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A review by erinelisez
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
5.0
This is one of my absolute favorite books. Every time I read it I seem to connect with a different part of it. Maybe that it’s just coincidental timing, or maybe Alice is just that good an author. Whichever one it is (probably the latter), this book means so much to me.
My first time reading it was right before the majority of my close friends were leaving for college, while I still had a year left of high school, so I felt connected to Frances’ fears about Aled leaving her and forgetting her.
My second time reading it was right as I was beginning college. Not only were the rest of my friends leaving, but I was stuck behind going to community college, not knowing what my future was or what I was supposed to do, and feeling lost.
This reread was right in the midst of finals for what has been my most difficult semester of college yet. Seeing Aled struggling so much with university and feeling stuck resonated with me. That feeling of not being good enough and not being right for school.
On a less personal note, I just love Alice’s writing so much. I don’t usually like books that are written in first person and I find references to social media and pop culture rather cringey, but somehow Alice just does it right. The pop culture and social media references don’t feel awkward and don’t pull you out of the book because they are so imbedded into the characters and what is important to them. The inclusion of tumblr, twitter, and fandoms is such an essential part of the book, since they serve as a portrayal of the effect of Universe City and they serve a bigger role in the plot itself.
The writing is simple, not too flowery, but I think that works for this book. It makes it all the more special when there’s excerpts from Universe City or a particularly impactful line. There is also a definite aura weaved through this book. It feels very dark blue and purple, and those colors are mentioned through out the book, specifically dark blue. I noticed it so much that half way through I took to underlining each time I saw it. The colors incorporated in the writing create such a cohesive feeling.
Also, I absolutely love how Alice weaves in little references to her other books, like in the prologue how they see Higgs School burning down. I noticed Nick and Charlie made a small appearance (not mentioned by name but very easy to spot if you are familiar with them), and two references to Charlie (also not directly named). These made me especially happy as I just finished rereading Heartstopper and watching the new show. I just love that Alice’s books are all in the same universe (the “Osemanverse” if you will) and how she brings aspects of the books into each other.
I just love Radio Silence and Alice Oseman so much :’)
4/29/22
My first time reading it was right before the majority of my close friends were leaving for college, while I still had a year left of high school, so I felt connected to Frances’ fears about Aled leaving her and forgetting her.
My second time reading it was right as I was beginning college. Not only were the rest of my friends leaving, but I was stuck behind going to community college, not knowing what my future was or what I was supposed to do, and feeling lost.
This reread was right in the midst of finals for what has been my most difficult semester of college yet. Seeing Aled struggling so much with university and feeling stuck resonated with me. That feeling of not being good enough and not being right for school.
On a less personal note, I just love Alice’s writing so much. I don’t usually like books that are written in first person and I find references to social media and pop culture rather cringey, but somehow Alice just does it right. The pop culture and social media references don’t feel awkward and don’t pull you out of the book because they are so imbedded into the characters and what is important to them. The inclusion of tumblr, twitter, and fandoms is such an essential part of the book, since they serve as a portrayal of the effect of Universe City and they serve a bigger role in the plot itself.
The writing is simple, not too flowery, but I think that works for this book. It makes it all the more special when there’s excerpts from Universe City or a particularly impactful line. There is also a definite aura weaved through this book. It feels very dark blue and purple, and those colors are mentioned through out the book, specifically dark blue. I noticed it so much that half way through I took to underlining each time I saw it. The colors incorporated in the writing create such a cohesive feeling.
Also, I absolutely love how Alice weaves in little references to her other books, like in the prologue how they see Higgs School burning down. I noticed Nick and Charlie made a small appearance (not mentioned by name but very easy to spot if you are familiar with them), and two references to Charlie (also not directly named). These made me especially happy as I just finished rereading Heartstopper and watching the new show. I just love that Alice’s books are all in the same universe (the “Osemanverse” if you will) and how she brings aspects of the books into each other.
I just love Radio Silence and Alice Oseman so much :’)
4/29/22