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Check, Please! #1 (years 1-2)
Check, Please! Book 1: #Hockey
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Graphic Novels & Comics (2018)Eric Bittle 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 is nothing like co-ed club hockey back in Georgia! First of all? There’s checking (anything that hinders the player with posession of the puck, ranging from a stick check all the way to a physical sweep). And then, there is Jack—his very attractive but moody captain.
A collection of the first half, freshmen and sophmore year, 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. This book ncludes updated art and a hilarious, curated selection of Bitty's beloved tweets.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 18, 2018
288 people are currently reading
20686 people want to read
About the author
Ngozi Ukazu
20 books1,327 followersNgozi Ukazu is an American cartoonist and graphic novelist. She is the author of the online graphic novel series Check, Please!. She studied at Yale University and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,203 reviews
July 23, 2020
Re-read 7/20/20: I gave this a 4 the first time I read it, but I think this might actually be more of a 3 or a 3.5. I'm gonna round up to the 4 bc the art style is my favorite and I love the characters, but.. the way the story was written felt really disjointed and hard to follow. I'm bummed that this one didn't stand up quite as well as I remember it, but I am still VERY excited to carry onto book 2 bc THAT ENDING.
Original read 7/31/18: Heckin’ CUTE. Shitty is my fav and reminds me so much of my bb McGraw from Giant Days. 10/10 do recommend
Original read 7/31/18: Heckin’ CUTE. Shitty is my fav and reminds me so much of my bb McGraw from Giant Days. 10/10 do recommend
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November 4, 2021
A book so cute people are trying to ban it at libraries. Literally. Check Please! by Nigerian-American author and illustrator Ngozi Ukazu is such an unbelievably cute and sweet YA graphic novel. A saccharine sweetness to be honest, but this is just a fun and adorable escapism of gay romance and hockey.The story focuses on supportive friendship and being true to your identity and the book is just a refreshing blast of positivity. One might be surprised, however, to learn it is the centerpiece of several library challenges in my local area lately, with an entire city council meeting being held to discuss possible removal of the book (read about it here). With the American Library Association stating they’ve ‘seen an uptick in challenges, constant challenges to materials dealing with LGBTQIA persons and experiences,’ (Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the Office of Intellectual Freedom with the ALA) it is important to protect books such as this as well as stand up for libraries and those who promote intellectual freedom and fairness of access for everyone. More on that in a moment, as Check Please is certainly a fun book and you should definitely go check it out from your local library.
Originating as a webcomic, Ukazu brings a fresh and colorful art style that changes to emphasize different storytelling moments in the book. It follows Eric "Bitty" Bittle, an adorably tiny and pure hockey player/vlogger/baker in his escapades on and off the ice. Much of the book surrounds the friendships and adventures in his fraternity where romance is slowly blooming with fellow player Jack. Ngozi Ukazu admits she didn’t know much about hockey before writing and while researching learned to really love the sport. Her approach is fascinating, as it seems to use the story as a study in male friendships and a sort of ‘bro’ culture. There’s a lot of focus on goofy guy antics and food blended with the lovely romance plot in a way that normalizes gay men within traditionally masculine roles. Which is all very cool.
So, curiously, for a book so cute and positive, it is getting a lot of calls for bannings. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund lists it as one of the graphic novels frequently challenged in 2020 and locally it keeps being used as an example book for calls to remove supposedly “indecent” books from public libraries, with some parents coming right out and asking to remove all LGBTQIA content. In my own library we had a patron ask to put “warning labels”, something obviously not appropriate as we want patrons, especially kids, to feel safe and secure and not singled out. The Library Bill of Rights clearly states libraries 'should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment'. On the heels of the attempted banning starting with Check Please at the library mentioned earlier, another nearby city also had elected officials try to completely bypass the library staff and ordered the township superintendent review and remove books. All of this is extremely troubling, especially when it appears to be coordinated and certain media outlets are quite literally encouraging parents to harass librarians into banning books, referring to many books, such as Check Please as pornography (the article, read at your own risk for massive eyerolling, is very inaccurate in the ways it discusses collection development, book challenges and the #bannedbooksweek, almost as if deliberate misinformation was the purpose of writing it).
Now, if you are worried about Check Please, I can assure you it isn’t pornographic. There’s barely a kiss. The reasons calling for removal were bad language (eye roll) and drinking. A brilliant coworker of mine made the point that, curiously, nobody complaining about the book mentions the ways the book does contain a decent amount of misogynistic jokes with all the locker room talk. But to be honest, this book is very tame, and mostly just super cute. And if you are worried about children getting it from the library, go with them. Or read it for yourself first. This isn’t on libraries to censor and wanting them to do so is troubling. We should be making libraries more inclusive and responding to the needs of everyone in the community, not limiting it to the specific wishes of some in ways that remove access for others. It's always a good idea to learn how collection development policies actually work too and remember that libraries are not and should not be neutral, because when they try to be it can be harmful. Lamba Legal has a great little pamphlet about preventing censorship in public libraries for LGBT information that is worth reading and makes the point showing incresed support for LGBT youth is essential in decreasing suicidal behavior and increased their general wellbeing. We need to protect these kids, and having a balanced collection that gives them plenty of support and information is a must.
Which brings me back to the book. In a Q&A with the author, she was asked about the ‘importance of positive stories in queer media’. Her response was wonderful:
Support LGBT books, and if you don’t like them you can simply not read them, but don’t remove something that is often a lifeline for people. I know having books like this when I was younger would have made my life a lot easier, being able to identify and process my own identity, seeing positive representation instead of feeling shame and confusion. To admit that I was pansexual seemed like calling down all the hate of the world onto myself as a kid, or to be something wrong. So an adorable book like this combined with sports, exactly what I would have wanted. This book is fun, mostly fluff but fun and you should definitely check it out from your local library.
