Heartstopper: Volume One

Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 20 minutes (!!!)
Tags: romance, lgbtq+, high school, slice of life
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 8/10

This was super cute and sweet! I've been seeing this graphic novel everywhere lately, so when I saw that my public library had copies, I figured I'd give it a shot. I was surprised by how quickly this can be read. This is mostly because there's very little dialogue, and the pages have a lot of blank spaces. However, this is not a bad thing. I think that it adds to the slow build up of feelings for the characters. The ‘silence' allows us as readers to take in the events as they unfold and ‘breathe' in between each scene, which is nice. It feels as though you are a part of the story.

The characters themselves are very loveable, mainly Charlie and Nick (of course). This first volume focused on their blooming friendship despite their apparent differences (Nick is older and in another grade, he's also a jock and very popular, while Charlie is the exact opposite of these things). There wasn't much focus placed on the other characters, except Ben, the default antagonist, but they seemed to be all right and supportive of whatever the situation. Tao's protectiveness over Charlie was especially endearing, and Charlie's older sister was nice too.

So far, this series is off to a good start, and I'm excited to see where it will go.