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.

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!

First up a big thank you to the publisher for granting my wish. Sadly this comic and I didn't click. I have been trying for some time now to get through this book but it just doesn't work. Now at page 100+ and I am giving up and spending my time on something more enjoyable and with characters that I will actually like more. I already spend 3/4 days of my life with another ARC with gruesome characters and I could use some loveable ones. I am sure this comic is important, it talks a ton about gender and equality, how to use pronouns, how it is to be queer. It just wasn't for me. Though plus points for Andy's shirts which always brought a smile (or laugh) when they had a new one on. The art was also pretty OK.

This was an adorable comic that reminded me of a modern Dykes to Watch Out For. I loved how they portrayed character dynamics and the way that the two main characters navigate life together. Truly just very heartwarming.

I really wanted to like this a lot but I just didn’t. I’m still giving it 3 stars because I think maybe it just wasn't for me and other people would really love it.

First of all, I should say that I love Boom! Studios as I have been following many of their series for years now, so with that in mind, I knew I was going to enjoy this collection of stripes. I wasn't wrong.

It was awesome to follow the life of these two friends, navigating exes, friends, going out... conversations about gender and sexuality... Yup, it was funny! Also: The collection of t-shirts they have (and other items of clothing) is amazing!

Grease Bats is a funny and realistic look at queer life told through comic strips. I'd seen a few of these on @autostraddle but it was great to read through the whole collection and get a proper feel for the characters and their storylines (and decide which one I'm most like - I'd love to be confident femme slut Gwen but am probably more like emotional awkward bean Scout!)

Grease Bats faces all the dilemmas and delights of being queer, trans and genderqueer, from that weird way straight people buy you drinks because they think you're so precious, to nightmare families, to figuring out if you look queer enough to get a date, to what to wear on Halloween, the most important gay holiday of the year. Buy a copy for all your friends!