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A review by thebooknerdscorner
Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones by Ngozi Ukazu
5.0
This one really hit me in the feels. This series is so much more than just a gay hockey romance. Shame on those who try to undersell it.
In the first installment of "Sticks & Scones," Bitty is a junior in college who is trying to figure out how to be honest to himself and his teammates while also hiding a huge secret: he's dating Jack, who also happens to be a member of a NHL team. This book really focuses on how hard it is to be in a relationship with someone who is targeted by the press and finding the right time to come out to specific people in your life. Watching Bitty struggle with trying to tell his parents that he is gay was so. . . real. He has already came out to his entire team, his boyfriend's teammates, Jack's parents, and most everyone at Samwell at this point, yet telling his parents is just something that he couldn't accomplish. My heart went out to the sweet boy, and watching him struggle with the secrecy and the lies in this book just broke my heart.
The camaraderie of both Bitty and Jack's teams is astonishing; they both really feel like families away from home. Both groups helped the boys through their relationship every step of the way. I wish that everyone had bonds as strong and supportive as Bitty and Jack do. It was fun to see the returning characters Lardo, Shitty, and the rest of the gang; it really felt like coming back to a familiar place that you can't help but love.
The last thing I want to cover before moving onto senior year is the ending. Oh. My. Goodness. 1.) What a romantic moment for Bitty and Jack. 2.) What a way to come out to your parents. (I can't imagine how shocking that must've been for them.) 3.) I seriously don't know how one could not root for these two. They are so adorable together and are just so supportive of one another!
Anyways, onto senior year. Bitty is finally the captain of the team (which is something I knew would happen from book one) and his relationship with Jack is thriving. Yes, he still has to get over the hiccup of his parents and the fact that it is his final year at Samwell, but beyond that? He's living his best life.
I loved getting the chance to see Bitty in charge of the house and the team. The way in which he uses his authority is so Bitty and I couldn't help chuckling. I mean, we saw this kid as a young frog who could barely get on the ice without shaking in his skates and who kept his true identity a secret. This dude has really come a long way in four years. This series does a great job at showing how college can change a person for the better and influence them for the rest of their lives.
Something that really got to me in this one is just how cruel the world can be. After the big reveal at the end of book three, Bitty and Jack's relationship is now public and it kills me to see the way that some people treat Bitty because of this. I know that this happens to many people in real life, which is why I am so glad that Ukazu decided to include the negative reactions from the public in this book. Also, the moments that Bitty has with his parents in this book both shattered my heart and put it back together within minutes. I'm grateful that Bitty's parents had an overall positive reaction to him coming out as gay, but also relieved that Ukazu didn't sugarcoat the moment and took the opportunity to discuss real issues.
Finally, I want to touch on the ending. I was actually completely shocked by the events here, though I suppose I should have seen it coming. . . I love how Bitty being a figure skater was brought into play again and that once again, magic happened in the middle of the hockey rink. What can I say, these boys are really at home in their skates! I couldn't have asked for a more wholesome ending to this webcomic that gave tribute to both Bitty and Jack's relationship as well as their bonds with the entire team.
Overall, these books blew my expectations out of the water. Going into them, I thought that they were just a sweet hockey romance. I'm not saying that it isn't, but "Check, Please!" is so much more than that. It's a story of finding one's true self, opening up to others, and one of the best coming of age stories I have ever read. I really didn't expect these books to hit on so many important topics. I feel that so many can relate to the experiences in this book whether it's the camaraderie of being on a team, the ups and down of college, or the tough times surrounding their own self-identity. I had so much fun reading about the Samwell's men hockey team and I can't wait to spread the word about these wonderful graphic novels!
In the first installment of "Sticks & Scones," Bitty is a junior in college who is trying to figure out how to be honest to himself and his teammates while also hiding a huge secret: he's dating Jack, who also happens to be a member of a NHL team. This book really focuses on how hard it is to be in a relationship with someone who is targeted by the press and finding the right time to come out to specific people in your life. Watching Bitty struggle with trying to tell his parents that he is gay was so. . . real. He has already came out to his entire team, his boyfriend's teammates, Jack's parents, and most everyone at Samwell at this point, yet telling his parents is just something that he couldn't accomplish. My heart went out to the sweet boy, and watching him struggle with the secrecy and the lies in this book just broke my heart.
The camaraderie of both Bitty and Jack's teams is astonishing; they both really feel like families away from home. Both groups helped the boys through their relationship every step of the way. I wish that everyone had bonds as strong and supportive as Bitty and Jack do. It was fun to see the returning characters Lardo, Shitty, and the rest of the gang; it really felt like coming back to a familiar place that you can't help but love.
The last thing I want to cover before moving onto senior year is the ending. Oh. My. Goodness. 1.) What a romantic moment for Bitty and Jack. 2.) What a way to come out to your parents. (I can't imagine how shocking that must've been for them.) 3.) I seriously don't know how one could not root for these two. They are so adorable together and are just so supportive of one another!
Anyways, onto senior year. Bitty is finally the captain of the team (which is something I knew would happen from book one) and his relationship with Jack is thriving. Yes, he still has to get over the hiccup of his parents and the fact that it is his final year at Samwell, but beyond that? He's living his best life.
I loved getting the chance to see Bitty in charge of the house and the team. The way in which he uses his authority is so Bitty and I couldn't help chuckling. I mean, we saw this kid as a young frog who could barely get on the ice without shaking in his skates and who kept his true identity a secret. This dude has really come a long way in four years. This series does a great job at showing how college can change a person for the better and influence them for the rest of their lives.
Something that really got to me in this one is just how cruel the world can be. After the big reveal at the end of book three, Bitty and Jack's relationship is now public and it kills me to see the way that some people treat Bitty because of this. I know that this happens to many people in real life, which is why I am so glad that Ukazu decided to include the negative reactions from the public in this book. Also, the moments that Bitty has with his parents in this book both shattered my heart and put it back together within minutes. I'm grateful that Bitty's parents had an overall positive reaction to him coming out as gay, but also relieved that Ukazu didn't sugarcoat the moment and took the opportunity to discuss real issues.
Finally, I want to touch on the ending. I was actually completely shocked by the events here, though I suppose I should have seen it coming. . . I love how Bitty being a figure skater was brought into play again and that once again, magic happened in the middle of the hockey rink. What can I say, these boys are really at home in their skates! I couldn't have asked for a more wholesome ending to this webcomic that gave tribute to both Bitty and Jack's relationship as well as their bonds with the entire team.
Overall, these books blew my expectations out of the water. Going into them, I thought that they were just a sweet hockey romance. I'm not saying that it isn't, but "Check, Please!" is so much more than that. It's a story of finding one's true self, opening up to others, and one of the best coming of age stories I have ever read. I really didn't expect these books to hit on so many important topics. I feel that so many can relate to the experiences in this book whether it's the camaraderie of being on a team, the ups and down of college, or the tough times surrounding their own self-identity. I had so much fun reading about the Samwell's men hockey team and I can't wait to spread the word about these wonderful graphic novels!