Alice Oseman: The Mind Behind The Heartstopper Universe
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| Alice Oseman (1) |
About Alice
An author, illustrator, and screenwriter best known for creating the graphic novel series, Heartstopper (later became a hit Netflix show), Alice Oseman published a YA novel and two novellas before she turned 20 years old! Born in Kent, England, she graduated from Durham University in 2016 with a degree in English Literature, publishing her first book, Solitaire, during her first year at just 19 years old (2). Since then, she has written many comics, novels, and short stories and gone on to create, write, and executive produce the Emmy winning show adaptation of her books. In 2023, Alice was named the British Book Awards Illustrator of the Year and the Attitude Person of the Year (3). Alice is aromantic and asexual (aroace) and uses she/they pronouns. Their YA contemporary work often focuses on queer stories, imagining complex characters that experience the ups and downs of being a teen and/or a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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| Heartstopper Vol. 1 cover (6) |
Heartstopper
Heartstopper began as a webcomic first released in 2019. Set in England, the comic follows Nick Nelson, a star rugby player at Truham Grammar School for Boys, and Charlie Spring, a shy boy who was outed and bullied. After the two get sat next to each other in form, their friendship and later relationship take of as readers get to see them navigate their happy relationship an face any struggles that arise together. Their friend group includes characters who are straight, transgender, lesbian, and asexual, showcasing multiple sexual and gender identities as the protagonists of the series. Difficult topics are conveyed throughout the series in a thoughtful manner with plot lines such as struggling with one's sexual identity, eating disorders, anxiety, and depression, emphasizing the reality that there cannot always be light without the darkness, even in fictional worlds.
The Heartstopper series has received many accolades, including being named New York Times Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, and National Indie Bestseller (7). In 2025, Kirkus Reviews called Heartstopper Vol. 1 "an adorable diary of love's gut punches" in their 2025 periodical, contributing to the multitude of praise that this start to the series received (8). Another notable review comes from Alaine Martaus from the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books concluded her review by saying "this graphic novel lives up to its heart-stopper title," claiming there was something in this book for everyone, new and old fans alike (9). For readers interested in more from this series, future volumes include a school Paris trip, navigating new relationships and relationship struggles, mental health recovery, and applications to uni ("college," for Americans).
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Books in the Heartstopper Universe ("Osemanverse")
Heartstopper Volumes 1-6
Standalone novels: Solitaire, Radio Silence, I Was Born for This, Loveless
-> All feature different characters in this universe
-> Not necessary to understand plot lines in Heartstopper
Novellas: This Winter, Nick and Charlie
-> Spinoffs of Heartstopper and Solitaire
Interested in learning more? Check out these links:
Interview discussing her creative process and advice for comic creators (4):
Interview about Alice's writing journey and rise to success (5):
Alice Oseman on the importance of asexual representation (1)
Personal Reflection
Through representing a diverse range of identities and experiences, Alice Oseman's work has captivated and inspired so many people, including myself. Her writing and illustrations highlighted narratives where queer characters had dimension and so much more to them than simply being "the queer character." Ever since I read the first Heartstopper webcomic, I fell in love with the characters and could relate to things they were going through; I still remember using the scene where Nick Nelson comes out to his mom as bisexual to come out to my sister. While I have not yet read all of Alice Oseman's books (although I have read most), I very much enjoy her writing style and stories and own a few of her books that I want to read next, such as Radio Silence. I have loved seeing her characters come to life on screen in such true-to-book ways and witness an LGBTQ+ books and show/movie (the movie took the place of a fourth season) receive its flowers and be accepted and beloved by many.
Resources
1) Knight, Lucy. “Heartstopper Author Alice Oseman: ‘If You Don’t Have Sex and Romance, You Feel Like You Haven’t Achieved.’” The Guardian, 19 Nov. 2022, www.theguardian.com/books/2022/nov/19/alice-oseman-author-heartstopper-sex-romance-asexuality. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.2) Durham University. “Alice Oseman - Durham University.” Durham_Uni, Sept. 2026, www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/latest-news/2026/09/alice-oseman/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
3) Oseman, Alice. “Alice Oseman | Creator of the Million-Copy Bestselling Heartstopper Books.” Alice Oseman, aliceoseman.com/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
4) Ray Slater Berry. Alice Oseman Interview With Ray Slater Berry. YouTube, 2026, www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1rD0baBoDI. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026, Video.
5) www.edwardrobertson.co.uk, Edward Robertson. “Interview: Alice Oseman - Blog - Magazine : Mslexia, a Magazine for Women’s Writing and Women Who Write..” Mslexia, mslexia.co.uk/magazine/blog/interview-alice-oseman/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
6) Oseman, Alice. Heartstopper Volume Three. Hodder Children’s Books, 2020.
7) Barnes & Noble. “Heartstopper, Volume 1|Paperback.” Barnes & Noble, 5 May 2020, www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heartstopper-volume-1-alice-oseman/1133594836. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.
9) Martaus, Alaine. Review of Heartstopper: Volume 1; by Alice Oseman. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, vol. 73 no. 10, 2020, p. 442-443. Project MUSE, https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/bcc.2020.0437.
I really like the personal reflection section. I believe that is the strongest section here and I especially like how you included seeing them visually on a screen. I like the "Interested and wanting to learn more" section. I think this is different from most of the blogs I have seen. (That is in a good way)
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