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Heartstopper is an ongoing LGBTQ+ young adult graphic novel and webcomic series written and illustrated by British author Alice Oseman. It follows the lives of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring as they meet and fall in love. The series is an expanded adaptation of Oseman's 2015 novella, Nick and Charlie, although the characters originally appeared in her 2014 novel, Solitaire.

The series was later adapted into the Netflix television series of the same name also written by Oseman and starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke as Nick and Charlie, respectively. The series premiered in 2022 to critical acclaim.

Premise
Heartstopper tells the origin story of Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson – two British schoolboys who attend the fictional Truham Grammar School – as they meet and fall in love. The series also follows the lives and relationships of their friends, many of whom are LGBTQ+.

Chapter 1: Meet
Charlie Spring is a Year 10 student at Truham High School for Boys who has recently been outed as gay. He is in a secret relationship with another boy called Ben. At the beginning of the school year's second term, Charlie is placed in a form group where he sits next to Nick Nelson, a popular Year 11 student who plays for the school rugby team. They gradually become friends. After seeing Ben kissing a girl, Charlie decides to stop meeting up with Ben. Nick asks Charlie to join the school's rugby team, which he does. After rugby training one evening, Ben asks Charlie to meet up with him privately. When they meet, Charlie confronts Ben for seeing a girl behind his back and for his toxic behaviour. Ben suddenly grabs Charlie and forcibly kisses him until Nick arrives and forces Ben to leave. Nick makes sure Charlie is okay before they leave.

Chapter 2: Crush
Later that evening, Nick and Charlie chat over text, during which Charlie opens up to Nick about his unhealthy relationship with Ben. Charlie then confesses to his friend Tao Xu that he has a crush on Nick. Meanwhile, Nick and Charlie grow closer, seeing each other outside of school at each other's houses. One evening, while visiting Charlie's house, Nick is strongly tempted to hold Charlie's hand while he sleeps but ultimately resists. As he leaves, he hugs Charlie. Upon arriving home, Nick begins researching sexuality online, concerned that he might be gay.

When Charlie tells Tao that he suspects Nick might not be straight, Tao informs Charlie that Nick has a crush on a girl named Tara Jones, who attends Truham's sister school, Higgs High School for Girls. Later, Nick and Charlie attend Harry Greene's 16th birthday party, another boy who also attends Truham. Harry and his friends try and set up Nick and Tara together. When they speak, Tara reveals she is a lesbian and is dating a fellow student named Darcy. As Nick begins to search for Charlie, who has disappeared, Harry confronts him and begins expressing homophobic views, to which Nick admonishes him. Finding Charlie, he and Nick find a quiet room to themselves. As they talk, Nick reveals that he does have a crush on someone who may not necessarily be a girl. Ultimately, he and Charlie kiss. Afterwards, upon hearing his other friends' voices, Nick panics and hurriedly exits the room, leaving Charlie alone and upset.

Chapter 3: Kiss
The following morning, Nick arrives unannounced at Charlie's house. Charlie apologises for kissing him, but Nick kisses him again before apologising for running away the night before. They reveal that they like each other romantically and discuss their sexuality. Nick asks Charlie to keep their relationship secret for now, and Charlie agrees. Later that week, Nick reveals that he believes himself to be bisexual, although he's not sure.

To celebrate Charlie's birthday, he goes bowling with Nick and his friends Tao, Aled Last and Elle Argent, a transgender girl who previously attended Truham. As the evening continues, Tao becomes increasingly concerned with Nick and Charlie's flirtatious behaviour, leading him to warn Charlie that he believes Nick is flirting as a joke, for attention, or to bully him. Charlie reassures him that Nick is not like that.

Nick soon tells Tara and Darcy he is going out with Charlie, much to Charlie's delight. They arrange to go to the cinema with some of Nick's friends, including, unbeknownst to them, homophobic bully Harry Greene. At the cinema, Harry begins to pick on Charlie. Nick defends him, and Charlie leaves. When Nick confronts Harry, Harry uses a homophobic slur, after which Nick punches him in the face, and the two fight.

The next day, Nick takes Charlie to the beach on their first date. They decide to call themselves boyfriends officially, and Nick expresses his desire to come out to the people that matter to him. When Nick comes home, he comes out to his mother, Sarah, who accepts the news warmly.

Chapter 4: Out
Charlie tells his parents that he and Nick are dating, and they immediately ban Nick from all future sleepovers. Meanwhile, three of Nick's friends, Christian, Otis and Sai, apologise to Nick for not standing up to Harry at the cinema, and Nick forgives them. However, he still feels he cannot tell them about his relationship with Charlie; unbeknownst to him, they have already figured this out.

