Review: Solitaire | Alice Oseman

This review is spoiler free.

“As far as I’m concerned, I came out of the womb spouting cynicism and wishing for rain.” 

Published: 2018, by HarperCollins. 
Pages: 392
Format: Paperback
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Mystery
Contains: Violence, Strong Language, Blood/Gore, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Depression, Eating Disorders, Self Injury, Arson 

Solitaire tells the story of Tori Spring, a sixth form student hoping that there is more to life than what she is currently living. When a blog is set up broadcasting pranks throughout the school, Tori’s life is transformed into a whirlwind of emotions. But, can she handle it all?

I first found this book years ago, knowing of Alice Oseman and her addictive works for some time. This is the one I’ve been putting off for a while though, a little nervous that it wouldn’t meet my extremely high expectations. Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

Tori Spring is an interesting protagonist. She’s your cliche teenager, disinterested in everything but to an exaggerated extent. She’s clearly depressed, yet is adamant otherwise whilst battling through her struggles every day. Although, her disinterest could get a little frustrating at times, the mental health representation of her character was very much appreciated. She was real, true to herself and made for a breath of fresh air as a protagonist.
Michael Holden, however, was simply a joy to read from the get go. He’s Tori’s opposite, full of life and eccentric, adding a little entertaining spark to the pages while helping solve the mystery of Solitaire.
Nick and Charlie, the stars of Oseman’s Heartstopper series, were also enjoyable. Yet again, Oseman made brilliant LGBT representation, having a homosexual couple be happy together from the start to the end was refreshing and urged me to pick up my copy of Heartstopper once more.

The writing itself is simplistic, making for an easy afternoon read and kept you engrossed in the story from beginning to end. The plot line was easy to follow as well, giving off appropriate genre vibes while making the reader more intrigued towards the end of the novel. Although, the climax was predictable, it was  entertaining and made for an all-round fun read.

Overall, I deeply enjoyed this novel. Although, the story itself was a little predictable, the characters and writing made up for its downfall.

4/5