“Heartstopper” Review

On April 22, 2022, Netflix released the show adaptation of “Heartstopper.” “Heartstopper” is originally a graphic novel series written and illustrated by Alice Oseman. It consists of four novels plus a coloring book for the series, a novel called “Nick and Charlie,” and a side story, “The Heartstopper Yearbook.”  Volume 5 of the graphic novel series will be published in February 2023.

Alice Oseman is an author and illustrator from the United Kingdom and has been publishing books since she was 17. They have written and illustrated 11 graphic novels, some part of assorted series. 

“Heartstopper” the graphic novel, follows Charlie Spring during his junior year as he navigates his way through bullies, confusing boys, and new changes at every corner. Meeting Nick Nelson is certainly a change in his life. Charlie is used to hiding in the art room or sitting with his two buds during lunch. All of a sudden with Nick, Charlie is joining the school’s rugby team and going to parties. Whether it is a good or bad change is still up in the air to his friends. The four main novels of the series reveal Charlie and Nick’s relationship through all of the ups and downs.

The live-action adaptation is a whole roller coaster. There are eight episodes in season one and the episodes are all roughly 30 minutes long. In between scene switches, there are cartoon borders and the occasional cartoon heart or something similar to match the original graphic novel style. While staying true to the story, there are some add-ins to the show compared to the novels and it makes for an exciting surprise to those who had previously read the series. 

Overall, I would say that I very much enjoyed both the show and series of “Heartbreaker.” I would certainly recommend it to those looking for a cute romance story.