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Life is Strange: Heatwaves
An official spin-off to Life is True Colors featuring beloved characters Alex and Steph trapped in a small town’s climate disaster. Alex’s powers are tested against a dying hope for a sustainable future.
Alex and Steph have left Haven Springs in the rear-view mirror to travel the country, chasing the horizon. Though they don’t have much money, they have their guitar and drums and each other. But when their vehicle breaks down, they are stranded, their only hope a repair shop in a struggling town in the middle of nowhere.
The town is dealing with a severe drought after an extended heatwave wreaked havoc on local crops, plunging its inhabitants into poverty and water rationing. What remains of its essential resources are being diverted to indulge the local senator, gathering support for their out-of-touch political campaign.
Feeling the anger and despair of the town’s inhabitants, Alex and Steph are compelled to do everything they can to help. But when Alex uses her powers to amplify the senator’s fear of the climate crisis, in the hope of galvanizing their support, her plan backfires, and emotions spiral wildly out of control. Alex and Steph now need to find a way to revive the hope of a failing town and resurrect its history of political action to save the townsfolk – and themselves.
Alex and Steph have left Haven Springs in the rear-view mirror to travel the country, chasing the horizon. Though they don’t have much money, they have their guitar and drums and each other. But when their vehicle breaks down, they are stranded, their only hope a repair shop in a struggling town in the middle of nowhere.
The town is dealing with a severe drought after an extended heatwave wreaked havoc on local crops, plunging its inhabitants into poverty and water rationing. What remains of its essential resources are being diverted to indulge the local senator, gathering support for their out-of-touch political campaign.
Feeling the anger and despair of the town’s inhabitants, Alex and Steph are compelled to do everything they can to help. But when Alex uses her powers to amplify the senator’s fear of the climate crisis, in the hope of galvanizing their support, her plan backfires, and emotions spiral wildly out of control. Alex and Steph now need to find a way to revive the hope of a failing town and resurrect its history of political action to save the townsfolk – and themselves.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2024
37 people are currently reading
341 people want to read
About the author
Brittney Morris
17 books1,190 followersBrittney Morris is the author of SLAY, THE COST OF KNOWING,MARVEL'S SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES - WINGS OF FURY, THE JUMP, and THIS BOOK MIGHT BE ABOUT ZINNIA. She holds an economics degree from Boston University and has written for video games including The Lost Legends of Redwall, and Subnautica: Below Zero. She spends her spare time reading, playing video games, and enjoying the rain from her home in Philadelphia. She lives with her son Atlas. Brittney is the founder and former president of the Boston University Creative Writing Club and looks forward to NaNoWriMo every year.
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February 2, 2026
Anytime you're blue, well if you win or if you lose / I'll be by your side / When every place you turn you see the bridges start to burn / I can be your guide (Story – Tom Hillock).
Drat! This was good when I was hoping it’d be great. I was so wishing I’d be standing here saying the classic line about how “Gee, I don't get it, I don’t understand how anybody could dislike this” and blah blah blah, but unfortunately… it turns out that there are actually quite a few good reasons as to why a lot of people might feel like Heatwaves doesn’t match up to the quality of the rest of the stories in the Life is Strange universe. Generally lacking in personality, centering on a nonsensical plot that’s too similar to True Colors yet removed from the charm and wit, and an over reliance on “forgiving terrible people” as a story lesson, I can honestly say that despite my love for both Alex Chen and Steph Gingrich as individuals and as a couple, they deserve to star in a story that’s quite a bit better than this one. And hey, here's a question for the culture... does it count as a road trip book if said road trip gets halted in the middle of the first chapter and they spend the rest of the story in one place? Because otherwise, I think putting this bad boy on my "road trip" shelf might be stretching the definition a little bit. The theme for this review is wishful thinking, I guess. But then again, many people count The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary as a quintessential road trip book despite the fact that most of the story is told through flash backs where there are no roads nor trips in sight!? Sorry, but I'm still mad about it. But as for Heatwaves, you know what? Now that I’ve talked myself through it enough, my thinking that this would have been a banger wasn't really a “prove the haters wrong” moment, but rather just a sincere hope that we would finally get better sapphic media than all those depressing ass movies starring Kristen Stewart or whatever the hell was going on with the Wicked press tour (both of them). As someone in queer media, I think we deserve better. In fact, we need better bi representation too, because outside literature, all we've had the last few years is Jojo Siwa cheating on her girlfriend on a trash show called Big Brother and then in the face of criticism came out as bisexual and did a Sailor Moon costume switch from nauseatingly colorful to full on trad wife, all singing "Betty Davis Eyes" much to the ire of everyone. Set the movement back a couple decades, why don't you? Hm, I think I'm just realizing that I've been scrolling for too long, because I know way too much about stuff I don't give a shit about. Well, Xena the Warrior Princess and Gabrielle are great too, but I mean, we need some new stuff too! Like, from this century! "You been on that new stuff, I been on the same shit" and all that.
So yeah, I think it's synopsis time! After the tumultuous events of True Colors, Alex and Steph ditch the scene in Haven Springs and intend to travel around the honky-tonks and bars playing their music. As a cover band or are they going to play originals? I don't know, but it's pretty cool regardless, isn't it? Anyway, only a few weeks into their gay road trip and music tour around the country, badly timed car troubles force them to stop in the small town of Barb-zal, Colorado (I assume it’s fictional, considering the name sounds like every Dragon Quest final dungeon). See, as established in True Colors, Alex is an empath, but not like the folks on TikTok who are too into crystals and energies and negative ions, but like... and actual empath, in that she can literally see auras around people that show their… you know, true colors, to which she can either read their thoughts when their emotions are at their most volatile or even heighten or take away said emotions if need be. And with what she sees in Barb-zal, it almost feels like a message from up above that it’s time for her to work her magic. As if to underline this fact, looking around, Alex sees a plethora of red auras highlighting the strife and resentment going around about a certain big ass dam built near town that has since diverted most the water from the farmlands. And being the superhero she is, Alex decides against the wishes of Steph that she’s the only one that could possibly save the town from impending doom. Now, while it obviously seems a bit out of character for Alex to just up and decide to help a bunch of strangers despite the fact that both her and her girlfriend are on a timeline, you have to remember that this story happens after the main stories where both her and Steph have had their character arcs practically finished, with Steph learning to stick around her partner in the face of insurmountable odds and Alex figuring out that she wants to use her powers to help anybody she can, so I can kind of understand why this story has less to do with character development and is more focused on plot events and newer characters that don’t have much to do with Alex or Steph. I don’t even mind that Alex pretty much spends the entire novel irresponsibly using her powers and making mistakes, because even in the main game, whether or not they’re useful in any given situation is rather inconsistent. In one instance, using them to take away a woman’s anger is seen narratively as the bad choice because it takes away her ability to process her grief, and yet, later in the game, taking away a man’s fear is seen as the good choice because then he stops being such a wuss… so you know, I don’t blame Alex for having a hard time knowing when or when not to manipulate someone’s emotions.
