#alice oseman made me come back to tumblr
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i hope somebody is listening
#radio silence#aled last#alice oseman#osemanverse#fanart#illustration#im not good at tags#alice oseman made me come back to tumblr
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All 50 books I read in 2022, why I read them, and if I'd recommend them
Notes:
F = Finnish, i.e. the book was either written in Finnish or was translated into Finnish.
3 titles have been redacted bcos they're uhh self-help type books and I don't want you guys to know what I've needed help with.
Jeanne DuPrau - The City of Ember
I wanted to start the year off with an old favourite. Literally this was my fave book when I was 10 years old, and the one that got me into sci-fi.
Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games trilogy
I think I saw a tumblr analysis post about these that made me want to re-read the series (and also, I was digging through my old books anyway). I think I liked these more now than I did ten years ago.
Kate DiCamillo - Because of Winn-Dixie
Another one from the pile of Books I Used To Love Many Years Ago. This one still holds up for sure, would recommend and not just to children.
Charlotte McConaghy - Migrations
Someone I follow online (an influencer!) recommended a different book by this author, but I found this one first and figured what the hell. It is a good book. It is a well-written book. But also as I was reading through every bad thing that had ever happened to the main character I kind of wanted to be like "isn't this enough? isn't is possible to write an interesting character without giving them every kind of trauma on the planet?".
redacted, (non-fiction)
A self-help book someone recommended in some Twitter replies, that happened to be on the audiobook service I was subscribed to for a couple of months. The advice in the book was very good but it didn't stick.
Rebekah Taussig - Sitting Pretty (non-fiction)
I don't remember how I came across this (it was also on the audiobook platform) but I'm so so glad I did. I don't just recommend this, I am physically coming to your house and making you read this book.
Alice Oseman - Solitaire
Final audiobook, listened to because I watched Heartstopper and figured I should see what Alice Oseman's works are about. I recommend this, if you don't mind a million Harry Potter references, mainly because I need the plot of this book to happen in the background of Heartstopper season 2 and I want people to understand.
Noora Tuhkanen - Kuuraattori (F)
I got (back) into poetry this year after attending a poetry open mic at my local library, and I decided I should read some poetry in Finnish. This one was alright.
Pauliina Haasjoki - Planeetta (F)
See above re: poetry. This one was actually on the librarian recommendations shelf and I only saw it as I was leaving the library, but the cover caught my attention so I went back for it. Glad I did; this is my favourite Finnish poetry I've read so far. A recommendation.
Jane Austen - Persuasion
I read this one fairly often anyway, but this year it coincided with the release of the trailer for the Netflix adaptation. Now that I'm writing this I'm thinking about The Letter so hard I might have to make this my first re-read of 2023. A definite recommendation.
Emmi Itäranta - Kuunpäivän kirjeet (F)
I bought this one ages ago because I will love and support anything Emmi Itäranta writes, but then I noticed it came out in the UK and I recommended it to a friend and immediately went "oh shit I should probably read it myself" so I read it really quickly and am pleased to say I didn't have to take back the recommendation. The best book Itäranta has written so far, if you're not from Finland please look up The Moonday Letters, this is probably in my top 3 books I've read all year. (Yeah, I recommend this.)
Eila Kaustia - Aikamerkki (F)
Poetry, Finnish, I was over at my grandma's for midsummer and it was on a bookshelf. I remember nothing about it, but I must have enjoyed it.
Jonathan Safran Foer - We Are the Weather (F translation, non-fiction)
I follow people online who are in what might be called the climate circles, heard good things about this one, read it, remember very little of it.
Bethany Clift - Last One at the Party
I've long had a thing for books in the "almost everyone in the world dies" genre (god knows why), but this wasn't it. Not bad, not the worst in the genre, but… could the sole survivor of the virus not have been a more interesting person, at least?
Mary Jean Chan & Andrew McMillan (ed.) - 100 Queer Poems
I feel like the title is explanation enough for why I bought this book. What more do you need to know? It's fuckin fantastic. I keep it on my bedside table and hug it occasionally. Would recommend.
Emily M. Danforth - Plain Bad Heroines
My local library has a section of books in English, and this one was in there with a rainbow flag sticker on the spine. Not sure how I feel about it, I mostly liked it but some parts made me go "uhh what the fuck". The writing itself was really good, though. I recommend it if you don't mind Weird Shit with your lesbian hauntings.
Dave Wolverton - The Rising Force
This one's a Star Wars book. About a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Target audience: 9-y.o. boys (see: my brother when this book was bought for him) and me.
Mary Oliver - Blue Horses
This was a gift from a dear friend, and I treasure it almost as much as I treasure our friendship (a lot). Would recommend, both reading Mary Oliver and having friends.
Sini Helminen - Hurme (F)
This was one of my NaNoWriMo prep research books. I ventured into my library's YA section for this, to find Finnish fantasy books. I find it hard to rate this, considering it's in a genre I don't tend to read.
Elina Rouhiainen - Muistojenlukija (F)
More NaNoWriMo prep reading. I liked this more than I did Hurme, and wasn't even too distracted reading about the area of Helsinki where I'm from (fuck yeah Vuosaari). But again, it's not this book's fault, but fantasy YA just isn't for me.
Erin Sterling - The Ex Hex
NaNoWriMo prep reading of a different sort, this time a witchy romance. Felt a bit meh.
Ursula K. Le Guin - The Word for World is Forest
I'm a simple man: I see a Le Guin book, I read it. Obviously I would recommend this.
Ann Aguirre - Witch Please
Back to NaNoWriMo prep reading. Here's the thing: I read some questionable books in 2022. This was the worst. You may ask me why I hated it, but only if you want to hear a very long rant.
[redacted] (non-fiction)
A Humble Bundle book.
Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre
NaNoWriMo prep reading, again, this time taking the gothic romance approach. It's nicely written, and a classic for a reason, I guess.
Ryan O'Connell - Just By Looking at Him
Actually looked at my Bookbub email for the first time in years and this was in there! I loved Ryan O'Connell's Netflix show, Special, and I loved this book. I don't love what it did to my Google Play Books recommendations because it was marked as erotica. But I do recommend this book.
Remi Carrington - Wrangled by Lilith
Another Bookbub find, this one might even have been free. I saw the words "cowboy romance" and was somewhat disappointed.
Autokoulun oppikirja (F, non-fiction)
So I went to driving school, and this was the textbook I used for the written test. I guess I'd recommend it if you were learning to drive in Finland. The "what not to do" pictures were entertaining, so bonus points for that.
Claudia Burgoa & Grahame Claire - Holiday With You
Bookbub, free, Christmas romance. One of the better romance novels I read this year.
Ellie Cahill - I Temporarily Do
Bookbub, free, fake marriage trope. Also a pretty fun read.
CP Ward - Autumn in Sycamore Park
Bookbub, free, had a fun time with it.
Ashley Poston - The Dead Romantics
Bookbub, cheap, ghost romance. I liked it enough that I think I did recommend it to someone, and certainly enough that I was horrified when I saw it in a bookstore on the "tiktok made me buy it" shelf. I'd say this is my favourite booktok book I read.
Tamsyn Muir - Gideon the Ninth
This book was first marketed to me by a friend whose taste I do not trust (see "The Flatshare" and "Red, White & Royal Blue") as "sword lesbians in space" which obviously piqued my interest. Also, people on the internet who I don't see talking about books have been talking about this series for ages. And finally, I came across it at my local library. You guys were right, this is really good, and yes I would recommend it.
Sophie Ranald - No We Can't Be Friends
Bookbub, cheap (free?). Eh.
Rebecca Crowley - Shine a Light
Bookbub, cheap (free?). A holiday romance, set not at Christmas, but at Hanukkah. Obviously I'm reading it. And unlike many of the romance novels on my list this year: I would genuinely recommend this one if you enjoy the genre.
Emily M. Danforth - The Miseducation of Cameron Post
I guess I did like Danforth's Plain Bad Heroines enough that when I saw this in the YA section of the library I took it home. Not the most exciting book I've ever read, but fine.
Ali Hazelwood - The Love Hypothesis
The first time I saw this on the "tiktok made me buy it" shelf at the bookstore, I was curious as someone whose interests include romance and academia, but who got burned by a book about those a few years back. Then I heard it was originally a Reylo fic, and I knew I had to read it. Bookbub came through for me, I paid a euro, and… well, it's not the worst book I've read all year. I wouldn't recommend it, but I did have fun with it.
Anni Nupponen - Valkoinen kaupunki (F)
Of the books in my library's tiny sci-fi section, this one seemed the most promising out of the ones I hadn't read before, and it turned out to be So Good. The world-building was amazing. Unfortunately most of you will have to take my word for it because this book has not been translated into any other languages, sorry.
Diana Wynne Jones - Howl's Moving Castle (F translation)
The movie adaptation was my comfort watch of 2020, and this book my comfort read of the same year. I don't remember what made me think of it, but I got it out the library once more. Lovely book, what more can I say? Also, the translation is really good - I'm annoying and picky about translations but this one worked. Would therefore recommend both the book and the translation.
Mary Oliver - Swan & A Thousand Mornings (both F translation)
Well. I read these because I adore Mary Oliver (we know this) and I needed lines from poems I liked for a poetry class assignment. I would recommend the poems but not the translations.
