cocoday's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5
i resiste SO MUCH to the academic pressure placed on Frances and Aled, i felt like i was back in school myself and ngl it didn’t feel good
i resiste SO MUCH to the academic pressure placed on Frances and Aled, i felt like i was back in school myself and ngl it didn’t feel good
reader_jenn's review against another edition
5.0
I actually didn't even mean to start reading this when I did. I was just going to sample the first page and read it later but like with Alice Oseman's previous book, I just couldn't put it down.
There's really something about her writing, her characters. I literally could not stop myself from reading more.
Nicely diverse, and very refreshing to read about these characters. But also extremely relatable.
I just loved everything about this book. I love how it centres around a platonic friendship but also involves a lot of characters Who Are Not Straight.
I just feel like I could read anything Alice writes and love it. She's brilliant.
There's really something about her writing, her characters. I literally could not stop myself from reading more.
Nicely diverse, and very refreshing to read about these characters. But also extremely relatable.
I just loved everything about this book. I love how it centres around a platonic friendship but also involves a lot of characters Who Are Not Straight.
I just feel like I could read anything Alice writes and love it. She's brilliant.
paperbackd's review against another edition
5.0
A heartwarming story of friendship and fandom from one of the U.K.’s most talented new voices. Radio Silence is the story of Frances Janvier, a study machine with one goal: Cambridge University. But when she meets Aled Last, the creator of her favourite podcast, she finds herself torn between being who she was and who she longs to be.
I’m always on the lookout for good contemporary realistic UKYA, but in recent years I’ve been disappointed by the books I’ve read by British authors; too often either the characters are Americanised, or the settings are so vague that they could be set anywhere, presumably so American readers aren’t put off by anything unfamiliar to them. Radio Silence is the first book I’ve read in a long time that actually feels British. Oseman’s characters speak and act like teenagers I know, and their small town reminds me of my own.
I also loved how diverse Radio Silence is. Of the five main characters, three are people of colour and four are LGBTQIAP. Radio Silence is proof that fiction can be richly diverse and still feel realistic - Frances and her friends feel like real British teenagers, not straight white cardboard cutouts. Speaking as someone on the asexual spectrum, I found Aled’s demisexuality especially well written. I’m so thankful to Oseman, not only for writing a demisexual character, but also for the thoughtful and non-judgemental way Aled’s coming out scene was handled. Oseman allows Aled to be open about his sexuality with his boyfriend - to say the word, not just vaguely hint at his feelings - and she takes the time to explain his sexuality (and asexuality in general) in easily accessible language for teenage readers who might not understand or even know about asexuality. I know that if I’d read Radio Silence as a teenager, it would have saved me a lot of years of worry and confusion.
At its heart, Radio Silence is about the relationship between Frances and Aled. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is one of my favourite fictional friendships of all time. There’s so much that I could praise Radio Silence for: Oseman’s wonderfully refreshing criticism of the academic pressure put on young people; her unfortunately accurate depiction of the harsh realities of internet fame; her gorgeous, almost poetic prose. But Frances’ unwavering loyalty towards her best friend is the highlight of the book, and it’s the reason I know I’ll definitely be reading more from Oseman in the future.
Many thanks to HarperTeen for providing a copy of Radio Silence. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. Radio Silence is available now in the U.K. and will be released in March 2017 in the U.S.
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 5 stars | ★★★★★
Review initially posted on Paperback'd Reviews
I’m always on the lookout for good contemporary realistic UKYA, but in recent years I’ve been disappointed by the books I’ve read by British authors; too often either the characters are Americanised, or the settings are so vague that they could be set anywhere, presumably so American readers aren’t put off by anything unfamiliar to them. Radio Silence is the first book I’ve read in a long time that actually feels British. Oseman’s characters speak and act like teenagers I know, and their small town reminds me of my own.
I also loved how diverse Radio Silence is. Of the five main characters, three are people of colour and four are LGBTQIAP. Radio Silence is proof that fiction can be richly diverse and still feel realistic - Frances and her friends feel like real British teenagers, not straight white cardboard cutouts. Speaking as someone on the asexual spectrum, I found Aled’s demisexuality especially well written. I’m so thankful to Oseman, not only for writing a demisexual character, but also for the thoughtful and non-judgemental way Aled’s coming out scene was handled. Oseman allows Aled to be open about his sexuality with his boyfriend - to say the word, not just vaguely hint at his feelings - and she takes the time to explain his sexuality (and asexuality in general) in easily accessible language for teenage readers who might not understand or even know about asexuality. I know that if I’d read Radio Silence as a teenager, it would have saved me a lot of years of worry and confusion.
At its heart, Radio Silence is about the relationship between Frances and Aled. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this is one of my favourite fictional friendships of all time. There’s so much that I could praise Radio Silence for: Oseman’s wonderfully refreshing criticism of the academic pressure put on young people; her unfortunately accurate depiction of the harsh realities of internet fame; her gorgeous, almost poetic prose. But Frances’ unwavering loyalty towards her best friend is the highlight of the book, and it’s the reason I know I’ll definitely be reading more from Oseman in the future.
Many thanks to HarperTeen for providing a copy of Radio Silence. The opinions expressed in this review are my own. Radio Silence is available now in the U.K. and will be released in March 2017 in the U.S.
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 5 stars | ★★★★★
Review initially posted on Paperback'd Reviews
aceofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
so so lovely. wonderful friendships and group dynamics and just ugh i’m in love.
the story felt disorganized at times, but that didn’t negatively impact my reading experience too much.
the story felt disorganized at times, but that didn’t negatively impact my reading experience too much.
sahrakoshin's review against another edition
4.0
Finished July 8th @9:07 P.M.
