Disclaimer: I received a final copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. 

Book: Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid 

Author: Ngozi Ukazu and Mad Rupert 

Book Series: Standalone 

Rating: 4/5 

Diversity: BIPOC queer MC, BIPOC characters, queer character 

Recommended For...: young adult readers, graphic novel readers, contemporary, college, sports, Softball, queer 

Publication Date: February 13, 2024 

Genre: YA Sport Graphic Novel 

Age Relevance: 14+ (language) 

Explanation of Above: There is some strong language used in the book, but it’s not a lot. 

Publisher: First Second 

Pages: 288 

Synopsis: Molly Bauer's first year of college is not the picture-perfect piece of art she'd always envisioned. On day one at PICA, Molly discovers that—through some horrible twist of fate—her full-ride scholarship has vanished! But the ancient texts (PICA's dusty financial aid documents) reveal a loophole. If Molly and 9 other art students win a single game of softball, they'll receive a massive athletic scholarship. Can Molly's crew of ragtag artists succeed in softball without dropping the ball? 

Review: I really liked this book. This book follows our protagonist whose name is Molly. She had A full ride to this University that she has pretty much dedicated her entire life into getting to and come orientation day. She finds out that the full ride does not exist anymore. If there is a better allegory for today's BS that happens to today's college entrance-es... I do not know of it. Anyways, she scrolls through some old text and she finds a loophole to get her into the college with a massive financial aid scholarship. The problem is that it's an athletic scholarship and she has to have this team up and running and I have to at least play one other team before this deadline. So the whole book focuses on her scrambling trying to get people to participate in this loophole and makes friends along the way and all that stuff. I really liked that. The book focused a lot on financial aid and the need for it. I like the world building of the book and I also liked all the character development.

However, I was kind of perplexed by a couple of little loopholes here and there in the book and it really did feel more like a second book in a series then a stand-alone. I was also left with a lot of questions at the end and I really want to know more about Molly's story and the other characters that are shown in the book. 

Verdict: It was good, I just wanted more.