Book Review: Heartstopper (Vol. 2); Alice Oseman.

This was a really quick read for me, but a super enjoyable one! I love Nick and Charlie, and this one covers Chapter 3 of their adorable story!

SOURCE: Internet
TYPE: Web Comic

TITLE: Heartstopper
AUTHOR: Alice Oseman
SERIES: Heartstopper (Vol. #2)
PUBLISHER: --
PAGES: 320
GENRE: LGBT+, Graphic Novel, Web Comic, Contemporary

RATING: 5/5 Stars

Blurb:
Nick and Charlie are best friends. Nick knows Charlie's gay, and Charlie is sure that Nick isn't.

But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family ... and himself.

Heartstopper is about friendship, loyalty and mental illness. It encompasses all the small stories of Nick and Charlie's lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.

This is the second volume of Heartstopper, with more to come.

What I Liked:

• Obviously Nick & Charlie's relationship - one of my favourite pairings! I love this relationship and it got some major, squeal-worthy updates in this volume!
• I like where the story is going, and the characters that Oseman writes! All of them are interesting, there are some super cool cameos from other books she has written, and the complexity and art style are just perfection.

What I Disliked:

• Nothing except that it ended I guess! I'm pretty impatient and that's why Webcomics are dangerous for me! They are addictive and also there tends to be long spaces between each page.

Overall Conclusion:

This is an amazing series! The art is phenomenal, the characters so interesting and diverse, the story enjoyable and I really love the setting too as it reminded me of my own childhood. 

Book Review: Heartstopper [Vol. 1]; Alice Oseman.

I have been looking forward to reading this for so long and especially after reading 'Solitaire', because even though I had issues with that book, I LOVED Nick & Charlie and was so ready to hop aboard that ship with everything I had.

SOURCE: Internet
TYPE: Web Comic

TITLE: Heartstopper
AUTHOR: Alice Oseman
SERIES: Heartstopper (Vol. #1)
PUBLISHER: --
PAGES: 288
GENRE: LGBT+, Graphic Novel, Web Comic, Contemporary
RATING: 5/5 Stars

Blurb:
Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn't been too great, but at least he's not being bullied anymore, and he's sort of got a boyfriend, even if he's kind of mean and only wants to meet up in secret.

Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He's heard a little about Charlie - the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months - but he's never had the opportunity to talk to him. That is, until the start of January, in which Nick and Charlie are placed in the same form group and made to sit together.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn't think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner...

What I Liked:

• These boys have destroyed my soul. In a good way. I honestly adore the ship above everything else, and trust me when I say it takes a lot to get me invested in a romance! Nick & Charlie's relationship is 100% pure fluff, so those that like a bit of sexual tension may be left wanting, but I really loved them this way. I also really liked watching their friendship develop so naturally!
• Finally, a setting I can relate to! Honestly, watching these boys interact in their school brought back so much nostalgia from my own Grammar school experiences and the whole British girls and boys separate schools thing was my entire teenage life. It's interesting to realise how little this exists in literature, as most contemporary YA is set in an American high school!
• Let's talk about representation for a minute - THANK YOU ALICE OSEMAN! This is how you do it! As well as watching Nick struggle to come to terms with his bisexuality and justify his relationships (bi-erasure is really a thing guys, I live it everyday), and watching Charlie relive his own struggles with coming out in an all-boys school, I just loved the general diversity of the characters. I'm looking forward to hopefully meeting more in future chapters!

What I Dislike:

• Uhhhh...I didn't really dislike anything? Other than the fact that it's an ongoing comic so when I catch up (and I will) I'll have to wait for new pages? But seriously, this was great and made the things that I didn't like about 'Solitaire' likeable again!

Overall Conclusion:

This is my favourite m/m comic, alongside 'Long Exposure' by Kim 'Mars' Hayward, and I think it must be the school setting that I'm really digging? But I love everything about this - it's a slow burn but moving quickly enough so that I don't lose interest. I'm looking forward to watching this relationship blossom into something beautiful and also to see how Oseman handles everything that I know is coming for Charlie (I'm actually really terrified about it). I hope it continues to be everything I've ever needed in an LGBT+ comic!

Book Review: Solitaire; Alice Oseman.

It's been quite a while since I read 'Radio Silence', my first Alice Oseman read which I adored. I heard recently that she had created a M/M web-comic, 'Heartstopper' and wanted so badly to read it! It's based around two characters from 'Solitaire' though, which I needed to read first...

