Read It Like You Stream It: Heartstopper

Cheer Up!: Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier

Are you a Tara and Darcy shipper? Do you love it when opposites attract? If so, this graphic novel is for you!

“Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeBe is a people pleaser, a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life in order to maintain their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro-aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.”

-Page 4 of cover

So This is Ever After by F. T. Lukens

This book might be more fantasy than reality, but it has all of the sweet, swoon-worthy m/m slow-burn of Nick and Charlie’s relationship. All with a best friends to lovers arc? Yes, please!

“Arek has managed to fulfill the prophecy and save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler, but the quest is not over because until they free the princess locked in one of the towers he has to assume the crown himself; only the princess proves to be very dead, and Arek is stuck as king; then he discovers that magic requires him to find a bride before his eighteenth birthday or wither away–but none of his female companions are interested, he does not want to marry a stranger, and anyway the only person he is attracted to is Matt, aspiring wizard, best friend, and secret crush.”

-From COSMOS

What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli

This book is great for those who loved the coming-of-age, self-discovery aspect of Heartstopper but are looking for a more lighthearted tone and focus on family dynamics.

“Told in two voices, when Arthur, a summer intern from Georgia, and Ben, a native New Yorker, meet, it seems like fate, but after three attempts at dating fail, they wonder if the universe is pushing them together or apart.”

-From COSMOS

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki

Now, this graphic novel is perfect for those who want more drama than even Nick and Charlie’s toxic tendencies provided. 

“Laura Dean, the most popular girl in high school, was Frederica Riley’s dream girl: charming, confident, and SO cute. There’s just one problem: Laura Dean is maybe not the greatest girlfriend. Reeling from her latest breakup, Freddy’s best friend, Doodle, introduces her to the Seek-Her, a mysterious medium, who leaves Freddy some cryptic parting words: break up with her. But Laura Dean keeps coming back, and as their relationship spirals further out of her control, Freddy has to wonder if it’s really Laura Dean that’s the problem.”

-Amazon

Bloom by Kevin Panetta

While Panetta’s graphic novel doesn’t take place in an English boarding school, its small-town setting captures the intimacy and pressure that comes from living in a small community. This book also follows similar themes of new love and coming out, and follows the sweetest, soft boys. 

“Now that high school is over, Ari is dying to move to the big city with his ultra-hip band, if he can just convince his dad to let him quit their struggling family bakery. Though he loved working there as a kid, Ari cannot fathom a life wasting away his days over rising doughs and hot ovens. But in the midst of interviewing candidates for his replacement, Ari meets Hector, an easy-going guy who loves baking as much as Ari wants to escape it. As they become closer over batches of bread, love begins to bloom… that is, if Ari doesn’t ruin everything.”

-Provided by Publisher

Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan

This book almost feels like a sapphic parallel to Heartstopper, dealing with new love, struggling to come out, and mental health. The settings even have similar vibes since Dugan’s book takes place in a private Catholic school. 

“Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school’s code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can’t deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan–out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start–doesn’t want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn’t ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?”

-Amazon

The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimmons 

This is a great book for anyone who cares more about the personal growth, mental health, and self-acceptance themes in Heartstopper than the romance itself.

“Fifteen-year-old Spencer Harris is a proud nerd, a great big brother, and a soccer player in training. After being bullied at his old school for transitioning, Spencer starts fresh at Oakley, a progressive private school. He’s finding acceptance, making new friends, and even developing feelings for a teammate. But when a discriminatory law forces Spencer’s coach to bench him after discovering he’s trans, Spencer must decide whether to fight for his right to play, risking exposure and the chance of losing everything he’s built.”

-Adapted from the Publisher

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

Like Heartstopper, this book does not shy away from hard discussions about mental health, identity, and struggling between wanting to be accepted by others and accepting yourself. If you’re a fan of Love, Simon, you’ll definitely want to check this one out!

“When Ben De Backer comes out to their parents as nonbinary, they’re thrown out of their house and forced to move in with their estranged older sister, Hannah, and her husband, Thomas, whom Ben has never even met. Struggling with an anxiety disorder compounded by their parents’ rejection, they come out only to Hannah, Thomas, and their therapist and try to keep a low profile for the last half of senior year in a new school. Then, fellow student Nathan Allan decides to take Ben under his wing. As Ben and Nathan’s friendship grows, their feelings for each other begin to change. It might just be a chance to start a happier new life.”

-Adapted from Jacket

Fence by C.S. Pacat

Not only does this book take place in an elite boys’ school and have a sports element, but they’re rivals and roommates. Do we need to say anything else?

“Nicholas, the illegitimate son of a retired fencing champion, is a scrappy fencing wunderkind and dreams of getting the chance and the training to actually compete. After getting accepted to the prodigious Kings Row private school, Nicholas is thrust into a cut-throat world, and finds himself facing not only his golden-boy half-brother, but the unbeatable, mysterious Seiji Katayama… Through clashes, rivalries, and romance between teammates, Nicholas and the boys of Kings Row will discover there’s much more to fencing than just foils and lunges.”

-Back cover of Volume 1

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

This book is Heartstopper meets Crazy Rich Asians, with all of the opulence, drama, and tenderness you’d expect.

“Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs — in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn. Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons. In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend… but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors — but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems. Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart — or will he fail to do both?”

-COSMOS

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

We would be remiss if we didn’t make sure you knew about the original graphic novel series! This is perfect if you need all of the storylines the show started exploring wrapped up in a neat bow. With five books in the series, there is plenty of material for you to read before saying goodbye to your favorite characters.

“Shy and soft-hearted Charlie Spring sits next to rugby player Nick Nelson in class one morning. A warm and intimate friendship follows, and that soon develops into something more for Charlie, who doesn’t think he has a chance. But Nick is struggling with feelings of his own, and as the two grow closer and take on the ups and downs of high school, they come to understand the surprising and delightful ways in which love works.”

-From COSMOS