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Heartstopper #4

Heartstopper: Volume Four

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Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Charlie’s beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you.

Nick’s been feeling the same, but he’s got a lot on his mind – not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder.

As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2021

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About the author

Alice Oseman

66 books70.3k followers
Alice Oseman is an award-winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter, and was born in 1994 in Kent, England. She has written four YA contemporary novels about teenage disasters: SOLITAIRE, RADIO SILENCE, I WAS BORN FOR THIS, and LOVELESS. She is the creator of LGBTQ+ YA romance webcomic HEARTSTOPPER, which is now published in physical form by Hachette Children's Books, and she is the writer, creator, and executive producer for the television adaptation of HEARTSTOPPER, which is set to be released on Netflix.

Alice’s first novel SOLITAIRE was published when she was nineteen. Her YA novels have been nominated for the YA Book Prize, the Inky Awards, the Carnegie Medal, and the Goodreads Choice Awards.

Alongside writing and drawing, Alice enjoys playing the piano semi-proficiently, Pokémon games, and purchasing too many Converse.

Find Alice on Twitter and Instagram @AliceOseman.

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5 stars
214,862 (70%)
4 stars
69,506 (22%)
3 stars
16,250 (5%)
2 stars
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1 star
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30,777 reviews
Profile Image for Alice Oseman.
Author 66 books70.3k followers
November 27, 2020
This is Volume 4 of Heartstopper! Out May 2021!
(Contains chapters 5 and 6 of the comic)

Charlie really wants to tell Nick 'I love you'... but how!? Does Nick even feel the same? Meanwhile, Nick has a lot on his mind, especially Charlie's mental health, which seems to be getting worse...

This volume contains:
- A beach trip
- Journal entries
- Fireworks
- Some time apart
- A love confession (or several)
- Therapy
- TWO dogs

I really hope you enjoy it!!
Profile Image for Ayman.
202 reviews76.6k followers
April 20, 2022
♾/♾ and nothing less

this was too good and cute and wholesome and my heart is fluttering and i appreciated the way mental health was written in this series. i adored how incredibly diverse this series was. i love Charlie and Nick! i love the side characters too! can't wait for the netflix tv show in 2 days!!
Profile Image for Hannah Azerang.
125 reviews94.5k followers
February 24, 2022
truly one of the best discussions of mental illness, specifically eating disorders, that i’ve ever seen. this brought me to tears and felt so true to so many of my own experiences and emotions. I’m in love with this series

tw: eating disorders, self harm, mental illness
Profile Image for Kat.
265 reviews79.6k followers
June 3, 2022
impromptu re-read and one am sob over the kids. head empty, heart oh so full <3
Profile Image for Hailey (Hailey in Bookland).
611 reviews87.5k followers
Read
May 20, 2021
Another great instalment in this graphic novel series! This is the most emotional and difficult to read I would say, but Alice Oseman does a great job of dealing with the topics. Eating disorders, depression, and self harm are central to this story. The conversations surrounding these things were dealt with in a really healthy manner. Watching the relationship between Nick and Charlie continue to blossom even with such difficulties was really nice. I think there was a lot of character growth individually from both of them and they stopped the relationship from going down a not so healthy path. There were still a lot of cute and heartwarming moments between the two of them, and of course with their friend group as well. I just can't help but love these characters!
Profile Image for Josu Diamond.
Author 9 books33k followers
June 23, 2021
Alice Oseman se supera.

Tenemos ante nosotrxs una cuarta entrega diferente, centrada en la salud mental y trastornos alimentarios. ¿Cómo es iniciar una relación cuando una de las dos partes no está bien? ¿Merece la pena luchar y buscar ayuda? ¿Es posible gestionarlo desde el desconocimiento?

