Happy Pride Month!
Check Please! which started as webcomic series, but is now a print young adult graphic novel series, follows a hockey player nicknamed Bitty at the fictional Samwell College. Bitty loves baking and has a team captain, Jack, who’s a famous hockey player, with a famous hockey player father. Jack is tough on Bitty and Bitty is frustrated. But Jack slowly starts to soften to Bitty and his baked goods. Maybe there’s more to Jack than Bitty thought?
I love how lighthearted and humorous this book was. It made me want to have my own hockey player nickname, although I’m not sure what it would be, Grayer? Grayzie? This graphic novel also made me want to bake. Bitty was so passionate about baking and it made me hungry. I liked how non-stereotypical he was as an athlete. His character seems simple but as a gay hockey player who loves to bake, he avoids being a trope. I also loved the hockey team dynamic, the way they’ll joke with one another, have their own hockey culture, and were supportive of Bitty when he came out to them.
I also was intrigued by the idea of romance between Bitty and Jack. They seem like total opposites. Bitty is warm and nurturing, and Jack is stoic and hockey obsessed. I think they are able to relate though as they are both hockey players, and have some daddy issues. But it also genuinely is an opposites attract kind of situation which I enjoy.
Check Please! is a slice-of-life series, so don’t expect fast-paced action. The romance element is a slow burn and it left me wanting more. But luckily there is a sequel, Vol 2: Sticks and Scones. Anyway, you can expect to see me reviewing that volume later. I’d give Check Please! five of out of five apple pies.