“Heartstopper” Makes Hearts Soar

Heartstopper is a Netflix series that took the world by storm in April 2022. It’s a cozy and warm show about an openly gay boy named Charlie and his friends. The show is based on author Alice Oseman’s webcomics, graphic novels, and novellas of the same name. Oseman has written many books and graphic novels, such as Loveless, I Was Born for This, Solitaire, the Heartstopper series, and Radio Silence.

The show takes place in the United Kingdom where teenager Charlie (Joe Locke) is in a toxic relationship with a guy named Ben. Ben ignores and pretends that Charlie doesn’t even exist while around other people. The show follows Charlie as he navigates relationships and discovers who he is. FCHS sophomore Daniel Firewicz summarized the show in this statement: “Finding yourself can help you find others.”

The show deals with themes facing many of today’s teens. Charlie struggles with depression, anxiety, and being bullied. In the books, Charlie also struggles with an eating disorder, much like lots of teens all over the world. All the teenagers in this show struggle with normal teenage worries, making it very relatable.

“The show was very real. Not like normal romantic comedies, or romance graphic novels, and isn’t the stereotypical LGBTQIA young adult novel,” said sophomore Camryn Nogv. She describes the show as “soft and like rose-colored glasses…it showed that those moments can be real and not just fictional.”

One thing I loved about Heartstopper is its representation of teens from a variety of identities. I also appreciated how the actors’ portrayals make it easy to feel as if you’re experiencing their emotions. Locke, in particular, pulls you in as if you’re in Charlie’s mind. His anxiety is portrayed well, and as someone with anxiety, I found myself relating to him. I also felt his joys and happiness, not just the bad emotions. Kit Conner also does well portraying Nick, Charlie’s boyfriend. We see and feel his struggle with his sexuality and identity.

Heartstopper Season 2 is coming out sometime in 2023 and I have high expectations for it. Overall, Heartstopper is a great show, so if you haven’t watched it yet, now is the time. You can stream it on Netflix and it’s appropriate for people over the age of 14. I give Heartstopper 5 out of 5 stars.