Alice Oseman Books in Order (The Heartstopper Reading Order)

Alice Oseman is an award-winning English author known for her work in the young adult fiction genre. Her debut novel Solitaire was published by HarperCollins in 2014, when she was only 17 years old.

Since then, Oseman wrote multiple novels and novellas but also wrote and illustrated the webcomic Heartstopper (later collected as graphic novels).

How to read Alice Oseman’s Books in Order?

The Heartstopper series and Solitaire feature some of the same characters and mostly take place during the same period of time. Also, This Winter and Nick and Charlie are spin-off novellas from Solitaire and Heartstopper. That said, Solitaire, Heartstopper, This Winter, and Nick and Charlie can all be read independently from one another.

Reading The Heartstopper Series in Order:

FYI, Heartstopper starts a year before Solitaire starts.

1. Heartstopper Volume 1 (2018) – Charlie and Nick are at the same school, but they’ve never met … until one day when they’re made to sit together. They quickly become friends, and soon Charlie is falling hard for Nick, even though he doesn’t think he has a chance. But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is more interested in Charlie than either of them realised.
2. Heartstopper Volume 2 (2019) – Nick and Charlie are best friends, but one kiss has changed everything. In the aftermath, Charlie is sure that Nick isn’t interested, but Nick is more confused than ever. Love works in surprising ways, and Nick comes to see the world from a new perspective. He discovers all sorts of things about his friends, his family… and himself.
3. Heartstopper Volume 3 (2020) – Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Nick’s even found the courage to come out to his mum. But coming out isn’t just something that happens once – there’s Nick’s older brother, and a school trip to Paris, not to mention all the other friends and family – and life can be hard, even with someone who loves you by your side. As their feelings get more serious, Charlie and Nick will need each other more than ever before.

4. Heartstopper Volume 4 (2021) – Charlie didn’t think Nick could ever like him back, but now they’re officially boyfriends. Charlie’s beginning to feel ready to say those three little words: I love you. Nick’s been feeling the same, but he’s got a lot on his mind – not least coming out to his dad, and the fact that Charlie might have an eating disorder. As summer turns to autumn and a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are about to learn a lot about what love means.
5. This Winter (2015) – Novella taking place between Chapters 5 and 6 of Heartstopper Volume 4. The festive season isn’t always happy for Tori Spring and her brother Charlie. And this year’s going to be harder than most.
6. Solitaire (2014) – A novel that takes place after This Winter and still at the same time as Heartstopper Volume 4. My name is Tori Spring. I like to sleep and I like to blog. Last year – before all that stuff with Charlie and before I had to face the harsh realities of A-Levels and university applications and the fact that one day I really will have to start talking to people – I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that’s all over now. Now there’s Solitaire. And Michael Holden. I don’t know what Solitaire are trying to do, and I don’t care about Michael Holden. I really don’t.

7. Nick and Charlie (2015) – Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie are the perfect couple – that they’re inseparable. But now Nick is leaving for university, and Charlie will be left behind at Sixth Form. Everyone’s asking if they’re staying together, which is a stupid question – they’re ‘Nick and Charlie’ for God’s sake! But as the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Or are they delaying the inevitable? Because everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever…
8. Heartstopper Volume 5 (2023) – Nick and Charlie are in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s house. He wants to take their relationship to the next level… but can he find the confidence he needs? And with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change?

Heartstopper Bonus!

• The Heartstopper Yearbook (2022) – The Heartstopper Yearbook is packed full of exclusive content from the Heartstopper universe: never-before-seen illustrations, an exclusive minicomic, character profiles, trivia, and insight into Alice Oseman’s creative process, narrated by a cartoon version of Alice herself.

Reading The Standalone Novels by Alice Oseman

• Radio Silence (2016) – Frances has always been a study machine with one goal: elite university. Nothing will stand in her way. Not friends, not a guilty secret-not even the person she is on the inside. But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time, she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken. Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’s dreams come crashing down. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past…
• I Was Born for This (2018) – For Angel Rahimi life is about one thing: The Ark a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are taking the world by storm. Being part of The Arks fandom has given her everything she loves her friend Juliet, her dreams, and her place in the world. Jimmy Kaga-Ricci owes everything to The Ark. He’s their frontman and playing in a band with his mates is all he ever dreamed of doing. But dreams don’t always turn out the way you think and when Jimmy and Angel are unexpectedly thrust together, they find out how strange and surprising facing up to reality can be.
• Loveless (2020) – Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight. But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

If you like our article about reading the Alice Oseman novels in order, don’t forget to bookmark it! What to read next? For more Young Adult series, look at Confessions of Georgia Nicolson Books or Adam Silvera’s novels.