I NEVER WANT THIS TO END

Check, Please is one of my go-to comfort reads. Whenever I can’t think of what to read again and I need a little pick me up, I pick up this series. Originally a webcomic, this second volume concludes the story of Bitty and his ragtag group of hockey-playing college friends.

Eric “Bitty” Bittle is now a college junior/senior trying to balance being captain of the hockey team, house dynamics, and school with his new biggest life change; his boyfriend Jack is now a famous professional hockey player! Jack’s newfound fame puts just a bit of strain on their relationship, but Bitty and Jack work hard at making things work and when the option to come out about their relationship presents itself, they handle it with grace and aplomb.

Honestly, one of the best things about this series is once Jack and Bitty get together they handle their relationship like actual adults who love each other. Ukazu never falls into the romance tropes of giving our couple obstacles they have to overcome and forcing them to break up just for the sake of having more plot. Rather than fighting and losing their cool, they talk things through, examine options, and discuss where they see this relationship going. It’s so nice and fresh and honestly, a great thing for younger readers of the series to see. You don’t have to fight circumstances and cause unnecessary drama in relationships or make things harder when you can simply be honest and learn to communicate. You know that Jack and Bitty are endgame, especially if you’ve read their relationship grow through book one, but to see them adapt and change through this book is so important and heartwarming.

Everything about this series is great The art is wonderful, the side characters are all fun and well developed and leave you wanting more. Shitty is and remains one of my favorite side characters in anything. The integration of social media with this series is also perfectly done and makes everything 100% more timely and relatable.

The only issue with Check, Please is that there’s not more of it! I want 10 more books in this world. At the end of the book, I cried like a baby and I’m not ashamed! Having positive, joyous LGBT+ books out there is the best and I cannot wait to recommend this to everyone who comes to my desk!

Title: Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks and Scones
Author: Ngozi Ukazu
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336
ISBN: 9781250179500

Three Descriptors: Joyful, Upbeat, Charming,

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