Kathryn's Inbox

Charlie Spring is a character that author Alice Oseman seems to come back to time and time again. Initially Charlie was introduced to readers via Oseman's first novel, Solitare, as the brother of protagonist Tori Spring. From there, Charlie has starred in This Winter, a prequel to Solitare, Heartstopper a successful webcomic which later turned into a four volume series of graphic novels, an upcoming Netflix series ( see more here ) and a novella, Nick and Charlie .  And okay, Charlie has a fairly compelling story arc, with his struggles with his sexuality, his romance with Nick, and anorexia. That's a heck of a lot of material for one teenage boy. So why then, when Oseman writes about Charlie Spring does it feel as though the author is writing fan fiction of her own work? This Winter is set after the events of the Heartstopper  and prior to those of Solitare and Nick and Charlie. It is Christmas. Charlie is home from hospital and recovering, Tori is trying to work out ...

This short novella concludes the story of Nick and Charlie (well, for now at least ,) who readers will know from Alice Oseman's novel Solitare, and also through Heartstopper, her bestselling series of graphic novels. It's the end of the school year, and that means that Nick is about to graduate. He's looking forward to starting university in Leeds in September, and life is looking up. That is, until Charlie, who still has another year of high school, starts to have doubts about their relationship--after all, long term relationships rarely work out. Do Nick and Charlie really have what it takes? It might take the unthinkable--the otherwise solid pair breaking up after a silly argument--to find out. This was a sweet little novella that looks at what happens in a teenage relationship when one partner finishes school, leaving the other, slightly younger one behind. In adult terms, a year isn't that much difference. At school, a year isn't that much difference either. B...

British author Alice Oseman's latest novel is a story of a young woman trying to find her identity in a world obsessed with sex and relationships. Georgia is eighteen years old. She has never been in love, and never kissed anyone. And when the opportunity for her first kiss comes along, she finds herself reacting in a totally unexpected way. Is there something wrong with her? When she moves away to start university with her two closest friends she starts questioning herself more and more. How come sex and relationships are so easy for other people, when it is so difficult for her? Loveless is a frank look at the life of a young woman who experiences neither sexual nor romantic attraction. Written by the author of the Heartstopper series of graphic novels, there are strong themes of self-acceptance and coming out when your sexuality is one that many have never heard of.  On the whole this was an entertaining read with some very humorous moments. My only real complaint is that with...

The third volume in the Heartstopper series sees Charlie and Nick travel to Paris with a number of their friends on a school trip. There they are provided with new challenges, in particular Nick, who is slowly coming out as bisexual to his friends ... which in turn means that Charlie and Nick are slowly coming out as a couple.  Heartstopper Volume 3 gets off to a strong start, but sadly fails to live up to its potential. In particular, a major plot line that involves Nick expressing a desire to come out to his dad, which is then followed by the revelation that his Dad lives in Paris, had a lot of potential, which is then squandered in a few short frames where [[[spoiler alert]]] Nick receives a phone call from his dad to say that he is too busy to catch up this week, and Nick just shrugs it off as though it is nothing and it's not like he and his dad live in different countries and he doesn't have something rather big and important to tell him, and that his reaction ...

Heartstopper Volume 1 ended with Charlie and Nick exchanging a kiss. But what comes next? While Charlie agonises over the fact that he has kissed a straight boy, Nick is busy coming to terms with his his attraction to Charlie. Nick knows that he has liked girls in the past. But now he likes a boy and what does that mean? Volume 2 is a story of two teenagers navigating their first relationship. For Nick, it means the slow realisation that he is bisexual and that not all of his friends may be happy for him. Equally, Charlie has to wait for Nick to come out when he is ready. Meanwhile, Charlie's friends are all very concerned that he is going to get hurt. What follows is a very touching story, gently told that should have broad appeal, regardless of the age and sexuality of the reader. This was an enjoyable read, perhaps even more so than the first volume.  Recommended. Fans of Charlie and Nick will be thrilled to know that Heartstopper Volume 3 will be released i...

I've been hearing whispers about YA author Alice Oseman's graphic novel Heartstopper for a while now, mostly words of praise, though I had little idea of what the story was about. Curious, and discovering volumes one and two on sale at QBD I picked them up. What I got with volume one is a heartwarming tale of two seemingly different boys, who are thrown together by circumstance, but choose to become friends and then, maybe ... something more. Charlie Spring is in year ten at an all boys high school in the UK. He is openly gay and his experiences in coming out the previous year put him in the path of some school bullies. He enjoys music and has a real creative streak. At the beginning of January, he finds himself placed in a new vertical tutoring group.* There, he meets Nick, a boy from the year above him. The pair are seemingly quite different. Nick is a star on the school rugby team, outgoing and very popular. Surprisingly, he and Charlie become close friends straight...