I really liked the beginning of this book, but as we got further and further into exploring Aled and his relationship with his mom and his relationship with university, it just felt a bit... idk, lacking. Like, the scene towards the end where Aled leaves with his mom and Frances screams this monologue felt tacky. And while I do hate Carol, I really felt like having her do some of the things that she did made her come off as the stereotypical mustache twirling villain. The relationships parents can have with their children is a very interesting subject, but this just felt cheap.
Anyways, that's the only real thing that I had an issue with. But I did really hate Frances at the end. Well... I didn't hate her, it's just, idk, some of the stuff she did was weird.
I really liked the beginning of this book, but as we got further and further into exploring Aled and his relationship with his mom and his relationship with university, it just felt a bit... idk, lacking. Like, the scene towards the end where Aled leaves with his mom and Frances screams this monologue felt tacky. And while I do hate Carol, I really felt like having her do some of the things that she did made her come off as the stereotypical mustache twirling villain. The relationships parents can have with their children is a very interesting subject, but this just felt cheap.
Anyways, that's the only real thing that I had an issue with. But I did really hate Frances at the end. Well... I didn't hate her, it's just, idk, some of the stuff she did was weird.
trishyfishy08's review against another edition
5.0
OH.
MY.
GOSH.
This book was everything. Cute, fluffy, deep, sad, and a whole bucket full of pain. This needs to be on my shelves ASAP. I demand it. I think this might be one of my favourite Alice Oseman books now. I also related a lot to the texts between Aled and Frances because it reminds me of the way I text one of my closest friends. But yeah. This book broke me as well as made me smile. I honestly didn't think it was possible for Alice's books to get any better than the ones I've already read and yet here we are. Beautiful book and I have been instructed by my friend to read Loveless immediately as a comfort to remove the pain that Radio Silence caused me :)
MY.
GOSH.
This book was everything. Cute, fluffy, deep, sad, and a whole bucket full of pain. This needs to be on my shelves ASAP. I demand it. I think this might be one of my favourite Alice Oseman books now. I also related a lot to the texts between Aled and Frances because it reminds me of the way I text one of my closest friends. But yeah. This book broke me as well as made me smile. I honestly didn't think it was possible for Alice's books to get any better than the ones I've already read and yet here we are. Beautiful book and I have been instructed by my friend to read Loveless immediately as a comfort to remove the pain that Radio Silence caused me :)
nadude's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nonsensicaljourney's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars!
This is one of those rare contemporary YA books where despite the fact that I am no longer a young adult, I was still genuinely intrigued by its themes. Rather than spending the book vaguely amused and entertained, as I normally do, I just wanted to keep listening to this audiobook. After a certain point, I was entirely hooked.
To start, the audiobook format was wonderful for this book - particularly because it included excerpts of Universe City, a podcast / YouTube show within the world of the book. The narrator was very good at creating distinction between characters in a way that characterised them all very well in my head.
This book is about Frances, a highly-achieving high school student working towards admission towards the very best universities in her senior year of school. It's also about Aled, her friend, and it's about Tumblr and the culture of the Internet. It was extremely refreshing (and a little scary) to read about a teenagehood so similar to mine, from a recent time.
The Tumblr references make it seem dated, but I think this book has enough good themes to actually stand the test of time. Radio Silence is about growing up and choosing what to do with your future - something which many highly-achieving high school students find agonising. It's about family, expectations, and what freedom really means. Even though these are high-school themes, my 24-year-old self still felt like I learned something from the way Oseman presented this story.
Not only this, I was captivated by the characters - they were extremely well-fleshed-out and felt alive to me. This is what kept me going at first, but I'm glad I stayed for the themes. By the end of the book, I was pondering my own life choices, but for the rest of it I was just very entertained by the characters' evolving relationships.
It's a bit of a high-school drama, which is probably the most understandable reason to not like this book. But if you're looking for a modern YA book which really hits a bunch of themes right on the head, look no further.
This is one of those rare contemporary YA books where despite the fact that I am no longer a young adult, I was still genuinely intrigued by its themes. Rather than spending the book vaguely amused and entertained, as I normally do, I just wanted to keep listening to this audiobook. After a certain point, I was entirely hooked.
To start, the audiobook format was wonderful for this book - particularly because it included excerpts of Universe City, a podcast / YouTube show within the world of the book. The narrator was very good at creating distinction between characters in a way that characterised them all very well in my head.
This book is about Frances, a highly-achieving high school student working towards admission towards the very best universities in her senior year of school. It's also about Aled, her friend, and it's about Tumblr and the culture of the Internet. It was extremely refreshing (and a little scary) to read about a teenagehood so similar to mine, from a recent time.
The Tumblr references make it seem dated, but I think this book has enough good themes to actually stand the test of time. Radio Silence is about growing up and choosing what to do with your future - something which many highly-achieving high school students find agonising. It's about family, expectations, and what freedom really means. Even though these are high-school themes, my 24-year-old self still felt like I learned something from the way Oseman presented this story.
Not only this, I was captivated by the characters - they were extremely well-fleshed-out and felt alive to me. This is what kept me going at first, but I'm glad I stayed for the themes. By the end of the book, I was pondering my own life choices, but for the rest of it I was just very entertained by the characters' evolving relationships.
It's a bit of a high-school drama, which is probably the most understandable reason to not like this book. But if you're looking for a modern YA book which really hits a bunch of themes right on the head, look no further.
cupcates's review against another edition
4.0
HOLY HELL. RTC but Alice Osman has done it again: she wrote another one of my all-time favorite books.