Heartstopeer #4. Más que palabras nos plantea un montón de dudas, algo que me parece increíblemente realista. Comenzar una relación es un camino de rosas, o al menos eso parece. Sin embargo, durante los primeros meses pueden pasar cosas, como por ejemplo descubrir otras facetas de tu pareja, sobre todo en cuanto a salud mental. Y si tu pareja no está bien pero estáis en ese momento donde todo parece bonito y precioso, ¿cómo es seguir adelante? ¿Qué hay que hacer o cómo se hace? Es bonito ir de la mano juntos y aprender, pero es también difícil, y Alice Oseman lo muestra de una manera brutal.

description

La relación entre Nick y Charlie es central en este volumen. Si en el anterior quizá teníamos también un vistazo a otras problemáticas con los personajes secundarios, aquí no se abandonan, pero no son centrales. Lo importante aquí son otras cosas, y se muestran desde los dos puntos de vista: desde el de la persona que no está bien y desde la persona que sí lo está y quiere ayudar. Me encanta que la autora lo haya plasmado tan bien desde las dos perspectivas, porque como siempre tiene frases que atacan directas al corazón y te hacen estremecer.

No me tiembla el pulso al decir que probablemente sea lo mejor que he leído respecto a los TCA. La manera en la que se cuenta, con sensibilidad y coherencia, creo que servirá de gran ayuda a personas que sufren situaciones similares. Se quita el estigma, se aprende, y se ven sus implicaciones reales. Me parece que Alice Oseman hace un gran trabajo por visibilizar y normalizar conductas o comportamientos que la sociedad aún trata como tabús, y como digo, no es todo de color de rosa, y es increíble ver esa dualidad en las páginas de esta entrega.

description

En cuanto al dibujo y demás, pues como siempre: fantástico. Esta señora tiene el poder de hacer grandes cosas con cuatro trazos. En este ocasión hay algunas dobles páginas que me emocionaron, dibujando escenas de las que tocan el corazoncito pese a ser sencillas. Oseman tiene una capacidad increíble para mostrar el amor.

Tengo muchísimas ganas de ver qué es lo que sigue a continuación. Sin duda este volumen ha sido mi favorito hasta el momento: es valiente, bonito, duro y esperanzador. Es un mix de emociones, y lo más realista que he visto en mucho tiempo. Bravo Heartstopper por haber llevado la historia hasta este punto. Deseando conocer el final.
Profile Image for daph pink ♡ .
930 reviews2,564 followers
January 29, 2022
Nick and Charlie are getting more adorable and it's the best of the three heartstoppers? Lol kidding Alice is a queen , everything she write is perfect, atleast to me♥️

PS:- GET YOURSELF A NICK.
Profile Image for emma.
1,825 reviews48.5k followers
December 8, 2022
i marked this book as to read, currently reading, and read with the following note: these books should have "open in case you need happiness" labels.

ONLY TO FIND OUT THIS ONE WAS SAD?!

sure, it was still NICE, i guess, but not exactly the happiness-requiring reason i usually pick these books up. primarily because i'm just not sure a graphic novel is the best medium to convey complex topics like eating disorders.

whenever these books get more serious i like them less. they're sweet but feel uncomplicated...which is what i like normally...but it doesn't work here...hmmm.

maybe i'm just a hater.

bottom line: catch me continuing with this series regardless.
Profile Image for ani gray-carstairs.
203 reviews39 followers
May 5, 2020
"Nick and Charlie
Are you two coming, or...
Oh, you're being gay
Good job. Carry on"
Profile Image for Victoria Resco.
Author 6 books24.5k followers
October 2, 2021
¿Honestamente? Es lo más tierno del mundo. Grité y me derretí leyendo esta saga y este libro no fue la excepción. Eso sí, medio sacados de la galera los trastornos del Charlie (sé que aparecen en el tomo 3 pero en el 1 y el 2 no hay nADA) pero lo acepto porque de todas formas se trataron de forma sana y AO terminó el libro con un mensaje precioso. No puedo esperar al 5to 💕

P.D.: LA TRADUCCIÓN ES LO MEJOR QUE ME PASÓ OMG. ES MUY TIERNA.
February 28, 2022
“Love can’t cure a mental illness”.

¿Hola, Alice Osman? ¡No puedes hacerle esto a mi pobre corazón, joder! Con cada tomo que pasa, la historia de Nick y Charlie va haciéndose más profunda, emocional e importante. Creo que es el primer libro de estos de Heartstopper con el que lloro y… wow.