Charlie seems stressed out by the idea of coming out as a couple. They are then caught kissing by their rugby coach, Miss Singh. Singh makes Nick captain of the rugby team and tells him she will take action if anyone on the team bullies him or Charlie. Later, Charlie and Nick attend a meeting discussing an upcoming school trip to Paris. They use the opportunity to come out to Aled, who has already worked this out. However, Aled warns them not to tell Tao, as he believes Tao accidentally outed Charlie to the school through his gossiping.

A few days later, Nick and Charlie have a deep discussion about Tao outing Charlie, the horrendous bullying that followed and the impact on Charlie's mental health. Charlie reveals he used to self-harm as a result of the bullying. He promises to tell Nick if he ever feels that way again.

Nick and Charlie's evening is interrupted by Nick's older brother David, who has recently returned home from university. He reveals he knows about their relationship and begins to make homophobic and biphobic remarks towards Nick. An argument between Nick, David and their mother breaks out, and Nick advises Charlie to leave. That night, Nick tells Charlie that everything he is going through is worth it to be with him. Charlie almost confesses his love for Nick but deletes the message before sending it.

During the school trip to Paris, Nick begins to notice Charlie's lack of interest in food and begins to suspect he may have an eating disorder. He then unintentionally gives Charlie a hickey, which results in Charlie being teased the next day. Harry steps in and tells them to leave them alone, much to Nick and Charlie's surprise. Then, Charlie finally tells Tao that he and Nick are together and that he has been afraid to tell him due to Tao's gossipy nature. Hurt, Tao keeps his distance from Charlie. Stressed, Charlie continues to avoid food, resulting in him fainting at the Louvre. Once Charlie recovers, he tells Nick that he's aware of his abnormal eating habits, which developed during the bullying as a means of control. Nick promises to support him. Meanwhile, Tao and Elle grow closer, tour the Musée de Montmartre alone together, and share a kiss at the Louvre.

Main

 * Charles "Charlie" Spring, a recently outed gay year 10 student who falls for Nick. He suffers from an eating disorder.


 * Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, a popular year 11 student who plays for the school's rugby team. He realises that he is bisexual after developing romantic feelings for Charlie.

Friends

 * Tao Xu, one of Charlie's close friends and later Elle's boyfriend.


 * Elle Argent, Charlie's friend and Tao's girlfriend. She is transgender and attends Higgs Girls School.


 * Tara Jones, a lesbian and old friend of Nick's who becomes his confidant when he starts to explore his sexuality. She is in a relationship with Darcy.


 * Darcy Olsson, Tara's extroverted girlfriend.


 * Aled Last, Charlie's gay demisexual friend and the main character in another of Oseman's novels, Radio Silence.


 * Sahar Zahid, the group's new friend who starts sixth form at the same time as Nick.

Other

 * Victoria "Tori" Spring, Charlie's aro-spec asexual older sister, and the main character in Oseman's Solitaire novel.


 * Benjamin "Ben" Hope, a closeted student with whom Charlie was initially in a toxic relationship.


 * Harry Greene, a homophobic bully.


 * Sarah Nelson, Nick's mother. She is divorced from Nick's father, Stéphane, a Frenchman.


 * Oliver "Olly" Spring, Charlie's younger brother.


 * Jane Spring, Charlie's mother.


 * Julio Spring, Charlie's father.


 * David Nelson, Nick's entitled older brother who negates Nick's sexuality.


 * Nellie Nelson, Nick's first dog, a Border Collie.


 * Henry Nelson, Nick's second dog, a Pug.

Development and release
The characters of Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring first appeared in supporting roles in Oseman's 2014 novel, Solitaire, which features Charlie's sister, Tori, as the protagonist. Oseman "fell in love" with the couple while writing the novel and decided that she needed to tell their story. She initially released the e-book novellas Nick and Charlie and This Winter featuring the characters in 2015, but eventually realised that their story needed an episodic structure that was more suited to a webcomic or graphic novel format.

Oseman started publishing Heartstopper as a webcomic on Tumblr and Tapas in September 2016 and on Webtoon in August 2019. Illustrated by Oseman herself, new panels are posted three times a month. The webcomic gained a significant following, leading Oseman to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the publication of a limited run of graphic novels covering the first two chapters of the series (retroactively now Volume 1) on 20 June 2018. The targeted pledge was reached within two hours.

In October 2018, Hachette Children's Group (HCG) acquired the rights to physical publishing of the first two volumes of Heartstopper, and by January 2019, the third and fourth volumes. They were released on 7 February and 11 July 2019, 6 February 2020 and 6 May 2021, respectively. Volume 5 is set to release on 7 December 2023 while a sixth and final volume has been announced. Additionally, a Heartstopper-themed colouring book was published on 11 June 2020, followed by The Heartstopper Yearbook on 13 October 2022.