Tiina Tuppurainen - Sinä olet perheeni (F)
I heard the author speak at a Pride event and I was curious about this book as a queer Finn. I very much wanted to like this book. I did not.
Ashlyn Kane & Morgan James - Winging It
Another cheap Bookbub find. As someone who has spent a lot of time reading a lot of Check, Please! fanfiction, what was I supposed to do, not read the gay ice hockey romance? I'd recommend it if you would like the experience of reading Check, Please! fanfiction except with different characters, but it doesn't really have much more to offer.
[redacted], non-fiction
Another Humble Bundle book.
Shirley Jackson - The Lottery and Other Stories
I've read and loved two of Shirley Jackson's novels, and I figured I would love her short stories just as much. I almost did. I think I just didn't "get" some of the stories which is really a me problem.
Beth O'Leary - The Flatshare
A pal recommended this, and I read the Finnish translation a couple of years ago, and I read it again because it came up for like 1€ on Bookbub and I remembered thinking it was okay. It's a fun concept, but a fun concept does not a brilliant book make. My 2020 self was right: it was okay.
Connie Willis - Doomsday Book
I bought this in like, 2015 or 2016, when my method for selecting a book was "as long as it's sci-fi written by a woman" (which is something I still do in bookstores). It's set around Christmas, so I have a tradition of reading it around then, going so far as to buy the ebook copy because my physical copy is with my brother. I would absolutely recommend this book, but not without content warnings.
Casey McQuiston - Red, White & Royal Blue
A friend (see above re: The Flatshare) actually recommended this to me back when it came out, so I was curious about it, and another friend read it and said they hated it. This second friend lent it to me with the words "I'd tell you to enjoy, but I don't think we can be friends if you do" and I'm happy to say I wouldn't recommend this book. It's a fun read, but it isn't good.
#phew this accidentally posted early ANYWAY#here enjoy this post where i justify my reading choices instead of reviewing them properly
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ON HEARTSTOPPER
Ever since the show's release, there are memes going around on Twitter, with queer people assigning a piece of LGBTQ+ media they grew up with as their Heartstopper. Luckily for me, and for other queer kids and teenagers, my Heartstopper is, well, Heartstopper.
The comic was first published on Tumblr back in 2016 but the characters of Nick and Charlie were much, much older, appearing in Alice Oseman's debut YA novel Solitaire. I didn't know why and how I stumbled upon Heartstopper, but I have been reading a lot of LGBTQ-themed young adult novels at that point and my then-newfound love of graphic novels was already introduced by N.D. Stevenson's Nimona. It had a lot of things that appealed to me – teenage kids, a sensetive look at queerness, fast-paced plot and dialogue – and so I downloaded it and read it. It was a moment of a lifetime.
By then, I probably never realized that it was integral to my discovery of my identity. I was only at Volume 1, just a short narrative of Nick and Charlie's friendship until they inevitably kissed at the end. But it made me feel warm and happy. I never really knew exactly when I started reading it. I looked through the downloaded files on my phone and discovered I saved the first volume just a week before my fifteenth birthday.
At that point, I was starting to come to terms with the fact that I liked girls. I had a crush on this girl a year or so before I started reading Heartstopper, but I never realized what the feeling was until the new school year came. It was terrifying – it kept me up at night, it made me wonder if the signs have been there all along, it made me realize that the fluttering heat in your stomach and the sheer willingness to make your friend happy are not normal experiences of a stone-cold heterosexual.
I found company in books (I was always a massive bookworm). I watched coming-out videos on YouTube. I talked, in some depth, about queerness with my friends. I listened to Hayley Kiyoko, Troye Sivan, King Princess. I had a standard queer realization – cute girl sits next to me, I realize that my identity wasn't I thought it was, I blast Girls Like Girls to myself when I'm alone.
And Heartstopper showed all of that -- all the messy, confusing, and hopeful parts of queer discovery.
Nick thought he was straight his whole life – until he got sat next to openly gay, anxious Charlie. He took 'Am I Gay?' quizzes in the darkness of his bedroom. Nick struggled to fit in his idea of what queerness is until he managed to find his place and label his identity.
I admit, I have only recently gotten aware of the parallels between my life and Heartstopper. I just realized how Heartstopper has been pivotal to my own coming-of-age, to my own anxieties about my identity, to my own Nick-like moments of discovering my sexuality.
Heartstopper transcends beyond the 'boy-meets-boy' narrative that most YA queer novels have, even though the comic is marketed as such. I'm not saying that cute budding gay relationships are not important -- they are and more should be made -- but Heartstopper simply touched on many things and issues that I never anticipated. This was probably the first time I read about a non-white trans girl whose story is not marred by trauma and despair. There is a steady, lesbian couple who, although facing homophobia from peers and classmates, stood strong by each other until the very end. There are accepting teachers and parents and siblings. There is a nuanced discussion about mental health and eating disorders as the comic progresses. There are wholesome, fluffy plotlines -- I do, in fact, think that those are the lifeblood of the comic -- interpersed with realistic, hurtful scenarios, like an abusive closeted boyfriend, school bullies, homophobic family members, and struggles with one's own mental and physical health.
Heartstopper is brilliant, from an objective, comic-making perspective, but it's also emotionally impactful to the people who read it, especially LGBTQ+ children who are still having a difficult time in finding their own place in the world.
For something that tells experiences that are so specific -- Oseman grew up in southeast England, and Heartstopper is set in the same town, schools, and environment -- Heartstopper is massively relatable. I was -- still am -- a teenage kid who moved to a bustling city and studied in a large public high school in the Philippines. The Heartstopper kids studied in same-gendered private grammar schools in a relatively small town in England. Still, Tao's words to Charlie at the beginning of the comic and the show, telling him that Nick is straight and should let go of his hopeless crush on him, mirrored the same speech one of my friends gave to me when I told them of my own hopeless crush on another girl. Despite of the fact that our reasons of changing schools are obviously different, I empathized with Elle and the difficulty she faced in finding friends in a new environment. I found kinship in Nick in regards to working on his sexuality. I felt my feelings echoed when Darcy said she "liked girls a bit more than she's supposed to". Tara's feelings after coming out was painful and heart-achingly relatable. I even found Isaac's (one of the new characters Oseman made for the Netflix adaptation) occassional disinterest hilarious and 'me-coded', as the "kids" on Twitter would say.
Tao spoke to me the most, however. For someone who is the only cisgender and heterosexual member of their immediate friend group, Tao's uneasiness towards change and his brash overprotectiveness over his friends resonated to me a lot.
I think that's part of the beauty and charm of Heartstopper. Sometimes you directly related to one of the characters and the struggles they faced and the happiness they earned, but I personally found bits of myself scattered throughout the comic, the show, and the characters. It's oftentimes funny and, in a few moments, gutting -- I have heard homophobic tirades from older schoolmates against a friend of mine, and I had no idea what to do or what to say. Classic, Catholic homophobia still resides within our school, a different flavor than what was shown in Heartstopper, but still, as usual, brings the same element of hate and incites a wavering feeling of guilt and anger within queer students. Only just recently, I've read a homophobic speech from a batchmate of mine, hidden under the guise of preserving the sanctity of marriage.
Queerness can feel isolating. I have spoken about crushes and attractions on other girls with friends -- I even alluded to those on my own Twitter posts as I had gotten more comfortable -- but I have never really said anything about how alienating it is to be young and Filipino and queer. I'm sure a lot of my friends relate, but these discussions of our intermingling identities are a bit too deep for a bunch of kids who haven't even graduated high school yet. I went on a panic when my father was moments away on discovering that Girls Like Girls was playing on my phone. I felt a deep sense of melancholy as I watched my straight classmates just openly declare their crushes out loud, with no fear of weird stares from onlookers. Just around a year ago, I became withdrawn when a friend mentioned briefly that I liked girls online to complete strangers, when I was still insecure about my identity. And I had no one to talk to about those things.
Heartstopper is one of things that could save people from the feeling of loneliness. Authentic queer media is already so rare, and optimistic, teen-focused narratives are even rarer. It provides a grounded look on what it means to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community, where kids find strength within themselves and amongst their friends. 'Heartstopper' doesn't have a grandiose coming-out-moment with Nick. It doesn't have romantic gestures as big as the Eiffel Tower. It doesn't wallow in gritty events and let the characters be unnecessarily traumatized and hurt. Despite the fact that Heartstopper feels "smaller" than most teenage-oriented media, it still captures the overwhelming feeling of "every little thing is important when you're a teenager". Nick coming out to his mother as bisexual is a quiet and peaceful and loving affair, but it's also freeing and liberating and an important step into his acceptance of himself. Even quaint milkshake triple-dates are crucial events, especially when five out of the six attendees are not completely cis and heterosexual. Queer people being allowed to live silent, tranquil lives is, personally, one of the biggest and powerful statements Heartstopper has to offer.
I'm just idly waiting for the announcement of the season two renewal of 'Heartstopper', rewatching my favorite bits of the show. I am but a simple Heartstopper fan, anyway, and there are people who can provide more impactful analyses and anecdotes about the show and the comic. Still, it's a bit of a relief to talk about these feelings for a while, like I finally let myself exhale for a long, long time. Perhaps I needed a show like Heartstopper to finally accept these emotions within myself, to process the experiences that made me me these past few years.
