SOLITAIRE: TikTok made me buy it! The teen bestseller from the YA Prize winning author and creator of Netflix series HEARTSTOPPER (Solitaire, 1)

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All the people are chatting and laughing and smiling and it sort of makes me feel a bit sad, like I’m watching them through a dirty window. This main character (Tori) was one of the most unlikeable characters I've read in a long time. She was bitter, bitchy, and pessimistic. It's like she didn't know how to smile or laugh, but she was an expert on being judgemental and looking down on people. I know this is a STUPID ASS thing to be annoyed about, but I couldn't get it to stop nagging me. That kind of stuff bugs me... #nerd.

There comes a point, though, when you can’t keep looking after other people any more. You have to start looking after yourself. All the things that happen in the book are what lead to the ending. No matter if it’s the sudden appearance of Michael Holden and Lucas Ryan or the mystery about Solitaire that runs through the entire book like a golden thread. No matter if it’s Tori’s complicated relationship with her mother and friends or her closeness to Charlie and the things she had to witness. They all come together in the end and they collide. I guess you could say all those things and especially Michael Holden and Solitaire work as some sort of catalyst that inevitably leads us to the ending of the story. Just like a musical crescendo. It builds and builds until it finally explodes. Alice made editorial changes to Solitaire in August 2020. The edited edition has an author’s note at the front of the book. Tori spends her whole day in bed and doesn't want to talk to anybody. She find out Michael has an important event where he needs support. She jumps out of bed and goes to that event. It’s interesting that this was Alice Oseman’s debut. Tori is a rather difficult character to like but I know why she is the way she is so that made it easier to understand her struggles.

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She even kind of admits how bitter, pessimistic, and boring she is when she says this at one point:

But books–they’re different. When you watch a film, you’re sort of an outsider looking in. With a book–you’re right there. You are inside. You are the main character.”

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So what didn't I like? I would've liked to have seen more about Solitaire and who else was behind it. Just knowing one person wasn't good enough for me. The only other thing that could potentially wind me up is a sequel. I don't think it would be possible to extend the plot of this book into a second novel, and I don't think I'd be inclined to read a second. Once is great, but don't overdo it. This has just become one of my favourite books. I do think that I liked Radio Silence a little bit better, but man this is right next to it. I just loved this book so much. I was a little bit hesitant going into this book since I've seen a lot of people saying that this book is not as good as Alice Oseman's other works but I personally really loved it. I know it's not a perfect book by any means, but it simply worked for me. What I’m trying to say is that Charlie is a nice person and, despite everything I’ve just explained, everybody seems to love him. And I think that is a modern miracle.” There’s a time and a place for being normal. For most people, normal is their default setting. But for some, like you and me, normal is something we have to bring out, like putting on a suit for a posh dinner.” I also think that Oseman has created characters that really punctuate the plot. Michael Holden has an interesting hobby (I'll let you find out, but for the record it's not an outdoors-y sport), Lucas Ryan has interesting dress sense and Tori has an interesting outlook on life. The fact that Alice also has the experience of how difficult it is to survive school, and the boring books and plays that come with it.

I’ve been curious about Tori Spring’s story for ages now though, so that’s what we’re going with. ;-P Say what you want about the way mental health and illness is portrayed in this book in general but it is NOT okay to basically ignore a suicide attempt! Tori even mentions that she sees Charlie wearing long-sleeved shirts quite a lot, which should absolutely have everybody's alarm bells ring. This incredible debut novel by outstanding young author Alice Oseman is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and all the truly honest authors. My review is based on that edition. I have no idea of the changes that have been made recently. I'm glad for trigger warnings having been added and any potential edits that have been made. Take this review with a grain of salt for that reason though. Someone’s banging on the door of the bathroom. I’ve been in here for ages just staring at myself in the mirror, watching my eyes tear up and dry and tear up and dry.

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Solitaire is a story about mental illness told through an unreliable narrator. The presentation of mental illness in this story is sometimes sensationalised, underexplained, and may be harmful to readers who have experienced mental illness. Please read safely and responsibly. Please also note that Solitaire is a much darker, more graphic, more serious book than the Heartstopper series, and may not be suitable for all readers who have enjoyed Heartstopper. Solitaire follows a year 12 student, sixteen-year-old chronic pessimist, Tori Spring. Throughout the novel, Tori creates (and destroys) relationships, debatably platonic or romantic, while managing family issues, mental health and the uprise of a local 'prankster' group, whose actions are both growing concerning and dangerous. Begrudgingly, Tori assists eighteen-year-old year 13 student, Michael Holden in his 'investigation' into the prank group, in doing so, developing a reluctant friendship. Along with Radio Silence, upon the release of Oseman's third book, I Was Born For This, Solitaire's UK cover received a redesign from HarperCollins designer, Ryan Hammond. I think this might have been the most frustrating part of Solitaire for me. Tori is bitter. She's pessimistic and judgemental. She doesn't seem to like people at all. She walks around with this "I'm better than you because I don't conform" attitude. I felt like she looked down on EVERYONE and it was exhausting.

i’ve now read everything alice has released and i think it’s safe to say i’ll read anything she writes, but that doesn’t mean her books are all really that great imo I find one song that I really love and then I listen to it about twenty billion times until I hate it and have ruined it for myself. Solitaire, the name of a mysterious group of anonymous pranksters, has taken over Harvey Greene Grammar School, the school known locally as "Higgs." Higgs is home to sixth formers Tori Spring, Michael Holden and Lucas Ryan. One by one, members of Solitaire continue to play pranks on the school. Tori is left with these pranks and the many other mysteries that follow: Michael suggests Solitaire is talking to her in some way. Why is Lucas avoiding me? Is Michael in love with me? So before Solitaire plays their biggest ever prank, Tori wants to know who's behind it. I liked Michael and the relationship that he established with Tori through out the book. Although there were times when I was frustrated by the way they were interacting with eachother, by the way they managed to screw things up, I still really liked it but the end, I just wished we got more of it. I can’t think of anything to say because that is what my answer would be really. Nothing. I am a vacuum. I am a void. I am nothing.

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Although I disliked a few characters - I did not really understand why the main character even put up with them - and did expect something else from the ending, I just have to give 5 stars. I believe this is a book you either love or hate, understand or don't. And I love and understand. At one point, Tori gets recruited to be part of kind of a campus lookout type programme. Solitaire is pranking the school and they want students to patrol the school and be on the lookout for them (break-ins, suspicious behaviour, etc.). So the leader gives Tori her number just in case she sees anything while on her watch and... I know the main character is relatable for many and I hope that any of you who read this will understand that anything I say in this is nothing against your or your experiences. NOR is it anything against the author, as I know they were very young when the book was published. The acclaimed debut novel by Alice Oseman, author of the YA Book Prize 2021 Loveless. Solitaire presents the characters who inspired the popular webcomic and graphic novel series Heartstopper, one of Netflix's leading series today. Both Tori's personal blog and the Solitaire blog exist in real life (the Solitaire blog under a different name than the original however, as "solitaire.co.uk" is taken by people who just love the card game).