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Solitaire by Alice Oseman (5/5)

Charlotte G.



Solitaire by Alice Oseman, published by Scholastic Press is a coming-of-age novel centered around the main character, Tori Spring. The main theme of the story is identity and the teenage experience. Some side characters in this novel are the main characters in Oseman’s other series, Heartstopper

Solitaire is a narrative following sixth-form student Tori Spring who meets Michael Holden, a student new to Harvey Greene Grammar School who seems to be the only person who wants to understand Tori. Tori and Michael meet through a blog called Solitaire, which starts out pulling harmless pranks at their school. Tori pushes him away, unable to comprehend why Michael could possibly have an interest in her, but when solitaire starts progressing from harmless pranks to events that could seriously hurt people, Michael and Tori team up in order to find out who solitaire is. This results in their relationship becoming closer, and Tori realizes she is capable of love and being loved.

This book is memorable because it describes the teenage experience in a way that isn’t cringy, overly angsty, or childish. Tori goes through a lot in this book, including the betrayal of her best friend, her brother’s self-harm episodes, and her own suicidal thoughts, and Oseman always made the reader feel that if that had happened to them, they would have reacted the same way. Solitaire is one of the few books that I have read that I whole-heartedly love the main character, and don’t think anything she said or did was unrelatable or outrageous.

In conclusion, the novel Solitaire by Alice Oseman recounts the experiences of Tori Spring, the perfect personification of the woes of identity teenagers experience. If you are planning on reading this, space it out, as it is short and you will want to savor this story as much as possible.



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