Aquí Nick y Charlie no solamente tienen que enfrentarse a un paso importante de su relación, que es el decirse “te amo”, sino que deben aprender a lidiar con problemas de salud mental. Charlie lo está pasando muy mal y, por su parte, Nick tiene que comprender, por duro que sea, que el amor no lo cura todo y que, si bien Charlie necesita de todo su apoyo, él solo no puede “arreglarlo”.

De verdad que este tomo me partió el corazón en mil pedacitos, pero, al mismo tiempo, lo fue arreglando porque, a pesar de todo, Heartstopper es una historia llena de esperanza y en la que sabemos que todo saldrá bien al final. ¡Y menos mal!
Profile Image for Lucy Tonks.
488 reviews718 followers
December 30, 2021
”Love can't cure a mental illness. There are lots of ways to help him, you can just be there. To listen. To talk. To cheer him up if he's having a bad day. And on the bad days you can ask what to could do to make things easier. Stand by his side, even when things are hard. But also knowing that sometimes people need more support than just one person can give. That's love darling"


I will never stop rereading Heartstopper. It's one of my very few comfort reads.


Am I sad? Let's just read Heartstopper.
Am I in a reading slump? Heartstopper is here to help.
Am I bored? Heartstopper.
Am I stressed? Heartstopper.
Heartstopper is the answer for everything


TW: anorexia, self-harm, OCD, discussion of bullying, biphobia, homophobia


As we see Nick and Charlie grow, the series starts getting more serious. It's still has a lot of cute moments, but Alice Oseman still tries to include topics like mental health and homophobia/biphobia and not feel forced at all. That's something pretty hard to do as it is with a normal novel. With a graphic novel is even harder because you are more limited when writing one and soemtimes it can be hard for an author to deliver the reader the messege they are intending with their story. Yet somehow Alice Oseman manages to do that flawlessly.


One of my favourite things about this series is that it shows that love isn't really the answer. Love cannot cure mental illness. Nick is there all the way through for Charlie, but he never tries to cure Charlie's eating disorder. He is there to support him as best as he can and just help him whenever he can actually do that.


As long as I live, I will love Heartstopper. Please read it if you have no yet, trust me it's worth it.

_____________________________


Heartstopper is my comfort read. Period.
RTC.
Profile Image for Melanie (MelReads).
108 reviews11.1k followers
April 21, 2022
forever my favorite volume😭💖

alice oseman’s depiction of mental health and eating disorders felt so akin to what i’ve experienced that it felt like receiving a warm hug and reassurance that while mental health has its ups and downs, it does get better.

in true oseman fashion, i cried, i laughed, and re-fell in love with this cast of characters!

can’t wait for the show to come out!
April 9, 2022
My only complaint about this series is that it keeps getting better with every book but I’ve run out of stars to be able to express this!

Heartstopper volume 4 returns to the lives of Nick and Charlie. They feel ready to say that they love each other, but there are some big obstacles to overcome. Including the possibility that Charlie is battling an eating disorder.

These books touch on so many important topics, but this one seemed to go even deeper. Charlie’s mental health journey is handled so sensitively but it has such a rawness too. The take home message from this book is that if you love someone with a mental health issue, your love won’t be able to cure them by magic. But if you stand by their side then recovery can happen, the future can be brighter. This storyline felt so profound to me, I really connected with it. I know that many other people will feel the same way.

I felt all my usual emotions whilst reading this. I laughed and I nearly cried. I never thought I would enjoy a graphic novel series like I have enjoyed these books. I was hesitant to try them but I am now kicking myself for waiting so long to be welcomed into Nick and Charlie’s wonderful world. I also managed to fall in love with a new character that was introduced- Henry, who has decidedly stolen my heart alongside Nellie. I love animals in books anyway, but seeing them drawn in the pictures just adds another layer of adoration. I think this is a highly important series for teens to read (and adults too!). They are such quick and easy reads, but with such profound and necessary messages. I’m going to be donating copies of each book to my old secondary school. I’m hoping they can help some of the students who pick them up.

