Harry V. Keefe '39 Library Media Center, Boston Latin School: Wolfpack Reads!

#1 Alice Oseman Fan

Solitaire by Alice Oseman – 4.5/5 stars

Published: 2018 (Revised), Harper Collins (Originally published 2014)

Genre: YA Fiction

Reviewer: Lauren D., Class III

This book is available at BLS. Get it today!

If you’ve read the Heartstopper comics or have watched the Netflix show, you should read Solitaire! And, if you want to know more about Tori’s backstory and her relationship with Michael Holden (who is now in Heartstopper S3), this book is for you!

Solitaire is a stand-alone novel, occurring in the same universe as Heartstopper. However, it has darker themes and is narrated by Victoria Spring, Charlie’s sister.
While Tori Spring has friends, she doesn’t quite fit the average description of a 16 year old, as a chronically online pessimist. She blogs, watches movies, and sleeps. One day, Solitaire, a mysterious organization, pranks the school, and everything changes: she meets new people, loses relationships, and struggles with mental illness. She also meets Michael Holden, but you’ll have to read the book for more about him.

Full of twists and turns, Oseman creates tension within the plot, which explodes at the climax, one of the craziest scenes I’ve ever read. Tori is one of my favorite characters, as she is extremely caring and kind, but relatable at the same time. The book is relatively quick-paced, as all of the events of the novel occur within two months. I’ve read this book three times, and it gets better every reread. If you’re an audiobook listener, I highly recommend that you listen to Jenny Walser’s narration, who plays Tori in the Netflix show. 

If you choose to read this book, please check out the content warnings from Alice Oseman’s website.