Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni (graphic novel) - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from BOOM! Studios via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

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Title: Grease Bats
Author: Archie Bongiovanni
Upcoming Release Date: September 3, 2019


Synopsis: So, no one told you life was gonna be this gay! Grease Bats stars Andy, a trans genderqueer individual who is both tough and loving, and their BFF Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker. 

Andy and Scout are best buds, roommates, and gay disasters. Along with their friends and plenty of beer, they’re just trying to make it through their 20s, survive late capitalism, and navigate the dating world. Tough and loving Andy is a genderqueer trans individual, who dates like there’s no tomorrow, while Scout, an all-feelings-all-the-time mistake-maker, is still languishing over her ex-girlfriend…from like two years ago.

Created by Archie Bongiovanni (The Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns) and originally published on Autostraddle, this edition collects all the best misadventures, internet dates, and bad decisions in one place! 

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Review: This graphic novel is a beautifully queer collection of comic strip stories. There's so many different topics covered. The stories showcase the challenges and struggles of queer people. But, there are also some pretty hilarious parts. I give this collection a 4/5. 


--PAUL

Six Earlier Days by David Levithan - Paul's REVIEW

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Paul's Every Day Review
Ashley's Every Day Review

Title: Six Earlier Days
Author: David Levithan
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: In Every Day, New York Times bestselling author David Levithan presented readers with his most ambitious novel to date: Every morning, A wakes up in a different body and leads a different life. A must never get too attached, must never be noticed, must never interfere. 

The novel Every Day starts on Day 5994 of A’s life. In this digital-only collection Six Earlier Days, Levithan gives readers a glimpse at a handful of the other 5993 stories yet to be told that inform how A navigates the complexities of a life lived anew each day. 

In Every Day, readers discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day. In Six Earlier Days, readers will discover a little bit more about how A became that someone.

Review: I absolutely LOVED Every Day. This collection of a few chapters shows more of that world. It's a really cool way to have a short stories collection because each chapter could be absolutely anything. A could wake up as any gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. And, Levithan picked random days throughout A's life so add age to that list. Levithan did an excellent job of telling stories of just one day in someone's life. The stories aren't quite as powerful as the book, but this is definitely a fun read for any fan of Every Day. I give this collection a 4/5.

-PAUL

How They Met by David Levithan - Paul's REVIEW

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Title: How They Met and Other Stories
Author: David Levithan
Year Published: 2009

Synopsis: A confection from David Levithan that is sure to have fans of Boy Meets Boy eager to devour it. Here are 18 stories, all about love, all kinds of love. From the aching for the one you pine for, to standing up and speaking up for the one you love, to pure joy and happiness, these love stories run the gamut of that emotion that at some point has turned every one of us inside out and upside down.

What is love? With this original story collection, David Levithan proves that love is a many splendored thing, a varied, complicated, addictive, wonderful thing.

Review: Collections of short stories are always nice to have on your bedside table. You can read one a night and feel like you read a whole story. Usually collections have a theme or they have a common author. This collection has both. David Levithan has been writing Valentine's Day stories since he was in high school. This is a collection of some of those stories. They all have a connecting theme of love or relationship. 

It's always awkward to review a collection of short stories. Do I review each individual story? Do I just review the overall book? Do I review some highlights? I think what I'll do is give you my overall feel of the book and then throw some random things at you that you might find intriguing. 

One thing I loved about these short stories was that initially you didn't necessarily know the gender of the main character in each story. If you don't know the gender then you definitely don't know their sexual orientation. It shows how universal love is. Gender and sexual orientations don't matter. Everyone experiences love. I also liked the variety of the relationships shown. Reading about high school relationships as a 24-year old brings back nostalgia for such naivety. 

Here comes the random. Miss Lucy had a Steamboat. Prom. Chance, luck, and coincidences on an airplane. Middle school crushes. A purely physical relationship. Family expectations and acceptance. When someone you love is far away. Alternate prom. Physics. The power of music. Unrequited love. Long lasting, routine love. Accidents create life. 

I highly recommend this book. Devid Levithan is such a great author. If you haven't read Every Day go read that now! And read this collection of short stories as well! I give this collection a 4/5.

-PAUL