Solitaire by Alice Oseman was one of those books that I was immediately interested in. The summary was intriguing and I was very interested in seeing what the story was really about.

Admittedly this book dragged a bit for me. I don’t know if it was because I read this after I read a few that I absolutely loved but whatever the reason, I didn’t love this one. Don’t get me wrong, the characters are interesting, the story was different, and I found the mystery of what Solitaire was really up to (and who was behind it) was what kept me going.

Tori was one of those characters I think readers will either really love and connect with or they will absolutely find her frustrating and annoying. I liked her and there were times that I found myself appreciating her sarcasm, humor, and overall personality. She has been through a lot but not everyone knows exactly what her home life is like. She definitely puts up walls and uses her personality to keep people away. Her best friend is the exact opposite of Tori personality-wise but despite that, they still got along.

As Tori gets back to school, she finds that there is a new boy at her school, Michael Holden. And no matter what she says to him, he seems to be determined to get to know Tori and the thing that ties them together is Solitaire. Together they attempt to figure out what Solitaire is up to and why the pranks seem to be linked to things tied to Tori.

Outside of the pranks and mystery of what Solitaire is up to, this book also addresses mental health and issues like depression and suicide. I thought Oseman did a good job of depicting these aspects of the characters and I was pulled into these character’s stories because of the way she revealed what was really going on.

Overall I found the story interesting and although a bit slow paced, still well done. If you’re looking for a teen contemporary that covers some real issues and introduces you to some solid characters, definitely check this out.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.