Heartstopper is a graphic novel, and recently it was turned into a Netflix Original. Heartstopper is currently the best selling LGBTQ+ graphic novel. Heartstopper is centered around two boys: Charlie, an openly gay student, and a bit of a nerd, and Nick, a total rugby jock. Charlie and Nick meet each other when they’re put in the same form (kind of like a homeroom). They become much closer, eventually turning into something more. With that, we also have the introductions of more characters such as Tao Xu, Elle Argent, Tara Jones, and Darcy Olssman, with them helping each other, getting to know one another, and also being noted as some of the best side characters of any show.

Glasgow students have been enamored by this graphic novel! Alex Coleman, a 7th grader here at Glasgow says, “I would definitely recommend. This show was recommended to me by a friend and I watched it all in a day. It was so realistic and a lot of scenes were relatable! I read and watched Heartstopper and both were amazing. I read the comic on Webtoon after finishing the show, and the extra content it gave me was something to be thankful for and I can’t wait to see it in live action!” Another Glasgow student, Chloé Bernasconi, an 8th grader here at Glasgow says, “I enjoyed how positive the show was. A lot of LGBTQ+ media these days is very negative and shows suffering, and while stories about queer struggles are important, they need to be balanced with upbeat and happy shows. I really enjoyed how Heartstopper isn’t over-dramatized, either. It has scenes that deal with homophobia and bullying, but it’s an overall positive show.”

Heartstopper’s first volume was first released as a graphic novel on October 1, 2018 and the Netflix adaptation of Heartstopper was released on April 22, 2022. Though, if you can’t buy the books or have a netflix account you can read heartstopper for free on Webtoon or Tapas. For the Netflix adaptation, the people they casted were Joe Locke as Charlie Spring, Kit Connor as Nick Nelson, William Gao as Tao Xu, Yasmin Finney as Elle Argent, Corrina Brown as Tara Jones, and Kizzy Edgell as Darcy Olsson. These were just the main characters of the show!  Some of you may have noticed as well but in the original volume of Heartstopper Charlie has a friend named Aled, though in the show Aled’s name is changed to Isaac. Aled has his own book series created by Alice Oseman called Radio Silence. 

What did you think of Heartstopper? What was the thing you liked the most about it?