Alice Olseman

Alice Olseman was born on October 16th, 1994, in Kent, England. She attended Rochester Grammar School for early education, she later went on to study at Durham University earning a bachelor's in English Literature. Her first book being Solitaire which we will get into shortly. Micha Jones writes that While promoting one of her books ‘Loveless’, Oseman opened up about her asexual and aromatic identities. She also identifies with she/her and they/them pronouns (1). Alice Olseman goes on to explain "I cried sometimes at the end of the day. I felt lonely most of the time. I was angry about everything, I didn’t have very many friends, I hated school with an absolute rage"(2). Her sadness and hatred for school is what could have led to the of writing Solitaire.

Solitaire a book about the struggles of being young from a young point of view

Solitaire is about the main character Tori Spring. A very pessimistic and sad girl going through a mental health decline. navigating and figuring out her emotions and identity all awhile figuring out a crush she doesn't want to accept. all the while a hacker with a blog under the name solitaire wrecks havoc throughout the school. Tori reluctantly joins Micheal Holden a very optimistic, happy new boy in search of solitaires identity. Tori slowly gets more and more invested as the search persists. shes shocked to find the person behind solitaire was her own childhood best friend Lucas Ryan. Lucas thinks he's helping up her mood with different tricks and the main one being burning down the school because he believes the school is behind her mental issues. Tori gets trapped in the building and contemplates suicide on the roof until Micheal reaches her and convincing her down and kissing her. Ending in her finding                                                                her will to live and feeling a lot less alone seeing everyone who has                                                                come to the the fire finding the moment symbolic.

Literary Review

The Guardian gives praise to Alice Oseman for writing Solitaire at 19 saying, "It's a remarkable feat to be a published author at 19 years of age, and I think that is something to marvel at on it's own"(3). I think the fact that she wrote this at her young age adds a sort of relation to make to the book. The characters that Oseman created really adds to the plot (3). I totally agree with this the different personality's defines the whole plot. The writer also gives kudos to the fact that Oseman focused less on "boy meets girl" and "Romeo and Juliet" style in the book (3). The only two things the reviewer did not like about the book was that there was not more insight into the people behind Solitaire (3). which isn't bad knowing the main focus of the book wasn't on them. The other thing being that there isn't a sequel (3). not too bad seems like they wanted more. I can admit I do too. The Times describes their love to a "chemistry experiment of a relationship that is the fizzing heart of the novel". Their love goes back and forth throughout the book like a ping pong perfectly paced leaving you wanting more (4). 

Personal Thoughts

I read the book in 8th grade and then I had a somewhat similar outlook on life so to read Solitaire I felt so empowered. so I started taking risks and finding meaning in things dealt ordinary. I felt connections with Tori in the way she looked at life, but there's so much more. There's love, mysteries to solve, moments to have, and better years to come. it seems that Oseman perfectly sums this up in Solitaire. Throughout the book you see different representations of mental health and sexuality. I love a book with good representation. it allows for a broader range of interest and movement throughout readers. Connections to be made. I wish that there was a movie about Solitaire like Heartstopper another one of Osemans books which blew up and got its own Netflix show. I like to imagine what it would look like if it did have its own show the character interactions and scenes would be so cool to see play out. the scene at the end where Tori runs farther into the burning building stood out to me. Then when Micheal Holden convinces her from jumping and to leave the building. all awhile shes seeing all the people (her classmates) gathered around the burning school and her seeing the school burning as a way to restart. It really rounded the book off with a bang

(1) Jones, Micha. “Everything You Need to Know About Alice Oseman: The Best Selling Author Making History - Hollywood Insider.” Hollywood Insider, 14 Aug. 2022, https://www.hollywoodinsider.com/alice-oseman-lgbtq/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.
(2) “Alice Oseman: I Wrote a Book About a Sad Girl.” Epic Reads, 2026, https://epicreads.com/blogs/news/alice-oseman-i-wrote-a-book-about-a-sad-girl. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.
(3) jboo1698. “Solitaire by Alice Oseman - Review.” The Guardian, 5 Oct. 2014, https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/oct/05/review-solitaire-alice-oseman. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.
(4) Alex O’Connell. “Solitaire (12+) by Alice Oseman.” Thetimes.Com, The Times, 23 Aug. 2014, https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/solitaire-12-by-alice-oseman-0gdwfwqmvn3. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.












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