I love comics, but that pales to how much I LOVED Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. Beautifully drawn and articulated it is wonderful to see this queer story on the platform it deserves. A one sitting read on a lazy afternoon I hooked, the book ending far quicker than I would have liked. But fear not, there are another 3 volumes to come!
The storyline itself is powerful and heartwarming. It’s feels current and fresh, and may just be the thing someone out there needs to read to know they are not alone.
The budding romance and exploration of sexuality feels authentic and honest, believable in its creation and development from page to page. The tenderness and feeling in this book is its true crown. It calls out toxic masculinity, it allows boys to be vunerable and champions the right the be your authentic self.
Heartstopper had my heart feeling all the feels and Volume 2 cannot come soon enough.
Synopsis
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. An LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between – for fans of The Art of Being Normal, Holly Bourne and Love, Simon.
Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they’ve never met … until one day when they’re 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 Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.
Heartstopper is about love, 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.