I mean, that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of her mistakes were very frustrating or that her knack for self-pity could give Victor Frankenstein a run for his money, and she would do well to work on her communication skills if she plans on solving local issues for literally every small town her and Steph come across, but I’m just saying that I wouldn’t say this particular aspect of her personality is in direct conflict with her characterization in True Colors. She's just learning the ropes, I'm sure even Superman had a rough first year, no? Besides, Life is Strange games pride themselves on being story driven “choice based” games, so while the main characters are well defined, there’s still an element of “blank slate” characterization to them so every possible choice made by the player throughout the story still feels in character. That's why the protagonists featured are usually introverted and restrained, it's so we can project our own thoughts and opinions on them. They're more interpretive that way, and that's probably why so many people criticize Alex's actions in this book, because people who have played the Life is Strange games have a certain "possessiveness" towards these characters, so it makes sense that not everybody would be happy to see Alex graduate from a video game character that you directly control into a book character whose decisions are out of our hands. All we can do now is interpret her actions from an outsider's lens. It's like the end of Toy Story 3 where Andy's goes off to college and all Woody and Buzz can do is watch him and hope he'll be okay. Alright, I didn't mean to get all melancholic here, I'm just saying that I get why people's first reaction to reading Heatwaves would be like, "hey, that's not what my version of Alex would do!" because now we have to contend with reading about someone else's version of the character. So, the last time I talked about Life is Strange, I dickishly claimed that Alex’s abilities are similar to that useless kid who has “heart” powers on the Captain Planet crew and that she would be useless in the event that Thanos shows up, but I’d like to go back on this statement, because I was wrong… her thing is more like Mantis from The Guardians of the Galaxy, and you know what? That’s actually pretty cool. Pretty badass, and if need be, I’m sure Alex could hold off that purple thumb should he ever find his ball sack chin in or around the small towns of Colorado. Chat, she'd fold that b no yoga mat.
“I’ll go anywhere with you.”
“Road-trip pals for life?” I ask.
She nods. “And all their associated benefits.”
Stray thought, but I think it would be interesting if one of these Life is Strange games featured a character with more typical superpowers that aren't a result of personal trauma. Because all these characters have metaphorical powers that directly relate to their character arc; with Max being able to turn back time because she feels immense regret over her past mistakes or later how she can create parallel universes due to her inability to cope with the mistakes made in her current world, and then there's how Alex is an empath due to growing up having to walk a balancing act between her brother and father’s emotional outbursts, so I just think it’d be funny if a new character showed up and just had, like, Goku’s Ultra Instinct or something. “I can read people’s emotions, what about you, new guy?” “Uh, I punch people real hard!” Sorry, now I’m just writing fanfiction, which is what I’ll eventually have to turn to after I run out of Life is Strange content to consume. Back on track though, one issue with Alex’s powers is that they're so visual based that it’s a bit hard to translate the impact into a literary format. When Alex kisses Steph for the first time in the game and the landscape explodes into a brilliant shine of golden light across the horizon, it’s a beautiful scene, but I don’t know how successfully it would have gone over had it been described to me in words. I mean, it’s not impossible, the book Half-Drawn Boy by Suki Fleet features a main character with synesthesia, and the way colors are used as a motif relating to Gregor’s current emotional state is wonderfully evocative. Which reminds me, empath shmempath, I think Alex’s real superpower are those magic glasses she’s always wearing that never get dirty no matter how many humid forests she's jogging through or mine shafts she's falling into. Like, does she even carry a glasses cleaner? Because I know I need to have one on my person at all times! Really though, I feel like I should reiterate that I quite liked this book, and if nothing else, it was just pretty cool to see Alex and Steph again. Alex is endearingly insecure and tough as nails while Steph remains the GOAT, but I think my biggest gripe with the story here is that none of it really belongs to Alex or Steph in a real sense. It almost feels like a generic plot that somebody wrote with the explicit purpose of having placeholder main characters to be replaced with anybody else in the edit. Had Heatwaves been a more low-key affair that solely focused on Alex’s and Steph’s road trip and them learning the ropes to their new relationship without the taxing nature of secret plots or other outside forces keeping them distracted, then I would have walked away from this book much happier. "Heat waves been fakin' me out, can't make you happier now" or whatever. I hate that song.
Despite the usual Life is Strange sentiment in dealing with grief and loss, True Colors' chill atmosphere is actually the main reason why I like it as much as I do in comparison to every other Life is Strange game, and because of its lower stakes story that takes the time necessary to flesh out the relationships between Alex and the townsfolk of Haven Springs rather than underlining themes of devastation and heartbreak like in Life is Strange or Before the Storm, it’s able to feel like a nice “breather episode” in the series. So, if this book had followed suit and centered on mainly showing us more of Steph and Alex traveling around on a Riding with Brighton vibe, then not only would this book feel more cohesive, but also more in line with the Alex and Steph’s story arc trajectory that was shown to us at the end of True Colors. Had Heatwaves shifted focus even a little bit, then it could have been such an amazing companion piece to Steph’s Story, whereas that book chronicles Steph’s failing relationship, this one could have been about her being built up, buttercup! I don’t know, that'd be so cool, don't you think? My favorite part from True Colors is the bit where Steph tricks Alex into performing “Blister in the Sun” (I love that song) with her because she needs that little push, and it’s this fun lighthearted scene, but it’s also cool how a new motif in sapphic fiction has become love blossoming from guitar chicks singing to their girl. Well I mean, so far I’ve only seen it in True Colors and The Last of Us: Part 2, but I hope writers keep this trend going. Though I like Alex's "Blister in the Sun" much more than Ellie's sleep inducing performance of "Take on Me", that's for sure. Even more, if this book had been a more grounded character study, then this could have been a chance to learn a bit more about the sides to Alex that weren't touched on in True Colors proper, like how important or not important her relationship with her own queerness or racial background is to her. Alex's Asian-ness never really seemed to be a core aspect of her character, which is interesting to me because it makes sense considering she was in and out of foster care for most of her adolescence, so she missed out on crucial Asian experiences like watching those awful videos on YouTube titled corny shit like “10 Things Asian Parents Do Part 35” and be like, “omg my parents did that! We living that Boba life teehee!” and feel a deeper connection to her heritage! That was a joke, by the way. Off topic, but I think sometimes minorities are so starved for representation that they get behind any clown who looks even a little like them and then support whatever they’re saying about the culture so strongly that they start spreading common stereotypes instead. Anyway, Life is Strange deals with some heavy subject matter (homophobia, sexism, racism), so this could have been an interesting avenue to go down considering you can do more with literature in this respect than in a video game.
