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A review by bookishfoxes
Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
As always, Alice Oseman is an incredibly talented artist, shocking me with how beautiful someone can draw.
Story wise... I don't know whether it's me getting older (started the Heartsopper series when I was 16 or 17, now I'm 20) or if it really is this volume, but I didn't feel the magical feeling I had in the earlier installments. The excitment to keep going was missing for me and I even took some breaks reading because I wasn't really that into the story. I felt like not much happened and it was mostly to just fill in between volume 4 and 6.
Maybe it doesn't help that the older I get, the less serious I can take teenage relationships. (Charlie is 15 at the start, how many people actually stay with their partner at 15? But, I get it, its fiction). High school related problems feel silly to me now that I've been out of it for two years. But that's mostly just me aging out of the younger part of YA - which makes me sad because YA has so much amazing sounding books I want to read. (With this I mean things like curfew and homework etc. Not the important issues like ED, anxiety, homophobia, etc.)
I still think Heartstopper is a very important series and I am glad that it exists. Even if I'm falling out of love with it, it's got awesome representation and I'll keep recommending it.
Story wise... I don't know whether it's me getting older (started the Heartsopper series when I was 16 or 17, now I'm 20) or if it really is this volume, but I didn't feel the magical feeling I had in the earlier installments. The excitment to keep going was missing for me and I even took some breaks reading because I wasn't really that into the story. I felt like not much happened and it was mostly to just fill in between volume 4 and 6.
Maybe it doesn't help that the older I get, the less serious I can take teenage relationships. (Charlie is 15 at the start, how many people actually stay with their partner at 15? But, I get it, its fiction). High school related problems feel silly to me now that I've been out of it for two years. But that's mostly just me aging out of the younger part of YA - which makes me sad because YA has so much amazing sounding books I want to read. (With this I mean things like curfew and homework etc. Not the important issues like ED, anxiety, homophobia, etc.)
I still think Heartstopper is a very important series and I am glad that it exists. Even if I'm falling out of love with it, it's got awesome representation and I'll keep recommending it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Homophobia, Eating disorder, and Sexual content
Minor: Self harm and Physical abuse