Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Very cute story!! The panels are amazing, especially the facial expressions. Ezra floors me with how he uses his words and it lovely to read.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Themes / Representation:
Queer MMC (attracted to people of all genders, but doesn’t like labels)
Hockey
Drama Club
School
Bullies
Romance
Another winner from Faith Erin Hicks! This story follows Ezra, a ‘drama boy’ who spends his days working at his family’s recycle store and Alix ‘hockey girl’ star-player who feels lonely and is struggling with bullying from her team. When the two polar-opposites team up after an unexpected incident, they become fast friends. But will their friendship grow into something more?
Despite the length of this graphic novel, it went quite quickly! The storytelling flowed well and I enjoyed the storyline.
The strong point of this story is definitely the characters. They have such strong personalities and worked so well together for this story. I will say I found the colouring a bit lacking. It’s black and white with blue highlights, but I didn’t find the blue to be particularly engaging or symbolic? I felt like this could have added a couple more colours, or been completely black and white.
There was also some great topics discussed here like what it’s like living as a young queer man. Ezra doesn’t use labels and refers to his sexuality as “I like who I like”. Alix also faces discrimination as a tall young woman with a heavy interest in hockey. Bullying was a big topic within this story and how Alix and Ezra navigate bullies within their lives.
I was neither a drama or sports kid in school, but out of the two I followed the drama storyline better. I definitely skimmed over the hockey slides. The high action + my lack of knowledge = confusion. Alix did briefly explain a hockey match toward the end which meant I actually learnt something about the sport!
If you’re a fan of Faith Erin Hicks works, you’re in for another treat! And if you haven’t, check out their works and pick up something that sounds interesting to you! This creator has so many different stories within the contemporary and fantasy genres - there’s bound to be something you’ll love!
Queer MMC (attracted to people of all genders, but doesn’t like labels)
Hockey
Drama Club
School
Bullies
Romance
Another winner from Faith Erin Hicks! This story follows Ezra, a ‘drama boy’ who spends his days working at his family’s recycle store and Alix ‘hockey girl’ star-player who feels lonely and is struggling with bullying from her team. When the two polar-opposites team up after an unexpected incident, they become fast friends. But will their friendship grow into something more?
Despite the length of this graphic novel, it went quite quickly! The storytelling flowed well and I enjoyed the storyline.
The strong point of this story is definitely the characters. They have such strong personalities and worked so well together for this story. I will say I found the colouring a bit lacking. It’s black and white with blue highlights, but I didn’t find the blue to be particularly engaging or symbolic? I felt like this could have added a couple more colours, or been completely black and white.
There was also some great topics discussed here like what it’s like living as a young queer man. Ezra doesn’t use labels and refers to his sexuality as “I like who I like”. Alix also faces discrimination as a tall young woman with a heavy interest in hockey. Bullying was a big topic within this story and how Alix and Ezra navigate bullies within their lives.
I was neither a drama or sports kid in school, but out of the two I followed the drama storyline better. I definitely skimmed over the hockey slides. The high action + my lack of knowledge = confusion. Alix did briefly explain a hockey match toward the end which meant I actually learnt something about the sport!
If you’re a fan of Faith Erin Hicks works, you’re in for another treat! And if you haven’t, check out their works and pick up something that sounds interesting to you! This creator has so many different stories within the contemporary and fantasy genres - there’s bound to be something you’ll love!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
3.75. It was so refreshing to see a YA romance graphic novel tackle some pretty messy topics using pretty messy characters. And in the end, some of the resolutions are messy too. I really enjoyed the honesty. I really enjoyed Ezra. I struggled a bit more with Lindsay. For being so honest, it still chose to depict its “awkward” lead as totally normal looking but in baggy clothes. In fact, a few of the art and dialogue choices are was slowed the momentum down for me. Nevertheless, this is worth a read and I’m glad to see Faith Erin Hicks again. If you liked the feel of Pumpkinheads but wanted a little more drama, add this to your TBR.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was super cute! Loved the art and the plot!