Reviews with content warning for Self harm - This Winter

Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

This Winter by Alice Oseman

380 reviews

_jzmnzglr_'s review against another edition

4.75

emotional 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

Content Warnings

christineolivia's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense 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

Content Warnings

cecireads's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

beckyyreadss's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I wanted to read this book because I was missing the Heartstopper gang and I'm sat here patiently waiting for season two of Heartstopper to come out on Netflix. I know that reading a Christmas book in March is weird, but I'm not normal.

This book is divided into three parts for each of the Spring children on Christmas day. It starts at the beginning of Christmas Day with Tori just wanting some sleep, but the youngest sibling Oliver is overly excited to open his presents. She is also worried about having to face her family and how her younger brother Charlie is going to be able to handle today as he is recovering from an eating disorder. The middle of the book is from Charlie’s point of view. He just wants people to treat him like last Christmas before all the issues about his mental health and eating disorder came out. Plus he just wants to be with the person who treats him like a normal person – his boyfriend Nick, so after he gets into a fight with his mum he leaves to go to Nicks. The ending is with Oliver, who just wants his siblings to play Mario Kart.

I loved the dynamic of this book and how you could really tell the difference between these three siblings, like all of their personalities shone within this book. I love the fact that Oliver was like just play Mario Kart with me and then I'm sorted. I liked how Alice managed to show a “normal” Christmas and that each family has their own traditions and styles whether it’s a quiet Christmas or a chaotic Christmas. Again, with any book that Alice does I love how she tackles different sexualities and mental health and she makes voices be heard and rep you might not have seen before.

Alice, please give me more, at this rate I will read your shopping list!

Content Warnings

helvars's review against another edition

4.0

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

louisaroselewis's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative reflective sad 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: Complicated

All I want to say is that Alice Oseman knocked it out of the park again.

Her books not only create a deep, emotional story but also create awareness of a wide variety of topics.

I really hope she never stops writing and I can't wait to read more of her work.

Content Warnings

books_and_fairy_lights's review against another edition

4.25

emotional reflective 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

As every other Heartstopper book, This Winter was really good. It was a little "darker" than the comics - or rather it dealt more in depth with Charlie's mental illness and eating disorder. Which was a good thing! Because Alice Osman really has a way to talk about mental illness honestly without being dramatic, kindly while being realistic, and hopefully while not sugar coating things.
This novella spoke to me a lot as you also get Tori's side - Tori who is trying her best to be there for others, putting them before herself as she thinks she "has nothing to complaint about and they have it worse". (that hits too close to home.) At least Tori and Charlie are close and do end up talking about things openly-ish.. Osman knows it can be hard to love someone who's mentally ill (be it a sibling or a partner), and I think she does a great job writing about it because she is very realistic about that, while staying away from stereotypes and not blaming any one. She's always trying to show that everyone is just doing the best they can, and reminds her readers that kindness can go a long way. Maybe that's why her books are so feel good, and why, at least for me personally, reading them feels like being seen and understood.

Content Warnings