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A review by citrus_seasalt
Bunt!: Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu
5.0
HONEST TO GOD 5 STARS THIS TIME GUYS, THIS IS A HISTORICAL MOMENT! OMG!! this is the first graphic novel I've rated 5 stars after I started reading consistently! (Technically, that's what I thought about "Snapdragon", but I read that back in 2022 and didn't log it...) And thank you to my Booksta mutual, Raven, for recommending this one on her Goodreads! I haven’t read “Check, Please” yet, so this is my first experience with Ngozi Ukazu’s work, but it’s definitely not going to be the last!
All the characters had large personalities that just oozed off the page, from some absolutely hilarious dialogue to impeccable designs! They truly felt like college students, in all their essence. (Virginia Slaughter was my favorite of the teammates!!! <3 perhaps i just love tall scary women but also her & her country family were so goofy + her relationship with Jasmine was so cute) Despite this, they meshed with each other very well on-page, and the progression of their companionship/group dynamic felt believable. I got the ending spoiled for me unfortunately(well..half of it) so I was expecting it, but all I'll say is that it's unconventional for a story like this, but leads to some cool character growth with Molly! Molly in particular changes more than expected throughout the story, but for the good.
Also, the rep!! Of course there's queer people in the main cast, the main setting is an art school. Fork found in kitchen. But!! We got sprinklings of adorable sapphic romance(loved the chemistry) and an oddball nonbinary character in the form of Kavi. That was pretty cool to see. (+ the cast is of all different shapes and sizes, which isn't just neat on a silhouette/design level but also for diversity y’know??)
While this is a lighthearted, silly read, it also works well as a satire about how colleges prey on students. This is an unbelievable, fictional story yes, but it shows the downsides of depending on financial aid, and the lengths Molly goes to not only try to save herself from debt, but also to follow a dream that she steadily becomes more unsure of.
I think that should be all my thoughts, or at least a good place to cap things off unless I want to truly go off the rails and ramble? TL;DR: please, go read this book!!!
All the characters had large personalities that just oozed off the page, from some absolutely hilarious dialogue to impeccable designs! They truly felt like college students, in all their essence. (Virginia Slaughter was my favorite of the teammates!!! <3 perhaps i just love tall scary women but also her & her country family were so goofy + her relationship with Jasmine was so cute) Despite this, they meshed with each other very well on-page, and the progression of their companionship/group dynamic felt believable. I got the ending spoiled for me unfortunately(well..half of it) so I was expecting it, but all I'll say is that it's unconventional for a story like this, but leads to some cool character growth with Molly! Molly in particular changes more than expected throughout the story, but for the good.
Also, the rep!! Of course there's queer people in the main cast, the main setting is an art school. Fork found in kitchen. But!! We got sprinklings of adorable sapphic romance(loved the chemistry) and an oddball nonbinary character in the form of Kavi. That was pretty cool to see. (+ the cast is of all different shapes and sizes, which isn't just neat on a silhouette/design level but also for diversity y’know??)
While this is a lighthearted, silly read, it also works well as a satire about how colleges prey on students. This is an unbelievable, fictional story yes, but it shows the downsides of depending on financial aid, and the lengths Molly goes to not only try to save herself from debt, but also to follow a dream that she steadily becomes more unsure of.
I think that should be all my thoughts, or at least a good place to cap things off unless I want to truly go off the rails and ramble? TL;DR: please, go read this book!!!