#apparently an incredible pâtissier as well

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Yeah, I was also waiting for him to start eating the stands, but even though he didn't, it was clear (for a very brief second) that they are indeed made of chocolate and he absolutely could've eaten them.

[instantlit]

Book Review: Check, Please!

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Summary: 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.

Rating: ★★★★★ - One of the best things that ever happened to me.

Continue the story and follow all of Ngozi’s updates on:

➽ Check, Please! - the brand new webside

➽ Check, Please! Tumblr - updated with the same contents, right to your dash

➽ Ngozi’s Twitter - updates from the creator

➽ Bitty’s Twitter - for a more immersive read

Full review under the cut!

 “Chirping and flirting are variants on the same idea.” Well, this was a long time in the making. I’m very emotional for several reasons, the first of which is that I’ve been following Bitty’s journey since 2015, and his story is one that I feel intimately attached to. The second is that I’ve supported Ngozi since the very beginning, so to have a physical copy of her creation in my hands makes me feel good, and proud, and so happy for her that words aren’t enough to express the intensity of the situation for me. Like I said, it's a story I love so, so dearly that revisiting it once more just makes me feel like coming home. I stand by the fact that it's literally the cutest thing I've ever had the chance to read/witness, and it simply warms me from the inside. There are several things making this comic into such a terrific story, one of the main ones being the incredible diversity of characters. You guys know it's one of the tropes that I love most, my own personal bookish wheelhouse: a group of friends forming intense and family-like bonds. You might also know that fiction centred around hockey and groups of friends was a massive and defining part of my childhood (The Mighty Ducks!), and that's what initially drew me in. Well, in case you were wondering, Ngozi delivers ten-folds with Check, Please! It's everything I could ever want it to be and I'm so grateful that she created it with so much care and attention. Of course, every character is special and unique and amazing in his/her own way, but Bitty is truly the hero of the story. It's Bitty's coming-of-age story, but with a twist. All the really bad stuff has already happened - the bullying and all that crap with the football team is completely behind him, even if you still see the ramifications of what he's been through - and it's mostly up-hill from there. Spoiler alert: Bitty wins! It's the end-goal, everyone is aware of this and Ngozi has never shied away from that, never tried to hide the fact; but it's so exciting to see the journey, to see Bitty growing into his own skin (the changes from year to year, which you can kind of glimpse from Freshman to Sophomore, but which only becomes more apparent as the years go by), learning to trust himself and, most importantly, finding support, acceptance and love all around him. The romance is just hinted at throughout most of the story, and then... And then! I'm so, so glad this volume ends here, because it's just the perfect place. Do any of you guys remember the thrill, the excitement of the moment when these chapters were released? Do any of you remember the WAIT between the last panel of Year 2 and the first panel of Year 3?!!! Because I remember it, clear as day, and it was freaking unbearable!! I just have so much love for this comic, I could word-vomit about its qualities all day long. Like I mentioned, this is the story of Bitty winning, so the tone remains light-hearted through it all, even if more serious moments are coming, but it's also one of the things I love most about Check, Please! Because, Bitty's story is also a coming-out story, and he's had to deal with a lot of crap before college. His extreme fear of bodily contact (and checking, in particular) is partially due to the times he was bullied and he doesn't trust his team-mates at first. But, as he gets to know them, he finds space to be himself, without hiding anything. Ngozi actually does a brilliant job of subverting Bro-culture. All the characters, all the boys, because it is a largely male-lead story, have depth and complexity, and they all show a rather larger range of emotions than we're expecting from jocks, especially hockey jocks. I haven't mentioned it so far, but it's also such a hilarious story. I was cackling throughout the whole thing, and it wasn't even my first time reading it! I found myself falling in love with these characters all over again (Chowder, my precious boy! Well, they're all my precious boys, I love them so much!!). Their antics are fantastic and I was so happy to follow them along once again. The artwork is gorgeous and just about everything I love when it comes to graphic styles. I loved the addition of Bitty's tweets at the end, that Ngozi kept a few extras and Hockey Shit with Ransom & Holster, and also how the first chapters were cleaned-up and coloured. Anyway, do yourself a favour, make yourself happy, and read this beauty of a comic!