Heartstopper is not the end-all, be-all beacon of queer representation in media -- it still centers around two British middle-class cis white boys -- but it definitely is a step in the right direction. There are still more stories to mold, to tell, to take flight. Positively speaking, we can only really go up from here -- and I hope those stories become the Heartstopper of other, younger queer kids.
I wrote this months ago (probably obvious because of the "season 2 waiting" bit LMAO since Heartstopper has been renewed for two more seasons) but I think it deserves to be posted!
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I posted 2,378 times in 2022
57 posts created (2%)
2,321 posts reblogged (98%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@rinezha
@satellitesunset
@justasmallbloginabigklainefandom
@blog-carmex
@backslashdelta
I tagged 1,469 of my posts in 2022
Only 38% of my posts had no tags
#heartstopper - 136 posts
#fanart - 96 posts
#klaine - 61 posts
#taylor swift - 58 posts
#kurt hummel - 52 posts
#kurtbastian - 37 posts
#a little life - 34 posts
#glee - 33 posts
#blaine anderson - 33 posts
#heartstopper spoilers - 31 posts
Longest Tag: 141 characters
#i’m going to listen to smooth criminal gcv (it’s the only way i can ever listen to a mj song again now that i know some of mj’s backstory 😬)
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Mid year book freak out tag:
Best book you’ve read so far in 2022?
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I made both my mother and sister read this book, that’s how much I loved it. I love a morally grey bisexual disaster and I adore TJR’s writing! It was one of the first dual POV books I’ve read where the voices were very distinct, which is telling of great writing.
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2022:
Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman. The Paris Trip is still my favourite part of Heartstopper and I’m looking forward to the day that mess of a trip will be displayed on screen!
New release you haven’t read yet, but want to:
Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong. It’s a poetry collection and it’s gay and I want to get my hands on a copy soon. It’s also my only 2022 release on my tbr 😭.
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year:
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’m 🤏🏻 close to preordering a copy. Also the reviews that have been coming through of people who’ve already read the book are giving high praise so that’s getting me more excited.
Biggest disappointment:
I Was Born for This by Alice Oseman. But also I knew the premise (boy bands and fans) wasn’t something I really enjoy so it wasn’t a surprise I didn’t love this book. Also I read this right after A Little Life so Alice Oseman had no chance sorry.
Biggest surprise:
The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee. I put off reading this book for years after buying it on a whim in Canada and it was genuinely great! Also I started it in 2021 and couldn’t get into it but once I pushed past chapter 2 and the adventure begun it was very interesting. It also went in a different direction to what I expected which was a nice surprise. Also I hadn’t heard a lot about the book, but in the end I gave it 4.5 stars.
Favourite new author (debut or new to you):
Brit Bennet - I LOVED The Vanishing Half and I want to read more of her books! So far this year I’ve mostly read from authors I’ve read before this year.
Newest fictional crush:
See the full post
11 notes - Posted June 16, 2022
#4
I’m experiencing so much joy rereading this fic and I’ve forgotten that reading can make me so happy.
11 notes - Posted March 21, 2022
#3
I will be in the US so soon!!!!!!!!
11 notes - Posted July 13, 2022
#2
I have officially finished Uni 😅🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳
12 notes - Posted June 4, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
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and I’m too fucked on and over both ways
if you don’t like personal posts ignore this. I’m actually reading Solitaire by Alice Oseman by right now and Tori so obviously uses Tumblr, but in between shitposting uses it to dump angst. thought I’d give it a try.
a while back someone tried to have an argument with me that these were the lyrics to Dominic Fike’s “3 Nights,” not “and I’m too far gone in all the wrong ways.” this immediately made me scoff. how can be one be ‘fucked on’? there’s no way that’s what he’s saying. later I heard it on a music video channel, and they had bleeped what I was so certain was ‘far gone.’ was the whole world insane but me?
my grandmother is still upset I’m queer. sometimes I think she might be able to make some kind of peace with her God and just not make it a thing, it’s always going to be a thing. what really is bizarre to me is how she considers it like a betrayal, like someone she knew just died. of course I blame myself. the danger of getting too close to me is always, once you’re really close, the only thing you can really manage is “what the fuck?” as you recoil in horror and realize that nothing is worth this.
I have a package coming from my last manic episode I need to get to before her or anyone else at all costs like my life depends on it and I don’t even want it. I couldn’t fucking cancel it. I have no idea when it’s coming. please don’t send it. ⁱ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ʷᵃⁿᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇᵉ ᵃ ᵍⁱʳˡ. ⁱ ʷᵃˢ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵐᵃⁿⁱᶜ
at some point I am going to have to leave this house anyway. sometime relatively soon, probably sooner than I think. there’s so much work I need to do.
I think I might be, in fact, too fucked on and over both ways
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Heartstopper, an essay by me that probably no-one will ever read. (Spoiler alert, obviously, if you haven’t read or watched the series)
(PART 2)
NICK NELSON - Kit Connor (he/him)
The sweetest character to have existed anywhere. Ever. PERIOD. (Yes, I am willing to die on this hill. This sweet little cherub needs to be protected at all costs!!!!!!!!). Nick is just so wonderful. Alice Oseman’s incredible writing combined with Kit’s compassionate, sensitive and respectful portrayal make for one of the best book to tv translations ever. I’ve seen a lot of people saying they couldn’t have imagined how Nick could be any better than in the graphic novel but that somehow Kit managed it. I’ve come into this having watched the Netflix series before reading the comic on tumblr, and what amazes me is just how well Kit is able to capture the essence of what Alice Oseman wrote and drew. There are quite a few scenes that play out practically frame for frame with what was in the original comic. Kit, along with the wonderful Joe Lock playing Charlie, is able to capture the same feelings, the same emotions, and tear at your heartstrings with a single a look. It is just beautiful to watch. As a side note, we all need to acknowledge how cute the smile is every time Nick is thinking about Charlie (or talking about Charlie, or looking at Charlie). My heart gaaah.
In terms of the character of Nick himself, it is beautiful to be able to follow along with the journey of someone discovering their sexuality for the first time and the trials and triumphs and growth that come along with that. Getting to see Nick research what it means to be gay and whether he fits into this identification - not just exploring his feelings for another guy but also the bigotry, homophobia and anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes that persist in our society. Taking the time to understand the struggles that face LGBTQ+ communities and in his own way linking this back to the fear and homophobia Charlie faced when he came out (and still faces at school). And then seeing his lightbulb moment when watching ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and doing further research into what it means to be bisexual. Rather than immediately deciding that this is how he identifies, he takes his time to determine that this best matches who he is and how he feels and learns to love this part about himself. And of course this is only achievable because Charlie gives him the space and the privacy to understand his feelings in his own time, at his own pace. Nick learns about Charlie’s experiences with figuring out he was gay, and updates Charlie throughout on where he thinks he is up to in his own journey to accepting his bisexuality.
Nick’s interactions with Tara and Darcy are so incredibly sweet. His immediate acceptance when Tara tells him she’s a lesbian and Darcy is her girlfriend. Him thinking it’s really cool that they are coming out to their close friends and choosing not to hide who they are. His happiness when he sees them kiss in public. How he feels so comfortable with them, making them the first people he tells about his relationship with Charlie. And how when he is still figuring out his own sexuality he talks to them about their experiences to better understand his own.
And of course, how could I not talk about how sweet Nick is towards Charlie. From friendship to relationship, Nick is always amazed by and supportive of Charlie. He always takes the time to ensure Charlie feels seen and heard, and always acknowledges his friendship with Charlie openly, even when they are keeping their romantic relationship a secret. The emphasis he places on ensuring Charlie knows he really does like him and wants to be with him. He acknowledges when he has made mistakes (like running away after kissing Charlie, or not knowing how to say no to Imogen when she asks him out) and makes the extra effort to be open and communicative. He keeps Charlie informed on where he is up to in terms of his journey to discovering and accepting his sexuality, and we get to see this progression from privately wanting to understand his feelings to feeling comfortable enough to be open with more people about their relationship. The concern he feels for how his own need for privacy must be impacting Charlie, and understanding how Charlie’s past relationships and experiences mean he needs to be extra sensitive of Charlie’s feelings. The compassion and respect he shows for Charlie when Nick says that he doesn’t want to break up but will respect Charlie if he does wish to. The way he lights up every time Charlie is around and of course that gorgeous speech he gives about Charlie being his favourite person and how much better is life is with Charlie in it.
Some other random things I love that I didn’t know how to fit in above:
When Nick informs Charlie that he is going to make things right with Imogen and let her know he doesn’t like her in a romantic way. And then he does this in the sweetest way imaginable with compassion for Imogen’s feelings and being so open about his struggle with the social pressures that he feels he faces. And how well Imogen responds to this, helping to diffuse any tension at school when people ask about their date.
The way Nick stands up to homophobia amongst his friend group despite being scared and despite the peer pressure that inherently exists. The way he becomes more aware of bullying and wants to stand up for others.
His sweet coming out to his mum and the joy and relief he feels at her acceptance.
How he found out Elle used to be in his grade at school and is just immediately nice to her and accepting of her without any weirdness or questioning
I could gush on and on but I should probably talk about some of the other characters now.
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Radio Silence Book Review
Radio Silence Book Review by Alice Oseman.
It’s official. I love Alice Oseman.
