Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Solitaire

Alice Oseman's debut novel simply did not work for me and its very clear that it was written by a teenager.

Between the stream-of-consciousness writing style and lack of plot, it was difficult to get through the entirety of this story. I actually would've DNF'd it if I hadn't already been familiar with the characters from the Heartstopper series. It was mainly Nick and Charlie that had me (minorly) invested in this particular book and bumped my rating up .5 stars.

Unfortunately, I found Tori's story to be unrealistically awkward and extremely melodramatic. The topics surrounding mental health and suicidal ideation should've been handled with more care and offered some sort of guidance to readers who could relate to Tori's struggles.

Overall this was a total letdown and I'm left feeling bewildered.

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boreasword's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

itsmemiana's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

as the eldest sister, I really needed this book and I'm so glad I read it. I felt seen.

and I liked it but I'm not gonna lie, I was expecting to love it more. I was a little disappointed giving that Tori is one of my favourite characters in both the Heartstopper graphic novels/books and the TV Show. and while in this one she remained the same in a way... aka very relatable and cool (except for the part that she doesn't like to read😭), she also felt like a pick me girl sometimes 😭 and I HATED the way she talked about Jane Austen and Pride and Prejudice.... that really got on my nerves. just her overal very judgemental vibe ESPECIALLY with other women. I hate people that are too judgemental.

but besides that, I really liked this book and it was nice seeing her and Nick and Charlie again. can't wait to read (and watch, yes Netflix, I want season 4) more about this little universe 🥹

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