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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Solitaire was so much darker than I anticipated. It is a story about pessemistic and depressed teenage-girl who tries to survive in the middle of the school, relationship mess and difficult family situations. It's a beautiful story really but still I weel very heavy and sad after reading the book. The whole solitaire thing was a bit too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury
Oh boy.
I’m disappointed.
I love Heartstopper and its wholesomeness with every fibre of my being. I did read the disclaimers about this novel: I knew what I was getting into tone-wise, but I’d “met” Tori in the graphic novels and was interested to read her backstory.
But man is she DEPRESSING! This entire book made me feel so sad. Was that its point/moral? Quite possibly. But I really began to feel sorry for Tori by the end of this book - she needed more than people around her, she needed invested help for her mental health.
Her relationship with Michael was my favourite part of this book (even if, to start with, he comes across a giant stalker…just turning up wherever Tori is? MANY times? He would definitely be fodder for a restraining order IRL).
To be honest, the entire “Solitaire” thing (which was so unrealistic and twee as to be laughable) could have been deleted from this book, and I would have read much more happily about Michael and Tori’s love-story.
Alas. Sorry Alice Oseman but I’ll stick to your lighter-hearted stuff for now.
I’m disappointed.
I love Heartstopper and its wholesomeness with every fibre of my being. I did read the disclaimers about this novel: I knew what I was getting into tone-wise, but I’d “met” Tori in the graphic novels and was interested to read her backstory.
But man is she DEPRESSING! This entire book made me feel so sad. Was that its point/moral? Quite possibly. But I really began to feel sorry for Tori by the end of this book - she needed more than people around her, she needed invested help for her mental health.
Her relationship with Michael was my favourite part of this book (even if, to start with, he comes across a giant stalker…just turning up wherever Tori is? MANY times? He would definitely be fodder for a restraining order IRL).
To be honest, the entire “Solitaire” thing (which was so unrealistic and twee as to be laughable) could have been deleted from this book, and I would have read much more happily about Michael and Tori’s love-story.
Alas. Sorry Alice Oseman but I’ll stick to your lighter-hearted stuff for now.
had to read after binge watching season 3 of heartstopper. thank you alice oseman
Very weird and kinda plain but in a good way. Shows things about social life and self care and being alone. Solid.
reflective
sad
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
Solitaire was a reflective story about Tori and her struggles through life, it felt insightful into struggles of mental illness. I thought it was an excellent narrative, from the perspective of Tori, more in depth into her life as oppose to the charlie and nick centered narrative. Tori has a very relatable personality, and I felt reflective towards my own experience of Sixth form, the struggles with identity, mental health, while juggling A-Levels and uni applications.
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
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
I was absolutely in love with the start of the book. I was really in the mood for a coming-of-age story in a school setting, which this book sort of is. Tori is definitely relatable and reminiscent of all the feelings you'd get being stuck in school and really hating life. She's dark and pessimistic, but it reads as comedic. Along with the horrible winter the book is set in, they really complement each other to create this bleak atmosphere.
I liked Tori and Michael as characters, and I really enjoyed how they interacted with each other, definitely my favourite aspect of the book. I respect that this isn't a love story, but it still evoked those giddy feelings of reading about two characters creating a will-they-wont-they tension. It was also interesting to see Tori from her own lens instead of as a side character in Nick and Charlie's story. We develop more of her actual thought processes that make her the sarcastic, guarded, but caring sister in Heartstopper. I think it's interesting that if I had read this first, I don't think I would have read Heartstopper. Being an outsider to their relationship gave them a completely different vibe, in my opinion. I probably wouldn't have been all that interested in their spin-off.
The bit of the story that I didn't like and why I'm not rating it 5 is the whole solitaire game. There are bits of it that I like, such as the game connecting and being such an apt title for the book and description of Tori as a character. However, I just found it hard to believe, it was a bit contrived and would never happen 'in real life' (to that level), so I couldn't get that out of my head. I did like the origin and how the creator behind Solitaire was trying to get Tori's attention, almost like she was being noticed for the first time but just completely in the wrong way. I just didn't understand the big finale, it just seemed very over the top and dramatic. But I suppose they are teenagers living mundane lives, which is why Solitaire got such a big following, because they felt part of something revolutionary.
Definitely an amazing book though I didn't want it to end.
I liked Tori and Michael as characters, and I really enjoyed how they interacted with each other, definitely my favourite aspect of the book. I respect that this isn't a love story, but it still evoked those giddy feelings of reading about two characters creating a will-they-wont-they tension. It was also interesting to see Tori from her own lens instead of as a side character in Nick and Charlie's story. We develop more of her actual thought processes that make her the sarcastic, guarded, but caring sister in Heartstopper. I think it's interesting that if I had read this first, I don't think I would have read Heartstopper. Being an outsider to their relationship gave them a completely different vibe, in my opinion. I probably wouldn't have been all that interested in their spin-off.
The bit of the story that I didn't like and why I'm not rating it 5 is the whole solitaire game. There are bits of it that I like, such as the game connecting and being such an apt title for the book and description of Tori as a character. However, I just found it hard to believe, it was a bit contrived and would never happen 'in real life' (to that level), so I couldn't get that out of my head. I did like the origin and how the creator behind Solitaire was trying to get Tori's attention, almost like she was being noticed for the first time but just completely in the wrong way. I just didn't understand the big finale, it just seemed very over the top and dramatic. But I suppose they are teenagers living mundane lives, which is why Solitaire got such a big following, because they felt part of something revolutionary.
Definitely an amazing book though I didn't want it to end.