Reviews

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

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heddas_bookgems's review against another edition

4.0

Tori Spring, a natural cynic, was leading a normal teenage life until everything changed. Now, she struggles to sleep and blogs to pass the time. Her life is further complicated when an online organization called Solitaire appears at her school, and Michael Holden suddenly wants to be her friend.

Alice Oseman, mostly known for her popular serie Heartstopper, first began her writing career with Solitaire. The novel has a darker theme and features characters that also appear in Heartstopper, taking place a year later after Heartstopper Volume 1.

As a fan of Heartstopper, I sought out Oseman's other works and was pleased with what I found. While the book may have a few beginner errors, it is still an enjoyable read. Tori is one of my favorite characters, and I love that she is a cynical girl who slurps her lemonade. Delving into her backstory was both humorous and intense. Tori might appear unaffected by the events of Heartstopper, this novel reveals that she secretly has a lot to deal with, including issues like self-harm, eating disorders, and dark thoughts.

Although the themes can be heavy, the novel maintains a light tone. Additionally, there are several cameos from Nick and Charlie, making it a great read for fans. Overall, Solitaire is a promising start, to what I hope, will be many more great works from Oseman.

chewbaccachowder's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ambeie's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ellierose23's review against another edition

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emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lolaschmola's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

maxxyye's review against another edition

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4.0

This was a good book that I really enjoyed because I've enjoyed Tori as a character since I first discovered Heartstopper back in 2016.

I really like the way we as the reader gets to experience and understand things from Tori's perspective and from her own personal understanding of things. Even though it is very clear that her perspective might not come from anything remotely similar to optimism.