Radio Silence

I wonder – if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all?

How do you talk about a book that starts with this sentence in it's first chapter? It's such a realistic portrayal of the struggles of teenagers who are expected to make decisions that would affect their future for a long time while also trying to be good students, satisfy parents, make friends and party and be cool. It made me remember parts of my own life that I had forgotten or haven't thought about in a long time.

The idea that I might go down a grade because I physically could not find an explanation of a particular topic made me feel like stabbing myself.

Frances is a British-Ethiopian bisexual girl who is always top of her class, head girl at school and puts up an introverted, boring facade for her classmates. But at home, she is a huge nerd who loves wearing quirky clothes (I dig her avengers leggings) and is obsessed with doing fanart for her favorite Youtube podcast Universe City. She almost gets panic attacks about the possibility of not getting into Cambridge because she has worked very hard towards that single goal. She believes it's her only possible option because she is not good at anything except getting good grades. I just felt transported to my high school days whenever she has these inner monologues because that's exactly how I was. She is an artist but doesn't think a hobby can be a choice for college or career but I never even had that side to me. I was only a good student, hardly had any social life except sometimes, singing in a group at school events. Reading was probably my only hobby but I couldn't afford English novels and mostly read whatever spiritual books I found at home. So, getting into the head of Frances, reading about all her anxieties, felt so real and nostalgic.

I was just thinking the other day... about the fact that I never speak to myself out loud. And I thought maybe that was normal, but then I wondered whether that was actually really strange. Sometimes I think if nobody spoke to me, I'd never speak again.

I don't even know how to describe Aled. He is just so shy and sweet and soft and I wanted to wrap him up and protect him. He is smart, gets exceptional grades, has gotten into University but his real passion is his podcast. It's probably the one thing he cares about the most because it's something he has done for himself, to express his pain and despair through stories, and also hopefully as a plea to his twin sister Carys who ran away from home a couple of years ago. He suffers from a lot of anxiety (possibly depression) and doesn't believe he truly deserves all the love he gets from his closest friends. And instead of talking to them, he feels that they would hate him if he tried to explain his behavior and distances himself from everyone and goes into a spiral.

I couldn't quite believe how much I seriously loved Aled Last, even if it wasn't in the ideal way that would make it socially acceptable for us to live together until we die.

The best part of this book are the friendships of all kind. Frances and Aled bond over their clothing choices, music and TV shows and mostly about their love for art. Their midnight revisions for exams, snacking at odd times, lying on the floor and planning the podcast – all of these scenes are written beautifully and why they quickly became such great friends is so evident. I absolutely love the idea of platonic soulmates and I really believe you can love someone a lot, feel that they complete you and not feel attracted to them. We get to read so few books about the joys of such friendships, that this one just warmed my heart. The heartbreak that you feel when you lose such close friends is depicted so realistically and definitely connected to me a lot.

“He's my only real friend,” he said. “And he just left me here. I just miss him... not even getting with him, just... being with him... him sleeping round my house... playing video games... I just want to hear his voice... I want him to tell me the truth...”

The diverse representation in this book is done in such a way that the character's identity feels like one part of them and not something that defines their personality. Daniel is a gay Korean boy who is Aled's childhood best friend/ love interest and he cares about Aled so much that it made me sob. Even after Aled distances himself from all of them, Daniel is still ready to show up when he believes Aled needs him. There is an amazing conversation between them about Aled's demisexual identity and how his behavior sometimes might be perceived as him not having genuine feelings for Daniel and how defining himself with a label doesn't really matter because his feelings are not dependent on it. Raine is another wonderful friend of theirs who happens to be Indian. She is resigned to the fact that she is not good at studies and might not go to University but she is also not very pessimistic about her future. She is confident, perceptive and a great support system for her friends.

