Heartstopper

Heartstopper: Volume 1

Heartstopper: Volume 2

Heartstopper: Volume 3

Format: Webcomics
Publisher: Webtoon

Why on earth did I not come across this story before? I am subscribed to 8 webcomics on Webtoon and stumbling upon Heartstopper was purely by chance. I have seen the books on Goodreads and Amazon but never guessed that it was freely available on Webtoon. I started reading and couldn’t stop until I reached the end of Volume 3 within 24 hours.

Confession – I might’ve read these comics during my office hours (don’t judge me!)

Author and illustrator Alice Oseman depicts the story of two boys – Charlie and Nick are in high school and fall for each other so hard, it might squeeze your heart because it is super adorable! Heartstopper has characters you look up to because of their values and perspectives, respect for their loved ones and acceptance in the most rainbow way possible. It has successfully tied in many issues of people who belong to the LGBTQ+ community and how they feel and cope with humour, kindness and warmth. Note that Chalie is an openly gay boy, whereas Nick tries to figure his attraction for Charlie and the dilemma of accepting his own sexuality.

Though you will ship hard for both the protagonists, what I loved the most was the representation – people of pride; people of various body sizes; people from variety of cultures; issues about eating disorders; the importance of consent to have physical intimacy with; support by your loved ones when transitioning or coming out and many more. In short, the story of Charlie and Nick is something we have been waiting for a very long time.

This webcomic got so popular, it is now published into physical graphic novels and the fourth volume is due on February 4th, 2021. But I guess the episodes will continue being released on Webtoon. If you are looking for a light, positive and feel-good romantic story – I would highly recommend you to read these comics.

Ratings on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being exceptional):
Quality of writing – 8
Pace – 10
Plot development – 9
Characters – 10
Enjoybility – 10
Insightfulness – 10
Ease of reading – 10
Photo/Illustrations – 9

If you are interested to check out my favourite list of webtoons, click below.

1. The Doctors are Out

2. Magic Soda Pop

3. Punderworld

4. Blood Stain

5. Not Even Bones

6. Heartstopper

7. Akamara

8. My Giant Nerd Boyfriend

P.S. Watch the Netflix show Heartstopper here!

Thank you so much for reading this post. Cheers!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.