Author: Ngozi Ukazu
Publisher: First Second
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Paperback, 288 Pages
Published September 2018
Paperback, 288 Pages
Published September 2018
Summary: Eric Bittle is a former Georgia junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and amateur pâtissier. But as accomplished as he is, nothing could prepare him for his freshman year of playing hockey at the prestigious Samwell University in Samwell, Massachusetts. It's nothing like co-ed club hockey back in the South! For one? There’s checking. Second, there is Jack—his very attractive but moody captain.
I had heard nothing but great things about this book for years, and I had always meant to find time to pick it up, but life got in the way with college getting busy and the ARCs we had to read for publishers starting to pile up. So when I finally got the time to purchase a copy of CHECK, PLEASE and get reading, I was beyond excited. Especially since I'd been getting more and more into graphic novels within the last few years, so finding more contemporary and/or rom-com types of graphic novels has really been capturing my interest. So finally, after long last, I was able to find some time to sit down and to read CHECK, PLEASE -- and I'm really glad that I did. So without further ado, let's get into my review!
As the summary explains, the story follows Eric "Bitty" Bittle, incoming freshman hockey player at Samwell. The graphic novel is told from the perspective of his vlog channel that he has, where he explains everything that goes on during his freshman year, both with the hockey team and also his Samwell experience in general. And there's also the fact that he has a *teeny tiny* crush on the gorgeous team captain, Jack...which leads to a lot of interesting stories to hear from him!
I really enjoyed reading this book! I thought it was a super cute, feel-good read that left me feeling satisfied and happy when I was finished reading. On the graphic novel front, I thought the illustrations were gorgeous and the book itself is really easy to get through quickly because the story just flies by. I'd absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read that leaves them feeling really good. You guys, it was freaking ADORABLE! I totally understand why all of my friends have been pushing me to read this book for so long, and I'm disappointed in myself for waiting so long to pick up this delightful story!
In addition to the cute rom-com feel of the story, there was also an entire hockey narrative that was really interesting to follow, especially as someone who knows so little about hockey but really wants to get more into it. It's definitely one of the main focal points of the story, but it isn't too complicated or confusing to the point that non-hockey fans wouldn't understand what was going on. Bitty even offers explanations here and there, and in my copy of the book there was also an entire additional few chapters after the story ended where some of the story's other key players offered a "seminar" about how certain aspects of hockey/the lingo used in the book shakes out. As well as a hilarious collection of some of Bitty's best Tweets!
I also really loved the dynamic of all of the different characters in this book and the ways that they all interacted with each other. There is definitely a really great ensemble here! I feel like every character was so wildly different, but they were all banded together by their united love of hockey and seeing the way they all supported each other and acted like a little family throughout several points of the book was really heartwarming. Shitty was definitely my favorite character, I think. Seeing his never-ending devotion for his team and his friends and just EVERYONE in general was really sweet -- he reminded me of a puppy in human form!
The only thing that I was a little disappointed about with this book was the way that time flew so quickly, so it felt like a lot of the story arcs were a little bit rushed or just buried completely. It makes sense, being that this started as a webtoon and there was a lot to cover so of course time was going to have to be sped up at certain parts, but there were several moments where I had to go back and reread a few panels because I was like "wait, WHAT just happened??" because I didn't realize that so much time had passed. This first book is a little more than 250 pages and it covers the entire school year, so as you can see, there were definitely some moments that flew by quicker than others! However, it didn't bother me THAT much, and I don't think it made the book bad in any way -- it was just something that left me a little confused at times, but it was nothing that a quick peek backwards couldn't fix.
Overall, I still really enjoyed reading CHECK, PLEASE! and I will definitely be purchasing the second book soon to dive into because I just have to know what happens next. If you're looking for a feel-good story that will make you laugh, giggle, and even swoon, and you want to close the book at the end feeling satisfied and giddy because you just devoured such an ADORABLE read, then I'd definitely recommend picking this one up!
Also, if anyone else has any other contemporary/rom-com graphic novel recommendations, please send them my way via the comment section below, thank you!!! :-)
As the summary explains, the story follows Eric "Bitty" Bittle, incoming freshman hockey player at Samwell. The graphic novel is told from the perspective of his vlog channel that he has, where he explains everything that goes on during his freshman year, both with the hockey team and also his Samwell experience in general. And there's also the fact that he has a *teeny tiny* crush on the gorgeous team captain, Jack...which leads to a lot of interesting stories to hear from him!
I really enjoyed reading this book! I thought it was a super cute, feel-good read that left me feeling satisfied and happy when I was finished reading. On the graphic novel front, I thought the illustrations were gorgeous and the book itself is really easy to get through quickly because the story just flies by. I'd absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read that leaves them feeling really good. You guys, it was freaking ADORABLE! I totally understand why all of my friends have been pushing me to read this book for so long, and I'm disappointed in myself for waiting so long to pick up this delightful story!
In addition to the cute rom-com feel of the story, there was also an entire hockey narrative that was really interesting to follow, especially as someone who knows so little about hockey but really wants to get more into it. It's definitely one of the main focal points of the story, but it isn't too complicated or confusing to the point that non-hockey fans wouldn't understand what was going on. Bitty even offers explanations here and there, and in my copy of the book there was also an entire additional few chapters after the story ended where some of the story's other key players offered a "seminar" about how certain aspects of hockey/the lingo used in the book shakes out. As well as a hilarious collection of some of Bitty's best Tweets!
I also really loved the dynamic of all of the different characters in this book and the ways that they all interacted with each other. There is definitely a really great ensemble here! I feel like every character was so wildly different, but they were all banded together by their united love of hockey and seeing the way they all supported each other and acted like a little family throughout several points of the book was really heartwarming. Shitty was definitely my favorite character, I think. Seeing his never-ending devotion for his team and his friends and just EVERYONE in general was really sweet -- he reminded me of a puppy in human form!
The only thing that I was a little disappointed about with this book was the way that time flew so quickly, so it felt like a lot of the story arcs were a little bit rushed or just buried completely. It makes sense, being that this started as a webtoon and there was a lot to cover so of course time was going to have to be sped up at certain parts, but there were several moments where I had to go back and reread a few panels because I was like "wait, WHAT just happened??" because I didn't realize that so much time had passed. This first book is a little more than 250 pages and it covers the entire school year, so as you can see, there were definitely some moments that flew by quicker than others! However, it didn't bother me THAT much, and I don't think it made the book bad in any way -- it was just something that left me a little confused at times, but it was nothing that a quick peek backwards couldn't fix.
Overall, I still really enjoyed reading CHECK, PLEASE! and I will definitely be purchasing the second book soon to dive into because I just have to know what happens next. If you're looking for a feel-good story that will make you laugh, giggle, and even swoon, and you want to close the book at the end feeling satisfied and giddy because you just devoured such an ADORABLE read, then I'd definitely recommend picking this one up!
Also, if anyone else has any other contemporary/rom-com graphic novel recommendations, please send them my way via the comment section below, thank you!!! :-)
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