Alexander Price is the youngest NHL captain ever at 19 and seems to meet all the stereotypes associated with that title. Elijah Rodriguez is a cooking vlogger and a skating vlogger who's Olympic plans have been derailed by an accident that have left seizures a constant presence in his life. Their meet cute is Alex double parking across the rink's only two handicap spots. The two of them shouldn't want anything to do with the other but unexpectedly hit it off, much to the joy of the internet. The problem with their deepening feelings is that Alex isn't willing to come out and Eli has not intention of going back in the closet.

This reads very somewhere between slice of life and romcom, and is definitely YA. Even though several serious subjects are tackled on page, everything is handled with lightheartedness and the author presents an optimistic world where even someone who seems like they'll be terrible isn't actually 

there is a character who says some homophonic stuff, but he gets a POV chapter and turns out to be uninformed but capable of learning

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Overall, the entire cast is very loveable and the story is gentle while still exploring things like anxiety disorders and disability. I'm very interested to see how the series, and Alex and Eli's relationship progresses in the next book.

Moving to L.A. might be Santi's last chance at a fresh start after years of downward spiraling which began with his mother's death and culminated in being ghosted by his best (and only) friend. All he has to do is put in the effort with marching band, unfortunately his line leader takes one look at him and proclaims that Santi doesn't have what it takes. Santi is irresistibly drawn to Suwa, but can't help but put his foot in his mouth around him.

This is a beautiful story about two boys who have been through a lot, and who find each other, and then keep finding each other. This book repeatedly crushed and put my heart back together, and I am in awe of Lio Min's gorgeous writing and the care they've taken in bringing Santi and Suwa to life.

In Renaissance Italy, a young gentlewoman laments that she does not know her betrothed. Bianca then learns of the secret passed down through the women of her family, a man's skin which allows the wearer to pass as a man. But while Bianca finds her world expanding through her experiences as Lorenzo, the city that is her home is becoming more rigid and religious under the guidance of the clergy.

A Man's Skin is fascinating from the premise and the gender politics to the commentary on religion and the art (Zanzim's artwork is the absolute highlight of this graphic novel). It reminds me a lot of Beauty which is by the same author but with a different illustrator. Unfortunately, I found A Man's Skin to be lackluster, especially when compared to Beauty . I felt like a lot of subjects were poked but not explored in any real depth, and at the end I moved on with a "so?" and a shrug.