I recommend these books to everyone! The style may be slightly too young for everyone’s tastes but if you have an interest in LGBT+ lives or mental health then I recommend these graphic novels!
Profile Image for Ali Goodwin.
143 reviews12.1k followers
December 6, 2022
Love this series!! I love how the author tackles some tough topics and shows such a diverse range of relationships all while keeping the tone of the books light and adorable :) I also love how the characters actually feel like high schoolers! Overall I love love this series and will be bingeing the netflix series
Profile Image for Gavin Hetherington.
673 reviews5,639 followers
April 10, 2022
I had the honour of interviewing Alice Oseman for Heartstopper Volume 4 on my YouTube channel, which is spoiler-free, and you can watch here: https://youtu.be/JrqUNZTOux0

And recently I re-read all four volumes of Heartstopper that have been released so far to celebrate the release of the Netflix TV show. Filled with spoilers and squealing at my favourite couple in my favourite graphic novel series ever: https://youtu.be/5uAcHjS54NE

Another sweet and beautiful instalment in the Heartstopper series that never fails to make me laugh and sob at the same time. Will forever love the characters with everything inside me.
Profile Image for Warda.
1,154 reviews18.4k followers
May 21, 2021
These two idiots! I want to adopt them. 🥺

“It’s not gonna be a straightforward journey.
Haha, since when is anything I do straight?
Okay, that’s not funny.”


Favourite in the series so far.
The wholesome relationship, the found family aspect, the mental health representation. All perfect.
Profile Image for Reading_ Tamishly.
4,297 reviews2,291 followers
May 5, 2022
💝Take your time reading this volume. It's difficult to read this one without feeling overwhelmed.


"He's literally obsessed with you."

Like I'm literally obsessed here.

*Char: I want to tell Nick that I'm... um...in love with him

*Literally the entire universe: Dude. You're already dating 😑😌

In this volume, Nick is trying to understand Charlie's eating disorder while Charlie is worried about how to confess to Nick and how he would deal with the answer.

And as always, Charlie overthinks and Nick is being so understanding.

Also, me judging Charlie like how he can not like a Marvel movie?! You know right, Nick? Right.
Okay, I'm the villian here.

There are parts which were triggering. I had a difficult time reading about the mental health issues Charlie had to talk about. It's personal. It's sad .. heartbreaking and I just couldn't stop crying. I felt understood. I felt honest and for once I didn't feel I was alone feeling that way.

*Page 1022 : I was so NOT crying 😭😭😭😭

*Charlie being Nick's jumper stealing becomes more prominent 😅



And now time to think twice:

"Anyone who doesn't accept you for you is officially cancelled from your life."

(The sass with which Darcy says it though!)


"But I realised that people can be going through stuff... and you just have no idea."

(Actually you have no idea what I am going through these days...)

"Most people think eating disorders are.... a girl thing."

"My mum isn't like your mum. We don't talk about things. Emotional things."

(This should not be relatable. Mums, keep listening!)

"Sometimes people need more support than just one person can give."
Profile Image for daria ❀.
308 reviews2,174 followers
April 20, 2022
someone protect this group of kiddos...or just let me in to the comic and i'll do it my damn self
Profile Image for elea ☆.
357 reviews49 followers
February 4, 2023
i had forgotten how much this one hurt but holy fuck it's so good
Profile Image for Carolyn Marie  Castagna.
274 reviews5,782 followers
May 1, 2022
AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
💕
My 100th book of the year!!!
The perfect way to end my 2020 reading year!!!
Heartstopper has been a beautiful beacon of light during this very strange and uncertain year! I knew I could always count on Nick and Charlie's love to make me feel cozy and comforted! 🥰
This series means the world to me!!!
Thank you for making my year a little brighter Nick, Charlie, and Alice!!!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Here's to an brighter year ahead!!!
Happy New Year!
Profile Image for ale ‧ ₊˚୨୧ ₊˚.
398 reviews1,827 followers
May 19, 2021
ok, i'm crying like a bitch because i loved this with my entire life. alice oseman, you're ruining my life with this, but thanks. i'm broken and in love, and idk what to do with all of these feelings dkfjhdjgf

i love every single character in here, except for nick's brother and father, and i'm in love.

I NEED THE NEXT ONE NOW, DO YOU HEAR ME, ALICE OSEMAN?????

i need you in my life more than the air itself
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30,777 reviews

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