Heartstopper

by Alice Oseman
volume one (released as a graphic novel)

Charlie and Nick are two characters from Oseman’s debut YA novel, Solitaire. This graphic novel, the first in a series and also illustrated by Oseman, shows the beginnings of their romance, and it’s so freaking cute I could hardly stand it.

Oseman hits all the right beats of a high school romance, but it doesn’t feel like a recycled high school romance story that switched some names and pronouns and poof! LGBTQ storyline. It’s just the opposite. Charlie and Nick are full characters, and each have their own arcs when it comes to their sexuality. Nick came out in year 9 of their all boys school, was intensely bullied, and is now popular – but still the only queer kid at school. Charlie thought he liked girls….until he meets Nick. The two navigate peer pressure, school parties, friendships, and emotional conversations over text – while becoming closer to each other. Oseman’s pacing knocks it out of the park as we get to know Nick and Charlie separately as well as their dynamic (and chemistry) with each other, which feels authentic and real.

Even though the book is in a muted blue color palette, Oseman’s art is still beautiful. She does a fantastic job with facial expressions – especially Nick’s head over heels looks for Charlie – and I love how she uses emojis in place of text at times, and sometimes using smaller versions of character’s heads to indicate who’s talking. And there are several wordless pages – Charlie asking Google some important questions, for example – that are beautifully carried by the art alone. Her lettering is a very casual, handwritten typeface, that certainly relates to the setting and its characters.

The only thing missing for me in this book was a bit more attention to the secondary characters – specifically, Nick’s sister Tori and his best friend Tao. We also barely see their parents in this opening volume – who certainly don’t have to be front stage, but it feels a bit strange for us to be missing that parent/teen dynamic. Hopefully we’ll see these other secondary characters shine more in future volumes.

I also needed this book to be longer. The volume ends on a cliffhanger – how could you do this to me, Oseman?! – so if you enjoy Heartstopper as much as I did (and you should!) be sure to have volume two on hand. I’m so thrilled to keep finding wonderful LGBTQ books that only try to be great LGBTQ romance stories, especially in the YA section. I’m excited for volume two.