Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

15 reviews

xabbeylongx's review

hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

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

4.5

Spoilers Ahead: 

This book is beautiful, and definitely a lot better than I expected! Having started reading it after the show, I was expecting it to be of the same sort of quality (I’m not a massive fan of the Netflix series), but I’d say the graphic novel is actually so much better! 

We follow Charlie as he’s in a new form room, next to a guy from the year above, Nicholas Nelson. They start to talk a bit more, and when Ben, Charlie’s emotionally manipulative ex ‘thing’, starts to try and push Nick around, and Nick comes to his rescue. Charlie was bullied when he was outed the year before, but now he’s really popular. Charlie gets him to try out rugby, which he actually gets to be really good at. 

They start hanging out, and Nick starts to get really confused, because he might start to like Charlie. They kiss at Harry Greene’s birthday party, when they start hurling homophobic abuse at Charlie, but he’s only there because Nick asked him to be. When Nick runs off, Charlie is upset at himself. Both of them, really, are upset with themselves. 

It’s a beautiful story. I like how more teenage they feel in this book, because in the show it felt like a very different vibe. I like the fact that Nick swears in the book, because it shows off more of the character. I think both of them are such lovely characters, to be honest, and they’re very sweet together. It’s nice reading about a gay relationship in school, especially for people who never used to be able to read stuff like that when they were kids. 

So I felt like a real graphic novels nerd reading this book, because I was looking at how some of the speech bubbles went into multiple panels, how things spilled over the gutter, and how everything wasn’t in a uniform box, the SFX, everything like that, and it was really pleasing to the eye. Don’t even get me started on how good the drawings are - especially Nellie, who I would literally die for in this comic! Somehow, they made her look even cuter. 

So, overall, creatively and literally, this book is a definite must-read!!! An easy-to-read book, and so heart-warming too! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Sexual harassment

sha_'s review

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Self harm, Hate crime, and Homophobia

jifxlie's review

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Hate crime, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, and Homophobia

holliesatchell's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Cursing

becca_w_'s review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Outing, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Homophobia, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Violence, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Biphobia

Minor: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Body shaming, and Physical abuse

oyasum1's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Bullying

Moderate: Gaslighting

theirgracegrace's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.25

A heart-wrenching debut to a wonderful series, leaving me hungry for volume 2! Oseman's simplistic style helps the pages fly by as the great will-they-won't-they unfolds at Truman Grammar School for Boys. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Outing, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Biphobia and Violence

Minor: Alcohol

A scene has a character try to force another character to kiss them while claiming that the other character "wants it" which is very reminiscent of sexual assault. Another character breaks the two up before anything too serious happens.

kyoto's review

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

my favourite book of all time :((( all i want is this book for the rest of my life oh my god i am so gay and so happy

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Self harm, Homophobia, Hate crime, Eating disorder, Lesbophobia, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Outing, Mental illness, and Transphobia

akka2001's review

hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Outing, and Toxic relationship

adamustdie_'s review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

5.0

comfort read. i just love seeing queer teens living the life i didnt get to. the story is realistic, not downplaying the homophobia but also not turning it into "suffer porn". the characters are relatable and behave like actual teenagers, we dont get that a lot even in the ya genre. the only downside is it finishes really quickly :/

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual harassment, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Gaslighting, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Outing