3.5/5
Originating as a webcomic, Ukazu brings a fresh and colorful art style that changes to emphasize different storytelling moments in the book. It follows Eric "Bitty" Bittle, an adorably tiny and pure hockey player/vlogger/baker in his escapades on and off the ice. Much of the book surrounds the friendships and adventures in his fraternity where romance is slowly blooming with fellow player Jack. Ngozi Ukazu admits she didn’t know much about hockey before writing and while researching learned to really love the sport. Her approach is fascinating, as it seems to use the story as a study in male friendships and a sort of ‘bro’ culture. There’s a lot of focus on goofy guy antics and food blended with the lovely romance plot in a way that normalizes gay men within traditionally masculine roles. Which is all very cool.
So, curiously, for a book so cute and positive, it is getting a lot of calls for bannings. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund lists it as one of the graphic novels frequently challenged in 2020 and locally it keeps being used as an example book for calls to remove supposedly “indecent” books from public libraries, with some parents coming right out and asking to remove all LGBTQIA content. In my own library we had a patron ask to put “warning labels”, something obviously not appropriate as we want patrons, especially kids, to feel safe and secure and not singled out. The Library Bill of Rights clearly states libraries 'should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment'. On the heels of the attempted banning starting with Check Please at the library mentioned earlier, another nearby city also had elected officials try to completely bypass the library staff and ordered the township superintendent review and remove books. All of this is extremely troubling, especially when it appears to be coordinated and certain media outlets are quite literally encouraging parents to harass librarians into banning books, referring to many books, such as Check Please as pornography (the article, read at your own risk for massive eyerolling, is very inaccurate in the ways it discusses collection development, book challenges and the #bannedbooksweek, almost as if deliberate misinformation was the purpose of writing it).
Now, if you are worried about Check Please, I can assure you it isn’t pornographic. There’s barely a kiss. The reasons calling for removal were bad language (eye roll) and drinking. A brilliant coworker of mine made the point that, curiously, nobody complaining about the book mentions the ways the book does contain a decent amount of misogynistic jokes with all the locker room talk. But to be honest, this book is very tame, and mostly just super cute. And if you are worried about children getting it from the library, go with them. Or read it for yourself first. This isn’t on libraries to censor and wanting them to do so is troubling. We should be making libraries more inclusive and responding to the needs of everyone in the community, not limiting it to the specific wishes of some in ways that remove access for others. It's always a good idea to learn how collection development policies actually work too and remember that libraries are not and should not be neutral, because when they try to be it can be harmful. Lamba Legal has a great little pamphlet about preventing censorship in public libraries for LGBT information that is worth reading and makes the point showing incresed support for LGBT youth is essential in decreasing suicidal behavior and increased their general wellbeing. We need to protect these kids, and having a balanced collection that gives them plenty of support and information is a must.
Which brings me back to the book. In a Q&A with the author, she was asked about the ‘importance of positive stories in queer media’. Her response was wonderful:
’For the longest time, and even still to this day, any story that was considered a queer narrative was almost guaranteed to have a miserable ending; there is even this trope that any time there was a queer character in a story that that character wouldn’t last long. I just wanted to tell a story that was about coming out, about finding identity that didn’t necessarily mean that the character was going to be consumed by their angst and destroyed by their gloom. I felt like that’s a story I wanted to read and I felt that others wanted to read that as well. It’s important because there are not enough happy stories where a character gets to be queer and just exist and also get a happy ending.’
Support LGBT books, and if you don’t like them you can simply not read them, but don’t remove something that is often a lifeline for people. I know having books like this when I was younger would have made my life a lot easier, being able to identify and process my own identity, seeing positive representation instead of feeling shame and confusion. To admit that I was pansexual seemed like calling down all the hate of the world onto myself as a kid, or to be something wrong. So an adorable book like this combined with sports, exactly what I would have wanted. This book is fun, mostly fluff but fun and you should definitely check it out from your local library.
3.5/5
September 19, 2018
This series is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I read it first in college, reread it as I was graduating, and now I get to read the full first two years as a collected, physical book. Bitty owns my heart and I plan to cry about him for the rest of time. He’s my perfect soft, loving, pastry happy, gay, hockey playing southern gentleman.
READ THIS. Then get up to date with the webcomic so we can all yell together.
READ THIS. Then get up to date with the webcomic so we can all yell together.
January 21, 2019
Those who rated this comic highly, can you help me out? Am I reading this wrong?
I am all on board with a story about a gentle, pie-baking gay hockey player who gets embraced by his bro/dumbass teammates and finds love. And I can understand why I personally didn't like how this story is written (sometimes hard to understand, Jack is so not swoon-worthy, only one female character who almost has no speaking lines), but others think it all is cute and fine. Ok. Tastes differ.
But why is no one mentioning that while Bitty's friends are gay-friendly, they talk disgustingly about women. "Winter screw"? "Poor guy's probably up in his room getting sucked by another Zimmerman puck bunny“ Wtf? I don't have a problem with the fact that these hockey bros say these things, but I have a problem with the fact that this bullshit isn't challenged by the narrative? Oh no, they are just really awesome friends and teammates! Barf! Would everyone have let it pass were this comic written by a man?
I just don't get it.
The Prince and the Dressmaker was cute and kind. This one - problematic, IMO.
Really, Morris committee, you couldn't find anything better to put on your short list?
I am all on board with a story about a gentle, pie-baking gay hockey player who gets embraced by his bro/dumbass teammates and finds love. And I can understand why I personally didn't like how this story is written (sometimes hard to understand, Jack is so not swoon-worthy, only one female character who almost has no speaking lines), but others think it all is cute and fine. Ok. Tastes differ.
But why is no one mentioning that while Bitty's friends are gay-friendly, they talk disgustingly about women. "Winter screw"? "Poor guy's probably up in his room getting sucked by another Zimmerman puck bunny“ Wtf? I don't have a problem with the fact that these hockey bros say these things, but I have a problem with the fact that this bullshit isn't challenged by the narrative? Oh no, they are just really awesome friends and teammates! Barf! Would everyone have let it pass were this comic written by a man?
