Reviews with content warning for Dysphoria - Heartstopper - Volume 5

In the long awaited volume five of this heartfelt, wholesome and heartwarming graphic novel series, we see Nick and Charlie tackling a few themes that I think will be very relatable to the upper YA audience.

A predominant theme of the book is the pair navigating their readiness to have sex, so this is something to be aware of if you have younger readers. I know that this series is super popular with tweens as well as teens. I personally think it's handled very well and very age-appropriately. Things like doing it in a safe environment, communicating, being sure everyone feels ready, using protection, and what "counts" as sex are all covered. Of course there is nothing graphic on-page but there is definitely a lot of overt discussion on these topics.

A lot of people will excuse straight out smut in YA with "well teenagers are having sex, you know!!" but personally I think this book is a perfect example of a healthy way to include sexual content in books for teens. It really tackles it at a teen level, from the mixture of nervousness and eagerness, to dealing with the expectations of others and the definition of what even counts as sex, especially in the context of queer relationships. As with all of these novels, the issues are explored in a really healthy, wholesome way with an emphasis on communication and honouring everyone's comfort level and taking things at your own pace, and I think this is the absolute ideal way for teens to encounter these topics.

My 12 year old adores these books and I do think I would let her read this, there's nothing in it that's so explicit that I would hold it back from her. I will probably just warn her that it's heavy on the topic of sex and let her decide. I don't think there's anything here that wouldn't be covered the average health class discussion and as I say, the wholesome approach is probably a good, safe way to explore these topics.

Another theme covered is the fact that Nick is choosing which University to go to, and the idea that although Nick and Charlie love each other, they also need to be able to figure out who they are as people independent of each other rather than lean on codependency. I really liked the way this was done, I think it was empowering and showed that in a healthy relationship, you can have a strong sense of your own self and be supported in developing that and still be loved.

There was a little bit of Charlie's eating disorder and body dysmorphia mentioned, not too heavily, and he's the road to recovery. I think his feelings of insecurity and anxiety about his appearance will be relatable to the age group.

Overall the themes are probably a bit older than the first three volumes as Nick and Charlie get older themselves, which is just something to be aware of if you're an adult recommending the books to a younger audience. I do think it's all dealt with very nicely. I love the healthy and wholesome way these books cover a range of thorny topics and the way they portray healthy, loving relationships (and not just the romantic ones). A gorgeous series and I'll be sad when it ends!

Content Warnings