Heartstopper vol. 5
by Alice Oseman
Genres: Graphic Novels, RomancePages: 336
Series: Heartstopper #5
Rating:
Synopsis:Nick and Charlie are in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s. He wants to take their relationship to the next level ... but can he find the confidence he needs?
And with Nick going off to uni next year, is everything about to change?
Volume 4 of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper proved a bit too heavy for me, but that’s largely not the focus of volume 5 (fortunately). Not that it was a bad story, or a topic that was handled badly, or anything like that, but it just wasn’t what I needed at the time. Volume 5 starts the healing process, and features plenty of Nick and Charlie just getting to be teenagers, and do normal teenage things — including have sex.
It also features a bit of development for Charlie’s sister, which I think is referencing Solitaire? I know nothing about that novel, so seeing how Tori gets on isn’t something I’m super invested in, but on the other hand, it’s nice sometimes to see Nick and Charlie separate, especially given the next step that’s coming for them: long distance, as Nick goes to university…
As ever the art is cute, and the relationship between Nick and Charlie is adorable.
It’s worth noting that though this installment doesn’t go heavily into Charlie’s eating disorder issues, but that hasn’t been forgotten and at times it shadows how Charlie reacts to things and how he manages.
Rating: 4/5
I have not picked up Volume 5 yet, but I do love the Heartstopper series. I agree that Vol 4 went darker than previous books, but I could appreciate the focus on Charlie’s issues and din’t mind it. Can’t wait to pick this one up!
It was good and it’s great that it exists, but it’s a little too close to my personal issues to have been something I really enjoyed. This new volume helped though, making it just part of a bigger context and a healing narrative.