I just don't get it.
The Prince and the Dressmaker was cute and kind. This one - problematic, IMO.
Really, Morris committee, you couldn't find anything better to put on your short list?
July 25, 2020
This was such a sweet and cute graphic novel. I loved Bitty, our main character, so much! He is so precious and needs to be protected at all costs! I don’t really have much to say, it was just a cute, fun and joyful read. Highly recommend if you enjoy graphic novels.
I also read this in a reading vlog on my YouTube channel. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/BzCxn8Y4ppw
I also read this in a reading vlog on my YouTube channel. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/BzCxn8Y4ppw
January 6, 2022
this was so cute I feel like my heart just grew three times its size like the Grinch
September 24, 2018
This ARC was given to me by my beautiful friend Lilly from Lair of Books! (Thank you so much! I love you!)
You all, this was the cutest. No, scratch that; Bitty is the cutest! And this graphic novel was nothing short of a joy to read! Hockey games, behind the scenes practices, a slow-burn attraction, an adorable romance, the most heartwarming main character ever. I mean, what else could you really ask for? Ngozi Ukazu has given us such a bright light of pure sunshine!
So basically, this is a published version of a very popular webcomic that so many of my friends have been following and adoring for so very long. It stars a boy named Eric Bittle, AKA: Bitty, who is leaving his southern home to go to college in the north to play hockey, and he is gay and not yet out! He is also a very talented ice skater, but he has a little improving to do on the ice with hockey. And this book is broken up in two parts that are following him during his freshman year and sophomore year at Samwell University.
Bitty also makes video blogs where he talks about everything that’s going on his life. We get to slowly see the seasons change, and Bitty change as well during his vlogs. And he especially likes to talk about the captain of the hockey team, Jack, who he is pretty sure dislikes him, even though he is constantly helping him improve on the ice.
“Never fall for a straight boy.”
But we also get to see Bitty interact with the rest of his team: Ransom, Shitty, Holster, Chowder, Nursey, Lardo, and Dex (ew)! And Bitty builds some really beautiful friendships. Shitty (Lord, I will never get used to typing that name) is such a sweetheart who was so accepting and wonderful. Easily my favorite side character and my favorite brewing side romance with a certain someone.
I also loved getting to see Bitty move into the team house his sophomore year and really embrace his love for cooking. While his team also embraces their love for eating his baking. Seriously, seeing him build friendships and bond with others was so pure and so wonderful.
Lastly, I really want to talk about Ngozi Ukazu’s banter and how it is so perfect and so realistic. I legit tried to read this in public, and I was smiling so big and giggling out loud while sipping my coffee. The dialogue is on a tier above most graphic work out here, and the art is so beautiful and lovely on the eyes, too. I am in awe.
Overall, I just thought this was adorable perfection. The only reason I’m giving it four stars is because I feel like the story just started to really begin right before it ended. But the slow burn m/m romance is very precious, and I will scream from the highest rooftop that Bitty deserves the entire world forever and ever. I have such high hopes for junior and senior year! This is easily the best sports graphic work I’ve ever read.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Youtube | Twitch
Content and triggers warnings for underage drinking, panic attacks, hazing, and a lot of sexual content comments (mostly about hooking up with girls).
❤ I read this for Contemporary-a-thon!
June 11, 2018
I love love love this 😍 ...big surprise
May 9, 2020
reread update, may 2020:
100% still one of the most precious, endearing things I've ever read in my whole life. Bitty is so sweet, Jack is so soft and perf, and Shitty is going beside McGraw from Giant Days in the weirdly specific category of manly-but-soft mustachioed college boys I adore. ♥♥♥ So happy I reread this before continuing the series.
——————
original review, november 2018:
OH MY WORD, it's so cute I'm gonna die. This is one of the most precious, laugh-out-loud, heartwarming, charming damn things I've ever read in my life. I need a million more volumes, please. I cried happy tears at the end and I don't even care. And Bitty is such a precious little bean and Shitty is so hilarious and quietly deep and Holster & Ransom are the perfect bromance duo ever and JACK. Sweet, precious little Quebecian (IT'S A WORD OKAY) Jack and his quiet brooding and dark, sad former tragedy and... sigh. I loved this a lot, okay.
100% still one of the most precious, endearing things I've ever read in my whole life. Bitty is so sweet, Jack is so soft and perf, and Shitty is going beside McGraw from Giant Days in the weirdly specific category of manly-but-soft mustachioed college boys I adore. ♥♥♥ So happy I reread this before continuing the series.
——————
original review, november 2018:
OH MY WORD, it's so cute I'm gonna die. This is one of the most precious, laugh-out-loud, heartwarming, charming damn things I've ever read in my life. I need a million more volumes, please. I cried happy tears at the end and I don't even care. And Bitty is such a precious little bean and Shitty is so hilarious and quietly deep and Holster & Ransom are the perfect bromance duo ever and JACK. Sweet, precious little Quebecian (IT'S A WORD OKAY) Jack and his quiet brooding and dark, sad former tragedy and... sigh. I loved this a lot, okay.
July 8, 2021
What I expected from this book: Super cute romance that I have to deal with hockey in order to get to.
What I got from this book: I could read forever about these friendships and this team and these baked goods!...Oh no. Romance.
Both ways, I enjoyed it.
But isn't life full of fun surprises!
Bottom line: My graphic novel reviews just get lazier and lazier. This was fun! What else can be said.
