Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Radio Silence

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

435 reviews

moomoo_reads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad

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

Radio Silence was a very easy read. I flew through the book pretty quickly.
The storyline kept me engaged and I found it very refreshing. I don't think I've read a book where the two main characters, who are "male" and female, don't end up together at the end after building their friendship throughout the book. It was really nice to just have them be friends and not have any romantic undertones.
I enjoyed watching Frances and Aled's friendship blossom and grow over the course of the book, especially over their shared interest and love for Universe City, because it reminded me of how my best friend and I's friendship started.
I also really enjoyed the underlying plotline of Universe City. I definitely called what it was about and who it was for from the very beginning. But I liked theorizing and trying to figure what each episode that was shown was trying to say.
This book was definitely darker than I thought it would be, but that's on me for not checking for tags and warning and blindly assuming it'd be light and upbeat like Hearstopper, because it's Alice Oseman. I definitely teared up at some points, but I never got so invested that it emotionally wrecked me. It was pretty sad though near the end.

Overall, I would recommend reading. It was a good book.

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kbeucler's review against another edition

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3.5

This is Oseman’s second novel and it also takes place in the Heartstopper Universe chronologically after Solitaire, though you don’t have to have read any of the other Heartstopper books. Radio Silence follows Frances Janvier and Aled Last (whom you might recognize as one of Charlie Spring’s friends). Frances and Aled become friends when Frances finds out Aled is the Creator behind her favorite internet podcast. Both of them discover how to be themselves as they learn how to be friends. I liked getting to see more of Aled, who didn’t make it into the Heartstopper TV series, but maybe he’ll make it into future seasons?? I liked Frances’s voice and I really appreciated this meditation on friendship. So many YA books are so focused on romance, it’s nice to see one focused on friendship, which I would argue is more important in one’s teenage years.

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bennoyb's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective 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

4.25

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

I never really got Aled in the heartstopper comics but after reading this I have a real soft spot for him. He’s so riddled with mental illness that he’s become incredibly relatable to me. The standout for me in this book was the relationships! Each one felt realistic and complex, with layers that peeled back as the book went on. I think that Alice Oseman just writes teenagers very realistically, and though I no longer relate to that, I can still appreciate that. The themes were a little heavy-handed in my opinion, but important nonetheless.

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