• Author: Alice Oseman
• Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
• Year of publishing: 2023
• Number of pages: 336
• ISBN: 978-1444957655

https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/alice-oseman/heartstopper-volume-5/9781444957662/

Review:

Alice Oseman is back with a new Heartstopper graphic novel, the fifth volume in the six-part series. It took a while for the fifth to be finished due to her commitment to the Netflix tv-show adaptation. But now it’s finally here. One more story left to tell after this one… a lot of hearts will break when she finishes this series, I’m sure.

In Heartstopper, Volume 5 the story between Nick and Charlie continues. Both have come a long way and are finally getting the hang of being boyfriends without too much drama. But then there’s always a new struggle ahead. Nick has to decide which uni he wants to go to next year, which means he either stays in Kent, close to Charlie and his mom, or he looks for another place but that would mean a long distance thing with Charlie. And at the same time this goes on both boys start to realise they might want to take their relationship one step further. But are they ready for that step? Will Nick still love Charlie when he takes off his clothes and he sees how skinny he is? Both boys have to figure these new things out.

Charlie is not the only one in the family figuring things out. His sister Tori has her own struggle and needs to confide in someone. Who better than her brother?

Nick takes a road trip across the country, visiting some unis along the way with Elle and Tara. This trip doesn’t make things easier for Nick and the girls. What will happen next?

As with the previous volumes this is a sweet, wholesome tale of boys falling in love with boys, girls falling in love with girls, boys falling for girls and boys or girls not falling at all. But this part is (in a very sweet, honest and non-sexual way) exploring the steps youngsters take when in love towards that ‘final step’, towards finally sleeping over, towards having sex for the first time. It’s all been done very respectfully and nicely… (I’m sure in real life hormones speak louder than the wise thoughts of the mind)

And there is the message using protection, which I favour very much in this graphic novel as well… (although again in real life, I’m sure not all of the kids are this wise!)

In Volume 5 of this much loved graphic novel big steps are taken and decisions are made and the characters are all developing towards adulthood! There’s still one more volume to wait for now… one more story to tell! I can’t wait!