Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy

Good

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Readability: 📖📖📖📖📖Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔Tension: ⚡⚡⚡Romance: 💞💞💞💞Steam? A handful of kissesHumor: A bitCliffhanger: No, HFN (happy for now)Epilogue: NoBasic plot:Alix has an angry conflict with the captain of her team and reaches out to Ezra to help her learn to keep her calmGive this a try if you want:- Contemporary romance graphic novel- British Columbia, Canada setting- Hockey playing heroine- Drama club hero- Bisexual (pansexual?) rep- Yardsaling!- Lots of family love and character depthAges:- High school mainsMy thoughts:The SMILE on my face while reading this one! So many adorable parts, the sweetness between these mains, the vulnerability – I just ate it up!This one surprised me with the depth – I got so much enjoyment out of getting to know both Alix and Ezra. This was such a wonderful graphic novel and I adored it.

I can't emphasize enough how amazing and BRILLIANT this graphic novel is. The story is realistic, down-to-earth, and relatable. I love the pencil gray tone style with blue added here and there for accent, gorgeous art that makes this graphic novel stand out.Alix loves hockey, though her team captain bullies her. One day, the comments grind just a little too far and Alix punches her captain in retaliation. Ezra loves drama, and he is picked on for being gay (but he's not; he likes whoever he likes). When Alix observes Ezra keep a cool demeanor after being bullied by none other than the hockey captain's boyfriend, she finds that maybe she can learn something from him about keeping her cool when she is triggered.Alix asks Ezra if he can coach her in how to reaact calmly and smoothly to situations that make her angry. As they get to know each other, they discover that there might be an opportunity for romance between them.All the while, this story also explores family bonds, the family histories that scar us, and how to cope in order to move forward when it comes to accepting new family members or past family trauma.A wholly realistic and moving book, I highly recommend this graphic novel to all teens, lovers of hockey or drama, or any reader seeking a genuine story that gives you that slice-of-life feel.

I really loved this! I like that Alix and Ezra are total opposites and are passionate about very different things (hockey, theater) yet that doesn't keep them from becoming friends (and more!). Alix is definitely a loner due in part to the bullying she experiences and how that's shaped her self image. Ezra has also been bullied (and still is) but he's found a way to clap back without losing his temper. As the story unfolds, I became more and more impressed by these characters and the things they've had to deal with. There's family troubles, friend drama, and more. As more problems arise, Alix and Ezra have to put what they've learned about managing conflicts and relationships into practice. Sometimes there are missteps, but I love how hard they work to be honest and communicate their needs. Drama aside, there's so much about this graphic novel that's simply fun and a joy to read! I loved all the skating and hockey montages, the theater kids joking around and making props, and the adorable romance between Alix and Ezra. Sweet, empowering, and full of heart.

Hockey Girls Loves Drama Boy is a cute YA graphic novel about two teenagers trying to figure out who they are. 💙🩷When Alix throws a punch at her awful hockey team captain, she is at risk of losing her place at a national hockey camp. So, she needs to find a better way to handle the bullying and anger she feels. When she sees Ezra, resident queer drama boy, exchanging barbs with some jocks she decides she needs his help. As these two begin to hang out as friends, they start to learn more about each other and themselves. Their friendship is really so cute.I can appreciate Alix wanting to control her emotions better, but her coach never intervened in the obvious bullying between her and Lindsay, and it kinda bothered me. I enjoyed Ezra and Alix starting out as friends and both respecting the other for who they were. It was nice to see the evolution of their relationship.I was bothered by Ezra's friend Olive. I don't feel like their relationship was established enough for me to think of her as anything other than jealous. Maybe a little more backstory of Ezra's group would have gone a long way. But I do understand this is a strand alone graphic novel that is trying to tell the story in one volume. So details on the main character's family and friends were left out.I really liked the girl being the athletic, taller one in the relationship and the boy being smaller and more artsy. Also, the bisexual representation from Ezra was so important. He had to keep reminding people that just because he had a boyfriend before liking a girl didn't mean he was gay. He's bisexual. Seeing more diverse couples is always nice.While I enjoyed the story, the art style was a little too sketchy for me. I liked the added blue to the black and white comic style. But it's not my favorite style.So, while I think it's a quick, fun read for the YA crowd, I felt some of the connections for the character's relationships were lacking. I needed a little more to be more invested.⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2A huge thank you to Netgally and the publisher, First Second Books, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This YA coming of age graphic novel presents great queer/ pan representation, opposites attract, and overcoming bullying and harassment.