Back in January 2024, I picked up the first volume of Heartstopper while out at Nowhere Bookshop. I got sucked in and read the whole thing while at the shop. Then I ended up ordering the other four volumes from the library, reading them all back to back. Because I didn’t have a blog at the time, I didn’t review them, and I honestly don’t have much to say about them now, 2.5 years later. They were delightful. I liked the first two best, probably because the third started to get a little angsty. Not teen-angsty, even though these are teen characters, but eating disorder angsty. EDs are very real problems, and the one addressed here was handled with amazing delicacy. Still, it’s a heavy topic and so it was also much harder to read after the first two books were generally a bit fluffier.

After those five volumes, I watched all three seasons of Heartstopper (the show) out at the time, including quite a number of episodes while visiting Rainstorm in Germany last year. The show, while not exactly the same as the graphic novels, is also so lovely, and features a range of people from all throughout the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. It’s a celebration of queer culture and queer identity, and I can’t wait to see the fourth season/movie when it releases later this week!

Which brings me to Vol 6. I didn’t know this book was coming out. Monday, I was getting my hair done and then I had a few hours to kill before my next appointment. I was on the other side of town from home, so I decided to spend that time in a bookstore. When I walked in, Heartstopper Vol 6 was on display right up front. I grabbed it, found a place to sit, and spent the next hour devouring the final volume of this series. It was like sinking into a warm bath, the return to comfort characters. Since much of this series is slice of life, I can’t say much about the plot, but I can say that it ended on the perfect note, and I’m excited to see the book and show end in the same week, hopefully both with lovely wrap-ups!