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jessyhayward's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Eating disorder
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Abandonment
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
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? Yes
4.0
I could read about Nick and Charlie forever. Their innocence that is laced with wisdom far beyond their years is delightful. The graphic novels are great and this novella was no different. Even through the growing pains of getting older, Nick and Charlie’s love endures.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Outing, and Panic attacks/disorders
lauracollins096's review
emotional
relaxing
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
frankieclc's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
andloveistoolong's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Drug use, and Sexual content
stevia333k's review against another edition
emotional
tense
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
i got triggered.
this feels like a 4 star book, but personally i have to make it closer to the half way mark than that. i think the intended audience is teenagers, but i'm not sure due the choice of some adjectives being written in the 1st person that might've sounded better in the 3rd person. Hallelujah i've survived long enough & i'm growing.
It was a decent story & I appreciated the info explaining the british school system at the back of the book because holy shit that's been tripping me up for a while. they're a cute couple with strong relationship foundations.
that being said i got triggered with at the very least the photography plotline? i read heartstopper & then i read this book so i'm pretty sure i missed a lot because i don't remember the medical conditions.
personally, i would've preferred them to not have sex, but this book ain't alone in that distaste. like this book explicitly say it takes relationship scripts from the straights TM & amatonormativity. (tao & his girlfriend, along with the discussion of soulmates) seriously, the contrast of them being kids whose communication skills sucked about how to do long distance with ... look this book ain't alone in the problem & i was an outlier as a kid in being hostile to dating because i didn't think kids should have sex so. however, apparently sex is a thing that's done & IDK enough about sexology to not cringe about the common experience & I also don't trust a lot of sexology because of genital reductionism.
also the use of words like boyish & teenagers (as opposed to say kids our age)... the writing is written in the 1st person, like with the choice of boyish, what's that in comparison to? as someone in my late 20's it creeped me out, like i'm almost the age of the author, this needed better editing.
i read this book for a bookclub & this was considered positive lgbt+ representation, but obviously i got triggered.
this feels like a 4 star book, but personally i have to make it closer to the half way mark than that. i think the intended audience is teenagers, but i'm not sure due the choice of some adjectives being written in the 1st person that might've sounded better in the 3rd person. Hallelujah i've survived long enough & i'm growing.
It was a decent story & I appreciated the info explaining the british school system at the back of the book because holy shit that's been tripping me up for a while. they're a cute couple with strong relationship foundations.
that being said i got triggered with at the very least the photography plotline? i read heartstopper & then i read this book so i'm pretty sure i missed a lot because i don't remember the medical conditions.
personally, i would've preferred them to not have sex, but this book ain't alone in that distaste. like this book explicitly say it takes relationship scripts from the straights TM & amatonormativity. (tao & his girlfriend, along with the discussion of soulmates) seriously, the contrast of them being kids whose communication skills sucked about how to do long distance with ... look this book ain't alone in the problem & i was an outlier as a kid in being hostile to dating because i didn't think kids should have sex so. however, apparently sex is a thing that's done & IDK enough about sexology to not cringe about the common experience & I also don't trust a lot of sexology because of genital reductionism.
also the use of words like boyish & teenagers (as opposed to say kids our age)... the writing is written in the 1st person, like with the choice of boyish, what's that in comparison to? as someone in my late 20's it creeped me out, like i'm almost the age of the author, this needed better editing.
i read this book for a bookclub & this was considered positive lgbt+ representation, but obviously i got triggered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Eating disorder
stevia333k's review against another edition
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
i got triggered.
this feels like a 4 star book, but personally i have to make it closer to the half way mark than that. i think the intended audience is teenagers, but i'm not sure due the choice of some adjectives being written in the 1st person that might've sounded better in the 3rd person. Hallelujah i've survived long enough & i'm growing.
