Interesting but I'm exhausted by the focus on alcoholism, abusive relationship dynamics in queer spaces, and the general ~feel~ of this comic just read a bit too dark for me.  I know that there are definitely queers out there who will appreciate and identify with a book like this but I couldn't relate to the characters nor did I feel comfortable with a lot of the content.

To be totally honest I loved EVERYTHING about this! I've seen some of Archie's comics online previously and I was absolutely thrilled to see there was an entire book of every strip put together. 

A non-exhaustive list of the specific things I love about this book: 
-Non binary identities! 
-Talking about your FEELINGS 
-Discussing how shitty the 2016 election was/is especially for the LGBTQ+ community and communities of color 
-GOOD ART 
-Andy's very good t shirts 
-Supportive friendships 
-Expressing the fact that it is important to talk about your feelings with your friends 

I'm probably going to buy a physical copy of this when it's out so I can give it to all of my queer friends so they can relish in how relatable it is.

★★★,5⭐ | "I'm in the middle of experiencing my feelings." "On... the floor?" "Yeah, where else would I have emotions? A chair?!"

It's hard to review this one because I moderately enjoyed it but I don't have much to say about it. 

This is a series of comic strips about two BFF, Andy - a genderqueer non-binary person in a polyamorous relationship and lots of casual sex with people of various genders and Scout a lesbian who can't get over her ex and is tragic at getting dates. Along with three of their other friends they experience the various aspects of life in the queer community with various ups and downs.

Archie Bongiovanni has shown many aspects of queer life from different perspectives with different needs, personalities, and expressions of their queerness. The whole thing is also overflowing with humour but 300 pages of comic strips of mostly slice-of-day with little plot content can be a bit monotonous and personally after a while some jokes started to seem bland and I felt a kind of 'scrolling through social media' detachment. 

However, this is mostly just my preferences getting in a way and doesn't mean others can't enjoy it. If you like funny slice-of-day strips about queer life (and perhaps if you don't intend to read the whole thing at once) this is at least worth a try.

I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not at all the audience for this book, but I always like to try out queer graphic novels because my teens clamor for them! I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I'll buy this one. I think the teens would like it, but also I'm not sure if I want to buy a book with so much drinking in it for the teens; I'm just not sure it would go over well in my community.

Thank you THANK YOU to NetGalley for approving my request! I don't often make requests because I always fear rejection, but I'm seriously very grateful for this one. I got this free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

THE EASIEST 5 STARS I'VE GIVEN IN A LONG TIME.

This collection of comic strips caught my eye mainly because of the author, Archie Bongiovanni, who is also the author of A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns, which I have read previously also via to NetGalley. I liked their humour and how they portrayed queerness. It felt like having a conversation with a pal about being queer and just very chill overall. The smoothness with which they manage these topics is amazing. Now, regarding Grease Bats:

Every character is relatable in their own way, or if not relatable at least very very lovable. They are all great and amazing and I want to be friends with them all because they are so precious and incredible. Besides the amazing people in here, the humour is fucking hilarious. Oh, did that f-bomb bother you? Well stay away from these comic strips because they have swear words very often. But SO ON POINT. 

I love how Andy doesn't give a fuck about any norm. They are genderqueer, polyamorous and would fuck with any gender so who cares about cisheteromononormativity?
Scout is a butch lesbian who can't get over her ex-girlfriend and just a sensitive mess like almost everyone of us DON'T YOU DARE DENY IT.
Ari is my sapiosexual fantasy; her cleverness turns me on. She's a trans woman and I think she's aro/ace too!
Gwen is my bisexual femme queen! Living her queer life as much as she can!
Taylor is the anxious weird nerd in all of us who doesn't know a single thing about dating because SHYNESS and INEXPERIENCED but also adorable.

I LOVED IT AND YOU SHOULD READ IT SO THAT YOU CAN LOVE IT TOO OKAY BYE.

Amusing and relatable to all genders. I had never heard of Grease Bats before but I guess it's been an online strip for awhile and now it's finally been compiled it! Some cute storylines, some annoying storylines, a mix of everything, but an all-around good time for all.

With amazing art, this strips tell the tale of Andy and Scout. And what tales it is.

From the tales on the job, from the problem that happens oh so much still of misgendering, from their friendship, we feel so much with this two characters that you don't want the strips to end, you want to stick with them and see more of their shenanigans, want to see them happy. 

And what a time to be reading a story about trans genderqueer individual! Everyday is the best day, but Pride Month? Amazing feels. A read I would recommend to both my hq/strip reading friends and non reading friends!

I am a very visual reader when it comes to comics and this one just did not work visually for me. I enjoyed the topic and the characters’ voice. The ideas were funny, sometimes awful and very important. However, I came into this expecting a story and not a collection of comics and so in that way, that was my fault. The drawing style is also rougher than I usually read. I recommend this but admit from an artistic point of view, this wasn’t a good fit for me.

