Reading Guide: The Heartstopper Books In Order

Graphic novels are a great way for young adults to read more books. This form of visual storytelling is a great way to engage teens and and tell the kind of stories that they want to read. That’s why we’ll be discussing the heartstopper books in order.

Walk the aisles of your local bookstore and you’ll find shelves of interesting comics and graphic novels about diverse genres and topics. Not to mention that each artist has their own unique and eye catching art style.

Today we’re going to be discussing the graphic novel series Heartstopper by British author Alice Oseman. Alice is also the author of quite a few other books but the main portion of this post is about Heartstopper! But keep reading until the end for some more information, and check out more of my book discussions here.

So let’s get started!

What is the Heartstopper series about?

Heartstopper is about two young men named Charlie and Nick. They are classmates at a fictional boys grammar school called Truham Grammar School. The series follow them as they meet and eventually fall in love. They deal with a variety of situations that many teens will relate to. In fact, people of all ages can relate to them. These books will give you a new perspective and remind you that everyone is different and everyone is going through something.

How many Heartstopper books are there? What is the reading order?

While it started out as a webcomic, there are currently five Heartstopper novels with a sixth one on the way.

Next we’ll be discussing the Heartstopper books in order!

What is each Heartstopper book about?

Volume 1: In this first official volume, Charlie and Nick first meet. Charlie is in year 10 while Nick is in Year 11. Nick is busy with his rugby schedule, but when he and Charlie meet, a friendship quickly forms. Charlie can’t help but develop feelings for Nick, even though he’s sure that Nick will ever feel the same way. But sometimes life can really surprise you!

Volume 2: In book two, Charlie and Nick’s intimate friendship grows even stronger. They’re besties! Charlie is still feeling a certain way for Nick, but knows that Nick isn’t gay. Or at least he’s pretty sure he’s not.

Volume 3: In book 3, Charlie and Nick go on a school trip to Paris. How fun! But along with exploring a new city, they are also adjusting to their new relationship. It’s time to tell people. But love must be in the air… it seems there are more couples blossoming all around them!

Volume 4: In book 4, Charlie and Nick are enjoying their new relationship status as boyfriends. But each of them is dealing with personal issues and new struggles as well. Nick is worried about coming out to his Dad, but he’s also worried about Charlie, who might have an eating disorder. But as the seasons change, their relationship grows stronger.

Volume 5: Nick and Charlie are in love. It’s official. They’ve even said it to each other! As their relationship progresses, are they ready to spend the night together? Charlie has finally convinced his mom to let him have a sleepover at Nick’s house. But you’ll have to read and find out.

Volume 6: Heartstopper volume 6 is not out yet, and the publishing date is TBA.  In the final volume of the series, well… that is yet to come.

What is the Heartstopper Yearbook About?

Published in 2022, The Heartstopper Yearbook is an illustrated book filled with all kinds of behind the scenes content. Extra pictures and tidbits. I always enjoyed looking through my yearbook at the end of the school year because it had extra photos, trivia about my classmates, and more! This yearbook is the exact same way.

The yearbook features a lot of cool extras like character profiles, quizzes, trivia,  mini comics, and Alice Oseman’s original artwork from drawing the Heartstopper characters over the years. Who wouldn’t love that?

But wait… Is there a Heartstopper Coloring book?

There is a Heartstopper coloring book! Coloring is one of my favorite cozy activities. What’s cool about this book is that it features a ton of powerful scenes from the books! So you get to enjoy the book and then you can relive it through the coloring book. My favorite tools for coloring are Crayola Twistable Crayons but you can also use colored pencils or markers.

What other books has Alice Oseman written?

• Solitaire (This first novel is a YA novel featuring Tori Spring who is Charlie’s sister. Nick is also mentioned so this is kind of the beginning of the Heartstopper universe!)
• Radio Silence
• I Was Born For This
• Loveless

What are the Benefits of Reading Alice Oseman?

Alice Oseman’s books feature characters that are diverse, realistic, and interesting.  These series and standalone novels feature topical plotlines such as mental illness, friendship, best friends, first love, coming out, making and fixing mistakes, and finding the best parts of life. They are topics that all of us can relate to.

What’s The Best Part of Heartstopper?

Who doesn’t love a story about first love? This queer coming-of-age series is so cute and the main characters Charlie and Nick are easy to root for. The first book is the perfect introduction to them and their story.

But What if I Need More of the Heartstopper gang in My Life?

Well, that’s understandable. And you’re in luck. The fantastic volumes of Heartstopper have been turned into a TV show on Netflix! It captures the magic of this story in such delightful ways. As of right now, the show is certified 98% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and that’s truly saying something. Nick and Charlie’s story is a special one that is perfectly captured in the heartstopper tv show. Netflix’s adaptation really captures the ups and downs of high school, and the magic of young love. Fans of the series will be pretty pleased with the show as well.

The first season came out in 2022 and the second season came out in 2023. They haven’t announced it yet but the third season of the netflix series should be out some time in 2024.

In Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed my discussion of my heartstopper obsession. And I hope you found this book list helpful! Heartstopper is a supremely joyful story about two young men and love and I couldn’t ship to the two of them harder! Haha. Maybe that’s an old thing to say. I’m not sure. I’m in my thirties so I’m not sure if I’m the intended audience for this series. But who cares?

Life is better when you just enjoy things!

xo Marian

But wait, there’s more!

If you enjoyed today’s blog post, you may also enjoy this book discussion on Smile by Raina Telgemeier. I’ll be posting review of some Alice Oseman books soon, so make sure you bookmark my blog if you’re interested.