But I don't think I've ever read a modern YA contemporary that hit me quite like Solitaire did. See, at the risk of getting too personal, I'm not afraid of dying. Never have been. But I am afraid of dying without doing anything worthwhile in my life. I mean living as a sort of passive observer in the world and never doing a single goddamn thing to change it. Alice Oseman’s books and comics often deal with serious topics. You may be concerned that one of Alice’s books may contain a topic that is distressing or triggering to you. This main character (Tori) was one of the most unlikeable characters I've read in a long time. She was bitter, bitchy, and pessimistic. It's like she didn't know how to smile or laugh, but she was an expert on being judgemental and looking down on people. All the people are chatting and laughing and smiling and it sort of makes me feel a bit sad, like I’m watching them through a dirty window. Solitaire, the name of a mysterious group of anonymous pranksters, has taken over Harvey Greene Grammar School, the school known locally as "Higgs." Higgs is home to sixth formers Tori Spring, Michael Holden and Lucas Ryan. One by one, members of Solitaire continue to play pranks on the school. Tori is left with these pranks and the many other mysteries that follow: Michael suggests Solitaire is talking to her in some way. Why is Lucas avoiding me? Is Michael in love with me? So before Solitaire plays their biggest ever prank, Tori wants to know who's behind it.

Solitaire is Alice Oseman's debut novel, and as such the place I decided to begin with her full length works. (I have already read some of her Heartstopper webcomic, but none of her books) I had heard pretty mediocre things about this one compared to some of her others, so decided it would be a good place to start, as to gently increase my expectations and not be too disappointed.Ocr tesseract 5.2.0-1-gc42a Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_detected_script_conf 0.9887 Ocr_module_version 0.0.18 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA-WL-2000099 Openlibrary_edition Solitaire is a story about mental illness told through an unreliable narrator. The presentation of mental illness in this story is sometimes sensationalised, underexplained, and may be harmful to readers who have experienced mental illness. Please read safely and responsibly. Tori never ever smiles. She doesn't find joy in anything. She hates everything. But when she talks to Michael she smiles. There’s a time and a place for being normal. For most people, normal is their default setting. But for some, like you and me, normal is something we have to bring out, like putting on a suit for a posh dinner.”

Although Solitaire was originally set in 2011, Heartstopper takes place in 2016, which means that it would technically take place in January 2017 in the updated timeline. However, Alice has said that neither Solitaire not Heartstopper takes place in any specific year.

Hobbies

I know the main character is relatable for many and I hope that any of you who read this will understand that anything I say in this is nothing against your or your experiences. NOR is it anything against the author, as I know they were very young when the book was published. No, but you were always dreaming up all these imaginary games. Like our Pokémon battles. Or the secret base you made out of the cornered-off section of the playground."

Please also note that Solitaire is a much darker, more graphic, more serious book than the Heartstopper series, and may not be suitable for all readers who have enjoyed Heartstopper. having tori hate on this particular girl the whole time for no real reason other than tori’s super judgmental and then revealing her be the antagonist really just ain’t the message we want to be sending

Diaries & Calendars

Sometimes I think Alice Oseman books have captured a part of my soul that nothing else has managed to describe in exactly the right words. Her stories are streams of consciousness, explorations of identity, odes to teenage senescence. Dedicated to kids who have no idea who they are but are figuring it out together, kids who are sad and empty and lost and trying to remember where they used to fit in the world, kids who feel a little bit broken until they find the platonic soulmate who fills the gaps. Solitaire is radiant. I know this is a STUPID ASS thing to be annoyed about, but I couldn't get it to stop nagging me. That kind of stuff bugs me... #nerd. And my candid answer is: Yes and no. I think you just can’t compare it to any of her other works because for one thing it’s her debut novel and for another it’s an entirely different writing style. At least for me it is, because it’s extremely immersive and you see the world through Tori’s perspective and POV. Of course you could argue that you do that with every book and MC you read about but I think this time it was different. You saw the darkness with Tori’s eyes and yes, this is unpleasant, it doesn’t make you happy, it drags you down; it makes it a chore to get through the book and it’s exactly the reason why I think “Solitaire” is brilliant in its own way. I’m a sanguine person, but I appreciated to get a different glimpse at the world and it’s always good to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. A little bit of sensitivity never hurt anyone. With this in mind: Four stars. No more and no less. There comes a point, though, when you can’t keep looking after other people any more. You have to start looking after yourself.

It was at that point that I realized: I love books! Why should I waste my time reading about a bitter bitch who hates them? The acclaimed debut novel by Alice Oseman, author of the YA Book Prize 2021 Loveless. Solitaire presents the characters who inspired the popular webcomic and graphic novel series Heartstopper, one of Netflix's leading series today. Along with Radio Silence, upon the release of Oseman's third book, I Was Born For This, Solitaire's UK cover received a redesign from HarperCollins designer, Ryan Hammond.

Did we miss something on diversity?

This book broke me, I think I’m reading it at the exact right moment in my life. 16-year-old me wouldn’t have liked it all that much, she would have sympathised with the characters, but she wouldn’t have understood them like 21-year-old me did. Ultimately this is a book about family and friendship. The family dynamic between the Spring siblings is one of the best I’ve read about. They’re a bunch of precious human beings who deserve for good things to happen to them. They’re trying to make their way through this world the best way they can, sometimes they fail, but they got each other to help them get up when they fall. I find one song that I really love and then I listen to it about twenty billion times until I hate it and have ruined it for myself.