---------------
pre-review
need a huge increase in cuteness in my life, stat
update: success.
review to come / 3.5ish
---------------
reading all books with LGBTQ+ rep for pride this month!
book 1: the gravity of us
book 2: the great american whatever
book 3: wild beauty
book 4: the affair of the mysterious letter
book 5: how we fight for our lives
book 6: blue lily, lily blue
book 7: the times i knew i was gay
book 8: conventionally yours
book 9: the hollow inside
book 10: nimona
book 11: dark and deepest red
book 12: the house in the cerulean sea
book 13: the raven king
book 14: violet ghosts
book 15: as far as you'll take me
book 16: bad feminist
book 17: a song for a new day
book 18: one last stop
book 19: to break a covenant
book 20: honey girl
book 21: check, please!
What I got from this book: I could read forever about these friendships and this team and these baked goods!...Oh no. Romance.
Both ways, I enjoyed it.
But isn't life full of fun surprises!
Bottom line: My graphic novel reviews just get lazier and lazier. This was fun! What else can be said.
---------------
pre-review
need a huge increase in cuteness in my life, stat
update: success.
review to come / 3.5ish
---------------
reading all books with LGBTQ+ rep for pride this month!
book 1: the gravity of us
book 2: the great american whatever
book 3: wild beauty
book 4: the affair of the mysterious letter
book 5: how we fight for our lives
book 6: blue lily, lily blue
book 7: the times i knew i was gay
book 8: conventionally yours
book 9: the hollow inside
book 10: nimona
book 11: dark and deepest red
book 12: the house in the cerulean sea
book 13: the raven king
book 14: violet ghosts
book 15: as far as you'll take me
book 16: bad feminist
book 17: a song for a new day
book 18: one last stop
book 19: to break a covenant
book 20: honey girl
book 21: check, please!
April 18, 2019
3.5 stars
This book had me laughing out loud before the page count even hit double digits! I was not expecting this to have such a tasteful sense of humor in a way that was both evident in dialogue and the clever way the panels transitioned and cut off. I thought Bittle (Bitty? Idk what his name is even after reading this bc he was called like 30 things) was charming and funny and relatable and sweet, and I loved following his story. Him being a vlogger was a really great addition! My main issue with this graphic novel, though, is that toward the middle and last half, it becomes really meandering. I wasn't sure if this book was trying to lead up to the championship, Bittle/Bitty/whatever's unrequited love, the senior team members graduating, or what. I skipped entire panels because the dialogue just became rambly and nonsensical because the story lost some steam after the exposition, but the ending was great enough to make me want the second volume, so it picked back up! Overall, I thought this was a funny, addicting book with a nice m/m subplot, and I'm sure volume two will have a lot more direction than this one did.
This book had me laughing out loud before the page count even hit double digits! I was not expecting this to have such a tasteful sense of humor in a way that was both evident in dialogue and the clever way the panels transitioned and cut off. I thought Bittle (Bitty? Idk what his name is even after reading this bc he was called like 30 things) was charming and funny and relatable and sweet, and I loved following his story. Him being a vlogger was a really great addition! My main issue with this graphic novel, though, is that toward the middle and last half, it becomes really meandering. I wasn't sure if this book was trying to lead up to the championship, Bittle/Bitty/whatever's unrequited love, the senior team members graduating, or what. I skipped entire panels because the dialogue just became rambly and nonsensical because the story lost some steam after the exposition, but the ending was great enough to make me want the second volume, so it picked back up! Overall, I thought this was a funny, addicting book with a nice m/m subplot, and I'm sure volume two will have a lot more direction than this one did.
March 24, 2020
OMG!! Can I have a million more volumes of this graphic novel series, please?
Eric “Bitty” Bittle doesn’t quite seem like your typical college hockey player—he’s really short, he’s a former figure skater, and he can bake like no one’s business. But typical or not, he’s landed a place on Samwell University’s hockey team.
Bitty is using his popular vlog to chronicle his adventures in college—endless practices, the hockey bros who become his best friends, and all of the amazing treats he bakes. Oh, and the fact that he tends to faint when he’s about to get checked, which in hockey is kind of an issue. (One of his teammates is convinced they can make a play out of it, but the coaches don't seem to listen.)
He also talks about the team captain, Jack Zimmermann, son of a Canadian hockey legend. Jack is serious about hockey—sometimes to the point of being mean—but his teammates all worship him, none more than Bitty, who probably feels even a little stronger for him. Jack certainly feels the pressure of living up to a legendary father and figuring out what professional team he should play on after he graduates.
Coming from Georgia, Bitty found it difficult to be himself. But in college he’s going to live life on his own terms, and hopes his teammates and friends will accept that. (Lord knows they love Bitty’s baking!)
Check, Please! is honestly one of the best graphic novels I’ve read, both in plot and quality of illustration. (It's interesting: at first glance I thought this was going to be a more juvenile-oriented book but it's definitely not, and the artwork is much more complex than first meets the eye.) Ngozi Ukazu gave this book so much authenticity and so much heart—it really is a story about hockey, bros, baking, and self-acceptance. Can you beat that?
Book 2 comes out in April and I can’t wait. This is just so sweet and funny and heartwarming. Another book I'm grateful has found its way into the hands of the younger generation.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
Eric “Bitty” Bittle doesn’t quite seem like your typical college hockey player—he’s really short, he’s a former figure skater, and he can bake like no one’s business. But typical or not, he’s landed a place on Samwell University’s hockey team.
Bitty is using his popular vlog to chronicle his adventures in college—endless practices, the hockey bros who become his best friends, and all of the amazing treats he bakes. Oh, and the fact that he tends to faint when he’s about to get checked, which in hockey is kind of an issue. (One of his teammates is convinced they can make a play out of it, but the coaches don't seem to listen.)
He also talks about the team captain, Jack Zimmermann, son of a Canadian hockey legend. Jack is serious about hockey—sometimes to the point of being mean—but his teammates all worship him, none more than Bitty, who probably feels even a little stronger for him. Jack certainly feels the pressure of living up to a legendary father and figuring out what professional team he should play on after he graduates.
