Pillow Talk
Stephanie Cooke
Illustrated by Mel Valentine Vargas
HarperAlley
Published April 30, 2024
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About Pillow Talk
Grace Mendes a.k.a. Cinderhella is a fierce competitor in the PFF, a pillow fight federation that’s part roller derby, part professional wrestling. But in this fresh, coming-of-age YA graphic novel, Grace needs to learn to overcome her biggest enemy: herself. For fans of Check, Please and Bloom.
When college freshman Grace Mendes reluctantly attends her first pillow fight match, she falls in love with the surprisingly gritty sport. Despite her usually shy, introverted, and reserved nature, Grace decides to try out for the Pillow Fight Federation (PFF), a locally famous league of fighters with larger-than-life personas like Pain Eyre, Miss Fortune, and champion Kat Atonic. They may battle with pillows, but there is nothing soft about these fighters. The first and only rule to pillow fighting is that the pillow needs to be the first point of contact; after that, everything else goes.
Grace struggles with deep-seated body image issues, so she is especially shocked when she makes the competitive league and is welcomed into the fold of close knit, confident fighters. As her first official fight performing as newly crafted alter-ego/ring persona Cinderhella looms on the horizon, the real battle taking place is between Grace and her growing insecurities. What if people laugh or make fun of her? Why did she think she could pillow fight in the first place when she doesn’t look like your “typical” athlete? Turns out, no one is laughing when Cinderhella dominates her first match in the ring. And as her alter-ego rises through the ranks of the PFF, gaining traction and online fame (and online trolls), can Grace use the spotlight to become an icon for not just others, but most importantly, for herself?
Pillow Talk is an inclusive, high-octane, outrageously fun graphic novel that aims a punch at the impossibly high standards set for women in sports (and otherwise) and champions the power of finding a team that will, quite literally, fight for you. A knock-out!
My Review
This was such a fun read! I was a little nervous at the very beginning that Callie, Grace’s best friend, was going to turn out to be a mean girl that Grace worked really hard to stay friends with. She comes off as selfish and self-serving in the first few scenes, but gradually, I started to see more sides of her. From there, it pretty quickly became clear why Grace likes her and why their friendship works. She has flaws, for sure, but she cares about Grace a lot, which was awesome.
I love the way this book celebrates female friendship. From Grace’s relationship with her roommate Callie to her connections to the other PFF fighters, Pillow Talk showcases the power that comes from people, especially women, lifting one another up. (One major character is nonbinary, and they do a lot of lifting up, too.) I really liked the way the book highlighted that without making it the point of the story.
Grace is also just awesome. I loved seeing her come alive in her fights and embrace being Cinderhella, the persona she created. She faces fear and doubt because she’s a plus-sized girl in a judgy world. The scenes that explored those feelings showed her vulnerability and hurt in ways that were so easy to connect with and made me root for her even more.
Readers looking for a fun story about friendships and wrestling or girls in sports will really enjoy this graphic novel.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation
Grace is Latina and plus-sized. Callie has had relationships with boys and girls. One nonbinary character is in a relationship with a girl. The rest of the PFF team is a pretty racially diverse group.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very rarely.
Romance/Sexual Content
One kiss between two girls. One kiss between a nonbinary person and a girl.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Pillow fight matches show characters swinging pillows at one another as part of wrestling moves. One fighter appears to get injured at one point, but a medical staff member checks her out, and she’s okay.
Drug Content
The PFF team go out for drinks and karaoke. (Grace and Callie are in their first year of college, but some of the other team members are older.)
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