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jkneebone 's review for:
Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy
by Faith Erin Hicks
funny
lighthearted
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:
Yes
What a delightful romance graphic novel! I have to admit this is the first book I've read by Faith Erin Hicks, but I am very impressed. Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy follows a hockey girl - Alix - who realizes she needs to better control her emotions after she harms a teammate who has been bullying her during an angry outburst. Alix sees a classmate, Ezra, easily shrug off bullying and decides to ask him for help learning to manage her anger. Ezra doesn't have any specific methods to teach her, but they end up hanging out and becoming friends. Alix develops feelings for Ezra, but she thinks he's gay and therefore only sees her as a friend. It's probably not a major spoiler given the genre to say that Alix's initial assumptions there turn out to be wrong :)
This was a super sweet read! I'd definitely classify it as YA rather than middle grade (which I believe some of Hicks' other graphic novels have been?) since there is some language and a reference to a few of the characters having had sex. Nothing inappropriate for a high schooler, but I wouldn't necessarily hand it to a sixth grader. The art was a super fun style with blue used as a highlight color throughout. I found it a little hard to follow the action during some of the hockey panels, but that's always an issue I have with sports depicted in graphic novels. (I also found the way Ezra's hair was colored a little odd, but I think that's a personal preference thing!)
I really enjoyed the growing friendship-and-then-more between Alix and Ezra, and the way that their emotions were depicted was really lovely. (There was one panel where Alix's crush is depicted as a series of hearts around her head, which then are shown popped in the next frame as she reminds herself that he doesn't like her back - so perfect!) I thought Hicks did a good job of handling Ezra's sexuality in a way that didn't tokenize or minimize it. The side plots of the other issues that the MCs were dealing with - Alix's strained relationship with her teammates (due to her captain being a huge bully!), Ezra's theater projects and other friendships - were also interesting, and helped to develop the characters. I saw a few reviews complaining that the ending was a little abrupt or too neat, and while I would have happily read more just because I loved the characters and thought they were super sweet, I didn't feel anything was missing. To me, the story ended at an appropriate point for a high school romance. Both characters have grown, and they are happy together, but we don't know what's going to happen in the future between them or with their larger goals, and that's okay.
All in all, I would definitely recommend Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy to anyone looking for a sweet YA romance. It will make you smile for sure.
This was a super sweet read! I'd definitely classify it as YA rather than middle grade (which I believe some of Hicks' other graphic novels have been?) since there is some language and a reference to a few of the characters having had sex. Nothing inappropriate for a high schooler, but I wouldn't necessarily hand it to a sixth grader. The art was a super fun style with blue used as a highlight color throughout. I found it a little hard to follow the action during some of the hockey panels, but that's always an issue I have with sports depicted in graphic novels. (I also found the way Ezra's hair was colored a little odd, but I think that's a personal preference thing!)
I really enjoyed the growing friendship-and-then-more between Alix and Ezra, and the way that their emotions were depicted was really lovely. (There was one panel where Alix's crush is depicted as a series of hearts around her head, which then are shown popped in the next frame as she reminds herself that he doesn't like her back - so perfect!) I thought Hicks did a good job of handling Ezra's sexuality in a way that didn't tokenize or minimize it. The side plots of the other issues that the MCs were dealing with - Alix's strained relationship with her teammates (due to her captain being a huge bully!), Ezra's theater projects and other friendships - were also interesting, and helped to develop the characters. I saw a few reviews complaining that the ending was a little abrupt or too neat, and while I would have happily read more just because I loved the characters and thought they were super sweet, I didn't feel anything was missing. To me, the story ended at an appropriate point for a high school romance. Both characters have grown, and they are happy together, but we don't know what's going to happen in the future between them or with their larger goals, and that's okay.
All in all, I would definitely recommend Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy to anyone looking for a sweet YA romance. It will make you smile for sure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Violence