How Netflixs Heartstopper Fits Into Alice Osemans Book Universe

Netflix’s Heartstopper is a faithful adaptation of Alice Oseman’s web comics, doubtless thanks to the fact that Oseman herself adapted the series for screen. Fans of the comics – about a burgeoning gay romance between two British secondary school boys – needn’t worry about their favourite moments having been missed on TV. The important scenes from the first two volumes, from the ink explosion to Charlie and Nick’s day in the snow, Harry’s party, the birthday bowling, the disastrous cinema outing, the school concert and more, are up there on screen alongside new moments showcasing popular supporting characters Elle, Tao, Tara and Darcy.

Writer Oseman, director Euros Lyn (Doctor Who, Happy Valley, Cucumber, His Dark Materials) and the production team have created such a loyal version of the source material that if viewers just watch the Netflix show, they’re not missing out on any vast backstory or details. If however, some viewers are inspired to go back into Oseman’s original books and comics, here’s how the fictional world fits together.

How Many Heartstopper Books Are There?

There are currently four volumes of graphic novel Heartstopper, with the fifth and final volume due to be published in February 2023. Oseman’s debut novel Solitaire is about Tori Spring, the older sister of Charlie who appears as a background character in Heartstopper, as played by Jenny Walser. As Oseman makes clear on their website, Solitaire has an entirely different tone to Heartstopper and deals with difficult and mature topics. There’s no need to read Solitaire to follow Heartstopper.

A Heartstopper novella called Charlie and Nick was also published in 2020 (after first coming out as a Solitaire e-book in 2015, along with This Winter, which follows the character of Tori Spring). There’s also a Heartstopper colouring book out, and a Yearbook containing bonus material coming out in hardback in October 2022.

ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue8yoraKdXa%2B8r7GOoaawZZ6awae4yLGqZqCVlr%2B1v9Oop6mdomKzqsDSZqCnrJ9irq21wp5kqKuVoq6vv4ybpqijXaq7qsLEq6qeZw%3D%3D