A review by emily_m_green
Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman

emotional lighthearted 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? No

5.0

Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper is a really, really cute and sweet graphic novel about high school romance. Charlie Spring had a difficult last school year—when he confided in a few classmates that he was gay, they outed him and the bullying started. While this year the bullying has quieted, he’s not always comfortable at school. 

Nick is a popular, straight, rugby player who quickly warms up to Charlie when they sit next to each other in class. Soon, Nick invites Charlie to join the rugby team and they start hanging out outside of school. Their friendship gets friendlier and friendlier as Charlie begins to wonder if his crush on Nick is being reciprocated.

The book is full of sweet moments, like Nick teaching Charlie to play rugby. Their friendship is supportive and kind. Nick is a genuinely kind person who gets tired of the social nonsense of high school. Charlie is creative and driven, doing everything with all his heart.

Would I teach this book? Heartstopper (and this is only volume one--I have not yet read the other volumes) gives the constant feeling of saying “Awww! So cute!” It is wholesome and promotes positive morals, like kindness and giving people who seem different a chance. In a graphic writing class, it would serve as a nice foil to other more intense or darker works. Both Charlie and Nick are so adorable, you cannot help but to root for them and their story. Heartstopper is a great lesson in creating incredibly likable characters without being sappy or sentimental. Read it. Teach it. Enjoy!