Nonetheless, one thing you can count on for sure is that a Life is Strange story will always portray the nerd hobbies the characters love with such optimism and adoration that it’s hard not to get swept up in the euphoria. Like how Steph is big into LARPing, and in True Colors it’s depicted as the wonderful and magical experience where all the townsfolk join in the fun, and even though I have no doubt LARPing can be a lovely experience, as a nerd who likes nerd stuff myself, I've never experienced this magical version of nerddom in reality. In fact, the only experience I have with live roleplaying stuff is watching streamers doing GTA Role-Plays where people either act out their fantasies of becoming cops or just stand around talking to other “role-players” for hours on end. I mean, I guess I’m just saying that I don’t really get it. Maybe I just need a DM like Steph, but even then, remember when I was a kid playing Super Smash, some of my friends always wanted to “play house” (read: just stand around and talk) rather than beat each other up, and it’s like… hey, I’m as gay as the next fruit, but if you want to chill like that then let’s boot up Animal Crossing, because otherwise I’m playing Mega Man and side sweeping some mfs off the edge! Don't even get me started on those weird e-couples infecting Overwatch like parasites where they have themed usernames like “His Kitten” and “Her Knight” and play 1950 by having the girl play Mercy and she spends the entire match blue-beaming her Gold player, anime profile pic having ass, e-boyfriend who peaked Platinum and averages a 2-8 K/D ratio every match. Seriously, it's the most painful exertion of heterosexuality ever seen since the Jonas Brothers released the “Sucker” music video. Sorry, was that a bad thing to say? Look, I’ve gone my whole life constantly hearing gay jokes about how everything is “too gay” this or “too gay” that, so I feel like it’s only fair when I point out that certain things are too far in the other direction as well. You know, even the playing field or whatever. Anyway, I'm sure this was all completely incomprehensible. All I’m trying to say is that Life is Strange always does a good job of portraying nerdiness and geekiness in a positive light, but at times it almost seems wistful more than anything, as anybody who has spent actual time in these spaces knows about the bad. Ugh, the bigotry, the body odor, the hilariously overcompensating power-tripping over the smallest amount of power given, and the, let me reiterate again… body odor, it's just the worst. Nonetheless, maybe that’s why I like these games (and now the books) so much, because it depicts a world that, while not perfect, is still lovingly aspirational. That’s what’s so great about Alex and Steph’s journey in Heatwaves; their kindness does the work in changing minds and souls, and in doing so, ends up making the world just that little bit better.
Sometimes we slip under, sometimes it don't go as planned / Yeah but if you believe in me, I can lend a hand.
Drat! This was good when I was hoping it’d be great. I was so wishing I’d be standing here saying the classic line about how “Gee, I don't get it, I don’t understand how anybody could dislike this” and blah blah blah, but unfortunately… it turns out that there are actually quite a few good reasons as to why a lot of people might feel like Heatwaves doesn’t match up to the quality of the rest of the stories in the Life is Strange universe. Generally lacking in personality, centering on a nonsensical plot that’s too similar to True Colors yet removed from the charm and wit, and an over reliance on “forgiving terrible people” as a story lesson, I can honestly say that despite my love for both Alex Chen and Steph Gingrich as individuals and as a couple, they deserve to star in a story that’s quite a bit better than this one. And hey, here's a question for the culture... does it count as a road trip book if said road trip gets halted in the middle of the first chapter and they spend the rest of the story in one place? Because otherwise, I think putting this bad boy on my "road trip" shelf might be stretching the definition a little bit. The theme for this review is wishful thinking, I guess. But then again, many people count The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary as a quintessential road trip book despite the fact that most of the story is told through flash backs where there are no roads nor trips in sight!? Sorry, but I'm still mad about it. But as for Heatwaves, you know what? Now that I’ve talked myself through it enough, my thinking that this would have been a banger wasn't really a “prove the haters wrong” moment, but rather just a sincere hope that we would finally get better sapphic media than all those depressing ass movies starring Kristen Stewart or whatever the hell was going on with the Wicked press tour (both of them). As someone in queer media, I think we deserve better. In fact, we need better bi representation too, because outside literature, all we've had the last few years is Jojo Siwa cheating on her girlfriend on a trash show called Big Brother and then in the face of criticism came out as bisexual and did a Sailor Moon costume switch from nauseatingly colorful to full on trad wife, all singing "Betty Davis Eyes" much to the ire of everyone. Set the movement back a couple decades, why don't you? Hm, I think I'm just realizing that I've been scrolling for too long, because I know way too much about stuff I don't give a shit about. Well, Xena the Warrior Princess and Gabrielle are great too, but I mean, we need some new stuff too! Like, from this century! "You been on that new stuff, I been on the same shit" and all that.
So yeah, I think it's synopsis time! After the tumultuous events of True Colors, Alex and Steph ditch the scene in Haven Springs and intend to travel around the honky-tonks and bars playing their music. As a cover band or are they going to play originals? I don't know, but it's pretty cool regardless, isn't it? Anyway, only a few weeks into their gay road trip and music tour around the country, badly timed car troubles force them to stop in the small town of Barb-zal, Colorado (I assume it’s fictional, considering the name sounds like every Dragon Quest final dungeon). See, as established in True Colors, Alex is an empath, but not like the folks on TikTok who are too into crystals and energies and negative ions, but like... and actual empath, in that she can literally see auras around people that show their… you know, true colors, to which she can either read their thoughts when their emotions are at their most volatile or even heighten or take away said emotions if need be. And with what she sees in Barb-zal, it almost feels like a message from up above that it’s time for her to work her magic. As if to underline this fact, looking around, Alex sees a plethora of red auras highlighting the strife and resentment going around about a certain big ass dam built near town that has since diverted most the water from the farmlands. And being the superhero she is, Alex decides against the wishes of Steph that she’s the only one that could possibly save the town from impending doom. Now, while it obviously seems a bit out of character for Alex to just up and decide to help a bunch of strangers despite the fact that both her and her girlfriend are on a timeline, you have to remember that this story happens after the main stories where both her and Steph have had their character arcs practically finished, with Steph learning to stick around her partner in the face of insurmountable odds and Alex figuring out that she wants to use her powers to help anybody she can, so I can kind of understand why this story has less to do with character development and is more focused on plot events and newer characters that don’t have much to do with Alex or Steph. I don’t even mind that Alex pretty much spends the entire novel irresponsibly using her powers and making mistakes, because even in the main game, whether or not they’re useful in any given situation is rather inconsistent. In one instance, using them to take away a woman’s anger is seen narratively as the bad choice because it takes away her ability to process her grief, and yet, later in the game, taking away a man’s fear is seen as the good choice because then he stops being such a wuss… so you know, I don’t blame Alex for having a hard time knowing when or when not to manipulate someone’s emotions.