The way different kinds of parents are represented in this book is also amazing. On the one hand, we have France's mom who is hilarious, supportive, never pressures her daughter to do anything she doesn't want to and is always ready to help the kids in their naughty plans (atleast the reasonable ones). Daniel's parents don't value education much and want him to join the family business while his dream is to study biology at Cambridge. The other extreme is Aled's mom who is very abusive, believes that academic excellence is the only available choice and uses all kinds of manipulative methods to bend Aled to her will.

“Why do you think I'm clever?” “I mean, grades. You get good grades. What's that like?” “It's... not that special. t's useful, I guess. Useful.”

Though we have all these excellent characters, what stood out for me in this book are the underlying messages. Everyone should be able to feel lost and make their own way to discover themselves. It's not how the real world unfortunately works but it would be so wonderful if just grades or the rank of the college or the major you choose don't determine your entire future. Once you make a choice, you are expected to continue on that path forever even if that's not what you want to do anymore. I really wish that all youngsters are given the time and tools to decide their future based on what they want to do as opposed to what's expected of them by parents or society.

“What if people don't like it?” he said, his voice only just audible. “They're all expecting something brilliant from me.” “It doesn't matter,” I said. “It's your show. If you like it, then it is brilliant.”

The depiction of the toxic culture of internet fandom is also very realistic here and I think everyone who extensively uses social media will find it very relatable. And it also raises a lot of questions that we should all ponder. If you are a creator whose art affects thousands of people, does your art still belong to you or your fans? Social media has brought the creator closer to their fans but does it mean that the creators lose their right to anonymity and privacy? Is it right for fans to stalk, intrude and disrupt the lives of artists just because they support the art? How can fans who purportedly love the art which has given them so much joy, go ahead and abuse and threaten the artist when they are unable to create anymore? If it's an artist's responsibility to create and satisfy their fans, then isn't it the responsibility of the fans to respect the artist's choices? These are all things we grapple with everyday, and we as a society really need to find better ways to deal with the toxicity that is all pervasive across the internet.

I have probably gone on a whole other tangent instead of talking about this book, but I just had to express all my tumultuous feelings. This book is a definite must read for everyone but I think it is specifically a wonderful book to read for teenagers who are feeling confused and lost; for parents who want to understand their kid's anxieties better and be supportive; and this book is also especially for people like me who value friendships a lot in life.

First thoughts
What a beautiful depiction of friendship and teenage struggles. I'm in love with the book, the characters, the writing... Universe City... everything ❤️❤️❤️

I've lots of feelings and need some time unpacking them...

RTC

i literally read this book in one sitting help

anyways i'm gonna talk to my therapist about this book brb

Generally I feel that authors are perpetuating stereotypes when they write kids' dialogue; too often, it sounds like an imitation of the real thing. Here, Oseman has done a great job making the language sound natural. I'm probably a little too old for this one—it was just a touch too angsty, y'know?—but the story kept me interested throughout: I was invested in the characters and really wanted to know what was going to happen next. The diverse cast is also a refreshing and welcome change from my usual fare.

This young author is off to a fantastic start.

It's so nice that my first year of college was written into a book :)

2.25/5 stars

I actually kind of feel like a horrible person for not liking this book, especially because everyone else seems to love it and because the themes were important and probably incredibly relatable to many people, but urgh, this book really just missed the mark for me.

This is the second Alice Oseman book I've read and I can now conclude that their books just aren't for me. I had the same problems with this book that I did with [b:Loveless|42115981|Loveless|Alice Oseman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590592497l/42115981.SY75.jpg|65704946]: while the representation was amazing (“effortless” is how one review I read describe it, and I very much agree), I loathed the writing style, the plot never felt like it was obtained, and I couldn't care less about the characters and their drama.

perhaps it's because i listened to the audiobook, but i really didn't enjoy this much.

there were a lot of good take home messages, especially in terms of inhibiting creativity and personal passions for success and financial well-being (no, kiddies, college is not for everyone). i also liked how all the different romantic relationships were addressed and not overly highlighted.

however, i wasn't a fan of the use of social media and technology to convey parts of the story. call me old fashioned, but a description of these “tumblr asks” would've been less painful than having to hear the audiobook narrator slowly read the urls of some of the involved blogs. maybe it's because i'm totally over my tumblr phase but i could've done without it.

wanted to love this book a lot more than i did, but i fell asleep at several points and cringed a lot in others. i see why it's popular and it's definitely a great story to tell, but not my cup of tea.

