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A review by actuallyjusthanne
Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I have been meaning to start reading this series for AGES now but was intimidated by it being a graphic novel and not being sure whether I would like a book in that format. Turns out, it's not a big deal at all: the story was remarkably easy to get into and the book was so quick to read! I see the hype around this series now and am excited to read more of it.
The messaging of the story was immediately more deep than I expected, tackling subjects like homophobia, coming out, bullying, and taking advantage of people, nearly straight off the bat. Those topics are discussed immediately alongside introducing the characters, and the whole thing is integrated in a very natural and normal way. There wasn't a ton of ground covered: it's a rather short book and there isn't all that much that can be covered over illustrations, but I thought it was a good introduction to the main characters and set up for more of their story.
With that being said, the illustration style is so cute, and I LOVE the way that Nellie the dog is drawn! I'm impressed by how easy it was to tell the different characters apart, and by how intuitive the story was to follow (which, admittedly, was mostly due to my own inexperience in reading graphic novels). I love both Nick and Charlie, and watching their friendship develop over the course of the book was SO cute.
I'm excited to read more of this series!
The messaging of the story was immediately more deep than I expected, tackling subjects like homophobia, coming out, bullying, and taking advantage of people, nearly straight off the bat. Those topics are discussed immediately alongside introducing the characters, and the whole thing is integrated in a very natural and normal way. There wasn't a ton of ground covered: it's a rather short book and there isn't all that much that can be covered over illustrations, but I thought it was a good introduction to the main characters and set up for more of their story.
With that being said, the illustration style is so cute, and I LOVE the way that Nellie the dog is drawn! I'm impressed by how easy it was to tell the different characters apart, and by how intuitive the story was to follow (which, admittedly, was mostly due to my own inexperience in reading graphic novels). I love both Nick and Charlie, and watching their friendship develop over the course of the book was SO cute.
I'm excited to read more of this series!