NOTE: I received an advance reader copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinions or the way I talk about the book.

Content Warning: Panic attacks (discussions, no descriptions or portrayals)

UGH, this was too short! And to leave off on a cliffhanger like that?! I'm almost sad I read it as an advance copy, because now I'll have to wait even longer. Almost.

The Avant-Guards, Vol. 1 alternatingly follows Charlie Bravo and Olivia "Liv" Bates as they form their college's first ever sports team. Liv is the brains and main motivation behind the cause, while Charlie, a brand new transfer student who's trying to escape painful memories of her old college's basketball team, takes a bit of convincing before she joins.

Overall, this is a great setup to what I think will continue developing into an amazing story. Each of the characters in our main crew have such distinct personalities that seem as if they would clash as a team. Yet, they work together in such an effective way that doesn't feel forced to pull this team together and play their first game. My Virgo self connected a lot to Liv. I love Charlie so much (and wow, was my guess that she's a Scorpio spot-on). Tiffany is hilarious and Nicole must be protected at all costs. But I also really have a soft spot for Jay, because oh my gosh, they're such a sweetheart, and I wish they had more lines.

Honestly, I've never followed basketball or cared about it much, but this cast kept me engaged. So you definitely don't have to love or even know much about the sport to follow the story. It's about so much more than just them playing basketball. Yeah, that's the reason this group of six have come together. But there's already a lot of history between them, and you can tell they have so much more to make.

I also want to make some notes on the representation in The Avant-Guards. There is a developing romance between Charlie and Liv. Unfortunately for Liv, there's some romantic history between her and Nicole, which she's struggling to get over. Another note on Nicole is that she's transgender, as is apparent by the trans flag hanging in her dorm room. Lastly, for queer rep, Jay uses they/them pronouns, although they never say exactly how they identify. Plus, as you can see from the cover, there is a lot of casual racial diversity in that it's shown pretty obviously, but it's never discussed at any length.

I sincerely hope that if you're looking for a quick, graphic novel to read, you consider picking up The Avant-Guards! It was really an enjoyable book and a great start to the story!

Support Me Elsewhere!

Enjoyed!

4.5 or 8.43/10
This was a fun novel and I’ll continue the series.

Characters-8- the characters in this book are great. I really enjoyed the found family elements of this book.
Atmosphere- 9-the art in this novel was great and I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book.
Writing-8- The writing in this novel was great. The style used by the author suited the style of the book well.
Plot-8- the plot of this novel was fun. I’m not that much of a sports reader but the story was fun.
Intrigue-8- I was interested in this story even I’m not the biggest fan of sports stories.
Logic-9-This was a logical story.
Enjoyment-8 this was fun and enjoyable.