This is my first contemporary book and I've always read fantasy. I decided to give it a go because it was my fav booktuber's fav book. It was okay. Emm, I guess i just stick to fantasy.

EDIT: dropping my rating to 1 star,, I really hate this book lol.
-
This book was really hyped but what for? I felt like nothing really happened, you could skip the first half of the book if someone gave you a 10 second explanation of what happened. The first half of the book was so slow and nothing happened, the book could've been half the size.

Also just unrealistic but that's what books are for, right?
The characters did not seem real, I don't know how to explain it but they had so much personality but also not enough at the same time.

Representation MATTERS. Don't let anyone tell you different. The two main characters in this book are GLBT – and asexual, which is a rarely-seen demographic. One of them is a WOC! And that's IMPORTANT. We need representation of minorities in books, movies, TV, media – wherever it can be seen. So all those kids growing up, thinking they're weird, or the odd ones out, or broken, can see themselves on the screen and realize that other people are going through the same things. That it's NORMAL.

This book isn't what I'd normally read – if I read YA, it's usually YA fantasy, not coming of age stories – but because I'm making a conscious effort to read more diversely, and I'd heard it involved GLBT kids, I picked it up. I'm not sorry I did. It reminds me a lot of John Green – which is somewhat unsurprising, given he's really the only other YA coming-of-age author I read.

I love the different formatting the author uses when representing texts, or phone calls, or the podcast that the kids create. It took me a few chapters to get used to the different school system they're in – the book is set in the UK, and their school system is very different than the US system. But the writing and pacing is beautifully done, and the gentle mystery at the heart of it all is solved by the end of the book in an unexpected way. I really enjoyed this book.

See all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks

Finally! A book about friendship that doesn't get overpowered by romance!!

I loved this way too much. Might've cried a bunch of times because of the perfect narration in which the narrator sobbed so many times, I had a hard time controlling my own tears.

Plot: 5/5
Narration: 6/5
Characters: 6/5

Frances was so pure and sweet and lovely. Where do I get a friend like her? Aled was awesome. I read this book because he showed up in the Nick and Charlie novella and I wanted to read more about him.

Raineee was my third fav character. She was soooo niceeee. Also the scene with her stroking her car near the end made me laugh.I was mad at Daniel for half the story but then I just felt bad for him after listening to his side. Also, once again, the narrator cried during that one Cambridge scene and I just lost it too.

God, I hated their crappy mother. She genuinely scared me and I was so worried that it might end badly.I really liked the podcasts ☺️ The audiobook actually had different voices for different Universe City characters like the book mentioned.

* Also, so many Tumblr mentions. I guess this book was written during a time when Tumblr was famous and we didn't have Instagram yet? Because my god, I get annoyed when a book mentions social media over and over again. But this one did it just right.

Fav scenes:
The birthday night.The discussion at the very end in the university dorm.
Cambridge interview - before and after.Raine helping Frances - at the party and the train station.

El libro está bastante bien aunque el pacing es un poco confuso. Lo peor es la traducción de mierda que tiene fandom books

estoy llorando 

Suffocated

Everyone's different inside their head.

”Hello. I hope somebody is listening...”

This is the last book of Alice Oseman's that I have to read until I am finished with their works and I can happily say I am such a fan. There is something so special about their writing and the way that every single book of theirs is never the same as the others.

I love that these books approach and tackle topics that are difficult for some in a way that is so special and important to read.

