Heartstopper: A Review
By: Mallory Johnson
The Netflix adaptation of the beloved LGBTQ+ Young Adult romance graphic novel series of the same name came out on April 22nd, 2022, and I watched it after it premiered! I LOVED it, and I even read all four editions (plus some bonus content) in less than a week! All four volumes of Heartstopper are available for free online, on the website Webtoon, and are written and illustrated by Alice Oseman. The story follows two teenage boys named Nick and Charlie, who meet when they are sat together in school and form an instant bond. The show is very heartwarming, and I am so glad that LGBTQ+ teens and children now have these characters to look up to. Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT. Although I mentioned that the show is heartwarming, it still comes with some trigger warnings. They include bullying, homophobia, biphobia, lesbophobia, transphobia, outing, depression, allusions to an eating disorder, fights, mentions of a dog dying, sexual assault (non-consensual kiss onscreen), manipulation, cheating, one instance of suicidal ideation, flashing lights, and one instance of a homophobic slur. The show stars Joe Locke in his first on screen role, Kit Connor (Rocketman, His Dark Materials), Yazmin Finney in her first role, William Gao also in his first role, and a surprise appearance from Olivia Colman (The Crown, The Lost Daughter). The show includes the first two volumes of the books.
I love that the show features some drawings and references to the graphic novels! One of my favourite parts of the story is the queer found family aspect. Most of the characters are queer, and there is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and even asexual representation! The cast is diverse, and it is perfect for the story. It makes me very happy that kids now have Heartstopper so easily accessible to them; it will definitely help kids on their self-discovery and coming out journey’s! I saw a tweet about a Heartstopper fan who sent their parents a clip of an emotional coming out scene in the show to come out to them and got accepted. The fan tweeted about it, and even made Olivia Colman cry!
There are obviously some differences between the novels and the show, most notably the addition of the character Imogen, the character Aled becoming Isaac, and the removal of Charlie’s younger brother Ollie. However, these changes do not alter the heart of the story, and this is one of the best book-to-screen adaptations I have ever seen (probably because Alice Oseman wrote the show too! You can tell when the author is involved in the adaptation!) The lesbian representation in this show is some of the best I have ever seen, and it was VERY refreshing. There is no tragic end for either of the lesbians, no cheating, neither of them ends up with a man, and there is no sexualization towards either of them. I especially love how they repeatedly say the word “lesbian.” It may seem like bare minimum, but in queer media other words are used, and in my opinion, there is power in the word lesbian.
Overall, I really loved Heartstopper and cannot wait to read more by Alice Oseman! I give Heartstopper a very strong 10/10 and am so glad that the show got renewed for two more seasons!