Check, Please!: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
Series: Check, Please! #1-2
Published by: First Second
Pub Date: September 18, 2018
Pages: 288
Format: arc | Source: publisher
Genres: young adult, contemporary, graphic novel
Rating: 
The hilarious and heartbreaking confessions of a figure skater turned collegiate hockey player who’s terrified of checking . . . and is desperately in love with the captain of his hockey team.
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.
A collection of the first half of the mega-popular webcomic series of the same name, Check, Please!: # Hockey is the first in 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 is basically Bitty in his kitchen, yes?? He hears shenanigans afoot haha.)
I’ve read the first 3 years of the webcomic but Check Please is even better in book form!! I could really study the characters’ expressions up close and read as fast as my heart desired. It’s SO adorable and the perfect combination of sports & college age characters. I loved reading about Bitty’s journey again- his experience on the hockey team, JACK, bakingggg, Shitty being the best. He might be my favorite character to be honest. The dialogue is so hilarious but also full of emotion and heart. And OOH the butterflies at the end of year two!!
(Oh hey, it’s Bitty!)
I didn’t always love the big jumps between scenes- sometimes it was weeks and I wanted to see the reactions/finish the conversations!- but I did enjoy the added tweets, they were hysterical and the perfect sort of bonus content. A very happy making reading experience altogether, I really recommend it even if you don’t normally read graphic novels 🙂 Plus the conclusion coming out next fall with years 3 and 4 is called Check Please: Sticks and Scones!! Cutest name in the universe and I neeeeed to know what happens next.
(Oh hey, it’s Jack!)
Are you excited to read Check, Please? Have you already read the webcomic? What’s your favorite part of it all- the friendships, the romance, the hockey, or the pies?? Or all of the above? Let me know!
The Bookish Beagle 
The first I had heard about this was at Annual this past June, the author had a crazy long line.
It does sound super cute and I’m happy you were able to enjoy the new format!
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One of my friends was OBSESSED, I hadn’t heard of it before this year either! I hope I get to meet the author someday, she seems so fun. If you read it let me know!!
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I saw this the other day, but I cannot remember where… hmm. I’m glad you enjoyed it! I don’t think it would be a good fit for me, but I also know zero about hockey. I’ve also never tried a webcomic, but I do read a lot of comics. I prefer the physical, lol. Like you said, you can study everything up close and at your own speed.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?
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I don’t know much about hockey either; I’m not a fan unless it’s in a book to be honest haha! But this has great friendships and stuff too, very cute.
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I’ve never heard of this but it sounds (and looks) so adorable! So, it’s a webcomic as well? I’ve never read webcomics. How does that work exactly? 🙂
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Basically it’s like comics in the newspaper every day, where it’s one strip/scene with a continuing storyline, but it’s posted online instead! And this is a collection of Year 1 and 2 (she’s posting Year 4 online currently). I really recommend it, you’d love it from the baking alone! And the characters 🙂
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