Heartstopper Volume 5 by Alice Oseman

Nick and Charlie are nearing the end of high school and facing the reality of Nick going away to university. They have also come to a point in their relationship where they both feel comfortable with each other and the talk in their peer group is starting to be about taking relationships to the next level. Charlie is managing his anxiety and eating disorder better but Nick is very aware that making a wrong move might have adverse effects. Nick is also worried that choosing a university course a long way away would disrupt their lives and he is unsure of what he wants to do anyway. A road trip to various U.K. university open days with friends Tara and Elle is a good opportunity to get some perspective on a lot of things and to imagine possible futures. As with all this graphic series, Alice Oseman’s consistent characters ooze emotion often with just a few lines. I loved the second frame down on page 1301 where a sleeping Nick has echoes of a Picasso sketch. Readers of the previous four graphic novels will be invested in their story but the issues and personal challenges these young adults are wrestling with are universal, not just for the LGBTQ community and new readers will still enjoy seeing the growth possible as the characters mature. While the series is now a live action Netflix series, these simple black and white graphics on newsprint have an immediacy that still appeals, and new readers can read up on the story and illustrations on the website.

Themes: LGBTQ relationships, Friendship.

Sue Speck