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A review by azahller
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
dark
emotional
funny
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
In Solitaire we meet Tori Spring, a teenage girl who is struggling with what surely feels like depression on top of the normal high school worries - fitting in, having good friends, love, puberty, etc. Lately life has felt bland and she has felt isolated. A series of sticky notes leads her to discover a blog, Solitaire and a boy, Michael. Together, Michael and Tori decide to uncover the mystery of Solitaire.
I really loved Tori's journey. I appreciated the way the feeling of "otherness" was written in this book. It felt really real. Tori's consistent struggle with fitting in, trusting those around her, and letting go were very relatable to me and stirred up those old high school feelings. This was almost nostalgic, but like bad emotion nostalgic lol (but still in a good way). I loved getting to know Tori more as a character, and I'm hoping we eventually get more information on where she and Michael's friendship takes them.
Sometimes the angst in this was a bit strong for me, I'll admit. Perhaps Tori's general misanthropy and snark were too relatable to me? But I did find myself cringing every so often. This also really stirred up those angsty high school feelings for me and not always in a great way. Huge props to the content warning page, which really conveyed the tone and themes of the book well.
I would recommend this book to people who want to learn more about the characters and world of Heartstopper and especially to those who appreciated the mental health conversation occurring in Heartstopper and wanted more of that.
I really loved Tori's journey. I appreciated the way the feeling of "otherness" was written in this book. It felt really real. Tori's consistent struggle with fitting in, trusting those around her, and letting go were very relatable to me and stirred up those old high school feelings. This was almost nostalgic, but like bad emotion nostalgic lol (but still in a good way). I loved getting to know Tori more as a character, and I'm hoping we eventually get more information on where she and Michael's friendship takes them.
Sometimes the angst in this was a bit strong for me, I'll admit. Perhaps Tori's general misanthropy and snark were too relatable to me? But I did find myself cringing every so often. This also really stirred up those angsty high school feelings for me and not always in a great way. Huge props to the content warning page, which really conveyed the tone and themes of the book well.
I would recommend this book to people who want to learn more about the characters and world of Heartstopper and especially to those who appreciated the mental health conversation occurring in Heartstopper and wanted more of that.