The Heartstopper Yearbook

The Heartstopper Yearbook by Alice Oseman (Hodder Children’s Books) HB RRP $32.99 ISBN 9781444968392

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Nick and Charlie started out as supporting characters in Oseman’s first YA novel Solitaire. The talented author/illustrator decided she wanted to expand the couple’s story, so she created Heartstopper. The episodic story commenced in 2016 as a free serialised webcomic, and soon gathered a plethora of fans. Then, Oseman crowdfunded to self-publish volume one of the Heartstopper graphic novel series and the rest as they say is history. Hachette have now published four volumes (Volume 5 will be published in 2023) and Netflix have produced a TV adaptation, and the momentum has not stopped.

To celebrate all things Heartstopper Oseman has created a yearbook/artbook capturing the year-by-year backstory of how the series evolved. The full colour hardback book also includes character profiles, mini comics, plenty of artwork and insights into Oseman’s creative process. The Heartstopper Yearbook is informative and visually delightful, and highly recommended for fans of the series. 

Loveless

Loveless by Alice Oseman (Harper Collins) PB RRP $17.99

ISBN 9780008244125

Reviewed by Kylie Buckley

Loveless is a coming of age story, written in the first person by the female protagonist Georgia Warr. Georgia is a shy and introverted eighteen-year-old who has never been kissed. She enjoys the idea of finding love, but when it comes to romance, she considers herself the ‘master of theory’. 

Georgia believes she is defective and is missing out on many life experiences. The only thing she is secure about is the friendship she has with her two best friends, Pip and Jason. The narrative follows this ‘trio of high achieving nerds’ as they finish high school and move away to college together.

Life at college compounds Georgia’s existing insecurities as she develops new friendships, a potential relationship and continues to figure out who she is. She meets some equally complex characters who are also trying to ‘survive and thrive in a world that often doesn’t feel like it was made for [them].’

Loveless is a young adult novel rich in the diversity of love. Its themes also include friendship, sexual diversity, self-discovery, self-acceptance, and identity. This fiction novel is suitable for mature readers aged 15+ years.