Nick and Charlie is a novella written by Alice Oseman, which is a spin-off of her popular Heartstopper series. Teens Nick and Charlie are now in their final year of school, and they face challenges regarding their future as Nick is going off to university. Oseman’s beautiful artwork once again adds to her strong story-telling, with endearing and engaging characters as well.
Heartstopper Volume 4 continues the love story of Alice Oseman’s characters Charlie and Nick through her expressive graphic novel format. It is an inspiring, tender and engaging story of empathy, understanding, and friendship as the 2 teens navigate their relationship in the face of external pressures. As with prior Hearstopper novels, themes regarding the challenges of identity, mental health and LGBTQIA+ are explored.
Heartstopper Volume 3 by Alice Oseman is her third installment in this series. It is a captivating and emotionally-charged story of love, acceptance, and personal growth as it follows the main characters, teens Nick and Charlie. The characters are warm, appealing and relatable, with a rockier path to navigate in this story, but again with the telling more special through Oseman’s gorgeous artwork. This novel is another amazing read from Oseman, which left me excited to read the next chapter for Nick and Charlie.
Heartstopper Volume 2 is Oseman’s second graphic novel in this series, and continues to explore the developing relationship between teenagers Nick and Charlie. It is an well-paced, emotional, and engaging story of self-discovery, identify, family expectations and acceptance. Oseman’s artwork is fantastic, with her writing quite powerful and compelling. The LGBTQIA+ themes are again explored in thoughtful and meaningful ways.
Heartstopper Volume 1 is a touching and uplifting graphic novel from Alice Oseman that captures the joys and struggles of first love. It tells the story of Charlie, an openly gay and engaging character, and straight rugby player Nick, from their tentative friendship to blossoming romance with themes of self-discovery and self-identity. It offers an emotional look at what it’s like to be young, gay, and trying to find your place in the world.
Red, White & Royal Blue is a delightful LGBTQIA+ romance novel by Casey McQuiston that tells the story of Alex, the son of an American president, and Henry, the son of the British Prime Minister, as they navigate their respective identities and growing attraction. The book provides a unique take on identity and family, with the political settings of Washington, D.C. and London serving as the backdrop.
The novel follows Naomi Witt and Knox Morgan. Naomi moved to a small town in Virginia after skipping out on her own wedding and found herself the guardian of her sister's daughter, Waylay after her sister left unexpectedly. When Naomi finds work at a bar she meets the bartender, Knox and they are instantly attracted to each other but neither of them want a relationship. Naomi’s sister shows back up and her and her boyfriend kidnap Waylay.
The Winner's Crime is a captivating tale of rebellion, betrayal, war, and love. From the very beginning, the book's worldbuilding and storyline makes it impossible to put down. Kestrel, our protagonist, is very well-written and full of depth. At the start, she meets a strange Herrani slave who strikes her as special, and she cannot help but be intrigued. After she purchases him, they get to know each other and become almost friends. The slave, Arin, surprises Kestrel with his intelligence and quickly gains her trust.
The Inheritance Games is a super fun book and has a great premise. I thought the storyline was enjoyable. I did, however, find the book a little too repetitive. I felt that the relationship with the love interests was a bit bland. But still, I found the book intriguing.
Third-year Ph.D. student, Olive Smith doesn’t believe in relationships whatsoever. However, to convince her best friend Anh that she’s dating someone, she kisses the first man she sees which just happens to be professor Adam Carlsen (a very unliked person on campus). However, to keep up the act Olive needs Adam to pretend to be her secret boyfriend to which he agrees. But, when Olive starts catching feelings all of a sudden the fake relationship doesn’t seem to be fake anymore putting her own heart at risk.