I don’t know if I want to be her or if I want to be her best friend. It’s a bit of both to be honest, especially considering that she’s twenty-six and has written six novels. Just...what a life. How admirable.
The first Alice Oseman book I read was a lovely read by the name of Loveless. That book punched me in the gut in the most hard hitting of ways, painful, but a good painful. Radio Silence didn’t hit me quite as a hard, but I still found it to be a very compelling and relatable read.
Radio Silence, Oseman’s second novel, largely features the burgeoning friendship between Frances Janvier, quietly nerdy and school-obsessed Head Girl and Aled Last, Head Boy from a neighboring school with a whisper of a voice.
If you think this tale is a romantic one, it’s not. I’ve noticed that with many of Oseman’s books, romance doesn’t seem to the main event. Or at least, not with the two that I’ve read so far.
Aled secretly runs a podcast called Universe City which has been Frances’ secret obsession and only source of happiness from the mountainous piles of homework and school obligations for the last three years. She even runs her own tumblr blog which is dedicated to Universe City fanart and sketches, one of the only things that brings her true enjoyment in her mostly mundane life.
The two coincidentally collide and as they unravel each other, their two worlds, real and fictional-combine. What comes after is a story of loss, misunderstandings, forgiveness, and not giving up, especially as mistakes are made, blame is dished out, and Aled moves away for University, something that he’s always dreamed of and always wanted...right?
This novel, while definitely focusing on friendship and fandom culture, also has a lot of commentary on the nature of school, the value of grades, and the purpose of higher education. As a high school teacher myself, I agreed with a lot of the critiques and social commentary surrounding education. Going to college and university is often shoved down kids’ throats, often to their detriment.
College isn’t for everyone. A plan that many students don’t know about or discover too late. Too often I see high school seniors simply going to college because they were told it was “what they were supposed to do.”
It’s wrong. I agree with Alice Oseman on that.
Other than the social commentary, the book is very fluid and easy-to-read. I devoured it in about three days. It is unabashedly British, a fact that simultaneously amused me and piqued my interest when discussing things like A levels.
This novel inherently came across like reading fanfiction to me for some reason, even though it is very much an original work. It’s something in the way Oseman writes, in the way the dialogue is presented and the chapters are broken up.
Frankly, this book reminded me of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl except infinitely less cliched and honestly more enjoyable.
It’s almost like the book was made for me. All the inside jokes, all the allusions to different fandoms-Harry Potter, Spirited Away, Back to the Future, the Sims, etc the list is endless. It’s like Alice Oseman knows everything I like and makes references to it throughout her novel as if to say Ey? You see this? Cool right?
It’s so amazing it’s almost eerie.
It makes me wonder if there are other nerdy people out there that like the exact same things and read Radio Silence with glee and delight or if they read the book and are left feeling confused and missing the punchline.
I wonder.
That being said, the book is very enjoyable for a multitude of reasons. I love that Oseman doesn’t necessarily focus on romance. More often than not, her books feature friendships as the main relationship and it's so refreshing and tantalizing to read how these relationships are just as important and all-consuming as a romantic one can be.
I also feel like every time I read an Oseman book it leaves me untethered. It’s like Oseman thinks of the most cliched plot points and then just chooses the opposite. Every time.
It’s hard to explain, but every time I thought the book was going in one direction and expecting it to be predictable it would go in a complete opposite and often leaving me thrilled with the change and also charmed at the simplicity that Oseman was circumventing stereotypes left and right.
The only criticism I have, and it’s not really a criticism, at least not yet, is that all of Oseman’s main characters feel very much the same to be so far. Not the side characters, the side characters are great, Raine, Carys, and Daniel in Radio Silence are all fleshed out and unique, as are the side characters from Loveless, but I feel like the main protagonist, the first person perspective that we are constantly in the mind of-that comes across a bit of rinse-and-repeat to me.
Both of the main female characters from Loveless and Radio Silence were both quiet, nerdy, non-party-like girls who would rather watch Youtube in bed than go out to a bar. Both were self-deprecating, both didn’t have a lot of friends, both had cool moms. I’m sure the similarities continue, but to me this just seems like the character Alice Oseman likes to write.
Or maybe this is Alice Oseman and these female characters are representative of her.
Who knows.
Again, as I’ve only read two of her six novels, this could be a very wrong assessment and if it is, I will find out very soon when I read the read of Oseman’s works.
I did appreciate the increased diversity of the Radio Silence characters compared to Loveless, especially as Frances was half-white and half-Ethiopian, but the close resemblance in personalities struck me as something to keep an eye out for as a possible criticism.
Only time and reading more of Oseman’s books will tell.
Recommendation: If you’re nerdy you’ll like this book. This novel caters to nerdy people. Like fanfiction? This is for you. Love Tumblr and the Tumblr community? Look no further. Love fandom culture as a whole? Here you go. This book affirms and almost makes you proud to be a nerd. Embrace your inner nerdiness people and read Radio Silence. If you liked Fangirl, you will love Radio Silence.
Score: 8/10
#radio silence#alice oseman#fangirl#Loveless#book blog#books#book review#Book Recommendations#YA Book Review#book reccs#fandom#fanfiction#ya fiction#YA Books#ya book rec#LGBTQ fiction
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Originally, I had planned to just tweet some quick blurb on this, but this feels a lot more personal, so I’m back here.
I recently came across a young adult graphic novel called Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. The story is a coming of age story that follows two boys that meet in school and discover feelings for one another. It covers topics such as sexuality and the spectrum of it all, friendships, and the ups and downs of teenage woes and growing up with all of this.
Absolutely cute.
What I loved about this story is that the boys are so mature for their age. Accepting, communicative, and just overall good people. It’s an amazing take on the coming of age story, and it just got me hooked, an I couldn’t stop reading it.
and then the fucking gut punch came
Oof
In this scene, the kids are on a field trip and these are the teachers/chaperones accompanying them. It’s not hinted that either one of them are even gay up until this point.
At this point, I had to stop reading for a bit.
This graphic novel just represented me. That was fucking me.
All this time reading the story, I could somewhat relate to the main characters, but never really 100%. But right at this moment...this got me. It got me so damn good.
I began thinking of all the romantic experiences I had back in high school, and they were just absolute shit. A lot of faking, a lot of hiding around, and just generally not being open. Back then, being out was social suicide. Widely not accepted, and generally looked down upon. But that’s teenagers, I guess. I mean, I can even admit I was a bit of a little shit back then as well.
It made me realize something: If I had been out back then, would I have had “beautiful gay teenage experiences” ? Looking back, I did not like highschool one bit. In fact, I really don’t keep in contact with anyone from high school (except for one who is actually one of my closest friends). Maybe I would have met different people? Maybe I would have been bullied? I don’t know. All I believed was that coming out meant people will think of you less, so don’t even try it. Repress that urge to be 100% with someone until you die. What a horrible way to live. 0/10 do not recommend.
It was a reminder that even if Heartstopper is an amazing read, it’s also a work of fiction that romanticizes teenage youth. No way in HELL would that kind of acceptance been relevant when I was growing up. So why did I feel some sort of connection with the main character’s relationships?
Then it all made sense: I’m currently both giving and receiving that kind of love, support, communication and understanding with my friends and my boyfriend. Reading Heartstopper made me realize the good traits that the characters showed were already apparent in my life...and seeing it in Heartstopper...it made me appreciate it a lot more.
If I had read Heartstopper a handful of years ago, back when I was still in the closet, I think it would have completely broke me. I’d long and yearn for that kind of acceptance, and run a million “what if’s” in my mind every night before bed because I never would have thought something so good like that could ever happen to me. I’d continually beat myself down and convince myself that I don’t deserve it.
A commission I bought as a gift for my boyfriend. Includes our love for Pho and our dogs.
But now I am experiencing amazing love, both platonic and romantic. It’s beautiful, almost unreal. Finding those to share love with. Being in the company of those that enjoy me for me.
I’m currently living my Heartstopper gay teenage romance in my 30s, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
So whoever made it this far: Thank you for reading probably the most intimate thing I’ve ever shared with anyone (or no one...seeing as how all my friends have moved from tumblr many years ago.) I hope these words find you well, and give you some hope.
And thank you Alice, for making such a beautiful story.
-Ritchie
P.S.: Ordered the Heartstopper books and it just came in a ridiculously oversized box. lol.
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Could you do a queer literatur recommendation post with your experience so far? I would love that! All the best, Emi P.s. I recommend comicwise: Heartstopper (print+tumblr), Always human, Aerial magic (webtoon)
Thank you for the recommendations! I love “Heartstopper” and will definitely check out the others. (:
And yes — I would LOVE to! I feel like most of the ones I've read have been fairly mainstream (and many have come from Tumblr recommendations), but I hope there's a few on my list you haven't heard of:
1. “How to Be a Normal Person” by TJ Klune: This is the first book I read that related to asexuality and it really helped to change my perspective on my own identity. It shows a healthy, beautiful, thriving ace relationship and just healed my heart a little. I fell in love with the setting and with the characters, then the story is so sweet, and honest, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with that, too. It’s focused on two men in the little town of Abby, Oregon — with an incredible side cast featuring an all-female biker gang trio (maybe sisters, maybe lesbians in a poly relationship), a ferret named after a president and a lot of weed. It’s focused on Gus and his attempt to woo Casey and it’s HILARIOUS. The sequel (”How to Be a Movie Star”) is almost as good — it follows one of the side characters, who’s also ace (but in a different way, showing the spectrum of asexuality). That one features California hipsters, strong male friendships and a mention or two of monster porn. It makes sense in the book, I swear.
