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A review by micaaaahh
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
up until the very last minute of this audiobook, i was struggling to decide how i felt about it. i love alice oseman’s work. the first book i read of hers was radio silence which i thoroughly enjoyed and rated 5 stars. and then of course i read the heartstopper graphic novels which are also 5 star reads for me.
while im still not too sure how exactly i feel about solitaire, i think the fact i this is the case means its definitely not a 5 star read for me. which is okay because i did still enjoy it! because of my fondness of heartstopper, i liked how charlie still had an important role to play in the novel in tori’s character arc. i also did love michael as a character and i think the way his and tori’s relationship was very engaging – albeit a little frustrating at times but ultimately rewarding. becky’s character did annoy me and although she kinda got a redemption (a pretty funny one at that) idk it didn’t feel like enough for the level of betrayal that took place.
the ending was buck wild tbh, but i guess the whole concept of solitaire was to begin with (it being lucas was not surprising at all though). i think the main problem for me was that tori’s character just doesn’t feel as grounded oseman’s other protagonists. sometimes the things she would say just felt so “im not like other girls” but then again this is a teenage girl so perhaps thats on purpose.
however all that being said, i do think that at the centre of this book is a story about friendship and love and being able to accept those things despite not thinking one deserves it, and that is a very beautiful and important message.
while im still not too sure how exactly i feel about solitaire, i think the fact i this is the case means its definitely not a 5 star read for me. which is okay because i did still enjoy it! because of my fondness of heartstopper, i liked how charlie still had an important role to play in the novel in tori’s character arc. i also did love michael as a character and i think the way his and tori’s relationship was very engaging – albeit a little frustrating at times but ultimately rewarding. becky’s character did annoy me and although she kinda got a redemption (a pretty funny one at that) idk it didn’t feel like enough for the level of betrayal that took place.
the ending was buck wild tbh, but i guess the whole concept of solitaire was to begin with (it being lucas was not surprising at all though). i think the main problem for me was that tori’s character just doesn’t feel as grounded oseman’s other protagonists. sometimes the things she would say just felt so “im not like other girls” but then again this is a teenage girl so perhaps thats on purpose.
however all that being said, i do think that at the centre of this book is a story about friendship and love and being able to accept those things despite not thinking one deserves it, and that is a very beautiful and important message.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, and Self harm