Coming from Georgia, Bitty found it difficult to be himself. But in college he’s going to live life on his own terms, and hopes his teammates and friends will accept that. (Lord knows they love Bitty’s baking!)
Check, Please! is honestly one of the best graphic novels I’ve read, both in plot and quality of illustration. (It's interesting: at first glance I thought this was going to be a more juvenile-oriented book but it's definitely not, and the artwork is much more complex than first meets the eye.) Ngozi Ukazu gave this book so much authenticity and so much heart—it really is a story about hockey, bros, baking, and self-acceptance. Can you beat that?
Book 2 comes out in April and I can’t wait. This is just so sweet and funny and heartwarming. Another book I'm grateful has found its way into the hands of the younger generation.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
June 3, 2021
This beloved webcomic-turned-graphic-novel has a 4.46 star average for almost 6000 reviews. Wow. But it was a total miss for me.
I originally encountered it back when it was a webcomic, but I lost interest partway through. When it came out as a book I decided to give it another chance, thinking that maybe this time it would click for me. But that didn't happen. I don't like any of the characters. And the art isn't appealing enough to compensate for the weirdly choppy and unfocused story. It felt so incomplete, with storylines started, barely developed and then dropped -- I kept thinking pages must be missing. But they weren't.
Apparently it's one of those cases where other people are seeing something awesome that I'm completely unable to perceive.
I originally encountered it back when it was a webcomic, but I lost interest partway through. When it came out as a book I decided to give it another chance, thinking that maybe this time it would click for me. But that didn't happen. I don't like any of the characters. And the art isn't appealing enough to compensate for the weirdly choppy and unfocused story. It felt so incomplete, with storylines started, barely developed and then dropped -- I kept thinking pages must be missing. But they weren't.
Apparently it's one of those cases where other people are seeing something awesome that I'm completely unable to perceive.
June 14, 2024
This was super cute! I have to admit I was super unaware of most of the hockey terminology, but I think that Ukazu did a wonderful job explaining it so that those of us who aren't familiar with the terms could still enjoy the story. Two of the best things about this book are definitely character development and artwork. Bitty was the CUTEST character that I think I've encountered in a long time. He was so positive and hardworking. I felt this calming sense of energy from him in every single panel and I LOVED that he was so supportive of EVERY SINGLE ONE of his teammates. He motivated them, supported them, gave them endless amounts of pastries (LOL). That's not to say that there wasn't conflict or that no one got into disagreements, but Ukazu definitely wrote this graphic novel in a way that makes the reader feel euphoric. I've been reading some pretty heavy stuff so it's been great actually having the opportunity to read a book that's a little on the lighter side. In addition to the character development, I think that the artwork was amazing. I loved the detail that was exhibited in each frame. I also loved that Ukazu was able to beautifully illustrate parts of the graphic novel and include no words and the reader was still able to tell exactly what was happening. It was ingenious. Honestly, I have very few complaints about this book. I took off half a star because some frames were over saturated with text and it made it difficult to follow the story in some instances. Other than that it was beautifully done and I can't wait to pick up the next book or I may just read it as a webcomic so I can know what happens next. That ending was EVERYTHING.
April 19, 2021
April 19, 2021: I came back to this webcomic just to look up a certain scene and ended up binging it AGAIN, whoops
My apologizes to my GR challenge, bc I haven’t read a real YA novel since January
(I also came back to read it because, after the last chapter was released last year, I could never bring myself to finish it unless I read the whole thing again, so here I am now)
__________________
September 9, 2019: Y'all, guess who just spent all day binging this online webcomic ONLY TO FIND OUT IT'S NOT COMPLETE YET?
I am a fool. Please send help. I can't wait for the next update.
(The full (yet incomplete!) webcomic is free online, btw! This rating is listed for one of the graphic adaptations, but really I'm rating the webcomic as a whole.)
My apologizes to my GR challenge, bc I haven’t read a real YA novel since January
(I also came back to read it because, after the last chapter was released last year, I could never bring myself to finish it unless I read the whole thing again, so here I am now)
__________________
September 9, 2019: Y'all, guess who just spent all day binging this online webcomic ONLY TO FIND OUT IT'S NOT COMPLETE YET?
I am a fool. Please send help. I can't wait for the next update.
(The full (yet incomplete!) webcomic is free online, btw! This rating is listed for one of the graphic adaptations, but really I'm rating the webcomic as a whole.)
August 17, 2020
I tossed together a somewhat better review after rereading this today so that'll up soon!
--------
THIS IS THE
CUTEST
SWEETEST
SOFTEST
FUNNIEST
MOST PRECIOUS
THING
AND I HAVE ALL THE FEELS.
ps I read the webcomic via the author's website.
--------
THIS IS THE
CUTEST
SWEETEST
SOFTEST
FUNNIEST
MOST PRECIOUS
THING
AND I HAVE ALL THE FEELS.
ps I read the webcomic via the author's website.
April 4, 2021
This gave me all the wholesome vibes I needed! Also, that ending?
* rushes to buy book 2 *
* rushes to buy book 2 *
October 23, 2020
SO ADORABLE, I DIE 🥰🥰😭 mutual pining, soft boys who bake, grumpy/sunshine and tol/smol tropes I love it all!!!! Did the author read my mind omg
And I am not into hockey but after this I want to watch a game. 😲
This review is incoherent oops, just read the book!!! You will thank me later.
Content warning (for both volumes): bullying, homophobia, internalized biphobia, references to past drug/alcohol abuse
And I am not into hockey but after this I want to watch a game. 😲
This review is incoherent oops, just read the book!!! You will thank me later.
