Graphic Novel, 244 pagesRelease Date: September 18, 2018Published by: First Second
Read from: November 19-20, 2018Check, Please!, #1Source: NCTETW: N/A
For fans of: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, LGBTQ stories, Sports, YA
Helloooo, Internet Land. Bitty here!
Y’all... I might not be ready for this. I may be a former junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and very talented amateur pâtissier, but being a freshman on the Samwell University hockey team is a whole new challenge. It’s nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking. And then, there is Jack—our very attractive but moody captain.
A collection of the first half of the megapopular webcomic series of the same name, Check, Please!: #Hockey is the first book of a hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life.
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I finally saw this popping up I hadn't heard of it. I always seem to happen upon graphic novels once they're out or getting a lot of buzz already. And that's exactly what happened here. I should really pay more attention to these and their release dates!
Bitty has left his hometown in Georgia for college and now attends Samwell University. He lands a spot on the hockey team as a freshman. He meets some interesting people while there, such as his captain who he can't decide whether or not is cool or just mean. His other team mates are hilarious and they turn more into a family than Bittle ever expected.
I find myself trying to stay away from graphic novels and novels in verse for reviews because they tend not to go well for me. This one wasn't like that tho. I had a few issues with the story-telling, but for the most part, everything else was ok. Now the story just felt choppy to me. I kept finding myself flipping back to the page before to make sure I didn't skip a page or something. I felt like I was missing huge chunks of the story, and because of that, when it got to the end, I felt like I never saw it coming until that very moment. It was a really sweet moment, but I was not expecting it.
As for the illustrations, those were AMAZING. And when she signed my book she drew a little Bitty with it and I'm in love. Even my manager thought it was cool that she signed it and drew that in everyone's book. Ukazu is really good and I can't wait until I start seeing her name as the illustrator for other books.
Ultimately this was such a good read! As someone who doesn't care for graphic novels, it fell a bit short for me, but I can see how easily it would be for someone who loves them to fall into. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next volume in this series.
As for the illustrations, those were AMAZING. And when she signed my book she drew a little Bitty with it and I'm in love. Even my manager thought it was cool that she signed it and drew that in everyone's book. Ukazu is really good and I can't wait until I start seeing her name as the illustrator for other books.
Ultimately this was such a good read! As someone who doesn't care for graphic novels, it fell a bit short for me, but I can see how easily it would be for someone who loves them to fall into. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next volume in this series.
Overall, I give this
