Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Radio Silence

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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pianoplayer279's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.25

Definitely my favourite Alice Oseman book so far. Age 13+

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emmacaron's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious 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

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beckyyreadss's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I've been loving Alice Oseman - I wanted to read more about the other people that Alice has wrote about and I was excited to read about Aled. From what we’ve seen in the comics he is a very shy and timid person and I wanted to know more about him.

Even though Aled is in this book, it’s based on Frances Janvier, and she has spent most of her time studying. She has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way, not friends, not a guilty secret and not even the person she is on the inside. This all changes when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken. She is caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. She is now suffocating with guilt, she knows that she must confront her past, she must confess why Carys disappeared. Meanwhile at Uni, Aled is alone and fighting even darker secrets. It's only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness. Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.

I adored all of these characters in this book (expect Carol Last, she can fuck off entirely). I wanted to hug most of these characters and tell them that things would get better once they left University, but I'm not gonna lie – being in your twenties absolutely sucks just as much as being in high school and university does. This book had a strong storyline and makes everyone depending on your situation and sexuality feel seen. Not a lot of books and authors can do that, but Alice seems to want to sucker-punch every time I read one of her books. It makes me feel like they are in my brain and writing exactly how I'm feeling at this moment.

I struggled with the podcasts and the Tumblr side of it, because I don’t really listen to podcasts, and I don’t use Tumblr. This book can be hard-hitting so please check trigger warnings before you read this book, due to controlling and abusing parents and academic pressure.

I'm really excited to read more of Alice’s work including I Was Born for This and Loveless, even if it will break my heart.

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purplesaturday's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

I really enjoyed listening to this book. The characters felt like real people I could actually meet, and I felt really connected to them. I wish I had a friendship like Frances and Aled’s.

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