Content warning (for both volumes): bullying, homophobia, internalized biphobia, references to past drug/alcohol abuse
July 6, 2022
i need the next one immediately but its 12am. u can go into a bookstore if all the lights are out and nobody's working right? asking for a friend that friend is me
December 14, 2018
Check, please!: #Hockey is the first volume collecting from the popular webcomic from first generation Nigerian (!)-American author Ngozi Ukazu who did a LOT of research to make a comic about a white man's sport she basically knew nothing about, and in the process, falling in love with it. There are two reasons I read it; 1) I may read just about all of the 2018 graphic novel/comics nominees, and 2) I just read Fence, another sports comics series that I was really surprised to like a lot. I am a guy that likes to watch and play sports, but I have not found many books that make me care about the sports in it. For instance, I am a guy that basically has fast-read (if not skimmed) the Quidditch parts of Harry Potter. Yawn.
Thanks to a neighbor, I have begun to appreciate hockey, which was easier to do when the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup a few years ago here. But not appreciate it enough to go out of my way to read to read a hockey comic. But: this is a very feel-good comic about Eric "Bitty" Bittle, a competitive figure skater in high school who works to get a hockey scholarship to pay for college. He's also a baker, and a not-yet-out gay kid who is mentored by an older player and captain, Jack. The series deals with anxiety issues, too, but one of the central attractions is that the talk feels realistically like a bunch of guys, for better and worse. Generally madcap fun.
I guess I should say that, though the transition from figure skating to hockey may seem seamless (possible puns in here, hmm), since both involve ice skating, this is not a common thing to do. And for the somewhat slight Bitty, the sometimes brutally physical nature of college hockey--which requires hard, physical "checking" to be successful creates some challenges fro him. That the more experienced Jack helps with in physical, 1:1 checking sessions, ahem.
One fave character is nicknamed Shitty, who he is a ringer for McGraw in the also feel-good college series set in a Brit uni, Giant Days. It feels in many ways influenced by that series, particularly in tone. We're just having fun, it's of laughs, and they both work with that aim. And in case you are interested in the sport and culture of men's hockey, Ukazu provides an anthropological--but also fun--level of information about these things.
The art is cartoony and light and the chapters are short and all of it is manga-influenced. I like it that a Nigerian-American artist (from Texas) explores this male sport world with us and does it so well and in such a fun way.
Here's a link to the web-comic:
http://checkpleasecomic.com/comic/01-...
Thanks to a neighbor, I have begun to appreciate hockey, which was easier to do when the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup a few years ago here. But not appreciate it enough to go out of my way to read to read a hockey comic. But: this is a very feel-good comic about Eric "Bitty" Bittle, a competitive figure skater in high school who works to get a hockey scholarship to pay for college. He's also a baker, and a not-yet-out gay kid who is mentored by an older player and captain, Jack. The series deals with anxiety issues, too, but one of the central attractions is that the talk feels realistically like a bunch of guys, for better and worse. Generally madcap fun.
I guess I should say that, though the transition from figure skating to hockey may seem seamless (possible puns in here, hmm), since both involve ice skating, this is not a common thing to do. And for the somewhat slight Bitty, the sometimes brutally physical nature of college hockey--which requires hard, physical "checking" to be successful creates some challenges fro him. That the more experienced Jack helps with in physical, 1:1 checking sessions, ahem.
One fave character is nicknamed Shitty, who he is a ringer for McGraw in the also feel-good college series set in a Brit uni, Giant Days. It feels in many ways influenced by that series, particularly in tone. We're just having fun, it's of laughs, and they both work with that aim. And in case you are interested in the sport and culture of men's hockey, Ukazu provides an anthropological--but also fun--level of information about these things.
The art is cartoony and light and the chapters are short and all of it is manga-influenced. I like it that a Nigerian-American artist (from Texas) explores this male sport world with us and does it so well and in such a fun way.
Here's a link to the web-comic:
http://checkpleasecomic.com/comic/01-...
November 10, 2018
This was cute. Almost too cute. Take breaks lest ye be overcome by sugarshock.
Hockey. Central, but in the sense that these kids's lives revolve around their team; you as the reader do not have to spend a lot of time seeing hockey moves, nor will you gain much understanding of the sport from this book.
Actually you won't spend that much time on anything, and that was my main complaint: all the scenes are so short. And there isn't much pacing. I'm not sure if maybe this was a webcomic with a short format to begin with, but it was frustrating to me because it felt like she kept having an interesting set up or story and then it would be over in a page or two without really going anywhere. Example: Bitty, our obsessive-baker protagonist, talks his way into a senior history course on food. Jack the Team Captain is in the same class. Bitty helps Jack with his final project for one page. The end . Nothing comes of this scene, we don't see them in class, we don't learn anything that was covered in the course. Almost all the scenes are short like this, even the ones that imply longer conversations between characters. Maybe this is just a matter of taste, but I feel like my college years included a lot of long and meaningful-at-the-time conversations. Maybe kids don't have those anymore because they're always tweeting, like Bitty.
I don't care for Bitty's social media voice with its constant "Oh my Lord, y'all" and "girl, please" #blessyourheart Southern-ness, but I did think it was a well-done observation of how people have different voices and personas for different audiences. I can't be bothered with anyone's vlog, podcast, youtude channel or twitter account, though. I don't care that you got FroYo or what flavor you had.
But overall I enjoyed the book. Author, if you read this believe that I like you! And your characters! I want more, not less. Do it all over but make it longer! I'm serious -- two years go by in this book and I think it really ought to have been one covered in the same number of pages. That would have been the right pace.
Hockey. Central, but in the sense that these kids's lives revolve around their team; you as the reader do not have to spend a lot of time seeing hockey moves, nor will you gain much understanding of the sport from this book.
Actually you won't spend that much time on anything, and that was my main complaint: all the scenes are so short. And there isn't much pacing. I'm not sure if maybe this was a webcomic with a short format to begin with, but it was frustrating to me because it felt like she kept having an interesting set up or story and then it would be over in a page or two without really going anywhere. Example: Bitty, our obsessive-baker protagonist, talks his way into a senior history course on food. Jack the Team Captain is in the same class. Bitty helps Jack with his final project for one page. The end . Nothing comes of this scene, we don't see them in class, we don't learn anything that was covered in the course. Almost all the scenes are short like this, even the ones that imply longer conversations between characters. Maybe this is just a matter of taste, but I feel like my college years included a lot of long and meaningful-at-the-time conversations. Maybe kids don't have those anymore because they're always tweeting, like Bitty.
