What Is Measuring Up: A Graphic Novel About?

“Bro, it’s not a big deal. I’m just fucking her.” My heart stopped. Kendall’s voice replied, “But man, what would people think if you made her your girl? That’d be crazy work.” “I’m not stupid,” Jalen said flatly. “I’d never make her mine. It’s only sex, nothing more. And honestly? It’s not that good anymore. I was gonna let her down easy before break.” ...... Aria, a plus-size beauty, thought her scholarship and condo arrangements were a dream until she met her roommate, Talia. Rich, spoiled, and instantly cruel, Talia made Aria's life miserable. Talia’s new boyfriend, Jalen, was the campus golden boy. When Aria and Jalen were paired for a project, they clicked in ways neither expected from late night talks to shared secrets and undeniable sexual chemistry. On Halloween night, during an all campus party, Aria sees Talia cheating on Jalen. One emotional night led to an affair that changed everything… until Jalen says some really damaging words to his roommate that were unforgivable and also heard by a once happy but now upset Aria. Disappointed, fed up, and heartbroken, Aria leaves campus and never looks back. TEN YEARS LATER Aria returns for the ten year reunion, confident, stunning, and a self-made CEO. Jalen is still gorgeous… but stuck in a miserable marriage with Talia. She ignores him. Talia tries to humiliate her. Aria wins the room. As she leaves, Jalen kisses her. She lets herself feel it, then slaps him and walks away. THE BUSINESS MERGER Jalen’s cruise line needs Aria’s brand to revamp their image. She agrees, reluctantly. Now they’re forced to work side by side, trapped between old wounds and new sparks. Some love stories never die. But some can burn you twice.

Jane Waleski and her best friend, Emily Zuckerman, are average achievers on a good day and losers on a bad day, but they're quite proud of it! Or so they try to convince themselves. They read only the shortest books for book reports and always have the worst project for science class. On top of that, they are hopeless romantics. So Jane and Emily form Loser Club: an exclusive club of two. But when a new science teacher shows up at their school, Jane tries to impress her and suddenly finds herself trying to be not so average. Will she have to resign as vice president of Loser Club?

For as long as she could remember, Ivy Monroe had been told she was too fat, too plain, and too unworthy to be loved. Forced into an arranged marriage with billionaire CEO Julian Vance, she spent a year enduring humiliation, neglect, and heartbreak while her husband openly flaunted his mistress.  When Ivy discovers she's pregnant, she believes the baby might finally give her a reason to hope. Instead, she loses the child after a cruel act of betrayal and is thrown out into the night with nothing but a box of clothes and divorce papers. Left bleeding and alone, Ivy is rescued by renowned surgeon Dr. Ethan Knight, a man determined to help her rebuild the life others stole from her. As Ivy rises from the ashes stronger than ever, those who destroyed her discover that some women don't break—they become unstoppable.

A month before the SATs, I, Jenny Reid, could see my score. Literally. It was just floating right above my head. But there was a catch. Every time I cracked open a prep book, my score would drop by ten points. But if I skipped a day of school? It jumped right back up by ten. So, I played the system. For a whole month, I barely lifted a finger. And on the day of the test, the number glowing over my head was a solid 1560. When the scores finally dropped online… I'd scored a 500. And the 1560? That was my little sister Patricia's score. My parents lost it. As punishment, they got me a grueling night-shift job at a local electronics factory. That first night, a bunch of guys I'd never seen before cornered me in the parking lot and beat me half to death. Fading in and out of consciousness, I heard my sister's voice right by my ear. "You just had to one-up me, didn't you? Thought you were so smart… but you never figured out I was the one controlling that number over your head." The truth hit me like a physical blow. The score had been her trick all along. I opened my eyes—and I was back. One month before the SATs. The number above my head read exactly 1300. "Hey," my sister said, all fake sweetness. "Want to study together tonight? We can go over the practice tests." I looked at the stack of papers in my own hands. Without a word, I pulled out my lighter and set them on fire right there in the driveway. "Exams are coming," I said, watching the flames. "I'm not studying." My score ticked up to 1310. My sister's face was this perfect mask of disappointment, but the second I turned away, I caught the sly smile she couldn't quite hide. She had no idea… the real performance, the one I'd been rehearsing just for her, was finally about to begin.

Five years ago, Selena suffered a miscarriage and was told that having children would be impossible naturally. She trusted the diagnosis. She agreed to a surrogate. She raised a child she believed wasn’t hers. Until a medical summit in Geneva exposes altered lab results—and her husband’s signature authorizing the change. As she digs deeper with the one doctor who once tried to expose the fraud, Selena uncovers a devastating truth: her infertility was fabricated. Her hormones were manipulated. And the child she’s been raising? Interestingly, the child was hers. Marcus didn’t just lie. He took her egg without asking, made a child in secret, and built an empire on the same experimental protocol that ruined her pregnancy. Now pregnant again, Selena files for divorce, starting a custody war, a corporate investigation, and a public reckoning that could destroy everything Marcus built. He wanted control. She wants the truth. Only one of them will walk away with the empire.

In "Desperate Measures," Reina Jackson finds herself in dire straits after her mother's passing and mounting college debt. Working at a coffee shop only adds to her troubles, as she constantly gets into trouble with customers and coworkers alike. Her only focus is on earning enough money to support her younger brothers, until she receives a shocking diagnosis. With her chances of survival slim, Reina meets Ian Bladell, a wealthy businessman who may be able to help her. Despite her desperation leading her to blackmail him, Ian is drawn to Reina's plight and her bravery in the face of her illness. As the two work together to fulfill each other's needs, they both find something unexpected: love. "Desperate Measures" is a heartwarming tale of two people from opposite worlds coming together to support each other and find happiness in the face of adversity.