Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Heartstopper Volume 1

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

688 reviews

xabbeylongx's review

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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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abookofwildflowers's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

Very cute and butterfly-inducing, if a little flat and trope-y. Will definitely finish the series.

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aj_readsbooks29's review

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funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.5

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted 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? No

3.0

I wonder if I would've felt differently about this if I had read it before watching the adaptation, because I loved the first season a lot and this just doesn't hit the same way for me. But that's also a me problem when it comes to graphic novels in general, I think—I really love the idea of the medium, but I don't always connect as easily to the stories, because I end up reading them too fast. I did enjoy reading this, though, and the adaptation seems to be pretty faithful so far.

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earth_to_dani's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

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nithya_natalya's review

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emotional lighthearted relaxing 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? N/A

5.0

I have watched the show and had been meaning to read the books for a while now. This was such a heartwarming read. I don't know how else to explain it, but there is so much tenderness in the drawings that I didn't expect. Alice Oseman perfectly captures so many adolescent experiences and emotions perfectly– blushing embarrassment, nervousness and anxiety, feelings of aloneness, and purehearted earnestness. I often find that when I read graphic novels, that at least for me, the art doesn't meaningfully contribute to the atmosphere and emotions that are verbally being conveyed. This was so different. The drawings made me feel like I was wrapped in warm blanket. idk idk it was just so cute and sweet.

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kjoli's review

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emotional hopeful relaxing sad 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? Yes

5.0

I am so, so glad I finally got around to reading this. It's presented so beautifully, with a simplicty that allows the art to be so emotive. Osman really does an incredible job with letting the space on the pages breathe in a way that isn't very common in comics; the frames have enough space that each of the moments can really linger and let the reader interact with them slowly. The dialogue is so well done, as is the exposition. This was just lovely in every respect; I really enjoyed every frame of this and am looking forward to reading the next volume.

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alexutzu's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

I decided to read Heartstopper after watching the Netflix series (like many others, probably). I was positively surprised when I realised that the graphic novel is as captivating as the show, but in a rather different way!

😍 The good:
Wholesome, relatable book with nice characters and a quite deep message. Can't wait to continue reading! I think that, out of this franchise, the graphic novel might be the most exciting for me. So simple, yet powerful: great to get you out of a reading slump, also.

😅 The not-so-good:
The graphics are not amazing, but they are still really cute and fit the book well! Not much of a downside. At times, the graphic novel is a bit simple, but it's understandable and it still comes across as thoughtful.

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parasocialreader's review

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lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.75

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letiross's review against another edition

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emotional 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? No

5.0

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