Michelle F., Glen Burnie High School
Heartstopper is an ongoing graphic novel series. The front cover says, “Boy Meets Boy,” and that is a great way to describe the book. It is about two boys, Nick and Charlie, and all their small stories that make up something bigger. You see them grow from friends to something more in a very realistic way. You see both characters find themselves and all things that go into being in a relationship as the book goes on.
The book can appeal to anyone, and while it has LGBTQ characters, it has great themes, and everyone can learn something while enjoying the book. It has themes like friendship, love, mental illness, bullying, coming out, life, finding joy, and overall, many things’ teens can relate to. I enjoyed the book, and the artwork was great too. Some things I enjoyed were you really love the characters, the pacing of the book was nice, and seeing the growth in between the characters.
One thing I will say is that although the book was cute and sweet you shouldn't forget there are some things people may find triggering to read like in volume 1 there is a reference to an emotionally abusive relationship, one non-consensual incident, and homophobic slurs. There are other mature themes in other volumes so readers should be ready for that. Overall, this book was really great and hope people choose to pick this up.
Click here to check out Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.