SOURCE: Bought
TYPE: Paperback

TITLE: Solitaire
AUTHOR: Alice Oseman
SERIES: --
PUBLISHER: Harper Collins Children's Books
PAGES: 392
GENRE: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Mystery

RATING: 3.5/5 Stars

Blurb:
In case you’re wondering, this is not a love story.

My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now.

Now there’s Solitaire. And Michael Holden.

I don’t know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don’t care about Michael Holden.

I really don’t.

What I Liked:

• I actually found that I was pretty gripped by this book, especially as I got further into it. I read it while I was on holiday, and in the latter half I didn't want to put it down! It's difficult to feel that with a book, especially if you initially had reservations. I really liked that about it, and the fact that there were a few different plot elements definitely helped.
• I think the thing I liked most about it was the fact that I could relate to the setting so well! Like Oseman, I attended a British Grammar school in Kent and mine was an all-girls too! I could envisage everything so exactly as it basically described my school life.

What I Disliked:

• My main issue was that I really didn't like Tori Spring, the MC, all that much! I found her cynical, bitchy, rude and a fairly immature representation of depression. I really advocate for depictions of mental health issues in books but only when done right. This just felt like severe teenage angst.
• The plot, especially in the first half, really didn't seem to be going anywhere. I figured out who Solitaire was pretty quickly and didn't care about any of the character's dramas (though I did like Michael a lot, and will forever ship Nick and Charlie). Like I said, it picked up in the middle of the book but the ending also fell a bit flat because it seemed so climactic it was a little on the ridiculous side.

Overall Conclusion:

So, this might have been Oseman's debut, but I certainly liked 'Radio Silence' a lot more. Not only that, but I felt that the writing here was a little immature in comparison, which I suppose is to be expected considering how young Oseman was when this was published. I wish I'd liked Tori more and though I liked the LGBT+ representation, the mental health issues portrayed in this book felt a little...off. I definitely found the setting relatable though, and was totally hooked by the middle part of the book, so I'll give it points for that! I'm still really looking forward to reading 'Heartstopper'!

Book Review: Radio Silence; Alice Oseman.

I loved this book. I really don't think there's much else to say other than that because it's my favourite read of the month if not the year so far! Wow! I'm having such a good Contemporary YA year!

SOURCE: Netgalley
TYPE: E-Read

TITLE: Radio Silence
AUTHOR: Alice Oseman
SERIES: --
PUBLISHER: Harper Collins Children's Books
PAGES: 337
GENRE: Young Adult, Contemporary, LGBT

RATING: 5/5 Stars

Blurb:

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken.

Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past…She has to confess why Carys disappeared…

Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets. It’s only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness. Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.

What I Liked:

• There were so many great things about this book, but above all Oseman was 100% spot on about characters and relationships here! Frances was a great MC, so relateable in her desperate bid to 'fit in' when in fact she was a completely different person. I loved her platonic friendship with Aled: no romancing or love interests here! Oseman is also responsible for the best portrayal of a gay relationship that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. That's not exaggeration. Not to mention a perfect example of a great Mum and child relationship versus a very toxic one
• I loved the diversity and themes covered in this book: depression and suicidal thoughts, stress, the education system, runaways, etc. And it does so in a thoroughly relateable way. Oseman writes so well too, a real talent! Also, while speaking of relateable, these characters are actually just like real teens: they get ill, they go to the toilet, they are not all white and straight, they PLAY THE SIMS, they text and use social media, all things I did as a teen! I almost cried with relief because reading some books about teen life is almost like stepping into a parallel universe without this stuff!

What I Disliked:

• Okay this isn't really much of a dislike because I loved the drama and 'teens on a mission' feel of it all, but the end of the book really felt a little on the bizarre side. Aled's mother was almost ridiculous in her villainy and there was a car chase and everything. Again, I LOVED it and didn't care, but I wrote it here because I can imagine that if anyone's going to take offence with this book, that will be the reason.

Overall Conclusion:

This book is so awesome and as I've already said, probably my favourite read of the year so far. I loved it! Alice Oseman is certainly a talent I've been missing out on, I don't want to make the same mistake again and while I've been having a great year so far with YA Contemporary, this is the icing on the cake! I want to be friends with all the characters, am left with a bazillion feels, can't believe I've finally read a book set in Kent (my home county) and NEED MORE ASAP. 'Solitaire' is well and truly on the TBR, that's for sure!