It was a decent story & I appreciated the info explaining the british school system at the back of the book because holy shit that's been tripping me up for a while. they're a cute couple with strong relationship foundations.
that being said i got triggered with at the very least the photography plotline? i read heartstopper & then i read this book so i'm pretty sure i missed a lot because i don't remember the medical conditions.
personally, i would've preferred them to not have sex, but this book ain't alone in that distaste. like this book explicitly say it takes relationship scripts from the straights TM & amatonormativity. (tao & his girlfriend, along with the discussion of soulmates) seriously, the contrast of them being kids whose communication skills sucked about how to do long distance with ... look this book ain't alone in the problem & i was an outlier as a kid in being hostile to dating because i didn't think kids should have sex so. however, apparently sex is a thing that's done & IDK enough about sexology to not cringe about the common experience & I also don't trust a lot of sexology because of genital reductionism.
also the use of words like boyish & teenagers (as opposed to say kids our age)... the writing is written in the 1st person, like with the choice of boyish, what's that in comparison to? as someone in my late 20's it creeped me out, like i'm almost the age of the author, this needed better editing.
i read this book for a bookclub & this was considered positive lgbt+ representation, but obviously i got triggered.
this feels like a 4 star book, but personally i have to make it closer to the half way mark than that. i think the intended audience is teenagers, but i'm not sure due the choice of some adjectives being written in the 1st person that might've sounded better in the 3rd person. Hallelujah i've survived long enough & i'm growing.
It was a decent story & I appreciated the info explaining the british school system at the back of the book because holy shit that's been tripping me up for a while. they're a cute couple with strong relationship foundations.
that being said i got triggered with at the very least the photography plotline? i read heartstopper & then i read this book so i'm pretty sure i missed a lot because i don't remember the medical conditions.
personally, i would've preferred them to not have sex, but this book ain't alone in that distaste. like this book explicitly say it takes relationship scripts from the straights TM & amatonormativity. (tao & his girlfriend, along with the discussion of soulmates) seriously, the contrast of them being kids whose communication skills sucked about how to do long distance with ... look this book ain't alone in the problem & i was an outlier as a kid in being hostile to dating because i didn't think kids should have sex so. however, apparently sex is a thing that's done & IDK enough about sexology to not cringe about the common experience & I also don't trust a lot of sexology because of genital reductionism.
also the use of words like boyish & teenagers (as opposed to say kids our age)... the writing is written in the 1st person, like with the choice of boyish, what's that in comparison to? as someone in my late 20's it creeped me out, like i'm almost the age of the author, this needed better editing.
i read this book for a bookclub & this was considered positive lgbt+ representation, but obviously i got triggered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Eating disorder
maddiep0114's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Mental illness
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Eating disorder
avagrossman's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
2.5
i loved this book and read it within a few hours. the text size and word space was incredibly dyslexic friendly lol. short chapters (maybe too short), simple read, big words, spacious throughout the page, drawings every so often.
definitely a comfort book and for that i’d give it ⭐️5, but writing wise i don’t think it was the best of alice’s work, that doesn’t mean i didn’t like the book, i did. a lot.
i think its because the book is more of an extra happy sappy book, more like a diary than first person?
spoken to you rather than described
i would still highly recommend reading it if you watched the netflix show or have read alice’s other books!!!
definitely a comfort book and for that i’d give it ⭐️5, but writing wise i don’t think it was the best of alice’s work, that doesn’t mean i didn’t like the book, i did. a lot.
i think its because the book is more of an extra happy sappy book, more like a diary than first person?
spoken to you rather than described
i would still highly recommend reading it if you watched the netflix show or have read alice’s other books!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Bullying, and Outing
crufts's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.25
A short story in the Solitaire/Heartstopper/etc universe. Occurs roughly three years after the Heartstopper comic series begins, or two years after This Winter and Solitaire, but ends before the conclusion of Radio Silence.
For two years, Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring have been the quintessential highschool couple.