I mean, that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of her mistakes were very frustrating or that her knack for self-pity could give Victor Frankenstein a run for his money, and she would do well to work on her communication skills if she plans on solving local issues for literally every small town her and Steph come across, but I’m just saying that I wouldn’t say this particular aspect of her personality is in direct conflict with her characterization in True Colors. She's just learning the ropes, I'm sure even Superman had a rough first year, no? Besides, Life is Strange games pride themselves on being story driven “choice based” games, so while the main characters are well defined, there’s still an element of “blank slate” characterization to them so every possible choice made by the player throughout the story still feels in character. That's why the protagonists featured are usually introverted and restrained, it's so we can project our own thoughts and opinions on them. They're more interpretive that way, and that's probably why so many people criticize Alex's actions in this book, because people who have played the Life is Strange games have a certain "possessiveness" towards these characters, so it makes sense that not everybody would be happy to see Alex graduate from a video game character that you directly control into a book character whose decisions are out of our hands. All we can do now is interpret her actions from an outsider's lens. It's like the end of Toy Story 3 where Andy's goes off to college and all Woody and Buzz can do is watch him and hope he'll be okay. Alright, I didn't mean to get all melancholic here, I'm just saying that I get why people's first reaction to reading Heatwaves would be like, "hey, that's not what my version of Alex would do!" because now we have to contend with reading about someone else's version of the character. So, the last time I talked about Life is Strange, I dickishly claimed that Alex’s abilities are similar to that useless kid who has “heart” powers on the Captain Planet crew and that she would be useless in the event that Thanos shows up, but I’d like to go back on this statement, because I was wrong… her thing is more like Mantis from The Guardians of the Galaxy, and you know what? That’s actually pretty cool. Pretty badass, and if need be, I’m sure Alex could hold off that purple thumb should he ever find his ball sack chin in or around the small towns of Colorado. Chat, she'd fold that b no yoga mat.
“I’ll go anywhere with you.”
“Road-trip pals for life?” I ask.
She nods. “And all their associated benefits.”
Stray thought, but I think it would be interesting if one of these Life is Strange games featured a character with more typical superpowers that aren't a result of personal trauma. Because all these characters have metaphorical powers that directly relate to their character arc; with Max being able to turn back time because she feels immense regret over her past mistakes or later how she can create parallel universes due to her inability to cope with the mistakes made in her current world, and then there's how Alex is an empath due to growing up having to walk a balancing act between her brother and father’s emotional outbursts, so I just think it’d be funny if a new character showed up and just had, like, Goku’s Ultra Instinct or something. “I can read people’s emotions, what about you, new guy?” “Uh, I punch people real hard!” Sorry, now I’m just writing fanfiction, which is what I’ll eventually have to turn to after I run out of Life is Strange content to consume. Back on track though, one issue with Alex’s powers is that they're so visual based that it’s a bit hard to translate the impact into a literary format. When Alex kisses Steph for the first time in the game and the landscape explodes into a brilliant shine of golden light across the horizon, it’s a beautiful scene, but I don’t know how successfully it would have gone over had it been described to me in words. I mean, it’s not impossible, the book Half-Drawn Boy by Suki Fleet features a main character with synesthesia, and the way colors are used as a motif relating to Gregor’s current emotional state is wonderfully evocative. Which reminds me, empath shmempath, I think Alex’s real superpower are those magic glasses she’s always wearing that never get dirty no matter how many humid forests she's jogging through or mine shafts she's falling into. Like, does she even carry a glasses cleaner? Because I know I need to have one on my person at all times! Really though, I feel like I should reiterate that I quite liked this book, and if nothing else, it was just pretty cool to see Alex and Steph again. Alex is endearingly insecure and tough as nails while Steph remains the GOAT, but I think my biggest gripe with the story here is that none of it really belongs to Alex or Steph in a real sense. It almost feels like a generic plot that somebody wrote with the explicit purpose of having placeholder main characters to be replaced with anybody else in the edit. Had Heatwaves been a more low-key affair that solely focused on Alex’s and Steph’s road trip and them learning the ropes to their new relationship without the taxing nature of secret plots or other outside forces keeping them distracted, then I would have walked away from this book much happier. "Heat waves been fakin' me out, can't make you happier now" or whatever. I hate that song.
Despite the usual Life is Strange sentiment in dealing with grief and loss, True Colors' chill atmosphere is actually the main reason why I like it as much as I do in comparison to every other Life is Strange game, and because of its lower stakes story that takes the time necessary to flesh out the relationships between Alex and the townsfolk of Haven Springs rather than underlining themes of devastation and heartbreak like in Life is Strange or Before the Storm, it’s able to feel like a nice “breather episode” in the series. So, if this book had followed suit and centered on mainly showing us more of Steph and Alex traveling around on a Riding with Brighton vibe, then not only would this book feel more cohesive, but also more in line with the Alex and Steph’s story arc trajectory that was shown to us at the end of True Colors. Had Heatwaves shifted focus even a little bit, then it could have been such an amazing companion piece to Steph’s Story, whereas that book chronicles Steph’s failing relationship, this one could have been about her being built up, buttercup! I don’t know, that'd be so cool, don't you think? My favorite part from True Colors is the bit where Steph tricks Alex into performing “Blister in the Sun” (I love that song) with her because she needs that little push, and it’s this fun lighthearted scene, but it’s also cool how a new motif in sapphic fiction has become love blossoming from guitar chicks singing to their girl. Well I mean, so far I’ve only seen it in True Colors and The Last of Us: Part 2, but I hope writers keep this trend going. Though I like Alex's "Blister in the Sun" much more than Ellie's sleep inducing performance of "Take on Me", that's for sure. Even more, if this book had been a more grounded character study, then this could have been a chance to learn a bit more about the sides to Alex that weren't touched on in True Colors proper, like how important or not important her relationship with her own queerness or racial background is to her. Alex's Asian-ness never really seemed to be a core aspect of her character, which is interesting to me because it makes sense considering she was in and out of foster care for most of her adolescence, so she missed out on crucial Asian experiences like watching those awful videos on YouTube titled corny shit like “10 Things Asian Parents Do Part 35” and be like, “omg my parents did that! We living that Boba life teehee!” and feel a deeper connection to her heritage! That was a joke, by the way. Off topic, but I think sometimes minorities are so starved for representation that they get behind any clown who looks even a little like them and then support whatever they’re saying about the culture so strongly that they start spreading common stereotypes instead. Anyway, Life is Strange deals with some heavy subject matter (homophobia, sexism, racism), so this could have been an interesting avenue to go down considering you can do more with literature in this respect than in a video game.
