Photo credits: A OpenClipart-Vectors (pixabay) Edited by Vaishali Title: Heartstopper #3 Series: Heartstopper Author: Alice Oseman Publisher: Holder Children's Books Year of Publication: 2022 Format: Paperback copy Genre/Themes: LGBT romance, Teen romance, Graphic novel/comic, Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary Queer Romance, Mental Health ISBN: : 9781444952773 Review Another Heartstopper volume down the hatch, another unmoving smile on my face and another phase of Nick and Charlie's sweetly moving teen romance. Every time I sit down for a reading session with this series I spontaneously switch to wholesome mode, eager for the overload of their cute courtship and the interrelations of the slowly expanding cast of friendships. The day to day of everyday continues with Nick and Charlie in the Heartstopper chronicles. They're still getting to know each other, still growing as a couple, still coming into their own, still smitten in each other's company. And it even happens that the big 'L' word is drawing ever nearer. But smooth sailing it is not because it turns out that being a couple is half the battle. It's exam period before school breaks, and they're soon to become sixth formers. And Nick might've come out to his mum but it becomes a different matter altogether in coming out to his friends. Charlie, ever the understanding boyfriend is never one to push, but still haunted by the memories of his own choiceless outing coupled with sitting exams for exam season and he's not sure he can face the scrutiny for a second time returning. This series has always echoed school life in a way that generally resonates, especially being UK gal myself. And quite similar to my own, the Paris trip threw back to my own year 11 Paris excursion. I didn't have a comforting romance to turn to nor an adorable boyfriend to have companionable teen firsts and experiences with. My romance was between me and one specific night on a ferry ride there where myself, a night sky lit with stars and gentle peaceful waters all came together to share a fleeting on-the-water love affair. Brought together by planning, connected by a moment to remember and drifted apart by a moving ship. It was heart eyes all around for a few hours. We know Nick and Charlie are the utmost in queer romance, but it was also sweet to hear more about the surrounding same sex courtships. We learn more about Tara and Darcy's relationship, Tao and Elle hit some milestones by facing some feelings and even Aled talks about a romance he hasn't shared with the wider group. A certain PE teacher who didn't have it easy with her own girlfriend acknowledges herself as a support for our main couple, and there's even a gay opposites-attract teacher/teacher romance forming a bud with their chaperones. On the Paris trip no less. There were some hilarious moments (*cue a curmudgeonly educator and cheeky Darcy*). It's LGBT love all around with this comic series. But it's not all lightness and charm. We knew through the first two instalments that Charlie was bullied post-sexuality outing. We all knew it was an incredibly hard time in his life. But we didn't know the extent of the hardship. We realise how bad things really got for Charlie during that particular period of his bullying with volume three. The issue of self-harm comes into the picture, and that’s where this episodic stage really digs into some seriousness. And it was comforting to both see Charlie bravely open up to Nick about it (which isn't easy) and even more comforting to see Nick's support as a boyfriend, doing his best to make situations more comfortable for Charlie. But I never doubted in the way either of them would lean on and into each other. They've always had that, especially with the tough conversation pieces. It makes the heart warm, snug and fluffy all over again. Back to the Paris trip, I loved that the story took us elsewhere locationally. Traipsing and adventuring through a big European City introduced some nice imagery, even while the conflicts, courtships and hardships between friendships wasn't always easy to navigate. As always, there was some wise and resonant commentary over sexuality, characters coming into themselves, the pressures of coming out, what that should look like, and a very special scene where Charlie (bravely again) stands up to a bully who was complicit in his suffering. One of the main struggles comes from them trying to navigate the publicity of their relationship: who to tell, when to tell, what to tell, so many people to tell. So, there's a lot of young courage, more Heartstopper kissing, intimacy interruptions, mental health chat, teasing romance sweetness, friendly/healthy discussion and so much affection. The traditional Heartstopper moments kept on coming and the episodic nature of the way Oseman moves the sequence forward is so easy to follow, so easy to enjoy and makes one want to keep up with the slice-of-life, day-by-day chronicles of Nick and Charlie. This comic series still continues to embody the empowerment of sexuality culture, LGBTQ+ celebration in book form. And thankfully for me, my younger sister generously posted me my copy of volume four for my birthday just passed so what does this mean? More Heartstopper this wintry, white Christmas, which feels like the perfect season for it. I gave this book 3.5/4 stars -Content Warning: Some swearing. Self harm/eating disorder. Mentions past bullying and homophobia. Some drinking. --------------------------------------- M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read --------------------------------------- __________________________________________________________ R E L A T E D P O S T S: ● BOOK REVIEW: Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice Oseman ● BOOK REVIEW: Heartstopper Volume 2 by Alice Oseman __________________________________________________________ Bookish Pics of Heartstopper Volume 3! I love interacting with fellow readers, reviewers, bloggers and writers. Hearing about reader opinion is the fuel to my reader appetite, so get in touch and comment below! SHARE ON FACEBOOK Leave a comment and let's talk about |
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