Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Published by Graphix on May 5, 2020
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out.

Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance.

Please Note: I decided to review the first 4 volumes in this series in one go because, collectively, I loved them, but I don’t have a lot to say about them individually. Most of the book info for this review was pulled from book one, including the release date and page count.

I’ve been waiting a long time to read these. I was hoping to binge them all, but once volume four was out, I couldn’t wait any longer. I read the first four in just a handful of hours, and I’m already desperate to re-read them and can’t wait to get my hands on volume five when it comes out.

I loved these characters so much. They all felt so real and so relatable. I loved Nellie!! I loved the progression of Nick’s character arc, the way he came to terms with his identity. His character growth was great. I loved Charlie, but I felt so bad for everything he went through. I loved the friend group – I wish I had a friend group as amazing as this one! I also loved that the adults all had stories and parts to play. I loved the teachers, especially!

I loved the overall plot. This series had the perfect balance of angst and fluff, hurt and comfort, serious moments and silly moments. It had me going “awwww” on one page, then crying on the next. Book three definitely started to take a slightly darker, more serious turn, and I loved the way the author handled everything. The way Nick accepted that he could be there for Charlie, but that Charlie needed more help than he could give; and the way Charlie accepted that he needed help.

There was so much representation in these books, both across the sexuality spectrum, gender spectrum, diversity spectrum, and mental health spectrum. It was amazing to see. I especially loved how they all kept correcting everyone who said Nick was gay when he’s bi – that matters so, so much.

Overall, I just really loved this series and I can’t wait to see how it ends. Highly recommend!