Nonetheless, one thing you can count on for sure is that a Life is Strange story will always portray the nerd hobbies the characters love with such optimism and adoration that it’s hard not to get swept up in the euphoria. Like how Steph is big into LARPing, and in True Colors it’s depicted as the wonderful and magical experience where all the townsfolk join in the fun, and even though I have no doubt LARPing can be a lovely experience, as a nerd who likes nerd stuff myself, I've never experienced this magical version of nerddom in reality. In fact, the only experience I have with live roleplaying stuff is watching streamers doing GTA Role-Plays where people either act out their fantasies of becoming cops or just stand around talking to other “role-players” for hours on end. I mean, I guess I’m just saying that I don’t really get it. Maybe I just need a DM like Steph, but even then, remember when I was a kid playing Super Smash, some of my friends always wanted to “play house” (read: just stand around and talk) rather than beat each other up, and it’s like… hey, I’m as gay as the next fruit, but if you want to chill like that then let’s boot up Animal Crossing, because otherwise I’m playing Mega Man and side sweeping some mfs off the edge! Don't even get me started on those weird e-couples infecting Overwatch like parasites where they have themed usernames like “His Kitten” and “Her Knight” and play 1950 by having the girl play Mercy and she spends the entire match blue-beaming her Gold player, anime profile pic having ass, e-boyfriend who peaked Platinum and averages a 2-8 K/D ratio every match. Seriously, it's the most painful exertion of heterosexuality ever seen since the Jonas Brothers released the “Sucker” music video. Sorry, was that a bad thing to say? Look, I’ve gone my whole life constantly hearing gay jokes about how everything is “too gay” this or “too gay” that, so I feel like it’s only fair when I point out that certain things are too far in the other direction as well. You know, even the playing field or whatever. Anyway, I'm sure this was all completely incomprehensible. All I’m trying to say is that Life is Strange always does a good job of portraying nerdiness and geekiness in a positive light, but at times it almost seems wistful more than anything, as anybody who has spent actual time in these spaces knows about the bad. Ugh, the bigotry, the body odor, the hilariously overcompensating power-tripping over the smallest amount of power given, and the, let me reiterate again… body odor, it's just the worst. Nonetheless, maybe that’s why I like these games (and now the books) so much, because it depicts a world that, while not perfect, is still lovingly aspirational. That’s what’s so great about Alex and Steph’s journey in Heatwaves; their kindness does the work in changing minds and souls, and in doing so, ends up making the world just that little bit better.
Sometimes we slip under, sometimes it don't go as planned / Yeah but if you believe in me, I can lend a hand.
August 28, 2024
2⭐️
This book left a sour taste in my mouth. I went in with an open mind, not putting any expectations on the story or its characters but to my surprise, both of these elements did not fulfill that Life is Strange itch in my brain.
The protagonists, Alex and Steph, did not feel like their game counterparts most times. I liked some interactions when they were alone, but I was usually flabbergasted at their decisions / reactions in the story. Other than the fact that they had no character development and felt like blank slates that anyone else could fill in, they did not feel like how they are in the games.
Steph, even though she's a loyal, supportive and direct friend / girlfriend, felt too much like a "yes-man" in this story, going along with whatever Alex had planned. Even though she confronted Alex on some of her decisions, these ideas and behaviours never lasted more than a few lines, forgiving Alex quite quickly / being ok with the outcome of a situation too quickly. We never really got to see Steph exploring those uncertainties / worrisome thoughts with Alex. She also felt like the stereotypical therapist friend, every scene with her feeling like she was there just to give Alex advice, counsel and help whenever she needed. She did not feel like her game counterpart (or even her Steph's Story one, which felt really well written), not having problems / anxieties of her own, not to mention her depression being brushed past in one line.
Alex's story in this book is non-existent. The bits & pieces of her past with her family are just a reminder that all the character development we got was in the game & felt like her inner hardships in this book did not get resolved / did not get a proper ending. She did not make any steps towards overcoming her always putting others' needs above hers / overcoming some parts of her grief for that matter.
The whole storyline felt like a slightly changed version of the one we got in the game. The "antagonist" of the story, even though having an interesting past which would explain his motivations in the present, felt quite bland, another typical villain that mirrors Jed from the game. Thus I did not quite care for any of the new characters.
Some other things I found questionable:
- Alex stating that she did not tell anyone about her powers, not even Gabe, until she met Steph (canonically, the first person she told was Ryan)
I get that this was supposed to signify how important Steph is in her life, but undermining another character's importance from the game did not sit well with me.
- Ethan randomly having an uncle that lives in a town that not many people know of, exactly where our protagonists need shelter
- No trigger warnings anywhere (specifically for the self-harm description scene with Opal)
I do not have an issue reading scenes like this one, but I feel like, in a Life is Strange story specifically, you have to put a TW section somewhere if you decide to put these kinds of scenes in a book, just in case people need it.
- Alex's power allowing her to see past events and actually be there in the moment, without her acknowledging she can do this now (in the games she could only hear bits from people's pasts, visualising this through objects with heavy emotional impact, not just through people directly)
The only parts I liked in this were the beginning scene with Alex and Steph driving and the emotion reading scenes that described Alex's power quite well.
I did not go into this book wanting a story focused on brand new characters & their stories. I wanted / expected a story focused around Alex and Steph, which would be accompanied harmoniously by compelling side characters - I feel we didn't get in this book.
This book left a sour taste in my mouth. I went in with an open mind, not putting any expectations on the story or its characters but to my surprise, both of these elements did not fulfill that Life is Strange itch in my brain.
The protagonists, Alex and Steph, did not feel like their game counterparts most times. I liked some interactions when they were alone, but I was usually flabbergasted at their decisions / reactions in the story. Other than the fact that they had no character development and felt like blank slates that anyone else could fill in, they did not feel like how they are in the games.
Steph, even though she's a loyal, supportive and direct friend / girlfriend, felt too much like a "yes-man" in this story, going along with whatever Alex had planned. Even though she confronted Alex on some of her decisions, these ideas and behaviours never lasted more than a few lines, forgiving Alex quite quickly / being ok with the outcome of a situation too quickly. We never really got to see Steph exploring those uncertainties / worrisome thoughts with Alex. She also felt like the stereotypical therapist friend, every scene with her feeling like she was there just to give Alex advice, counsel and help whenever she needed. She did not feel like her game counterpart (or even her Steph's Story one, which felt really well written), not having problems / anxieties of her own, not to mention her depression being brushed past in one line.
Alex's story in this book is non-existent. The bits & pieces of her past with her family are just a reminder that all the character development we got was in the game & felt like her inner hardships in this book did not get resolved / did not get a proper ending. She did not make any steps towards overcoming her always putting others' needs above hers / overcoming some parts of her grief for that matter.
The whole storyline felt like a slightly changed version of the one we got in the game. The "antagonist" of the story, even though having an interesting past which would explain his motivations in the present, felt quite bland, another typical villain that mirrors Jed from the game. Thus I did not quite care for any of the new characters.
