I am so upset.
I remember the first time I saw the cover of this book. Covered in bright pinks and yellows, it exuded such a queer vibe that I couldn’t look away if I tried. I thought it looked utterly delightful and, of course, I added it to my want-to-read list. I saw other people review it, and it probably crossed my path in bookstores and libraries alike. But I put it off and put it off, never actually making the decision to pick it up and read it. It was only a couple hundred pages of graphic novel; that should take me a couple hours, at least. But no. Everything else came first. And then I ran across it when I was working on a library project, and I made the impulsive decision to put it on hold. My copy came in; I borrowed it and took it home. And then it sat there. And sat there and sat there.
Finally, I needed something new to talk about at the queer book club I lead for the library, and this was just sitting there, mocking me. I took it to work to read on my lunch break, and then ended up with a messy meal that I didn’t want to splatter all over the library pages. Home it went. And then it was Saturday, and book club was in only a couple of hours. So I sat down. I got comfortable. I opened to the first page.
And I devoured it. Turned those pages like nobody’s business. I was giggling, I was shouting, I was crying. I closed the book. How dare I not have gotten volumes two and three before I sat down to read. A Travesty. How DARE I have waited SO LONG to get around to reading this book?! I could have been exclaiming about it and throwing it at people for years. Literal years, lost, of keeping this book in conversation with Check, Please and Bingo Love and Belle of the Ball and the utter ridiculousness that is Boyfriends. So upset.
Let’s back up, though. What exactly is this book?
Grand Slam Romance Book One introduces us to the hilarious and cutthroat world of semi-professional softball, where Mickey Monsoon is the hottest thing around. They ooze confidence and talent, and have a perfect (professional and platonic) relationship with their catcher. When the team’s biggest rival gets a new catcher, though, everything falls to pot. Not only is Astra super hot (and knows it), her libido is now everyone’s problem. Oh, and did I mention she’s magical? Yes, friends. This universe features a selection of Magical Girls (of varying genders) whose magic manifests specifically in softball—like, when Astra’s powers made themselves known her family shipped her off to a Softball Intensive school where you got better at magic AND softball. How does someone even come up with something like that? Obviously, Ollie Hicks and their (romantic) partner Emma Oosterhous are both geniuses and witches. Because how do you make something so bonkers so messy and yet so joyful?
There is also a whole separate storyline going on in this book, but I’ll let you discover it on your own.
In the end, this was way too short of a read and I’m sort of glad it took me so long to get it. Because now, there are volumes two AND three. I’m excited to get my hands on the remaining volumes and finish out the story, because if there’s one thing Grand Slam Romance Book One will do, it’s having you chomping at the bit to read more!
Five star story, five star art. Give Ollie and Emma all the awards for this brilliant story. They deserve it.
