Molly Bauer is ready to start her first year at PICA, a prestigious art school. However, on day one, she learns that the full ride scholarship she was counting on has suddenly vanished! Now she has to scramble to figure out how to pay for school–ideally without taking out any loans.

Looking through PICA’s financial aid documents, Molly discovers a loophole. If she can gather together 9 other PICA students to start a softball team, they can get a sports scholarship. That is, if they can win at least one game of the season. Can a group of art students pull it together to win before the end of the season?

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second for an advanced copy of Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu to review. This is Ukazu’s first graphic novel since Check Please!, and I was so excited to check this one out. I am happy to report that it absolutely does not disappoint!

Let me start by saying this might be one of the funniest graphic novels I’ve read in a while. And I read a lot of graphic novels. The entire premise: a group of art students attempting to play softball to earn college tuition, is funny on its own. But then you add the cast that Ukazu has created and you’ll be hooked right from the beginning.

Ukazu doesn’t illustrate this one, but Mad Rupert does an excellent job bringing this story to life. The colors are vibrant, the art style fits the overall tone of the story, and brings a lot of life to the cast of quirky characters. I loved it from start to finish.

Underneath the silly antics of the characters is a slightly more serious tone about whether or not it’s really worth it to go to school to study art. Molly struggles with this, especially when she realizes she might have to pay for school herself. Her process and ultimate decision at the end of the book is one that I think teens will relate to, even if they’re not going to art school. It applies generally to college as well.

All in all, this was one of my most-anticipated graphic novels of 2024, and I’m so glad it lived up to my expectations. Definitely check it out when it comes out this February!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book for review from NetGalley.

I had high expectations for Bunt! based on Ngozi Ukazu's Check, Please! and, I cannot stress this enough, it met all of them.

The storytelling was everything I've come to expect from Ukazu. It was fun, a little silly, and full of heart. Based on the premise, I did not expect to be nearly brought to tears, but I was (in the best way). To top it off, Madeline Rupert’s art was adorable, and the characters were amazing. Ryan and Molly were stand-outs to me but all the side characters were great too and had the right amount of depth. I also found the ending of this graphic novel fitting and satisfying. It was all around a fun time and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes joy (and also anyone who has pent up anger about the bureaucracy of the university they attended).

I also enjoyed this book so much that I fully intend to make a few tik toks recommending it closer to the release date.

I've been a fan of Ngozi Ukazu ever since she published her Check Please! duology about college hockey romance. I was so pleased to see her return to publishing with Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid. Both her and her beloved exclamation point had made another appearance on my radar. Bunt! had the same cute illustrations, unique characters, and heartfelt storylines I loved in her original series. This comic featured the relative topic of financial aid and struggling to pay for college tuition, something I heavily related to in my own matriculation. I thankfully don't have any student loans due to the fact that I mostly paid out of my wee pockets alongside some minor scholarships. Our heroine Molly discovers that her college lost her full ride scholarship and she needs to pony up the money or she can't attend the school of her dreams. I know this is fiction, but it's a little uncomfortably close to the reality many students face today.

To address her financial woes, Molly creates a ragtag softball team filled with unlikely people all across her school campus in order to win a group scholarship. Their majors vary from fashion to animation to mathematics. My favorite member was the quiet unassuming student who drew explicit muscled men to earn commissions. This story was really sweet and featured Ukazu's signature tenderness. It was stellar to read her work again and I hope she publishes more wonderful comics in the future. It wouldn't be a Bunt!, it would be a bonafide home run!

The art was the best part of this graphic novel. The colors and expressions were so fun to see. The plot was okay but the financial aspect and scholarship stuff wasn't that interesting. I liked learning about some of the characters and getting to see them all become a team. I think some characters did not get enough page time and the romances weren't developed enough.

What a complete joy of a read this was! I have been a big fan of Ngozi Ukazu since Check Please and was very excited to read another work of hers. Bunt is about a girl who was screwed over by financial aid. Her scholarship unexpectedly fell through and she has to find a way to get one or potentially not be able to attend her dream art school anymore. She finds a loophole where if she creates a softball team and they just win ONE game all season they all get a full ride. The premiss is absolutely bonkers and I loved the entire thing. All characters were so well rounded, quirky, and there were moments throughout where I was laughing out loud. I cannot wait to buy this physically when it comes out!

So excited to get my hands on an early copy of Ngozi Ukazu's newest work! I loved the familiar positive team camaraderie similar to Check, Please! but this added in more commentary on education, class, and what it takes to be yourself. Illustrations and coloring were fantastic and I thought the supporting cast were all worth rooting for. Hope we get a couple more volumes of this one.

A great YA Graphic Novel that I will be adding to our recommendation list. A fun book about paying for school, being an artist and making friends to fight by your side for what you believe in.

When Molly arrives on her first day of college at her dream school, she realizes that her full ride scholarship is gone. Without that, she cannot afford to attend. However, she does find a loophole. If Molly can form a softball team and win a single game, the athletes will get a substantial scholarship. With the help of her friend being the coach, they set out to achieve their dreams.

I did like the illustrations in this book. They were captivating and held my attention. Molly seemed a bit immature for being a college student, so I struggled to connect with her and the plot.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had no idea this would be coming out, so when I came across a glowing review on Instagram, I RAN to request it. And I had an absolutely amazing time reading it. It's utterly delightful. It's so funny, with a rag-tag team of characters who worked so well together and provided so much chaos. I could see myself rereading this loads!

