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A review by ursa_arlo
This Winter by Alice Oseman
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Positives. It felt so good to dive back into the world created by Alice Oseman. I noticed while reading that I had missed these characters. Tori, Nick, Charlie... It was good reading about them again. This novella is a perfect bridge between Charlie's return from the psych ward and the events of Solitaire in which spoilers Charlie realises at the end of the book that Tori is struggling with major mental health issues as well which have been overshadowed by Charlie's ED . This novella sets these events up very well and deals with the fallout of Charlie's road to recovery. I would only recommend reading this book after reading volume 2 of the graphic novel Heartstopper and Solitaire for these reasons.
Negatives. Oliver's part was not particularly well-written. When Alice writes about him in third person, he is perfectly believable as a 7 yo but that is not the case when you read his inner monologue.
Quote. "Charlie and I have discussed at length how it's possible for Oliver to be related to us, since he's the literal embodiment of joy and we're both miserable fucks. We concluded that he must have got all the happy genes."
Negatives. Oliver's part was not particularly well-written. When Alice writes about him in third person, he is perfectly believable as a 7 yo but that is not the case when you read his inner monologue.
Quote. "Charlie and I have discussed at length how it's possible for Oliver to be related to us, since he's the literal embodiment of joy and we're both miserable fucks. We concluded that he must have got all the happy genes."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Mental illness