Title: Heartstopper Volume One
Author: Alice Oseman
Series: Heartstopper
Publish Date: May 5, 2020 (Originally published in October 2018)
Publisher: Graphix (Originally Self Published)
Format: Print, Paperback, Graphic Novel
Goodreads Summary:
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn't think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.
Review: I have spent years hearing about Heartstopper. No, that is not an exaggeration. I remember when it launched and gained popularity on Tumblr. And I never touched it.
And wow do I regret that.
Heartstopper tells the story of Nick and Charlie, two boys at Truham Grammar School for Boys. Nick is out, but very shy, mostly stemming from being bullied for his sexuality in Year Nine, though that has stopped by Year Ten. Charlie is a rugby player that never questioned his sexuality, until he grew close to Nick. They meet… and things happen. No spoilers for the five year old comic, yo.
I was pleasantly surprised that I fell in love with Heartstopper for almost the first page. The art style isn’t something that I normally go for, but here it works. Also, I usually have trouble with text that isn’t typed, but the handwritten words are clear, and it fits the story. The story in this first volume is told at a believable pace, not too fast, but also not excessively slow. There’s a range of characters beyond Nick and Charlie, including a dog (which automatically makes me love it more.
This is absolutely a series I’m going to continue reading in the future.
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads Goal 5/52