Thank you Netgalley, Ngozi Ukazu, Mad Rupert, & First Second for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review! 🥰🫶
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Bunt was such a fun read for anyone who has ever had to go through the college scholarship process. After our MC, Molly’s scholarship disappears, she has to find another way to get into college. So she finds a loophole! This leads her to rounding up students to join a softball team. It’s such a fun and diverse cast of characters and the dialogue is very funny. I also loved the color and illustration in this one.
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This book is set in North Carolina which is where I live so it was so cool to read a book set in my state. ☺️
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There are a lot of different queer representations in this book and I loved to see it! One notable one is our MC having two moms.
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🥎Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid, by Ngozi Ukazu & Mad Rupert comes out on February 13th!🥎

Bunt! is the perfect graphic novel for college students to read, especially first generation students who are trying to navigate the college experience and financial aid for the first time or by themselves. Nothing bonds people together more than a mutual dislike of financial aid departments and generally frustrating institutions, which is exactly what brings most of the wonderful cast of Bunt! together in the first place.

I consumed this book in one sitting and I wish it never ended. The authors have a talent for making large casts of little weirdos so loveable and hilarious. Each character is so unique and strange in their own way, you can't help but be intrigued (even while simultaneously cringing in some moments), and the story is full of plenty of laugh out loud moments.

I desperately hope we can see more of these characters in some capacity in the future, whether it's doodles posted online from the authors or a short story or even a sequel of some sort. I feel like the ending is satisfying as-is, but could also lead into another book exploring what happens with Molly and Susanna.

A great read that I plan on buying the physical copy of and would highly recommend, especially for fans of Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu.

Thanks to Netgalley and First Second Books for a copy of this ARC.

If you’ve ever gone to art school and/or dropped out of art school (me), you will obviously enjoy this. Mad Rupert’s art is so solid and silly and brings a lot of range to the characters. I was charmed!! I was endeared!!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Attending the Peachtree Institute of Collegiate Arts has been a long-held dream of Molly Bauer, but things do not start off well. Molly is on the cover of PICA's "Viewbook" but her financial aid has fallen through. Without it, she cannot afford to attend. But Molly is not one to accept "no" for an answer. She immediately begins searching for other scholarship opportunities--and comes up with one. If she can get a softball team together and they can play out the semester with at least ONE win, they all get free tuition. Can Molly find enough students at an Art College willing to play softball? And can they actually win a game? There is lots of fun, humor and quirky characters to move the story along. And even a romance or two. In the wonderful "Check Please" we got a mix of hockey and baking; here art and sports work together beautifully.

Bunt! is a graphic novel that's as silly as it is heartfelt. Most of the supporting characters don't have a lot of depth or development, but their broad archetypes of art student play well off of each other enough that they're still mostly a delight, and Mad Rupert's art adds a lot to their charm.
Anyone who was a fan of Ngozi Ukazu's previous work, Check, Please!, should definitely check this out.

I loved this graphic novel about an idealistic young woman trying to accomplish her dreams. Molly has always wanted to go to the local art school, PICA, and she is about to realize that dream through a full scholarship. When her plans fall through, Molly will not admit defeat and finds a loophole in some school documents - if she can put together a softball team of students and win one game, the school has to pay for the students to play and cover academic costs. Molly burns herself out and slowly realizes maybe college isn't the dream come true she thought it was. A graphic novel for teens that discusses what college can truly be like, and the terror of mounting costs, is a important book to add to the collection.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I loved seeing the characters grow while the story progressed. The art style was also very good and was colorful. I can't wait to see what this author has coming out next!

This is a fantastic story, filled with diverse and unique characters and a plot that many college students will find relatable. The art was charming and expressive and full of vibrant colors. A heartwarming tale of friendship, sports, and fighting against a broken system.

Another super cute read from first second !! The art style was adorable and the characters we so lovable. All of the characters didnt seem to fit into any stereotypes and were well represented. The style reminds me a lot of Craig of the Creek and many other newer Cartoon Network shows in the comedy aspect. It focused a lot on the sport itself versus academics which was refreshing.

*4.25 Stars*

Molly Bauer has lived her whole life in a university town. And all she's ever wanted was go to said university, PICA. But on orientation day, she finds out her grant has been rescinded and she can't actually attend school unless she comes up with the cash. She takes on a bunch of loans and finds out she can get a scholarship if she's part of a softball team that wins at least a game. So it's recruitment time! But not all is done, now they actually have to find the people and actually train them... And what if PICA wasn't actually the paradise Molly always thought it was?

I really liked this book. It was a fun, fast read and just overall captivating. I liked the talks of gentrification, of the problems with the whole university system as a whole. And I really liked the characters, Molly, of course, but also the other people on the team. It had me rooting for so many of them. I was into the story from beginning to end, I just wished it had been a little bit longer, that we could have gone deeper on some topics and storylines. Overall, though, this was simply very good and I had a good time with it. And I really liked the illustrations as well.

I genuinely laughed out loud at so many moments in this book. The furry, the erotic artist, the Amish master woodworker…this story was full of such quirky characters but in a way that genuinely embraced the characters’ passions and made it clear that you - like the authors - were laughing with them, not at them. This story started with a scheme and developed into a beautiful and downright hilarious story of found family, creativity, finding your way, and so much more. I was excited about this graphic novel after falling in love with Check, Please! and it did not let me down.