2. The Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat: I fell HARD into this fandom. I binge read the books during a long weekend and was immediately obsessed. The plot is intricate and compelling, and I could write pages about my love for the characters. (Literal pages; I’m not joking.) There’s politics and corruption, betrayal and love; I’ve read all three multiple times now. Do be warned — the books get heavy; there’s war, sexual assault and a host of other things that could potentially be triggering. High-key recommend, but do be cognizant of the subject matter before choosing them. And perhaps don’t read them in public, like I made the mistake of doing.
3. “Radio Silence” by Alice Oseman: A hint of mystery, a relatable struggle of college applications — this book revolves around a podcast inspired by “Welcome to Night Vale” and is a really unique read. It’s been a while since I read it, but I remember really connecting with the characters. Oseman is active here on Tumblr, and as Anon mentioned, does a lovely comic called “Heartstopper.”
4. “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” by Benjamin Alire Sáenz: This one, too, I read in a weekend. It’s as much a queer love story as a coming-of-age novel, focused on two boys in their late teens as they struggle with their identity — in this case, both their sexuality and their race (both are Mexican-American). The story is heart-breaking and beautiful and I absolutely loved it.
5. “Red, White and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston: A co-worker of mine read this and told me it was “basically just porn” and that’s NOT at all what it is! It’s so much more than smut, and so much more than a love story. I finished this one like a week ago and I’m still in awe of all the things McQuiston made me feel. By having a female president and a scandal revolving around an email server, it brought back all the feelings I had post-2016 U.S. election. That hurt. More than I thought it would. But it’s also about living life for you and the main character’s bisexuality crisis is one of the most relatable things I’ve ever read. I swear I don’t cry easily — but I definitely cried a few times reading this one.
6. “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller: Like Captive Prince and RWRB, this is another one I saw raved about on Tumblr — and potentially unpopular opinion here, but it didn’t quite do it for me. It’s still going on the recommendation list because I know so many other people who list this book among their favorites, but it didn’t hit me in the same way. The Greek mythology is definitely interesting and Miller’s an obviously talented writer, but I had a hard time getting into it. Still, worth checking out and deciding for yourself!
7. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky: If you haven’t read it, then read it. This isn’t one that initially comes to mind when thinking about queer literature — for some reason, it exists in a separate space in my brain — but one of the main characters (played by Ezra Miller in the movie version) is gay and there’s a whole conflict about being gay and coming out, which I think is even more well-done in the book. It’s been one of my favorites for YEARS, though this one does have some heavy themes, too, many of which are more of a focus in the book than the queer character and his experiences. High-key recommend this one, too — don’t let the fact that it’s last on the list fool you for a second.
There you have it: Those are my top ones thus far, but I’ll keep y’all updated if anyone’s interested! I just ordered the Foxhole Court trilogy and have a few others on my to-read list . . .
#asked and answered#anon ask#how to be a normal person#captive prince#radio silence#aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe#red white and royal blue#the song of achilles#perks of being a wallflower#dot posts
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End of the Decade Favorite Book Tag
Turns out I have a hard time narrowing down books (shocker) so I decided to make a tag game!! Feel free to adjust the questions for your personal need (add or exclude genres to your liking, or categories, everyone reads differently). I’m trying not to repeat books, but hey, what happens happens, right?
Tagged by @bookcub and @brightbeautifulthings. Thank you!
1. High fantasy books that are obsession worthy
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I think this one goes without saying. (This was my fourth read-through.)
2. Urban fantasy books filled with people you want as friends
The Greta Helsing novels by Vivian Shaw. Everyone’s just so nice to each other and practical. Would cheerfully befriend any of the protagonists.
3. Portal fantasy you fall in love with multiple times
The Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor. The writing is just “ooh” and every twist was a “gasp—yes!”.
4. Novella that just makes you sigh cause it’s so lovely
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire. Lovely writing, lovely world, lovely magic system.
5. Historically inaccurate but laugh out loud
The Temeraire novels by Naomi Novik. Because dragons, on both counts.
6. Satire that makes you reconsider your whole world view
Look Who’s Back by Timur Vermes. Hitler comes back from the dead and narrates his rise to Youtube stardom and talk show fame.
7. Happy, happy, happy and sad, sad, sad
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. There’s so much joy and family bonding and love of reading—and then there are awful, sad things.
8. No, I’m not to old for kids’ books, what are you talking about???
George by Alex Gino. A kids’ book about a kids’ book, and so heartwarming.
9. I’m also not to old for picture books either and never will be
Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich. A funny story about friendship and personality-induced loneliness, in a gorgeously illustrated American Southwest.
10. Whoa, never expected that ending and to have that much fun!!!
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. Who’d have thought that a zombie novel could tug my heartstrings, have wonderful writing, surprise me, and not scare the pants off me?!
11. Like I’m scared, but I’m happy about it
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis. I almost literally stayed up all night because every single chapter ends on a cliffhanger and I had to know. (And was having so much fun, obviously.)
12. Classically favorite
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Way more than I expected it to be!
13. Party in your ears
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Not a book I got on audio, but you can hear the voice of the narrator perfectly from the first sense. (He’s totally the 1800s version of a stand-up comic.)
14. Boom!!! Pow!!! Wham!!!
The Expanse by James S.A. Corey. The action, emotions, twists, explosions, and painful truths just. Keep. Coming.
15. Oh wow, that’s me!!
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman. Frances is the girl I needed to read in high school.
16. I can’t stop thinking about this book
The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. Scientific advancement in a world without a West. It’s not so much I can’t stop thinking about it as it’s sort of a steady background noise of “this could’ve gone differently, White people aren’t all that”.
17. A book you got from Tumblr that made it to your fave
The Diary of a Bookseller
by Shaun Bythell. Saw it quotes on @immzies-adventures-through-books and knew I had to read it. British humour + bookselling = guaranteed fave.
18. A book you had high expectations for and then the author OVER delivered
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire. Favourite author, and then she did her thing all over the place and went places I never expected her to go.
19. Oof I’m glad that’s over but in a good way
The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan. So much information. So much. But it was a refreshingly different perspective and I needed that.
20. Non-fiction that learned you all the things
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe. Yeah, this is partly because I read it this year so it’s fresh, but I closed this one knowing so much that I never even knew I didn’t know.
21. Unexpected surprise
A Hundred Thousand Worlds by Bob Proehl. I thought it would be a fun bit of fannish fluff and it ended up in that year’s top five for poignancy and beauty of language.
22. Underrated or indie/small press
The Accidental Turn novels by J.M. Frey! A great and pointed take on portal fantasies, literary tropes, and other metafictional stuff.
23. Favorite fairytale/mythology retellings
The Immortals trilogy by Jordanna Max Brodsky. I’ve never seen someone blend mythology into urban fantasy quite like she did.
Tagging: @boneseasonofglass @lizziethereader @thelivebookproject @dragonbadgerbooks @howlsmovinglibrary @the-forest-library @sixofravens-reads @baldursgatekeeper @heretherebebooks @books-are-portals
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Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag
I wasn’t tagged, I just watched a lotta them on youtube. I wanted to feel included. Also I’ve read more in the 6-7 months of 2020 than all of the past five years put together, so I wanted to sorta celebrate.
my goodreads | my storygraph
Q&As under the cut. (I hope read mores work on mobile, if not, im so sorry)
1. Best book you’ve read so far in 2020
Still, Normal People by Sally Rooney. Never had literary fiction hit so hard before. Still shocked that I somehow empathized with/liked the male lead more than the female lead. Still afraid to watch the series bc what if it’s not as good. I read this way back at the beginning of March and I’m honestly not surprised nothing has come close. This wasn’t just 5 stars, this was a new all-time favorite.
2. Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2020
I really haven’t read many sequels this year. I’ve literally read Mortal Instruments 4&5, Artemis Fowl 2-4, Authority by Jeff Vandermeer, and Dark & Dazzling by Elizabeth Varlet and hated them all, so I guess the “best” sequel goes to Perfect by Cecelia Ahern. Both Flawed & Perfect were middling reads, 3 stars, and I found them a little uncomfortable in relation to “cancel culture” discourse, but at least they were entertaining, I guess?
3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to
I’m really not big on new releases in the slightest (see: unemployed), but I have found You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat through my library’s hoopla, and I do plan on reading it soon. Honorable Mention to Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli, but I have a feeling that’ll be a little more difficult to get my hands on.
4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year
I have no clue how ppl learn abt upcoming releases and no desire to learn, as they mean next to nothing to me, a broke bitch. So I’mma say Loveless by Alice Oseman before it drops in four days. I’ve not read Alice Oseman before but I am SO thirsty for aro and/or ace rep.........
5. Biggest disappointment
The Confession by Jo Spain. It’s classified as a psychological thriller and reviews hailed it as “dark” and “twisting” and “gripping” and I was literally just bored. It’s not a thriller, it’s not even a mystery, it’s just a sequence of [awful] events told in an entertaining method – which is why it’s 2 stars. Literally none of it surprised me. (Coffee Cake by Michaela Grey was probably a bigger disappointment, but I didn’t expect much in the first place)
6. Biggest surprise
Honestly, Normal People, probably? I went in without expectations and came out a different person so. I’d say that qualifies.