This wasn't my favourite out of all their works but it does hold a very special place in my heart. When reading an Alice Oseman book, you can always expect two things — fantastic representation and heart-warming friendships.

I think it's ridiculous that at such a young age we are expected to know and plan what we want to do for the rest of our lives.

This story reminded me that it's important to surround yourself with the people you don't need to be perfect for. Put on your Batman onesie and just be goofy. Be yourself. You're worth it. You don't need to be successful to be happy.

Alice Oseman, you are amazing.

4.5???

⭐⭐⭐⭐

4,5 stars.
I really really loved this book, it just read so quickly.

4.25/5

I don't know how to rate this and I feel like people will hate me for my rating, but ... I didn't like the story at all. The writing style was too childish and the characters didn't feel realistic to me.

What I did enjoy and appreciate a lot was the fact this book has LGBTQ+ characters and it's so flawlessly executed! We need more good ACE-rep in young adult books. Also I appreciated the academic pressure they are under. That felt super realistic imo.
The message behind the story was good as well, but I just don't know. It just wasn't my story, I guess.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars.

took a path of normalizing toxic dormant relationships and it really didn't work for me. Aled is a piece of garbo

Wow. That was a good book, friends.

✨ You can read the full, spoiler-free review on my blog!

First of all, this book was unique! The story was different and refreshing, not cliche like a lot of YA contemporaries.

RATING: 4.5 stars (out of 5), for being interesting and different

MY THOUGHTS:
From the beginning, though, I realized that this book is probably for a very specific type of person. If I was not interested in the concept of podcasts, the premise of this book would not have appealed to me as much. (I am not saying you have to like podcasts to like this book, so don't worry.)

Regardless, what really made this book so good was the characters and their relationships with each other. It's all about growing up, and being friends, and fixing broken relationships despite the other parts of life which seem more important.

I generally loved the main character, Frances, and her friendship with Aled. It felt very relatable, and because I kind of saw myself in Frances, I could tell where she was coming from even when she made some mistakes.

The first half was great, and I flew through it very fast. After a while, the book slowed down a little and things began to get more serious, but in the end, it was still a good book with an interesting message.

On a sad note: This book also made me want to quit University for about a week, but maybe that's just my fault (I would never actually do it, but I considered what it would mean for me). I actually felt sick after going through this book the more I thought about it, and I did not want to do my school work. I felt like everything didn't matter. And as much as I don't like school, I actually do enjoy learning – it's just the memorization and learning-about-things-that-don't-matter-in-my-career parts which I don't like. (Sorry if this feels a bit too deep, but I'm still feeling this way and I hope admitting it will help.)

TW for mentions of child abuse, suicide, running away from home.

4.75/5 it was an amazing but truly deep read I loved it I mean it took so much emotion out of me. I think it was something that was needed like it truly did allow me to really come to mind that I actually like school more than I lead on. Let me explain I hate school I mean it but what I want for my future I need school and I actually want to be here. Alice Oseman does an amazing job at mental health rep. They really allowed me to see how one's future doesn't need to be determined by others but yourself. And that you have people who are there to help you even if you don't think so. Now do I wish this book didn't center around Alex as much. Yes. But I also loved that I just wish it didn't feel like Frances was a black main character who sole purpose of her book was to save her white friend. Idk. I do believe this book was more than just that but I can see where things could get misconstrued. Anyways such a deep emotional read loved it. Easily one of the best Alice Oseman book I've read.

Simple light read well written in straight-forward accessible language. 4 starts and not 3.5 because of the personal resonance. Getting more and more into Alice Oseman. Engaging & relatable characters drive a plot that balances elements of realism while avoiding traumatic emotional manipulation or unnecessarily dark plot devices.

The writing style, the intrigue, the characters, the atmosphere - all this Alice did amazingly good, as they always do. I wanted to be friends with all the characters (except Carol, she's awful).