blewballoon's Reviews (763)

I really liked our main protagonist but it was harder to connect with many of the other characters. This feels like a fairly dark and somber story, with tension throughout. I wouldn't necessarily recommend to anyone who comes to this through Heartstopper, since the atmosphere is not as lighthearted or wholesome. 

I think the comparison to Catcher in the Rye is appropriate, I would say this has a similar sort of approach to the main character and their view of the world, but is updated for a more contemporary setting and understanding of what teen lives are like in the digital age. Unfortunately, I hated Catcher in the Rye, so the aspects of it that were similar to this book are what made me enjoy the book less. I did like it overall, mostly because I love these characters from the Heartstopper comics. If it didn't have the connection to them, though, I think I would have had a much harder time enjoying this.

I read this because I saw an amusing post on tumblr comparing all the different cover designs for this book from other countries, and was curious what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised! If I wanted to read one very cheesy over the top glamorous rich people and celebrities gay romance book in my life, this was a great choice. A lot of tropes that would have bothered me otherwise were done well here. I was invested in all of the characters, I was thrilled by the drama, and the romance was sweet and tender. 

This reminded me of the feeling of reading a goosebumps book when I was in middle school, not in a bad way.