A review by lolajh
Solitaire by Alice Oseman

dark emotional 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

Yeah so this destroyed me. The perfect portrayal of depression and mental illness, as well as the aroace experience that Alice experiences and has conveyed through Tori’s character. Tori’s mental health journey being placed above a possible intimate relationship with Michael was beautiful and realistic because of just how much Tori needed to focus on herself before being able to commit to another person. This book also described Charlie’s mental issues being favoured and more focused on by their parents compared to Tori, which is what allowed her mental health to deplete unnoticed and being ignored by everyone including herself, as she felt guilty comparing her mental health to her brother’s. Seeing Tori’s parents’ neglect to her mental health and only focusing on Charlie was very heartbreaking, and with Tori being the oldest of her siblings she clearly feels responsible for Charlie and barely has time to look after herself when her parents clearly aren’t looking out for her. Tori has always been an intriguing side character I have loved in Heartstopper, so it was really nice she was given the attention she deserves and have her own story.
Also the scene where nick leaves Charlie to eat by himself just because they had a fight made me so sad and tori yelling at nick is exactly how I felt tbh
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