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alice_i's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.25
writer_matt's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
3.0
*First read: May 6th, 2020*
Meh. That's pretty much all I have to say about this. I thought Nick and Charlie's relationship was pretty realistic, but I just didn't find it interesting. I felt frustrated with Nick and Charlie's communication skills, which I obviously was supposed to feel, but their rather ridiculous assumptions and inability to talk to one another was just unenjoyable to read--again, realistic, but certainly not something I wanted to read a whole novella on. I did keep in mind that Nick and Charlie were in a high school relationship, so clearly they were experiencing lots of first and figuring out what it means to be in a relationship, but I just did not believe their relationship was that healthy. There's nothing wrong with writing about unhealthy relationships, but I got the impression that their story was supposed to be seen as something cute, or at least an endearing attempt to work through their problems.
*soft whispers* I just wanted them to break up.
•••
*Second read: June 9th, 2021*
Once again, not my favorite. Probably between 2.5 and 3 stars for me. As I already mentioned, I am sure Nick and Charlie’s experiences with miscommunication, irrationality, and fear of loss are reminiscent of many teenage relationships. However, reading an ENTIRE novella on miscommunication was rather unbearable. No one was likable. I didn’t want to sympathize. Also, Nick and Charlie felt quite out of character compared to the Heartstopper graphic novels. It kind of felt like we had missed some huge gap of time where they had matured. Heartstopper Nick and Charlie felt very innocent, naive, shy, inexperienced, etc. Novella Nick and Charlie felt messy, aggressive, irrational, and presumptive. Now, I don’t think their behaviors/thoughts in the novella made them bad people (we can’t all be little cute naive rays of sunshine ok), and of course people can change while in a relationship, but it just felt so drastically different than the personalities we saw in Heartstopper.
Meh. That's pretty much all I have to say about this. I thought Nick and Charlie's relationship was pretty realistic, but I just didn't find it interesting. I felt frustrated with Nick and Charlie's communication skills, which I obviously was supposed to feel, but their rather ridiculous assumptions and inability to talk to one another was just unenjoyable to read--again, realistic, but certainly not something I wanted to read a whole novella on. I did keep in mind that Nick and Charlie were in a high school relationship, so clearly they were experiencing lots of first and figuring out what it means to be in a relationship, but I just did not believe their relationship was that healthy. There's nothing wrong with writing about unhealthy relationships, but I got the impression that their story was supposed to be seen as something cute, or at least an endearing attempt to work through their problems.
*soft whispers* I just wanted them to break up.
•••
*Second read: June 9th, 2021*
Once again, not my favorite. Probably between 2.5 and 3 stars for me. As I already mentioned, I am sure Nick and Charlie’s experiences with miscommunication, irrationality, and fear of loss are reminiscent of many teenage relationships. However, reading an ENTIRE novella on miscommunication was rather unbearable. No one was likable. I didn’t want to sympathize. Also, Nick and Charlie felt quite out of character compared to the Heartstopper graphic novels. It kind of felt like we had missed some huge gap of time where they had matured. Heartstopper Nick and Charlie felt very innocent, naive, shy, inexperienced, etc. Novella Nick and Charlie felt messy, aggressive, irrational, and presumptive. Now, I don’t think their behaviors/thoughts in the novella made them bad people (we can’t all be little cute naive rays of sunshine ok), and of course people can change while in a relationship, but it just felt so drastically different than the personalities we saw in Heartstopper.
nonamesorgender's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
It so cute, just most fuffy cutest moment with one breakup scare.
theshellbell14's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
sarahchabs's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
sofia_santana's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
weebreads's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
michellechien930's review against another edition
4.0
As an Alice Oseman stan I am on my way to reading all the books from the Oseman-verse, finally including this short but super sweet novella "Nick and Charlie", which continues the Heartstopper series story two years after book 4. "Nick and Charlie" is a really soft and comforting read, with Charlie dealing with the last summer before Nick leaves for university. His insecurities and doubts about young teenage love and long distance are dramatic but very real and heartfelt. Nick and Charlie and the most adorable couple, and even with their ups and downs, stick with each other till the end. Very cute, a must-read for Heartstopper fans!