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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was super cute and I found my self relating to both of the main characters for different reasons, so glad I picked it up!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Homophobia
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Socially awkward Alix is the star player of her hockey team, but even as the star she can't escape the scathing criticism and bullying of the team captain Lindsay. One day Lindsay strikes one low blow too many and Alix punches her, temporarily throwing Alix's dream of being recommended to an elite hockey camp in jeopardy. Enter Ezra. Drama boy Ezra, who gets along with everyone, who is friends with all of his exes, who always has the best comeback when Lindsay's meathead boyfriend gives him crap over who he chooses to date. Alix hopes he can teach her his tricks to stay coolheaded in the face of a hater, but they both learn they have a lot to learn from each other.
Faith Erin Hicks is right up there with Rainbow Rowell in thoughtfully and poignantly depicting unlikely pairings and the awkwardness and specialness of relationships formed as young people are starting to discover who they are. I might be a little biased in that I A) am a hockey fan and B) I have a soft spot for anything Canadian because of my French-Canadian grandmother, but I still stand by this being a great story. If there's any flaw, it may just be that both characters have more that could be unpacked. There's a whole other story out there that could be told with Alix and her mother's relationship and her estranged dad, for example. But half the reason you notice is just that you like...and root for, the characters so much. That's not a bad thing. Highly recommended for fans of Rowell, Svetlana Chmakova, and of course, Pumpkinheads (a Rowell/Hicks collab about another unlikely duo).
Faith Erin Hicks is right up there with Rainbow Rowell in thoughtfully and poignantly depicting unlikely pairings and the awkwardness and specialness of relationships formed as young people are starting to discover who they are. I might be a little biased in that I A) am a hockey fan and B) I have a soft spot for anything Canadian because of my French-Canadian grandmother, but I still stand by this being a great story. If there's any flaw, it may just be that both characters have more that could be unpacked. There's a whole other story out there that could be told with Alix and her mother's relationship and her estranged dad, for example. But half the reason you notice is just that you like...and root for, the characters so much. That's not a bad thing. Highly recommended for fans of Rowell, Svetlana Chmakova, and of course, Pumpkinheads (a Rowell/Hicks collab about another unlikely duo).
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 1/2 ⭐️. This was so good. It hits all feels and truths.
I enjoyed hearing Faith Erin Hicks speak at TCAF and love her art. I'm so impressed by her ability to evoke character through facial expressions and capture movement.
With this book I ended up caring a lot more about drama boy than hockey girl (I'm biased as a theater kid) so was disappointed that we get many scenes of hockey game but none of opening night of Little Shop! I was also irked by the side plot with Ezra's friend - she waits until he's in a relationship to talk about her feelings for him, but somehow he's the bad guy for not reading her mind sooner?
With this book I ended up caring a lot more about drama boy than hockey girl (I'm biased as a theater kid) so was disappointed that we get many scenes of hockey game but none of opening night of Little Shop!
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A dynamic, thoughtful story full the angst, pain, confusion, joy, and new love of our teenage years. I don’t say that to trivialize anything Alix and Ezra are going through. Alix is dealing with constant bullying from the girl who is supposed to be her team captain, and none of her teammates are standing up for her. On top of that, she constantly feels out of place, bigger than everyone else, and super awkward. Oh, her mom hates that she loves playing hockey, and she hasn’t seen her dad in years. It’s no surprise that a particularly bad spate of post-game bullying causes Alix to black out and punch mean girl Lindsay. I hate the way her coach handled it, basically turning a blind eye and telling her to suck it up - it’s completely unethical and an example of the win-at-all-costs part of youth sports that causes it to rot from the inside out.
Reaching out to someone like Ezra for help keeping her cool was a great idea on Alix’s part, not only because that’s a great still to have in general but because it helped her connect with more people and see a world where every conversation isn’t a battle. Of course, Ezra is dealing with his own issues - constant bullying from (of course) Lindsay’s boyfriend Greg, lingering trauma from his abusive Dad, and subsequent wariness around her mom’s current boyfriend. Oh and turns out he’s not that observant about his friends - he’s so committed to being and staying friends with everyone, he doesn’t seem to notice when those friends still have feelings for him and are getting hurt.
What I love most about this book, though, is the genuine openness Alix and Ezra have around one another. They each love seeing one another doing what they love best, and want to support each other fully in their passions. They listen to both the good and bad things in their lives, and comfort one another, and know when they need to apologize and do better. And they are just too cute for words when they finally figure out their mutual attraction, lol. Ezra certainly has more experience with dating, but they seem equally smitten with one another, and happy to do anything if it means they can do it together. I also really appreciated the conversations they were able to have with their moms. Parents are still human, after all - they make mistakes and learn and grow. And I love love loved seeing Alix finally stand up to Lindsay. Perfection.