Tag: lgbtq

Why Heartstopper Is Groundbreaking TV.

When Alice Oseman started producing a webcomic about two teenage lads falling in love, she would have had no idea how important her work would be. Following her successful publication of ‘Solitaire’ – a book about an anxious Tori Spring – Alice decided to expand the focus onto her side characters. She gave Tori’s brother Charlie a storyline with his boyfriend Nick, which resulted in another novella and the Timblr ‘Heartstopper’ cartoons.

A Groundswell Of Love

Heartstopper was eventually rolled out as four books, initially, with two more editions to come. As a successful YA story about growing up and coming to terms with being gay and bi, it has been groundbreaking to witness its widespread success and acceptance.

In 2022 Hearstopper was made into an eight part TV show which was scripted by Alice and had 54 million views in its first month alone. For the LGBTQ+ community this has meant so much. When I was younger we had nothing like this on television. Now you can see two lads fall in love and witness other LGBTQ+ characters dealing with everyday dilemmas in a normal, comfortable way.

As the second season arrived on Netflix last night, I watched the first episode and could see that the high standard of production was continuing and meaningful stories were still being told.

Final Thoughts

This phenomenon is powerful because it sends out a clear message that you can live your life freely, as you choose. By showing such acceptance, dealing with the awkwardness of ‘coming out’ and other serious issues, such as mental health, Alice has worked wonders.

If you are looking for new authors to consider, have a look at 5 Amazing Authors. Please follow my blog for future book and TV reviews.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson- Book Review

Amazon Kindle Cover

I thought I would update you on the latest YA book that I completed (only yesterday). Written by David Levithan and John Green, this book (Will Grayson, Will Grayson) got me intrigued as a writer trying to learn more about the YA genre. Today I want to briefly explain to you why I enjoyed this cheeky little book.

Reflections On The Story

John Green impressed me with his contribution to ‘Let It Snow’ and David Levithan made me smile with his Dash chapters in ‘Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares.’ Having a title which is the same name (Will Grayson) repeated, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but should have guessed that it was about two lads with the exact same name.

Anyone who knows me will be aware that I love books where each chapter is told by a different character. In this case we know which Will we are reading because one uses ordinary letters and the other writes entirely in lower case letters.

There is an LGBTQ character called Tiny who is best mates with one Will and comes across the other in more romantic circumstances. Best mate Will also has a love interest of his own, Jane. The internal dialogue is funny, clever and really draws you into both of the main characters’ lives. Of course these guys are teenagers and so sometimes the story is quite silly but in an entertaining way.

Summary

As far as YA fiction goes, this uses a combination of speech and exposition to tell a heart-warming story about a boy who wants to create a school musical whilst exploring his friendships with our two narrators, Will and will. I really enjoyed this cheeky but intelligent YA story.

If you enjoyed this article perhaps consider following my blog for future similar content. Here is my previous review of The Girl in the Blue Coat which was a satisfying wartime drama.