A review by beckyyreadss
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.0

I wanted to read this book because I've been loving Alice Oseman - I wanted to read more about the other people that Alice has wrote about and I was excited to read about Aled. From what we’ve seen in the comics he is a very shy and timid person and I wanted to know more about him.  

Even though Aled is in this book, it’s based on Frances Janvier, and she has spent most of her time studying. She has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way, not friends, not a guilty secret and not even the person she is on the inside. This all changes when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken. She is caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. She is now suffocating with guilt, she knows that she must confront her past, she must confess why Carys disappeared. Meanwhile at Uni, Aled is alone and fighting even darker secrets. It's only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness. Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.  

I adored all of these characters in this book (expect Carol Last, she can fuck off entirely). I wanted to hug most of these characters and tell them that things would get better once they left University, but I'm not gonna lie – being in your twenties absolutely sucks just as much as being in high school and university does. This book had a strong storyline and makes everyone depending on your situation and sexuality feel seen. Not a lot of books and authors can do that, but Alice seems to want to sucker-punch every time I read one of her books. It makes me feel like they are in my brain and writing exactly how I'm feeling at this moment.  

I struggled with the podcasts and the Tumblr side of it, because I don’t really listen to podcasts, and I don’t use Tumblr. This book can be hard-hitting so please check trigger warnings before you read this book, due to controlling and abusing parents and academic pressure.  

I'm really excited to read more of Alice’s work including I Was Born for This and Loveless, even if it will break my heart.  
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