Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Charlie, a highly-strung, openly gay over-thinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, meet at a British all-boys grammar school. Friendship blooms quickly, but could there be something more…?

Charlie Spring is in Year 10 at Truham Grammar School for Boys. The past year hasn’t been too great, but at least he’s not being bullied anymore. Nick Nelson is in Year 11 and on the school rugby team. He’s heard a little about Charlie – the kid who was outed last year and bullied for a few months – but he’s never had the opportunity to talk to him.

They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and sometimes good things are waiting just around the corner…

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For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Diversity Reading Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

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The Reason

I was looking for a quick read and the books were available on Libby. I didn’t expect to love them so much but I just blew right through all of them and it might be my favorite thing in the whole world!

The Quotes

“You can’t tell whether people are gay by what they look like. And gay or straight aren’t the only two options.”

“There’s this idea that if you’re not straight, you HAVE to tell all your family and friends immediately, like you owe it to them. But you don’t. You don’t have to do anything until you’re ready.”

“We reached the point where we knew that whatever people said or thought about us, we knew who we were. And we loved ourselves anyway.”

The TV Show

There’s also a TV show based off the graphic novels and I love it! The cast is amazing; I love their chemistry and how everything just sizzles on screen!

My Thoughts

I don’t read a lot of graphic novels and I didn’t think I’d be interested in these books at all because they were about teenage romance and I’m way past that stage. I do still read fantasy YA because of the fantasy/adventure elements, and I used to love contemporary YA but haven’t been able to relate in years. So it was such a wonderful surprise to read these and realize how much I love them! Nick and Charlie has become one of my favorite fictional couples ever, if not *the* ultimate favorite. They are the cutest and I can’t stop shipping them! This is one of the most wholesome stories ever and it brings me so much joy!

My Feels

All the feels! All the joy! All the wholesomeness, all the cuteness, these books are everything! It’s such a feel-good, happy, heartwarming, cute aggressive, lovely and loving story! I feel like everything in the world could be going wrong, but I could read about Nick and Charlie, and the whole world would be alright again. They are everything good in this world, and we must protect them at all costs!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this series? Would you read it or watch the show? Did you like it or do you think you would like it?