Books › Check, Please! Book 1

Check, Please! Book 1
288 pages
A warm hug of a graphic novel that tastes like fresh-baked pie and feels like falling in love for the first time.
What it feels like
Reading this graphic novel feels like stepping into a bustling, sunlit kitchen filled with your favorite people. It is a brisk, joyful experience that balances the kinetic energy of college sports with the tender, quiet moments of baking a perfect pie. The narrative moves with the snappy, episodic rhythm of a vlog, making it incredibly easy to devour in a single sitting. Beneath the hilarious banter and hockey-bro antics lies a deeply earnest core about overcoming anxiety, finding a found family that accepts you unconditionally, and the terrifying thrill of a first crush. It is a cozy, serotonin-boosting read designed for anyone who loves their queer romances sweet, their sports teams supportive, and their emotional arcs wrapped in warmth.
- Mood
- cozy
- joyful
- sun-warmed
- affectionate
- Tone
- earnest
- hilarious
- warm
- enthusiastic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- found family · queer awakening · overcoming anxiety · first love · baking as a love language
- The writing
- The dialogue is snappy, internet-fluent, and deeply endearing, perfectly paired with expressive, kinetic artwork.
- The arc
- Moves from the nervous, fish-out-of-water anxiety of freshman year to the warm, heart-fluttering security of finding your people and falling in love.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave low-stakes, high-warmth queer romances where sports bros are actually soft and everyone eats pie.
Content notes
- mild anxiety
- underage drinking
- sports injuries
About the book
The hilarious and heartbreaking confessions of a figure skater turned collegiate hockey player who's terrified of checking... and is desperately in love with the captain of his hockey team.
Eric Bittle is a former Georgia junior figure skating champion, vlogger extraordinaire, and amateur pâtissier. But as accomplished as he is, nothing could prepare him for his freshman year of playing hockey at the prestigious Samwell University in Samwell, Massachusetts. It's nothing like co-ed club hockey back in the South! For one? There’s checking. Second, there is Jack—his very attractive but moody captain.
A collection of the first half of the mega-popular webcomic series of the same name, Check, Please!: # Hockey is the first in a hilarious and stirring two-volume coming-of-age story about hockey, bros, and trying to find yourself during the best four years of your life.
Description from Open Library.
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