Reception
Writing for The National, Gemma McLaughlin praised the novels for being able to "capture the attention" through "the small stories that make up life" rather than plot twists and heavy drama. She called the story "infinitely welcoming with characters that seem like real life friends", singling out Charlie as "extremely likeable" and praising the novels' treatment of his mental health. Publishers Weekly said that the novels' "leisurely pace and focus on everyday events ... allows the characters' relationship to develop in a natural, relatable way" and stated that the art style complemented the tone of the story. Imogen Russell Williams in The Times Literary Supplement called Oseman's illustration style "loose and flowing" and said of the novels that they "[engage] directly with shame, fear and anxiety, bringing them sweetly into the light". The A.V. Club included the webcomic on its list of "The best comics of 2018", with Caitlin Rosberg saying that it is "best defined by its kindness both to the characters and the reader". Metaphrog also included the comic on The Herald's 2019 list of "The best comics and graphic novels of the year as chosen by comic creators".

Terri Schlichenmeyer of the Washington Blade described Volume One of the novels as "one really sweet book" and praised the understanding treatment of characters struggling with their sexuality. She also felt that including bully characters strengthened the novel's realism. Kirkus Reviews stated that the placement of panels and their bordering in Volume One "prevent the visual graphics from going aesthetically stale" and that the handwritten lettering reinforced the story's human tone. They summarised the novel as "An adorable diary of love's gut punches". Summer Hayes reviewed Volume One in Booklist and praised Oseman's use of wordless panels to portray characters' emotions. However, she felt that the illustrations were inconsistent. Overall, she concludes that "the romance and realistic fiction will draw readers into this sweet story". Kelley Gile reviewed Volume One in the School Library Journal, praising the dialogue, detailed facial expressions in the art, and "a font that mimics handwriting [that adds] to the adorkability [sic] factor".

Alaine Martaus also reviewed Volume One in The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books in which she praised the "simple drawings", which she says "keep much of the focus on faces and phones, reinforcing a deeply interpersonal connection at the heart of the story". She described the story as being composed of "a series of charming vignettes". In a further review of Volume Two, Martaus reiterated her previous comments and said that the storytelling of the second volume "moves effortlessly from tearful poignance to laugh-worthy moments to stirring romance". Kirkus Reviews said of Volume Two that it retained the "distinctive style" of illustrations present in the first volume and that its transitions between panels were "creative" and "add creative flair". It praised the characters and described the story as "Incredibly lovable from start to finish". Sarah Rice reviewed Volume Two in Booklist and felt that Nick and Charlie's relationship was presented in a "heartfelt, gentle way" and praised the "loose art style [that] is full of lovely details, such as embarrassment and romantic blush lines".

In a review of Volume Two, Tiffany Babb of The A.V. Club praised the book's reproduction of the webcomic's art, its use of white space, and Oseman's handwritten lettering, which she says is "expressive ... in a way that feels both unique to her style and organic to the pacing of the comic". She felt that the treatment of Charlie and Nick's characters displayed "a level of understanding and care that elevates the story" and argued that the story "never devalued or ignored" the characters' other relationships with friends and family. Sarah Hughes of i included Volume Three in the newspaper's list of "Young Adult fiction: 25 of the best new books for 2020". Prudence Wade rated Volume Four 8/10 for The Independent and called it "a touching tale of teen love and accepting who you are". Fiona Noble also included Volume Four in The Guardian's list of "The best children's books of 2021", describing it as a "joyful, tender look at first love and relationships with an inclusive cast".

The webcomic series received more than 52 million views, and the novel has sold more than one million copies worldwide.

Restrictions and book banning controversies
In September 2021, Turkey's Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services labelled the publication "harmful" concluding that "some elements in the books might have harmful effects on the morality of the those aged below 18." Following this decision, copies of the books are only allowed to be sold inside of sealed envelopes with the label "Harmful for children" in Turkey.

In 2023, the Heartstopper novels increasingly became subject of a wave of U.S. restrictions against books featuring POC, racism, gender identity and/or queer individuals. The books were pulled from shelves in at least two school districts, Clay County, Florida and Canby, Oregon.

In July 2023, a Hungarian bookstore was fined 12 million forints (then approximately US$35,900) for displaying the book without packaging. Hungary passed a law in 2021 requiring books containing any homosexual or transgender content to be sold in closed packaging only.

In August 2023, the novels were temporarily pulled from shelves in the Marion County, Mississippi library system pending review by its board of supervisors following complaints of their LGBT nature and inclusion of boys kissing.

Television adaptation
A television adaptation of Heartstopper entered development after See-Saw Films acquired the rights in July 2019. Production was greenlit in January 2021 by the streaming service Netflix as an eight-episode series written by Oseman and starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke as Nick and Charlie, respectively. The first season premiered on 22 April 2022 to high viewership and critical acclaim and has received numerous accolades. A second season was released on 3 August 2023, while a third is in development.

As a tie-in to the series, the first volume of the graphic novel was re-released on 28 April 2022 with new cover art featuring Connor and Locke as Nick and Charlie recreating the original illustrated cover, as well as an excerpt of the show's script. The graphic novel became the top-selling children's book in the UK following the popularity of the Netflix series.