Heartstopper Review

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Review by Alyssa F. (Gr. 11)

Heartstopper was easily my most anticipated piece of media set to come out this year. It seems strange to say considering the line up of amazing content slated to come out but this one holds a very special place in my heart. 17

Heartstopper is a coming of age LGBTQ2+ romance series directed by Euros Lyn and written by Alice Oseman. The series is based on Oseman’s webcomic/graphic novels of the same name. It follows teenagers, Nick and Charlie, after they meet during class and their journey navigating friendship and family as well as first love and identity. Before I get into the details I’d like to mention a few things. One, I am completely biased as I have read, and loved, the novels that the series is adapting and two, I am a sucker for a cute romance. Every cute romance needs to have two leads and with Heartstopper, these leads are Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson played by Joe Locke and Kit Connor respectively. These characters feel like they were pulled off the page by their extremely talented actors and they feel like actual teenagers which is basically the most important part of a coming of age story. Alongside Charlie is his wonderful friendship made of Tao, Issac and Elle and alongside Nick is Darcy and Tara. The “side characters” can't really be called side characters as they are just as involved in the story as NIck and Charlie are, they have their own stories and problems to figure out. They are all portrayed wonderfully and the actors clearly have so much love for their characters which is always nice to see.

Speaking of the characters, something that I will forever praise Heartstopper for is its representation of LGBTQ2+ people. While everyone will be able to relate to someone whether they are part of the community or not, but members of the community I think you’ll be able to get a little more out of the show as you’ll be able to find yourself or your experiences reflected in the characters. For me, that character was Nick Nelson. When reading the original text and now watching the show, Nick was my favorite from the start. He likes Marvel films and he has a dog named Nellie (who, if we’re being honest, is the real star of the show). He has a pretty good sense of style, something that I definitely cannot relate to, and has a haircut that I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of. But those weren’t the only reasons he was my favorite, he was my favorite because I could see so much of myself in his character. Nick goes through the entire thing questioning himself, something that I did back in grade 7 & 8 when I was first figuring myself out. Nick not only questions his sexuality but the friendships he holds. He starts to view his world in a completely different way. I’ve watched so much media over the years but never have I seen an experience that feels so authentic and that resonated with me so much. It got to the point where I spent so much of my time watching Heartstopper absolutely sobbing my eyes out, not out of sadness but out of joy. I wish that I had this type of media years ago as it is peak escapism and provides a source of comfort I will never be able to put into words.

To put it simply, Heartstopper is a show for anyone who has ever felt unsure of themselves or who has ever questioned their identity. It is for anyone who has ever been in love or had a fight with a loved one. It is a show for anyone who has ever been a teenager and it knows exactly how difficult it can be. I don’t think I have ever felt so seen by a piece of media and I really really hope that this wonderful series gets another season to continue the story they’ve started. Also if you’re a fan of the books then you’ll adore this and if not, you can watch the show knowing that you’ll have at least two volumes of the graphic novel as well as a short novel to keep your incoming Heartstopper addiction going strong.