Some other things I found questionable:
- Alex stating that she did not tell anyone about her powers, not even Gabe, until she met Steph (canonically, the first person she told was Ryan)
I get that this was supposed to signify how important Steph is in her life, but undermining another character's importance from the game did not sit well with me.
- Ethan randomly having an uncle that lives in a town that not many people know of, exactly where our protagonists need shelter
- No trigger warnings anywhere (specifically for the self-harm description scene with Opal)
I do not have an issue reading scenes like this one, but I feel like, in a Life is Strange story specifically, you have to put a TW section somewhere if you decide to put these kinds of scenes in a book, just in case people need it.
- Alex's power allowing her to see past events and actually be there in the moment, without her acknowledging she can do this now (in the games she could only hear bits from people's pasts, visualising this through objects with heavy emotional impact, not just through people directly)
The only parts I liked in this were the beginning scene with Alex and Steph driving and the emotion reading scenes that described Alex's power quite well.
I did not go into this book wanting a story focused on brand new characters & their stories. I wanted / expected a story focused around Alex and Steph, which would be accompanied harmoniously by compelling side characters - I feel we didn't get in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2024
Only good part about this book is Steph is still in it and she is literally the goat. Tbh this book kinda felt like character assassination on Alex, her actions throughout the book do not match the character we see at the end of True Colors
Read
August 2, 2024DNF
July 31, 2024
trying to thwart theme park plans is the wildest reason to get shot omg
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2024
An enjoyable if somewhat simple story. It follows on well from its chosen ending of True Colors, and builds on the characters in a way that is entirely in character, although Steph felt a bit more muted than we saw her at times in the games being a bit less blunt in her words which at times was a bit jarring.
The new characters were mostly interesting, but for a short book- 200 odd pages- it is difficult to develop them the same way. Steph’s Story didn’t have as much an issue with many of its supporting cast given they came from other sources, primarily the comics, so they had some frame point. Heatwaves didn’t have any characters bar the two primary ones, bar a text from Ethan.
On the note of Ethan it is an extremely minor thing to note but a relation to Ethan is noted as one point as his uncle and at another as his father, it is a simple typo but frustratingly stuck with me.
As someone who loves the games, and especially loves the relationship between Steph and Alex, it scratched an itch for a continuation of the ending that I felt was a bit less developed but it feels like it needs a follow up or two to paint a full picture with a wider focus desirable.
The new characters were mostly interesting, but for a short book- 200 odd pages- it is difficult to develop them the same way. Steph’s Story didn’t have as much an issue with many of its supporting cast given they came from other sources, primarily the comics, so they had some frame point. Heatwaves didn’t have any characters bar the two primary ones, bar a text from Ethan.
On the note of Ethan it is an extremely minor thing to note but a relation to Ethan is noted as one point as his uncle and at another as his father, it is a simple typo but frustratingly stuck with me.
As someone who loves the games, and especially loves the relationship between Steph and Alex, it scratched an itch for a continuation of the ending that I felt was a bit less developed but it feels like it needs a follow up or two to paint a full picture with a wider focus desirable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2025
Nog nooit zoveel moeite gehad met een boek uitlezen.
Het verhaal is saai, de personages zijn allemaal niet likeable en ik snap het concept niet van een Life is Strange boek dat vrijwel helemaal over politiek gaat?
Het frustreert me vooral hoe slecht en irritant Steph is geschreven in dit boek. Steph is mijn favoriete personage uit de game, en ik vond het vorige boek wat compleet over haar ging, echt heel tof. Die heb ik destijds zelfs 4* gegeven.
Blij dat ik ‘m uitgelezen heb 🫡
Het verhaal is saai, de personages zijn allemaal niet likeable en ik snap het concept niet van een Life is Strange boek dat vrijwel helemaal over politiek gaat?
Het frustreert me vooral hoe slecht en irritant Steph is geschreven in dit boek. Steph is mijn favoriete personage uit de game, en ik vond het vorige boek wat compleet over haar ging, echt heel tof. Die heb ik destijds zelfs 4* gegeven.
Blij dat ik ‘m uitgelezen heb 🫡
Read
August 8, 2024DNF'd at page 70. This just didn't feel enough like the game to me. I think this is a hard story to put into a book format. The comics worked well because they were still visual. But reading about Alex's powers just isn't the same as seeing them.
August 25, 2024
Wtf war das?? Wie kann man bestehende Charaktere hernehmen und so verunstalten? Das war ja eine mischaracterization vom Feinsten (vor allem Alex?? ), dabei hat es eigentlich voll gut begonnen. Der plot war auch ein Mist.
November 10, 2024
Life is Strange: Heatwaves, penned by Brittney Morris, continues the saga of Alex Chen from the video game Life is Strange: True Colors, pushing her and Steph Gingrich into new territory—both in terms of their relationship and their moral boundaries. Following the game’s “leave Haven Springs” ending, Alex and Steph embark on a journey filled with dreams of music and a fresh start, only to be thwarted by car trouble in a drought-stricken desert town. This setup is both metaphorical and literal: Alex and Steph, hoping to blaze new trails, find themselves in a place scorched and barren, symbolizing the obstacles they’ll face on their own path toward purpose and activism.
Morris captures the weight of the heatwave and drought on the townspeople with palpable realism. Readers can almost feel the dust and dryness, experience the desperation in every parched interaction. Through Alex’s empathy powers, the simmering resentment and hopelessness of the town resonate deeply. It’s a bold choice by Morris to set a story about emotional empathy in a town where physical and emotional resources are similarly parched. The situation grows more complex when Alex, in her determination to help, amplifies the local senator’s anxieties about climate change, only to see her plan unravel in unexpected ways.
This story becomes a meditation on the ethical gray areas of Alex’s powers. Morris explores the repercussions of meddling with emotions on a grander scale than Alex has faced before, showing how Alex’s abilities, when used recklessly, can spiral out of control and affect more lives than she anticipated. It’s a fascinating take on Alex’s power, asking whether her intentions justify the manipulation involved. The narrative subtly questions the balance between using empathy to heal and wielding it as a tool to influence others, even for a noble cause.
Steph, as a grounding force, brings her own warmth and humor to the story, providing relief from the bleakness surrounding them. Their dynamic is tender and real, with moments of conflict and camaraderie that remind readers why these two characters were so well-loved in True Colors. The romantic subplot between Alex and Steph, however, does not overshadow the larger themes of community, activism, and personal responsibility, making it an engaging, well-rounded narrative.
Morris does an excellent job of weaving social and political commentary into the story without it feeling forced. The senator’s negligence and the town’s poverty make a pointed critique of how rural communities are often neglected by those in power, especially during environmental crises. The stakes feel immediate and timely, resonating with readers who are familiar with similar climate-related challenges in their own world.
