it had photos and sketches, but I thought that would be in addition to the story, not the whole story. So, I wasn't very happy with this purchase. I'm not a big graphic novel fan. I did love Watchmen, but I've tried a few others but I just can't get used to the format. I tend to want to ignore the photos, which you can't do. So, take this review with a grain of salt.
Although the book was enjoyable, I felt like it lacked substance. There just wasn't any meat to it. I thought I would get to delve into life in Paris for a month, and Lucy's relationship with her mother. But it just skims the surface. And most of that surface involves smoking and drinking. She took up smoking just because she was going to Paris? Really? I also just found Lucy to be a bit annoying. I wanted to slap her upside the head and tell her "You're in Paris!!! Enjoy it! Quit whining!" She even tells herself that at some point.
Even though I'm being really negative, I do see how some people would enjoy it. If you know going in that it's a graphic novel, and don't expect to get travel tips from it, then you may actually enjoy it. And the cover is really pretty, so it looks nice on my shelf, which makes me feel a little bit better about the money I spent on it. I'd suggest getting it from the library instead of purchasing it.