Best books by Alice Oseman

Alice Oseman is an English author most famous for her young adult titles, which focus on contemporary teenage life in the UK. After negotiating a publishing deal while only seventeen, her first book Solitaire came out in 2014. Oseman is also the person behind popular novels Radio Silence, I Was Born for This, and Loveless, all of which brought her great success.

Alice Oseman wrote and illustrated the Heartstopper series—a webcomic that was adapted for TV and was also published as a series of graphic novels. Yep! Oseman does illustrations too, and you can check them out over at aliceoseman.com or on her Tumblr page. But before you do, let’s check out who she is and what’s so special about her work, shall we?

What to know about the Heartstopper author Alice Oseman 

Born in Kent, Alice Oseman was raised in a village near Rochester, and has one brother named William. She graduated in English literature from Durham University in 2016. Oseman uses she/her and they/they pronouns and considers herself an aromantic asexual. At least, that’s how she promoted her 2020 book, Loveless.

When it comes to Oseman’s writing career, she was always fond of children’s literature. As such, it didn’t take long for her first book, Solitaire, to be published. It happened in 2014 through HarperCollins, one of the five major publishers in Britain. It was a major hit, especially considering the themes its story revolves around, including eating disorders and LGBTQ+ relationships.

Oseman’s next major outing was Radio Silence, another smash hit novel. The book was one of the best titles of 2017, according to the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee. Radio Silence also took one step forward in terms of diversity in comparison to Solitaire. As such, it won the Silver Inky Award for YA novels in 2017.

Her later works include I Was Born for This, a novel from 2018 that explores the world of teenage fandoms, webcomic Heartstopper, and two e-book novellas titled—Nick and Charlie and This Winter. The mentioned webcomic also got its TV adaptation on Netflix. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Let’s check each of her works out, one by one, shall we?

Alice Oseman’s most popular books

Here’s a summary of Alice Oseman’s most popular books, some of which are available in audiobook format right here on Speechify.

Radio Silence

In her second novel, Radio Silence, Alice Oseman tells the story of Frances Janvier, a smart and high-achieving teenager with an undying passion for art and science fiction. She is unsure about pursuing a career in academics or following her true passion—art and sci-fi.

Through a series of events, Frances meets the host of her favorite sci-fi podcast, Aled. And after they become friends, she finally has someone she can relate to and talk to about her struggles. They form a close friendship, one that truly feels honest and true.

You can listen to Radio Silence narrated Aysha Kala right here on Speechify.

Heartstopper

Alice Oseman is best known as the person behind the bestseller Heartstopper webcomics. The story borrows characters from her first book, Solitaire, as Charlie Spring, the brother of Tori Spring, and Nick Nelson begin their romantic relationship. The comic currently has four volumes, with volume one coming out in 2018, volume two in 2019, volume three in 2020, and volume four in 2021.

The graphic novel got its TV adaptation through a Netflix series that came out in 2022 and for which Oseman herself is an executive producer. Moreover, thanks to that success, Heartstopper: Volume One got a hardcover re-release with new cover art with the show’s actors recreating the original posse of Charlie and Nick. There’s also a Heartstopper coloring book available, as well as the Heartstopper Yearbook, which consists of various bonus content for super fans.

Solitaire

Next up, we have Solitaire—Alice Oseman’s first book. Although her debut novel, it’s nothing short of being great as her later, more mature work. Either way, Solitaire tells the story of Tori Spring, a depressed teen who meets Michael, who represents her polar opposite—a bright optimist. Together, they try to solve the mystery of who’s behind the pranks at their school.

I Was Born For This

I Was Born For This is Alice Oseman’s third novel, and it is a coming-of-age story. The book openly talks about fandom and how it can affect people both positively and negatively. Namely, Jimmy, the frontman of the pop band The Ark is joined by Angel, a superfan of the group, and they begin to find out that things that surround the music they love aren’t always as they seem.

Oseman’s passion for diversity and representation in literature 
Alice Oseman is pretty open about her passion for portraying teenage characters from all groups. Most of her protagonists belong to various ethnic minorities and smaller groups, including LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and others. It is, as such, Oseman’s intention to show the world that these groups exist and have an equal role in the world just like the rest.

Find the top books on diversity and representation with Speechify audiobooks 

If you enjoy Alice Oseman’s books, why stop with her? There are a host of other young adult authors that write about similar themes and have a strong focus on diversity in their stories. Many of them have their books in audiobook format that you can find right here on Speechify—the home of over 60,000 titles.

Besides the number of titles available, using Speechify as your go-to place for audiobooks has other benefits too. Firstly, your first book will cost you only $1. Yep! You can choose any title you’d like and only pay a single dollar. On the other hand, Speechify is available across all popular platforms and devices, from your iPhone to your Windows PC.

FAQs

Is Loveless by Alice Oseman related to Heartstopper?

Yes, Loveless by Alice Oseman belongs to the same universe as Heartstopper. In fact, all of Oseman’s books share the same universe.

Is there an order to read the Alice Oseman books?

No. Oseman insists that you can read all her books in any order, and they’ll still make sense.

How many books has Alice Oseman written?

There are currently 10 books in Alice Oseman’s catalog.

What is the Alice Oseman age group?

Alice Oseman’s books are best suited for ages 12-16 but can be enjoyed even if you’re an adult.