7. Favorite new author (debut or new to you)
The only author I’ve read more than one book by and loved both was Annabeth Albert. Both Knit Tight and Conventionally Yours were 5 star reads, and I’d not read her before. I’m a little wary that she could be a cishet white woman writing only m/m but the stories themselves have not seemed fetishizing upon reading them so I’m gonna be optimistic here. I love the bg rep and would flip my lid if she published a f/f story, but hopes are not high.
8. Newest fictional crush
I was definitely into a couple of the side character girls in Skyward by Brandon Sanderson, but I don’t rmr their names :(( Otherwise probably Zafir from All the Wrong Places by Ann Gallagher. I mean, I don’t rly think abt him since reading the book, but while reading it BOY did I wanna be Brennan lmao.
9. Newest favorite character
Really loved Connell from Normal People, so he probably wins. Ayla and Crier from Crier’s War by Nina Varela and Spensa from Skyward are close followers tho.
10. Book that made you cry
Nothing has made me really cry this year? I did get a little misty-eyed reading Normal People, and I’ve shed a tear or two of joy at HEAs in a couple romances. The Parting Glass by Nina Marie Guadagnino was really fucking depressing, if that counts.
11. Book that made you happy
In addition to both Annabeth Alberts mentioned previously, All The Wrong Places by Ann Gallagher made me happy in a rly specific and unique way. It definitely could’ve been better and had more depth, but as I mentioned, I’m hella thirsty for ace rep (and it turns out I have a weakness for bi dads)
12. Most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)
The last gift books I recieved were technically from 2019, and I’ve only bought 5 thus far (which is a lot for me but also: quarantine) – the original Shannara trilogy, Complete Stories of Zora Neale Hurston, and How Long Til Black Future Month by NK Jemisin and I gotta say that one has to win. I love the front cover, but the yellow spine just really [clenches fist]
13. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I mean I’d like to get through everything on my immediate TBR, including the books I most recently bought for myself, but I’m thinking I definitely need to read A Line Made by Walking by Sara Baume bc I have a physical copy from the library and I think they want it back eventually. I haven’t gotten to it yet bc I can tell it’s gonna be 5 stars but I wanna make sure I’m in the best possible mood to read it so I can experience it In Full, y’know?
14. Favorite book community member
I don’t really consider myself part of a book community, but I do like talkin’ bout books. Guro’s a solid 50% of the reason I began reading again, Starlah is my favorite booktuber, and I’m enjoying watching Mina’s videos while following her here on tumblr. Also my mom, bc I can finish a book and then throw it at her and yell “read this” and if she does, we can discuss it lol
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Diverse Book Recs
I recently typed up a list of books for a friend who said she’d stopped reading because she couldn’t find diverse/queer books. This list is predominately focused on queer diversity but there’s also lot’s of super awesome ladies and poc here too. The list is also in two parts, the first are all books that I’ve read myself and include me trying to give a summary, content warnings (If I can remember, I can’t guarantee they’re all exhaustive.) and a rating. The second part has books on my to read list that, to my knowledge, have queer characters. All of the titles are linked to their goodreads page.
I Was Born For This - Alice Oseman
A Hijabi ace fangirl goes to London on a week long trip to meet her internet friend and go to the concert of her favourite band. Jimmy, the trans, gay, mixed race, mentally ill singer for said band is figuring out how growing up famous has changed himself and his friends. They cross paths and stuff happens. A really interesting look into fan culture, both the good and the bad. Really fun characters and relationships. Written by the same person who does the Heartbreaker webcomic. CW: alcoholic behavior, brief mention of unintentional trans outing 4.5/5
The Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Welsh mythology meets small town Virginia. Gorgeous, poetic writing by Stiefvater tells the surreal story of a group of teenagers on the search for a lost welsh king and wish foretold if one wakes him. Along the way they discover the power of ley lines, dreams, and ~friendship~. One of the main characters (my favourite character) is canon queer (he’s into a girl and guy but like, the word bi isn’t explicitly said) and one of the other main characters is canon gay. It’s a difficult story to describe but it’s such a fascinating read. CW: child abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, there’s a scene in the second book that I think the author confirmed was sexual assault 5/5
Shades of Magic Series - V.E. Schwab
Avatar the last airbender meets pirates and royalty and multiverses. In this world there are 4 earths that intersect at London. Kell is one of the only two people who can travel between Londons. Grey London is our world, Red London is Kell’s, full of magic. White London is a wasteland barren of magic and ruled by bloodthirsty twins. Black London is dead. The main cast of Kell, Lila Bard, a pirate thief who gets caught up in the adventure, Rhy, the (gay? Bi? I forget lol) prince of Red London, and Alucard, (also gay? Or bi?) actual pirate have to save the multiverse! Lots of great subplots, written by a queer woman and impossible to put down. If you saw me with my kindle in class after winter last year, it was because I literally couldn’t stop reading. CW: frankly it’s been too long since I read it im sorry 5/5
Leah on the Offbeat/Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Simon Vs is the book Love Simon is based on. Simon (gay) has a mystery pen pal, Blue. All he knows is that Blue also goes to Creekwood High and is gay. But Simon leaves the emails open on a school computer because he’s a dumbass and then also an ass but the bad kind, Martin finds them and blackmails Simon. It’s similar to the movie but I prefer the book! There are some scenes and plot points that didn’t make it in. Also his friends don’t suck as much when he’s outed. Leah on the OffBeat is the sequel about Simon’s friend, Leah. She’s bi! Simon thought all his friends were straight but jkjkjk gays flock together. Cute wlw high school story. CW: character is outed against their will, underage drinking SVTHA 5/5 LOTO 4/5
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - Mackenzi Lee
Main character is a total slut and we support him. Bi and ready to party. But wait it’s the 1800s and that’s not super chill. In a final hurrah before he has to become master of his family estate, Henry Montague takes his best friend (gay and also ready to party) and, reluctantly, his little sister (ace and ready to be a doctor) on a tour of the continent. Along the way they discover a plot and their trip turns upside down. There’s pirates! Period accurate medicine! Characters unlearning their prejudices! CW: Child abuse, period typical homophobia, sexism and racism 4/5
Captive Prince Trilogy - C.S. Pacat
hEAR ME OUT. This is probably my favourite series I’ve ever read. You’ve heard of enemies to lovers? Get ready for enemies to friends to lovers to enemies to allies to lovers! Crown Prince Damianos of Akielos is caught up in a coup lead by his half brother and sent to the enemy nation of Vere to be a pleasure slave for their crown prince, Laurent. Now here you think it’s gonna be some kinky sex romp but it actually becomes the best political intrigue with a thoughtful, loving, very vanilla romance. “If you gave me your heart, I would treat it tenderly”. Dw they only have sex after the whole slave thing is over. Also, they abolish slavery so there’s that. If you don’t like the first book, I get it but just try the second book, the tone changes with the change of setting. The author does some really interesting stuff with her setting. Typically writers will just make society reflect our by default but Pacat threw that out, homophobia? Never heard of her. In Vere it’s actually taboo for men and women to have sex before marriage because of the threat of bastards. So everyone just is gay instead. You want a matriarchal warrior women country? Pacat has got your back. The series does lack in well written women. There are a few women but not enough, Pacat has talked about this and is basically like, u right, I’ll do better in my next series. Written by a queer WOC (kinda? Woc is the wrong word but just read these tweets where she describe it better than i ever could) and I love it, the end. CW: child abuse, child sexual abuse, incest, rape, sex slavery, prostitution, graphic violence, non consensual drug consumption, child death, suicide, torture, animal death (also it should be obvious but none of these things are glorified, the abuser is the worst and he sucks and everyone hates him) 6/5
Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
Based on the Harry Potter parody series from Rowell’s book Fangirl. Simon Snow (doesn’t ever figure out his sexuality but had a girlfriend and boyfriend) is the chosen one, orphaned and brought to a magical boarding school, must save magical britain from evil. His best friend, book smart Penelope and his (possibly evil and a vampire? Also gay) roommate Baz must work together to defeat the humbug. This book has a really fantastic closed magic system and gives the character very clear limits. CW: rat death? 5/5
Queer There and Everywhere - Sarah Prager
A nonfiction book about 23 people throughout history that were both queer and very cool. From Frida Kahlo and Abraham Lincoln to the actual Danish Girl and Kristina Vasa, Prager dives into the lives of many historical figures who were also queer. A really wide gamut of women, men and nb, cis and trans, white and poc. Could have had more historical figures from the east. A fun, easy read. Made me cry, i want lesbian moms. 4/5
Huntress - Malinda Lo
It’s been a few years since I read this so bear with me. Cool magic girl main character and less magic but also cool other girl as well as a misfit group including the prince and a badass lady named shae (hell yeah) have to go into the fae world to right the magical imbalance of their world. Wlw, written by a queer woc CW: I don’t remember sorry 4/5
Outrun the Wind - Elizabeth Tammi
(I’m actually only half way through this) (Also it’s written by a mutual of mine on tumblr so that’s tight) A queer retelling of the greek myth of Atalanta. Atalanta (bi) is taken by the hunters of Artemis and has to help them defeat Apollo who’s being shitty. Wlw, written by a bi lady CW: animal death
Iron Breakers trilogy - Zaya Feli
Bastard Prince (queer), Ren, is happy to be out of the line of succession and just party it up but suddenly is framed for the murder of his brother and on the run along with a prisoner who escaped with him. Ren is faced with realities of y’know, not being a prince and decides to help save his country. Political intrigue with some twists I didn’t guess. MLM CW: slavery, graphic violence 4.5/5
All for the Game trilogy - Nora Sakavic
Think dark, queer, sports anime but with a co-ed team. Neil Josten (demi sexual- “which way do you swing? “I don’t?”) is on the run from his mob boss, murderer father and finds himself on the collegiate exy team of the palmetto foxes. Exy, a violent cross between lacrosse and soccer is Neil’s favourite thing but the team is made up of misfits. Neil has to survive both his father and the Raven’s (another exy team) owner, another mob boss, coming for him and his team. Super fast paced, very intense, after the first book I couldn’t put it down. The characters are all super interesting as are the relationships. Multiple mlm relationships, one briefly mentioned wlw couple CW: (o boy here we go) suicide, graphic violence, graphic torture, non consensual drug consumption, alcohol and drug abuse, prescription drug abuse, non consensual kissing, rape, child sexual abuse, sex work, mention of gay conversion therapy, discussion of self harm and self harm scars, child abuse 4.5/5
The Posterchildren - Kitty Burroughs
It’s been years since I read this so I really don’t remember much. It’s about a school for superheroes. Definitely wlw I don’t remember any else 4/5
Six of Crows Duology - Leigh Bardugo
A misfit group of criminals is hired to travel north to break into an impregnable prison. The cast of characters is lovable and the plot is fast paced. It’s set in the same universe as Bardugo’s first series but you don’t need to read them. (I did and they were ok but six of crows is better). Two of the main characters are mlm. CW: gore, graphic violence, child abuse 4.5/5
The Percy Jackson Series and Magnus Chase Series
I don’t need to describe these lol. PJO has two canon gay characters, the most recent series has lesbian and ace huntresses of artemis, and a bi main character. Magnus Chase has a non binary main character starting in the second book.