In Life is Strange: Heatwaves, Morris has created a thoughtful, introspective look at what happens when idealism meets harsh reality. Alex and Steph’s journey is not just a road trip; it’s a journey through empathy, activism, and the realization that sometimes, making a difference is more complex than good intentions alone.
Morris captures the weight of the heatwave and drought on the townspeople with palpable realism. Readers can almost feel the dust and dryness, experience the desperation in every parched interaction. Through Alex’s empathy powers, the simmering resentment and hopelessness of the town resonate deeply. It’s a bold choice by Morris to set a story about emotional empathy in a town where physical and emotional resources are similarly parched. The situation grows more complex when Alex, in her determination to help, amplifies the local senator’s anxieties about climate change, only to see her plan unravel in unexpected ways.
This story becomes a meditation on the ethical gray areas of Alex’s powers. Morris explores the repercussions of meddling with emotions on a grander scale than Alex has faced before, showing how Alex’s abilities, when used recklessly, can spiral out of control and affect more lives than she anticipated. It’s a fascinating take on Alex’s power, asking whether her intentions justify the manipulation involved. The narrative subtly questions the balance between using empathy to heal and wielding it as a tool to influence others, even for a noble cause.
Steph, as a grounding force, brings her own warmth and humor to the story, providing relief from the bleakness surrounding them. Their dynamic is tender and real, with moments of conflict and camaraderie that remind readers why these two characters were so well-loved in True Colors. The romantic subplot between Alex and Steph, however, does not overshadow the larger themes of community, activism, and personal responsibility, making it an engaging, well-rounded narrative.
Morris does an excellent job of weaving social and political commentary into the story without it feeling forced. The senator’s negligence and the town’s poverty make a pointed critique of how rural communities are often neglected by those in power, especially during environmental crises. The stakes feel immediate and timely, resonating with readers who are familiar with similar climate-related challenges in their own world.
In Life is Strange: Heatwaves, Morris has created a thoughtful, introspective look at what happens when idealism meets harsh reality. Alex and Steph’s journey is not just a road trip; it’s a journey through empathy, activism, and the realization that sometimes, making a difference is more complex than good intentions alone.
August 27, 2024
2,5⭐️
...well, at least Steph was there, being the best girlfriend ever. But what the hell did you do with Alex? Where is the character development from the game? (Like, Alex knows the consequences of her altering Charlottes' feelings, so of course she won't repeat this mistake again... right? She won't alter not once, but twice other feelings again... right?)
At least this book had its funny moments, but it was... idk, weird at some point.
If I had a nickel for every time Alex gets shooted for a dumb reaso, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. (Steph, get my girl out of the US, lmao)
...well, at least Steph was there, being the best girlfriend ever. But what the hell did you do with Alex? Where is the character development from the game? (Like, Alex knows the consequences of her altering Charlottes' feelings, so of course she won't repeat this mistake again... right? She won't alter not once, but twice other feelings again... right?)
At least this book had its funny moments, but it was... idk, weird at some point.
If I had a nickel for every time Alex gets shooted for a dumb reaso, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. (Steph, get my girl out of the US, lmao)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2024
Honestly, it's been a while since I played True Colors and this just made me nostalgic for it. I loooove steph.
I will say there was a lack of trigger warning knowledges which made it some areas hard. Trigger warning; su*cide attempt of a character
I will say there was a lack of trigger warning knowledges which made it some areas hard. Trigger warning; su*cide attempt of a character
March 6, 2025
didnt love this. first off followed a choice I didnt agree with but thats fine but holy character assassination on Alex what the hell? she just kept doing one of the worst things in the game and this did not feel like them at all. The plot also seemed to just have things happen
August 7, 2024
So good!! Bought and finished it in under 6 hours!! Steph and Alex are my absolute favourites!
September 4, 2024
Nette, leichte Geschichte und ne gute Ergänzung zu LiS: True Colors. Mehr Zeit mit Alex und Steph ist immer gut.
October 20, 2024
I’m a huge fan of this series but this just was not good.
January 31, 2026
Well I liked this more than Steph's Story, which felt like nobody's personality was anything other than queer, so I can't rate it lower than that. But I still had issues with this. I feel it totally butchered Alex's character, especially her development by the end of the game. All she does is meddle in people's private business. End game Alex would NOT have been so careless with people's emotions, especially after the first hand experience with Charlotte. What I was really hoping for from this story was Steph and Alex on the road playing music; not a political drama.
Things I did enjoy include the relationship between Steph and Alex, because I'll never not take more than that. And it was refreshing that homophobia didn't come up even once, which usually finds its way into queer storylines somewhere. I also loved reading about Alex's powers. I'll continue to read whatever Life Is Strange books get put out, but so far I'm yet to love one.
Things I did enjoy include the relationship between Steph and Alex, because I'll never not take more than that. And it was refreshing that homophobia didn't come up even once, which usually finds its way into queer storylines somewhere. I also loved reading about Alex's powers. I'll continue to read whatever Life Is Strange books get put out, but so far I'm yet to love one.
January 23, 2026
I've played the game 2 times at the time of reading the book and writing this review. I think its fair to say I have some understanding of Alex's character.
And let me tell you this, Alex in this book seemed like Alex from wish instead of Alex from Heaven Springs.
No character development on her part. She felt quite one dimensional throughout the book. Don't get me started on Steph, she was as complex as the dirt on your shoes. She had nothing going on for her all throughout the story.
She's agreeing with everything, she has no opinions on her own, she bends and breaks for Alex without as much of an argument.
The only time she is annoyed ad Alex (and its described to us with the description of the red aura surrounding her) it lasts for like 5 seconds then shes back go forgiving Alex and bending at her command.
The book is written from Alex's perspective but we get nothing to see Steph as more of a complex character. She's just there because it fits the story and to help Alex through her investigation. It might as well be a stranger or literally anyone from Haven Springs. Which is very weird considering where the game left us with the characters.
The plot was alright, not much to complain there besides the sudden convenient coincidences like Ethan's uncle living in this town no one's ever heard of. But sure, we can brush past those.
The characters lack of complexity is just the biggest bummer because I really wanted to love this book.
And let me tell you this, Alex in this book seemed like Alex from wish instead of Alex from Heaven Springs.
No character development on her part. She felt quite one dimensional throughout the book. Don't get me started on Steph, she was as complex as the dirt on your shoes. She had nothing going on for her all throughout the story.
She's agreeing with everything, she has no opinions on her own, she bends and breaks for Alex without as much of an argument.
The only time she is annoyed ad Alex (and its described to us with the description of the red aura surrounding her) it lasts for like 5 seconds then shes back go forgiving Alex and bending at her command.