I don't care for Bitty's social media voice with its constant "Oh my Lord, y'all" and "girl, please" #blessyourheart Southern-ness, but I did think it was a well-done observation of how people have different voices and personas for different audiences. I can't be bothered with anyone's vlog, podcast, youtude channel or twitter account, though. I don't care that you got FroYo or what flavor you had.
But overall I enjoyed the book. Author, if you read this believe that I like you! And your characters! I want more, not less. Do it all over but make it longer! I'm serious -- two years go by in this book and I think it really ought to have been one covered in the same number of pages. That would have been the right pace.
August 21, 2019
I have seen a hockey game twice in my life and it was Uof Michigan hockey. I also went to a party to watch the Stanley cup one year, so it's safe to say I know little of this sport. I did think the university hockey was fun and the crowd was engaged. I wasn't sure I would enjoy this, but I thought it would be good getting to know more about the people in the world of hockey. My best friend is a hockey player, but I didn't know the culture.
I loved, loved this book. It was so much fun. We follow Bittle, a short figure skating, baking, gay guy who plays hockey and gets accepted on the Samwell hockey team. He loves baking and pop music and he is a super sweet and nice guy. He's someone I would love being friends with. He's not super masculine, but we see this hyper masculine world through his eyes. I love that he is accepted for him and the team appreciates all the pies he bakes and his attitude. They don't even assume he is gay. It's totally awesome. It makes this hockey world of gross men's hocky dorm enjoyable.
The team is hilarious and they are a group of funny and tough guys who love hockey. They give each other mega shit, but they also look out for each other and have each other's backs. They are a good team and twice they got to the nationals to play for the prize, whatever that is. One of the guys in the team is name Shitty and he is the party dude. He's hilarious. Jack is the captain.
I thought this was a fantastic story and it was such a joy to read. I hope the last 2 school years come quick. Ngozi made a fun story.
I loved, loved this book. It was so much fun. We follow Bittle, a short figure skating, baking, gay guy who plays hockey and gets accepted on the Samwell hockey team. He loves baking and pop music and he is a super sweet and nice guy. He's someone I would love being friends with. He's not super masculine, but we see this hyper masculine world through his eyes. I love that he is accepted for him and the team appreciates all the pies he bakes and his attitude. They don't even assume he is gay. It's totally awesome. It makes this hockey world of gross men's hocky dorm enjoyable.
The team is hilarious and they are a group of funny and tough guys who love hockey. They give each other mega shit, but they also look out for each other and have each other's backs. They are a good team and twice they got to the nationals to play for the prize, whatever that is. One of the guys in the team is name Shitty and he is the party dude. He's hilarious. Jack is the captain.
I thought this was a fantastic story and it was such a joy to read. I hope the last 2 school years come quick. Ngozi made a fun story.
November 1, 2018
THIS IS MY NEW OBSESSION I AM LAUGHING I AM CRYING I JUST LOVE. It is so quirky and hilarious. FREAKING UGH 😭😭💓👌🏻💓💓💓
June 6, 2020
sooooo cute oh my gosh
June 30, 2019
Ransom and Holster need their own mini series yes I said it
July 25, 2019
OK, my graphic novel is more adorable than yours. Because this one is *mine.* Get your own.
March 29, 2020
Sorry every other book I’m reading, y’all are gonna have to wait cause I need to reread this gem 💛
January 12, 2021
More queer graphic novels in my life please, this was lovely. 🥺
October 1, 2019
Perhaps it's because I didn't read the original web-comic which Check Please was based on, but I found this graphic novel incredibly disappointing. It's hard squaring the overwhelmingly positive reception this graphic novel seems to have gotten with my own negative feelings towards this book, like I feel like I'm missing an inside joke, because a sweet comic about a gay hockey player seems right up my alley.
The fact this book was cobbled together from a web-comic shows pretty easily. Check Please is a disparate collection of panels hastily put together with no seeming thought towards narrative cohesiveness, an awkward mural with the tiles sliding off because somebody forgot the glue. Plot arcs come and go as quickly as they were summoned, drug addiction mentioned and then disappearing with the sole aim of giving the love interest a dark mysterious past. The vlogging conceit only acts as a framing device but never interacts with the plot. The "romance" of this novel only appears near the end, and it wouldn't have been existent if you weren't told that it was there.
Bitty seems to exist more as a stereotype. He's a series of stereotypes about gay men wrapped into one package. I'm not denying that gay men like Bitty exist and they're perfectly incredibly valid in doing so!!! What annoys me is that it feels very exploitative when the main character of a novel written by someone who is not a queer male, exists purely as a Beyonce-loving caricature with no depth otherwise, and that these stereotypes are used mainly as a joke/punchline rather than to display any character depth. Maybe this is handled better in the web-comic, but my only exposure is this rough collection of panels.
For example, Bitty somehow managed to get a scholarship to play hockey (despite being a figure skater which requires a totally different set of skills and acceleration and even skates), and this could serve as an jumping point to an interesting exploration of machismo culture. Instead Bitty somehow holds the scholarship despite not being able to take a solitary check, a glaring incongruity which flies against any sense of realism. But who needs realism when you have another stereotype of the feminine male to put in and laugh at? I think we see more of him baking than actually playing hockey. It feels increasingly like these stereotypes are just lazy attempts at punchlines, "lol this dude sings Beyonce/bakes pies, how entirely non-heteronormative/unmasculine of him" without any attempt to flesh out Bitty into a 3D character. It's a commodification of queer identity, where someone transgressing gender norms is the punchline.
