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Heartstopper: Volume One
by Alice Oseman
Genre: Romance, Graphic Novel
Emilee's Rating: ★★★★★
Spoiler Warning Ahead!
Charlie and Nick meet at their all boys high school when assigned to sit next to one another. Charlie is sensitive and an over thinker while Nick, a year older, is cheerful and indulgent. A great friendship forms and soon, Charlie falls hard for Nick, even though he suspects he has no chance.
This book is literally the cutest thing I have ever read. I heard about it on TikTok over the summer but didn't get to reading it until the well-deserved hype was over. There's nothing super deep or crazy about the book, it's just a cute romance, which I’m absolutely fine with. I love to have a simple easy read sometimes and this was exactly that. It’s a really quick read too because it's a graphic novel. The drawings are also so adorable and I love them very much.
My favorite characters would obviously be Nick and Charlie. Their relationship is the perfect example of the friends to lovers trope. And, their high school experience is something that can be relatable to pretty much anyone, no matter your sexuality. I think this is why teenagers of all sexualities enjoyed the book so much. Of course, the book was especially relatable to those in the LGBTQ+ community as many considered it great representation. The book was even given a Netflix adaptation of the same name. Many considered to show to be even better representation considering it was directed by a gay man and the series was written by a woman. Regardless, everyone, including myself, thinks the book is great and I’m really excited to watch the TV show once I finish the entire series.