Once upon a time, Charlie was the weird gay kid in school, Nick had just figured out that he was bisexual, and both were afraid for anyone to know that they were dating. But things have changed. Charlie has become Head Boy of the junior year, Nick is finishing his senior year and is excited to go to university, and everyone at school knows they're a couple.
It should be perfect. Charlie should be happy for Nick, going away to university and studying what he wants to study. And yet...
Like the other short story (This Winter), there is only one main conflict, but it's an interesting one and was explored well: When one half of a couple moves away, is it inevitable that they break up?
The novel had a good sense of pacing and change, hit all the important highs and lows of a short-story structure, and carried my attention to the very end. I never felt like the story dragged or was waffling through filler.
Also similar to This Winter was the alternating change of viewpoint between Charlie and Nick. I especially liked seeing Nick's viewpoint because he's not the author's average protagonist: he's kind of blokey, he likes sports, he doesn't care for social media, and he's more likely to get angry than sad.
I think you can tell when an author loves a character, and when you read Nick's first-person narration, I can see that the author loves him just as much as Charlie even if he's not her typical style of protagonist.
Another treat in this novel was the illustrations, which are drawn in the same style as the Heartstopper webcomic. It's always a delight to see a scene the way the author visualizes it.
I also liked how Charlie's distaste towards university was expressed. I was previously frustrated with this theme in Radio Silence (review linked here) because I couldn't relate. But the way it was expressed here felt a lot more reasonable, as Charlie explains why he hates the idea of university so much:
For two years, Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring have been the quintessential highschool couple.
Once upon a time, Charlie was the weird gay kid in school, Nick had just figured out that he was bisexual, and both were afraid for anyone to know that they were dating. But things have changed. Charlie has become Head Boy of the junior year, Nick is finishing his senior year and is excited to go to university, and everyone at school knows they're a couple.
It should be perfect. Charlie should be happy for Nick, going away to university and studying what he wants to study. And yet...
Like the other short story (This Winter), there is only one main conflict, but it's an interesting one and was explored well: When one half of a couple moves away, is it inevitable that they break up?
The novel had a good sense of pacing and change, hit all the important highs and lows of a short-story structure, and carried my attention to the very end. I never felt like the story dragged or was waffling through filler.
Also similar to This Winter was the alternating change of viewpoint between Charlie and Nick. I especially liked seeing Nick's viewpoint because he's not the author's average protagonist: he's kind of blokey, he likes sports, he doesn't care for social media, and he's more likely to get angry than sad.
I think you can tell when an author loves a character, and when you read Nick's first-person narration, I can see that the author loves him just as much as Charlie even if he's not her typical style of protagonist.
Another treat in this novel was the illustrations, which are drawn in the same style as the Heartstopper webcomic. It's always a delight to see a scene the way the author visualizes it.
I also liked how Charlie's distaste towards university was expressed. I was previously frustrated with this theme in Radio Silence (review linked here) because I couldn't relate. But the way it was expressed here felt a lot more reasonable, as Charlie explains why he hates the idea of university so much:
I hate hearing Nick talk about university. I'm a horrible person ... But lately he's been talking about it all the time. And every single time he mentions it, it just reminds me that ... I'm getting left behind.
Finally, the ending scene was so sweet it made me cry, and the illustrations elevated it further. Curse, you Alice Oseman! How dare you write such a touching story!
It's hard to find anything to complain about in Nick and Charlie. But near the conclusion of this ending scene where Nick and Charlie are
For example:
Since this was the climactic ending scene, I felt this was a real waste: instead of continuing the beautiful cinematic descriptions and seeing the characters clearly, we suddenly get this vaguer, blurrier part which isn't explicitly described.
Even so, this was a very minor complaint and I still thought it was an excellent novel overall.
I would definitely recommend this book to people who enjoyed Heartstopper, Solitaire, or the other short story This Winter. (See my review of This Winter here.)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Eating disorder
Eating disorder: Charlie's previous brush with anorexia and his ongoing recovery is mentioned.Abandonment: Guess what Charlie's afraid of?