And this lack of depth doesn't extend solely to Bitty, all the characters exist purely as blurry outlines of which plot points can be dropped in as will. And by characters I mean male characters because females are almost non-existent (apart from obviously the girl whose defining feature is that she doesn't speak, oh quelle surprise.) Misogyny pervades through the dressing room, and it's not really deconstructed or challenged or satirised because Check Please treats this misogyny, this rank objectifying of women as funny, a glorification of dudebro humour without any meaningful critique. It luxuriates in and glorifies these jokes, which doesn't fly when you're setting up your novel as wholesome and inclusive.
In the end, I didn't really find that there was anything holding the purported sweetness of Check Please together, and when the sugar melted off, I didn't really like what I could see in that absence.
The fact this book was cobbled together from a web-comic shows pretty easily. Check Please is a disparate collection of panels hastily put together with no seeming thought towards narrative cohesiveness, an awkward mural with the tiles sliding off because somebody forgot the glue. Plot arcs come and go as quickly as they were summoned, drug addiction mentioned and then disappearing with the sole aim of giving the love interest a dark mysterious past. The vlogging conceit only acts as a framing device but never interacts with the plot. The "romance" of this novel only appears near the end, and it wouldn't have been existent if you weren't told that it was there.
Bitty seems to exist more as a stereotype. He's a series of stereotypes about gay men wrapped into one package. I'm not denying that gay men like Bitty exist and they're perfectly incredibly valid in doing so!!! What annoys me is that it feels very exploitative when the main character of a novel written by someone who is not a queer male, exists purely as a Beyonce-loving caricature with no depth otherwise, and that these stereotypes are used mainly as a joke/punchline rather than to display any character depth. Maybe this is handled better in the web-comic, but my only exposure is this rough collection of panels.
For example, Bitty somehow managed to get a scholarship to play hockey (despite being a figure skater which requires a totally different set of skills and acceleration and even skates), and this could serve as an jumping point to an interesting exploration of machismo culture. Instead Bitty somehow holds the scholarship despite not being able to take a solitary check, a glaring incongruity which flies against any sense of realism. But who needs realism when you have another stereotype of the feminine male to put in and laugh at? I think we see more of him baking than actually playing hockey. It feels increasingly like these stereotypes are just lazy attempts at punchlines, "lol this dude sings Beyonce/bakes pies, how entirely non-heteronormative/unmasculine of him" without any attempt to flesh out Bitty into a 3D character. It's a commodification of queer identity, where someone transgressing gender norms is the punchline.
And this lack of depth doesn't extend solely to Bitty, all the characters exist purely as blurry outlines of which plot points can be dropped in as will. And by characters I mean male characters because females are almost non-existent (apart from obviously the girl whose defining feature is that she doesn't speak, oh quelle surprise.) Misogyny pervades through the dressing room, and it's not really deconstructed or challenged or satirised because Check Please treats this misogyny, this rank objectifying of women as funny, a glorification of dudebro humour without any meaningful critique. It luxuriates in and glorifies these jokes, which doesn't fly when you're setting up your novel as wholesome and inclusive.
In the end, I didn't really find that there was anything holding the purported sweetness of Check Please together, and when the sugar melted off, I didn't really like what I could see in that absence.
June 14, 2019
This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
🌟 I am making an effort to read more graphic novel and I have seen many of my friends reading and loving this one so I decided to give it a chance! It has a high average rating on GR (~4.5) and I think I know why now!
🌟 Since it is a graphic novel, I am going to talk about both the writing and the artist style! First, the drawings are good, my problem is that one of my first graphic novels was Saga and it is still my favorite up-to-date! The details and drawing in it are amazing and I compare everything to it which I should not be doing.
🌟 The drawing is cool, you get used to it the more you read and I started liking it more and more, I might actually draw something from it soon! There was a chapter done in a fairy-tale style and I wish it was all like that, I fell in love immediately with that chapter!
🌟 The writing is also good, some speech bubbles were small and some of them were confusing but overall it was honest, enjoyable and funny. Guys also swear a lot in it which I like xD.
There was a chapter with not a single word and yet it conveyed the message so well and it was very interesting!!
🌟 The characters were relatable and unique, I like most of them which is a rare thing to happen in a book! There is a slow-burn romance which is kind of cute too and I am here for it!
🌟 The plot is nice too, I just wanted to know more about the hockey games and to see more actions because actually all we have is snapshots of the games and the results, I read Fence which is also an LGBT graphic novel and this part was more well done there!
🌟 Overall, a very cute, very interesting graphic novel that I strongly recommend for pride month!
🌟 I am making an effort to read more graphic novel and I have seen many of my friends reading and loving this one so I decided to give it a chance! It has a high average rating on GR (~4.5) and I think I know why now!
🌟 Since it is a graphic novel, I am going to talk about both the writing and the artist style! First, the drawings are good, my problem is that one of my first graphic novels was Saga and it is still my favorite up-to-date! The details and drawing in it are amazing and I compare everything to it which I should not be doing.
🌟 The drawing is cool, you get used to it the more you read and I started liking it more and more, I might actually draw something from it soon! There was a chapter done in a fairy-tale style and I wish it was all like that, I fell in love immediately with that chapter!
🌟 The writing is also good, some speech bubbles were small and some of them were confusing but overall it was honest, enjoyable and funny. Guys also swear a lot in it which I like xD.
There was a chapter with not a single word and yet it conveyed the message so well and it was very interesting!!
🌟 The characters were relatable and unique, I like most of them which is a rare thing to happen in a book! There is a slow-burn romance which is kind of cute too and I am here for it!
🌟 The plot is nice too, I just wanted to know more about the hockey games and to see more actions because actually all we have is snapshots of the games and the results, I read Fence which is also an LGBT graphic novel and this part was more well done there!
🌟 Overall, a very cute, very interesting graphic novel that I strongly recommend for pride month!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,203 reviews