Book 780 & 781: Heartstopper, Vols. 1 & 2 (Heartstopper #1 & #2)- Alice Oseman

[Check out my Feb 2022 updated response to Vol 1. and my Feb 2022 updated response to Vol. 2.]

I’ve pretty much been waiting since last June to read this one. I absolutely adored Heartstopper, Vol. 1 and cannot wait for the next one this summer!

This post is a two-for-one as there was no way I could go into this without reading the first one again and they’re just so adorable. Really, this should be four-for-one because I read each twice because they’re so quick. I always read them once through focusing on the text and first impressions and then a second time focusing more on the graphics. And it’s worth it!

All this really means is there will be a three-for-one again later in the summer . . . swoon 🙂

Heartstopper, Vol. 2 picks up the day after Vol. 1 and runs from there. The time seemed to move a little differently, I think to make it seem like their developing relationship wasn’t rushed. I feel like I missed a few leaps forward, but for the most part it didn’t bother me.

Vol. 2 brings the balance to the story in focusing more on Nick this time than Charlie. It’s his story of coming to terms with his bisexuality and ultimately letting a few people know. I was originally going to say there were no panels that stood out to me like the panel of Nick and Charlie at the party last time, but I realized there were a series toward the end of the novel that nearly broke my heart when Nick was coming out to his mom, especially in contrast to the scene previously when Nick and Charlie had just had a wonderful day at the beach.

I didn’t realize it the first time I read it through, but Oseman drawing it with Nick not taking his hoodie off and leaving his hood on should’ve given me the head’s up of what was coming. I mean the security blanket-ness of a hoodie works for so many things, but for this scene in particular it was so poignant and perfectly framed and drawn.

Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of Nick and Charlie interacting together and we get to see them with their friend groups, but I felt like we got a lot more of Nick’s inner struggle and dialogue in Vol. 2 than in Vol. 1 and I am here for it. I can’t lie, however, I am a little bit anxious because I feel like this is all building to the scene from Oseman’s debut novel Solitaire that nearly broke me because of Charlie. We’ll see if we get there in Vol. 3, which I’ve already ordered and cannot wait for its delivery!!!

Recommendation: READ THEM ALL!!!!! (Seriously, you can skip the wait and go to tapas.io, but I’m waiting for my physical copy!)This one is just as good, if not better than volume one! Seriously, as great as volume one was this one amped up the volume and the struggle Nick goes through, mostly unspoken on his face and in his movements, was perfectly drawn. I DON’T WANT TO WAIT LONGER for volume three. I love these so much, but I’m forcing myself not to go the published web-comic because there’s just something so nice about curling up in a warm place without a screen and reading these! I’ve already pre-ordered Volume 3 and cannot wait to read them back-to-back again 😀