On My To-Read List:
Orlando - Virginia Woolf
I love her writing, it’s poetic without hurting my brain to read. This is a classic queer novel. It’s been said that Woolf wrote it as a “love letter” to Vita, her lover. The main character changes gender throughout the novel.
Stars in Her Eyes - Clare C. Marshall
I bought a copy of the first book in this series from the author at a convention last summer. It’s about a school for people with powers. I asked and apparently there’s a queer character but you don’t find out til the second book.
Ash - Malinda Lo
A wlw retelling of cinderella by the same author as Huntress.
The Academy Journals - Garrett Robinson
Apparently there’s trans, lesbian, gay, poly, ace, bi, pan! It’s about a magical school. It has really good reviews on goodreads so that’s promising
The Abyss Surrounds Us - Emily Skrutskie
There’s gay lady space pirates. Actually maybe not space? Idk i got space vibes
Vicious/Vengeful - V.E. Schwab
A story about moral greyness and supervillains. Kinda reminds me of Nimona tbh. I heard the main character is ace?
Our Bloody Pearl - D.N. Brynn
There’s mermaids, and pirates, and it’s gay apparently. The main character uses they them pronouns I think.
Breaking Legacies - Zoe Reed
Fantasy wlw by a trans dude (i think? They went through some sort of gender transition but i can’t find their pronouns)
The Dark Wife - S.E. Diemer
A wlw retelling of Hades and Persephone
The High Court Series - Megan Derr
Fantasy political intrigue mlm and I was told the main character is trans
Btw my rating system was basically:
4/5=i enjoyed reading it and would recommend it but probably wouldn’t read it again
4.5/5=I really liked it and would probably reread it
5/5= i love it, i either have or plan to reread it
#booklr#book rec#captive prince#the raven cycle#percy jackson#all for the game#I was born for this#shades of magic#carry on#iron breakers#huntress#outrun the wind#the posterchildren#six of crows#most are YA or adult#feel free to ask me about any of these!! i love talking about books#theres a lot of schools and pirates on here
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I loved radio silence !!! read it in four straight hours and it took me a while to recover lol. what were ur fav parts !!
i was reading it in bits and pieces and i got to like page 170, i think?? but then today rolled around and i had the day off and i was like “fuck it, i’m gonna finish it TODAY” and then i did!! i took it out from my local library, but it’s so good that i’m definitely gonna buy it tbh
fave parts oh man there are so MANY uhhh tread lightly if you haven’t read it and want to pals there’s gonna be some spoilers!!
the whole school frances vs. real frances thing is so relatable it made me want to cry at certain points because that was— and still kind of is, i guess?— me. i’ve always been super involved in extracurriculars and stuff and the me that does that feels so separate from the me that posts on here, you know?
the depiction of like... texting language and social media was INCREDIBLE. it’s one of my biggest pet peeves when authors incorporate social media and it feels stiff and like they have a really surface-level understanding of it. but you can tell right from the get go that alice oseman gets it. some of the lines were a little iffy, but you can’t please everyone with every line you write all the time. maybe it’s because i’m not british?
the relationship between aled and frances!! oh my god i love it so much!!! they’re so close and affectionate and intimate but they’re friends and nothing but friends!! more close friendships like this pls pls!!!!
THE TWIST ABOUT FEBRUARY FRIDAY I’M STILL SHOOK
All of the climaxes that come in the form of tumblr anons i’m??? still shook about “is your real name frances janvier” BUT ESPECIALLY BY “you say that you don’t know why we think you’re friends with the creator when we literally have proof that the creator is your friend aled last” like both of them made my stomach fucking DROP
aled’s relationship with his mom. it’s... not pretty but it’s so real and it’s the sort of thing that needs to be written. not all parental relationships are nice and not all of them are capital-A-abusive, a lot of them are in the middle somewhere
frances deciding not to go to university!!
carys coming back into the picture— and also the character development she went through offscreen (off-page??)
raine!! love her!!!
the happy ending!!!
the transcriptions of Universe City episodes!!
aled’s channel growth!! him celebrating 50k and then the announcer including the fact that he’s just surpassed 700k before going onstage at the end like AHHH
EVERYTHING ELSE WHAT A BOOK I WHOLEHEARTEDLY RECOMMEND IT AHHHH
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do you have any good book recommendations?
ok sorry this took me so long to answer but i have so much i want to recommend!!! thank you for giving me an opportunity to rant abt books, anon!!!! i also know this is going to be long so i put all my recs under the cut :)
it’s likely if you’re on tumblr that you already know about the main tumblr books (like six of crows or all for the game etc) so i’m not going to waste time telling you that you should read them if you haven’t. you should. they’re good.
here are some lesser known books that i don’t see a ton of fan content for! in no particular order!!!
1. Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore. this is an all around weird (in the best way!!) book tbh. it follows a girl named jane who visits her friend’s house on an island. it’s split into five stories, each one a different genre and based on a choice that jane made. it’s sort of hard to describe, but it’s seriously so brilliant. also jane is a bi girl if you’re into that!
2. The Summer of Jordi Perez by Amy Spalding. this is a lesbian rom-com! it’s about a girl named abby in los angeles who meets another girl (jordi perez) and they fall for each other. ITS SO CUTE UGH it’s full of really awesome friendship and romance that made me feel butterflies in my belly. ugh i love it so much.
3. Dear Rachel Maddow by Adrienne Kisner. this book made me cry a lot. i think it can be a really emotionally heavy book, but it’s also very cathartic to read. it follows a girl, brynn, who’s brother’s died and she is struggling with the aftermath of that. the thing i love about brynn is how much she really cares about everything. she’s my favorite type of heroine, someone who tries so hard and cares so much, but has a lot of trouble expressing it because of sadness and stuff. maybe i’m projecting. also, brynn’s a lesbian. i think you can probably see a theme here. tw//suicide attempt
4. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. i’m not sure how popular this book is but it’s good, ok. don’t let anyone tell you nina lacour books are boring. it made me cry like hell. it’s about a girl named marin who goes to college across the country from where she lives after her grandfather dies. she isolates herself from everyone in her old life, and it’s such a beautiful story of family and friendship and finding yourself after you think you’re so lost you can never recover.
5. The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth. this book is amazing and not enough people have read it. i know you might have already heard of it but: follows a gay girl named cameron whose parents die and she navigates through being gay is montana in the 90s. highly, highly recommend if you haven’t read it! tw//conversion therapy
6. The Literary Works of Alice Oseman. she has a decent fanbase on this website, but just. read all her books. they’re so amazing. they’re all so realistic and indicative of the millennial/gen z experience in this day and age. highly, highly, highly recommend. her books are probably my favorites of all time!
7. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. i know i said lesser known books, and this book is pretty popular, but ugh. this book. ugh this book is so, so, so good. it’s a must read! it’s about a girl named starr who is the witness to the murder of her friend khalil at the hands of the police. it has a very delicate exploration of relationships between the police and low-income black families. the core of the book is really about family and friendship and being strong in a time of hardship, and it’s very very touching and an extremely good piece of work. also it annoys me that there’s not more fanwork surrounding this book. i can’t draw but i wish i could JUST so i could draw starr and khalil!!! tw//character death
8. Release by Patrick Ness. this book follows a young gay boy, adam, through one day of his life, and it is a WEIRD day. there are some really insane supernatural elements, and it explores adam’s relationship with his friends, his family, his boyfriend, his ex-boyfriend, and more! it’s definitely on the heavier side, too. it’s sweet and sometimes really sad. it’s also such a beautiful book. patrick ness is SUCH a good writer ugh. tw//homophobia and sexual harassment
9. Whatever by S.J. Goslee. this book is SO funny ugh. it’s kind of wild but very cute. it’s about a boy named mike who realizes he’s bisexual! he’s a dumb stoner half the time but he drinks his respecting women and loving his friends juice so you end up adopting him halfway through the book. there are a lot of really awesome friendships and i love mike’s sister a lot too. tw//homophobia and biphobia
10. Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen. this book is also Very Funny. it’s about a girl named cynthia who realizes that her librarian is actually a demon from another dimension, and has to save her best friend annie from becoming his bride. it has such an awesome friend dynamic between cyn and annie, and also her two other friends diane and leticia! the romance between cyn and her love interest is also a very healthy and cute relationship that i love. plus the backdrop of musical theatre was also very cute because i love musical theatre lmao! there’s also a sequel and a third book coming out in august that i am Very Excited about!
11. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken! an actually good apocalypse novel series! a whole thing happens that makes a bunch of kids have superpowers, and they’re sent to basically concentration camps, and they have to overthrow the leader. i love the main character ruby and also love the relationship between her and her friends, zu, chubs, liam, vida, and jude. three books in the series and one book of novellas.
12. Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger. abt a girl named sophronia who goes to finishing school. the school ends up being a school for spies. chaos ensues. i seriously love this story so much. it’s set in a steampunk london, so lots of cool gadgets with the retro coolness of the victorian era. there are highwaymen, but they fly so they’re called flywaymen, and werewolves, and vampires, and a kid named vieve who is seriously such a delight. four books in the series.
13. The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis. this book is so insane. it’s about a girl named alex craft who gets revenge on the asshole who murdered her sister. it’s an examination of rape culture and all the shit that comes with being a girl in high school right now. tw//sexual and physical assault
14. Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer. so i didn’t know the author was in glee, i just picked the book up because i thought the cover was cool. and yes, it is not a perfect book. but it is wild. it is crazy. it has a lot of heart. and that’s what matters. it’s funny and just kind of a fun trip to read. the plot kind of feels like fanfiction at times, but you know what. its stranger than that.
i hope you like these books anon!! they’re some that i really enjoyed and now i feel like i want to go back and read them again lmao.
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Today, anyone can tell you that I am a hardcore book fan. But, up until I was 12, I hated reading. It felt like a chore, something that I was required to do for school but that I would never actually enjoy. I had never found a book that I could relate to or that could hold my interest. At the time, I could never have imagined the way that reading would impact my life.
I grew up (and still go to school in) a very small, conservative town in Texas. Here it was so taboo to talk about being gay that it was never mentioned. I had never even considered that a girl might like a girl or that a boy might like a boy. I was just told that girls liked boys, so that’s how my world worked.
My world finally changed one day when I was at a friend’s house. My friend’s brother was in the living room watching TV, and, for a reason I don’t recall, he said, “That’s gay!”
He immediately regretted saying that in front of me, because I wouldn’t stop asking him what that meant. I was a very persistent and curious girl, so I annoyed him until he told me, “It’s when a man likes another man.”
This was a very small moment in my life, but it introduced me to this fascinating new concept. If men could like men, then girls could like girls. And if girls could like girls, I could like girls.
The idea was there, but, at this point, the problem was that there was nothing more to it. I didn’t know any gay people. I had never seen gay people in the media. There was nothing concrete.
As previously stated, I hated reading at the time. However, I loved movies.
I was still 12 when I went to see a movie called City of Bones. I had no clue what it was about, but I had seen the trailer and it caught my eye. One morning, my aunt and I shuffled out to her car and we drove to the next town over where the nearest movie theater was. I was bouncing up and down with excitement as we went in.
For those who don’t know, City of Bones is the first book in Cassandra Clare’s series, The Mortal Instruments. Without spoiling anything or getting too deep into the story, there is a gay character named Alec Lightwood who is struggling with being in love with his best friend and coming to terms with his sexuality. Eventually, he meets a handsome warlock named Magnus Bane and starts to fall in love with him instead. You may have seen the Malec ship around Tumblr since the show, Shadowhunters, started in 2016.
This was the first time I ever saw a gay couple in media, but this wasn’t the only reason the experience was valuable. I saw the struggles of coming to terms with your sexuality in a society where it’s not accepted to be anything other than straight. I also saw a bi character for the first time (Magnus Bane) which introduced the possibility of being attracted to more than one gender.
This was the day I decided to give reading another chance, and the day it started to change my life for the better.
By the time I turned 13, I was devouring books. I was in the awkward stage where my peers and I were getting awkward sex talks and having classes where adults would come in and tell us stories to scare us into abstinence. (For those who don’t know, sex “ed” in Texas does not actually involve education.) However, I didn’t feel like any of this applied to me. My peers were busy discovering this new kind of attraction and I was left drifting alone. The older I got, the more I felt like something was just wrong with me.
I was 14 when I started high school and I was still very confused, but I also got access to a much better library and joined a book club. Through this, I discovered The Raven Cycle, The Darkest Part of the Forest, and even more books written by Cassandra Clare.
It was back in The Mortal Instruments where I encountered a canon asexual character for the first time: Raphael Santiago. He isn’t a main character, but seeing a character that wasn’t interested in the attraction other characters were dealing with made me feel much better about myself. (Plus, he’s a vampire. That’s pretty cool, too.)
While I had been identifying as pan, I had known that wasn’t entirely correct. That year, I finally settled nicely into the identity panromantic asexual.
This was about the time I started realizing the power of representation. I did have friends who were LGBT+ and they were looking for characters like them the same way I was looking for characters like me. As I had once learned to love reading, I had also learned to love writing. Seeing the way that one author with a few great characters could impact lives, I told myself, “Hey, you could do that!”
I turned 15 and then I turned 16. I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, The Song of Achilles, All for the Game, and more. The more I saw the impact these stories had on me and those around me just by featuring characters like us, the more I was inspired to be the person creating that impact.
I am currently 17, almost 18, and I’m a senior in high school. I just finished writing a full book for my creative writing class as a practice for the ones I’m going to be writing in the future. I am planning on studying English and LGBT+ studies in college and going on to get my masters in creative writing. My dream is to write books that will give other people the representation I wish that I had had growing up. Nobody should ever have to live 12 years before they realize it’s possible for them to like someone of the same gender. And nobody should ever feel like there is anything wrong with them if they do.
We have definitely made progress with the amount of representation out there, however, as an ace person who can name three canon ace characters, I can tell you we definitely aren’t as far as we need to be. But, even the little representation that I did see growing up made a profound change in my life. This post definitely does not cover all of it. Without those realizations, I wouldn’t be on the same path I am now, and I am grateful for them every day.
For those of you searching for some more representation in your life, here’s a list of the books that I mentioned and a few more:
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (this is actually a comic)
Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman
Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo
All for the Game series by Nora Sakavic (my personal favorite)
#lgbt representation#the mortal instruments#by jess#june 2018#love and sexuality#real life#media#books
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Solitaire by Alice Oseman
Rating: ★★★★★
I like Solitaire. I love Solitaire for its accurate depiction of the straight-up awkwardness that being a 16 year old is. And I adore Solitaire for its nostalgia value.
Granted, there are some parts that I didn’t love, like Tori’s opinion on Pride & Prejudice, but they don’t overwhelm the good parts.
Solitaire is about Tori Spring, a year 12 6th form student with depression, and the mystery of a group of anonymous school pranksters whose tricks seem increasingly related to Tori.
Interestingly, the book mentions that the writing of Solitaire was “significantly inspired by behavioural trends on Tumblr”, a micro-blogging/interest/fandom website that hit peak popularity from 2011-2014. If you were in your teens during this period, like me, or Alice Oseman, you may have lived on had a Tumblr. You may never have left Tumblr. In fact, you are even reading this on Tumblr right now.
Though Tumblr is never mentioned by name in the book, the fact that Tori spends a large amount of her time either on the website or sleeping made for a very familiar experience. Meanwhile, the Solitaire mystery was interesting despite it feeling like it should have probably been obvious, once everything’s revealed. What happens at the end of the book, though, I never saw coming, and I loved the ending.
It’s worth mentioning that Solitaire received a number of negative reviews from readers online, accusing it of being ‘problematic’ regarding teenage mental illness. I’m not going to dismiss these opinions, but while I agree that the characters don’t necessarily get the best treatment or support, you have to bear in mind that this is YA fiction, written when the author was 17.
The cover declares that “this is not a love story”, but it is at least a little bit love story. It’s just different enough from most high-school-drama to keep me interested (although I will admit I may be biased by my investment in Nick and Charlie, the protagonists from Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series).
If you liked Eleanor & Park, you’ll enjoy Solitaire. I have a physical copy from back when libraries were open, but your library may have it in their ebook catalogue!
Content warnings: depression, self-harm, eating disorders, description of suicide attempt
Age-appropriate?: no warnings aside from the above
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