Title: Heartsopper
Author: Alice Oseman
Publisher: Scholastic Inc
Year: 2018
263 pages
I'm not usually one to read graphic novels, but everyone has been raving about Heartstoppers, both the book and the Netflix series, that I caved and borrowed the book from my children to read.
I was not disappointed and now I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. One of my children has also insisted that I should watch the series.
This book openly shows how hard it is to be gay in high school - the fear, the bullying, the mistreatment from your fellow students. On top of which, as a teenager discovering the world of crushed, love, and hormones, life can just be hard.
The story also goes on to explore what it's like to be a jock questioning your sexuality. The male world of sports is seen to be very macho and the disbelief around a gay athlete is everywhere and vocal. Heartstoppers gives space to explore what that means to a high school student.
It was easy to fall in love with the two main characters and you can't help but feel for them as they explore themselves and start to see each other differently.
Ultimately, to have a book, especially a young adult book, that is entirely focused on a queer storyline that is full of heart and emotion is just amazing, and super important in a world where erasure is a real thing. Representation matters.
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