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A review by megsbookishtwins
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
5.0
I received this free from the publishers via NetGalley
Frances has always worked towards one goal - to get into Cambridge. She's a study machine, the Head Girl, but she has a secret hobby - she draws fan art for her favourite podcast. Universe City. When she finds out who is the genius behind the podcast she finds new freedom and a new friendship where she doesn't need to put on a facade, she can be completely herself. However, Universe City and The Creater is a mystery to the online world and when the online mystery and the real world collide the fragile trust between Aled and Frances comes under strain.
I think Radio Silence is an important read for teenagers about to decide what to do after school. It carries some really important messages about education and the pressure put on student to get into a great university and be academically gifted. Radio Silence shows that there are other choices, it shows that you can be successful without that degree, it shows that creativity is also important. At the core of this book, the message is that you do what makes you happy and I think that is a really great message. It is also an incredibly realistic book that you know is written by one of our own generation, and Alice Oseman doesn't belittle the topic and the stress and emotional and mental strain that academia puts on teenagers these days.
I thought the characters were an exception bunch who worked really well together. Aled and Frances had a really great friendship full of witty banter and it flowed really naturally. But Alice Oseman also managed to translate that awkwardness through really well as well. I feel like a lot of people will really connect with both Aled and Frances - I did. There were some really great character development with Frances as she finally learns to show her true self, and I liked how subtle and gradual it was. Aled Last was a fantastic character, really complex and there were some really great messages coming through this novel.
Overall, a very realistic and genuinely refreshing book that I think everyone should read.
Frances has always worked towards one goal - to get into Cambridge. She's a study machine, the Head Girl, but she has a secret hobby - she draws fan art for her favourite podcast. Universe City. When she finds out who is the genius behind the podcast she finds new freedom and a new friendship where she doesn't need to put on a facade, she can be completely herself. However, Universe City and The Creater is a mystery to the online world and when the online mystery and the real world collide the fragile trust between Aled and Frances comes under strain.
I think Radio Silence is an important read for teenagers about to decide what to do after school. It carries some really important messages about education and the pressure put on student to get into a great university and be academically gifted. Radio Silence shows that there are other choices, it shows that you can be successful without that degree, it shows that creativity is also important. At the core of this book, the message is that you do what makes you happy and I think that is a really great message. It is also an incredibly realistic book that you know is written by one of our own generation, and Alice Oseman doesn't belittle the topic and the stress and emotional and mental strain that academia puts on teenagers these days.
I thought the characters were an exception bunch who worked really well together. Aled and Frances had a really great friendship full of witty banter and it flowed really naturally. But Alice Oseman also managed to translate that awkwardness through really well as well. I feel like a lot of people will really connect with both Aled and Frances - I did. There were some really great character development with Frances as she finally learns to show her true self, and I liked how subtle and gradual it was. Aled Last was a fantastic character, really complex and there were some really great messages coming through this novel.
Overall, a very realistic and genuinely refreshing book that I think everyone should read.