Reviews with content warning for Eating disorder - Nick and Charlie

This book was so cute and perfect! I loved how it all went and I honestly couldn’t put it down! A fast paced book about everyone’s favourite couple! The new cover is also adorable.

Content Warnings

kirstenf's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

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alexutzu's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.0

A quick, short read about a wholesome relationship between young people. Sprinkled with different matters related to LGBTQ+ struggles, teenage issues and mental health, this is a cute book that encourages to always strive for the best in relationships, after all.

😍 The good:
The outlook on relationships was rather positive and the main characters evolved in a good direction. From being insecure and bickering to solving conflicts and understanding each other, we get to follow a sweet love story. The book is relatable for its age group and is written in a nice style, expressing also some deep ideas.

😅 The not-so-good:
Not that much to say here: the story contained some unhealthy behaviours as well, but those are not that surprising considering the characters' age. This is also one of the first books from the Heartstopper franchise, so obviously it's not the best one out there, being still somehow simplistic and too short to develop too much.

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jstilts's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

3.0

Short enough to read in one sitting, which is probably ideal as the chapters swap between Nick and Charlie's perspective (while remaining entirely linear); each chapter informs what was REALLY going on with the other person in the previous chapter, and maintaining this is vital to the flow of the narrative.

For fans of the series, this one has some shocks - but by the end you'll realise it's still good wholesome stuff that would be good to put in the hands of someone facing similar emotional experiences. It's almost a fictional handbook in illustrating how not everything is always the way it appears - especially when you are catastrophising!

This isn't a graphic novel like most of the Heartstopper series to date (although there are a few sweet panels), and at first it seems like it doesn't translate well to prose: Nick and Charlie's voice seems off, and Charlie sounds way too mature - until I realise, this is their inner monologue and not the way they present themselves to the outside world. Sure enough, when they talk or text - same old Nick and Charlie. While in no way a criticism of the excellent graphic novels, this book definitely enriches their characters in a way the graphic novels were never going to - and that's more down to the creative decision to have almost every thought in the graphic novel presented in a conversational way.

Content Warnings