Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Radio Silence

Rating: B

Actually not as good as I thought it would be.

Radio Silence is a contemporary drama about three friends in high school; Aled, Daniel and Frances, who become connected through an online podcast called The Universe City hosted by Radio Silence. Frances runs a Tumblr blog where she posts art, and she is contacted one day by Radio who asks her to do art for the podcast episodes. They become friends in real life, and introduced to Daniel, Aled's long-term friend, they go through the final years of high school and early university while trying to keep their identities secret.

I did like the protagonists, they were really interesting and well-developed: their reactions to their experiences were very real. There were so many emotional highs and stresses - all very teenager-centric. So I didn't find it all that relatable. The narrator was quite skilled and there were voice effects utilised for the sections where Radio runs their show. The characters are diverse in both race and gender, but it doesn't really reflect much on the story at all. It's more like one or two throw-away lines in a conversation between the trio. I thought the pacing was alright, it felt like it got a bit lost in the middle, the scene where Aled finds out

that his childhood pet was put down was wholly unnecessary.

Not sure who the target audience is.

Content Warnings

chelseytennis52's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.5

Content Warnings

kristenbritt's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

neko_reads's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted 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

5.0

I LOVED THIS BOOK FROM COVER TO COVER

this book simultaneously made me love everything and made me so happy, while also tearing my heart out of my chest and shredding it into pieces. and yet, it somehow still manages to leave my heart bigger than it was before. and THAT is true talent.

I love every single character in this book, except the ones I hate lol

also WHY IS UNIVERSE CITY NOT A REAL THING? i need it to be a thing. and you know what else I need to be a thing? MORE OF THIS BOOK. you are not telling me that this book ends here. i need every last bit of aled and frances's friendship UNTIL THE DAY THEY DIE IN LIKE 80 YEARS.

AND NOT ONLY ALED AND FRANCES, BUT EVERY OTHER CHARACTER IN THIS BOOK

(I'm obsessed if you cant tell)

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