I am not going to lie, I really thought I'd love this book but alas! I could not get into this. Either the writing style  or the artistic style wasn't calling to me. 
That being said, I do think the content itself was wonderful! It was witty and relatable in the best possible way. I fully believe that this will be a favorite among many others.

I genuinely only got 70 pages in and couldn't do it anymore. As someone from the queer community I'm kind of ashamed there's queer people like this. 
The fact that you're queer is not a part of your personality and definitely cannot be the only drive of your stories. I know this is a way to cope with homophobia and transphobia, but to be honest I would never in my life be friends with people this obsessed with what they identify as.

It's part of yourself but have some back story, have some interesting hobbies, some more elaborate things.

My only comment I have is: being queer doesn't make your interesting. The comic had potential really, it could've been fun and about queer people but it really annoyed me so much. I know nobody in the queer community who is like this frankly. It's not an accurate representation either.

I won't be posting this review on goodreads because frankly I'm still in the closet, sorry.

I expected something different but it wasn't so bad.
But I have to admit that I got bored most of the time and I really would have liked it in colors. It was funny sometimes, but I don't think I would have bought it.

Honestly, I had the hardest time in the world coming up with my rating for <i>Grease Bats </i>by Archie Bongiovanni, a collection of comic strips about roommates Andy, who is trans-genderqueer, and Scout, who is gay. And initially I was really excited to read this collection, thinking that it was going to be a lot of fun but I just found myself rather bored with everything and didn't really like the characters all that much. I recognize, however, that this is more personal feelings on my end and less a commentary on the material itself, which is why this was ultimately one of the most difficult books for me to rate.

One of the cool things I did appreciate and notice about the various comic strips was the way in which the characters' outfits--shirts for Andy and the hat for Scout--changed periodically throughout, featuring a variety of different phrases with each different moment of story being told. I think that the comics have some merit to them, but I found myself not really connecting with Andy's promiscuity or Scout's hang-up on her ex-girlfriend. I couldn't really bring myself to feel invested in the characters or their stories, which was unfortunate and kind of a let down.

In the end, I feel as though it's fairly obvious that this story simply isn't for me. And while I was drawn in by the Friends quote adaptation, the series wasn't really what I was expecting. I think this was partially due to the fact that promiscuity is not something I ever enjoyed on my own end--though I have no problem with others doing it--and pining after one's ex is something that reminds me of an awful time in my life. These factors ultimately left me feeling detached from the work as a whole, though I hope others enjoyed it more than I did.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Grease Bats by boom studios is a collection of short comics about LGBTQ life. It’s so whitty and fun! My favorite part is definitely all of Andy’s t-shirts! 

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel and all the LGBT+ and POC representation were amazing! I loved the art style and the shorter stories which all related to each other in some way later on. I love how unique all the characters were and how they taught each other to be accepting of themselves and of each other. It was a beautiful, wholesome message which was lovely to see.

Grease Bats is a collection of comics by Bongiovanni on Autostraddle except they're all in one place now! Featuring all sorts of diverse characters, Grease Bats is a comic that should be read for anyone who wants to see issues of trans representation, body dysmorphia, and more! It's one of those collections that inspires me to find more comics like this. A perfect blending of awareness, tough conversations, and friendship.

Adorable queer slice-of-life comic that feels very much like it's picking up the baton from the much-missed Dykes to Watch Out For. Wry, sharp and crammed full of genderfeels.

This is a tough book for me to rate. 

While I did enjoy it to a certain extent and I know that for some people this book may be a virtual representation of their everyday lives which is something we all should see, understand and maybe sometimes think twice before saying certain things, I cannot rate this book higher.

My main issue was probably with the art, and yes, I get it that it's a part of the image. However, I did not enjoy the art. Seemed like a scatch which was supposed to be improved. 
Also, the handwriting was sometimes a bit tiring to read. 
I have to say that visual is the place where this book lost one star. 

The second? Sometimes I found myself skipping ahead, stopping mid "story" and going to the next. Also, I had to stop repeatedly before continuing with this book. I don't want to say "why are you always so angry?" But unfortunately, this was too much angst for me to read for longer periods of time. And while it's okay to be angry and we all should get angry to stand for things that are important for us (there is no shame in being angry), it was sometimes a bit overwhelming. 

This book definitely has its audience out there. However, I don't think I'm definitely that audience.

A wonderful graphic novel that manages to combine a compelling narrative and illustrations to create a wonderful experience for the reader.

As a queer person in my 30s, I found this collection of comic strips super fun and recognizable in a lot of ways. There's a good amount of variety among the main characters, with different personalities, identities, and personal journeys being represented. A lot of the conversations among the characters, both in the ways they spoke and the topics they focused on, seemed familiar to me; I could see myself and my friends in them. The art is expressive and drawn in a loose comic strip style. On the whole, a fun collection that feels like hanging out with your good friends.

Grease Bats is entertaining in the full-on comic strip extreme.  The book works as a collection of short stories about its major characters, and humor brims through, along with life and sparking dialogue.  Illustration meets story in a creative way.  Highly recommended!