The book is written from Alex's perspective but we get nothing to see Steph as more of a complex character. She's just there because it fits the story and to help Alex through her investigation. It might as well be a stranger or literally anyone from Haven Springs. Which is very weird considering where the game left us with the characters.
The plot was alright, not much to complain there besides the sudden convenient coincidences like Ethan's uncle living in this town no one's ever heard of. But sure, we can brush past those.
The characters lack of complexity is just the biggest bummer because I really wanted to love this book.
October 4, 2024
Alex Chen's future is looking bright. She is traveling with her best friend (and potential love) Steph, she has a show booked for their band, she has gotten some level of closure on her families tragedies of the past and she finally feels in control of her powers. Alex's powers is that she can detect and read peoples emotions with vibrant colors representing different ones, she can use this to effect peoples emotions, live through what they are feeling and even take emotions away. The pair are on the way to a show in Fort Collins where their car breaks down outside of a small town going through a draught, Alex takes it upon herself to try to do some good.
It is difficult writing a novel that takes places within a video game universe, especially one with as many choices as Life is Strange: True Colors. It took me a bit to get over that fact as decisions that this Alex had made during her time in Haven Springs were not ones that I had chosen and that leads this Alex down a different path than the one from my playthrough of the game. I am a huge Life is Strange fan and really wanted to enjoy this novel as I had the previous, but I didn't feel that same connection. I didn't hate it, but I did find it to not be what I was looking for from Life is Strange. A lot of this feels like Alex blundering into peoples feelings and trying to help in heavy handed ways that go wrong multiple times, which feels like her making the same mistake over and over again as she had had similar issues in Haven Springs. It is all wrapped up perfectly in a bow by the end as everything worked out, which felt too perfect after she messed with peoples emotions to extreme degrees.
While I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, there is still a lot to be enjoyed in this one. Steph and Alex have great chemistry as they move through a new small town. The new cast of characters have more memorable moments. The last few chapters have some big moments that feel like a "how are they going to get out of this" that might be the biggest in the franchise. While it wasn't my favorite journey through a Life is Strange story, it is still worth the journey for any fan.
It is difficult writing a novel that takes places within a video game universe, especially one with as many choices as Life is Strange: True Colors. It took me a bit to get over that fact as decisions that this Alex had made during her time in Haven Springs were not ones that I had chosen and that leads this Alex down a different path than the one from my playthrough of the game. I am a huge Life is Strange fan and really wanted to enjoy this novel as I had the previous, but I didn't feel that same connection. I didn't hate it, but I did find it to not be what I was looking for from Life is Strange. A lot of this feels like Alex blundering into peoples feelings and trying to help in heavy handed ways that go wrong multiple times, which feels like her making the same mistake over and over again as she had had similar issues in Haven Springs. It is all wrapped up perfectly in a bow by the end as everything worked out, which felt too perfect after she messed with peoples emotions to extreme degrees.
While I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, there is still a lot to be enjoyed in this one. Steph and Alex have great chemistry as they move through a new small town. The new cast of characters have more memorable moments. The last few chapters have some big moments that feel like a "how are they going to get out of this" that might be the biggest in the franchise. While it wasn't my favorite journey through a Life is Strange story, it is still worth the journey for any fan.
August 23, 2024
I don't think i have to say a lot on this book because if your already a Life is strange fan then your already going to probably read this, and you already know the characters. Ive been a LIS fan since the first game came out in 2015 and follow pretty much everything that comes out related to it. Im excited that they're doing so many books as side stories now because it leaves a little more room to do new things and at a faster pace that cant always be put into games.
This follows the True Colors ending where Steph and Alex leave Haven Springs and go on the road as a band, not my ending but I was happy to read about it anyways because LiS is a game full of choices and this is one of the cannon endings that many people picked and wondered about what may have happened after. Im not entirely sure if they consider this book cannon but I would imagine so? Either way I felt like this book stuck true to Steph and Alex's personalities as they were in the games and even expanded upon it a little more. Such as Alex's powers, she learned the serious consequences they can have on people and the ripple effects they can cause, even if she didn't intend for such things to happen. I loved the little conversations she had with Gabe in her head, it shows that her brother will never leave her even if he isn't there physically anymore.
The one thing I struggled with in this book was the pacing, it felt really show in the beginning and middle but it did pick up towards the end. I just wish it had picked up sooner because it took me a little longer to read because of that. I think Brittney Morris did a wonderful job overall and Im glad they continue to pick fans of the series to pick up and continue to write these characters stories that so many know and love. Hopefully we get another book on another character, and until then Im super excited for the new comic AND double exposure coming soon!!
This follows the True Colors ending where Steph and Alex leave Haven Springs and go on the road as a band, not my ending but I was happy to read about it anyways because LiS is a game full of choices and this is one of the cannon endings that many people picked and wondered about what may have happened after. Im not entirely sure if they consider this book cannon but I would imagine so? Either way I felt like this book stuck true to Steph and Alex's personalities as they were in the games and even expanded upon it a little more. Such as Alex's powers, she learned the serious consequences they can have on people and the ripple effects they can cause, even if she didn't intend for such things to happen. I loved the little conversations she had with Gabe in her head, it shows that her brother will never leave her even if he isn't there physically anymore.
The one thing I struggled with in this book was the pacing, it felt really show in the beginning and middle but it did pick up towards the end. I just wish it had picked up sooner because it took me a little longer to read because of that. I think Brittney Morris did a wonderful job overall and Im glad they continue to pick fans of the series to pick up and continue to write these characters stories that so many know and love. Hopefully we get another book on another character, and until then Im super excited for the new comic AND double exposure coming soon!!
November 11, 2025
What starts as a bit of a slog quickly ratchets up as, true to the LIS formula, our powered characters find themselves in the middle of small town politics yet again. At the beginning, this novel feels a bit preachy, even for LIS. The middle of nowhere dustbowl town is written like it’s in the Oklahoma pan handle, and not western Colorado (which is an assumption because they keep saying it’s “six hours to Ft Collins”). Alex quickly inserts herself into the town’s business using her Empathy powers, which feels a bit ham-fisted.
Eventually the story dials into its core message; how do you balance embracing change and preserving what makes you YOU?
The novel itself does a relatively okay job of establishing this, but not without the expense of some good world-building done earlier in the novel. For example, a character expresses her profound loneliness and fear of change. Yet we never revisit her BY NAME again, even though she is directly related to two supporting characters (and is likely in the house during a conflict). Likewise our exposition character is completely written out after the first eighty pages or so, yet he seems to serve as a moral compass for the town.
This could have been a great DLC for LIS, or even a simplified mobile game. It has good bones as a novel but not a lot of depth and there’s a lot left on the cutting room floor.
If you love LIS, you won’t care. If you’re new to the franchise entirely, I would recommend reading LIS: Steph’s Story. It has a far superior narrative and does a very good job of bridging the different protagonists and their locales together.
Eventually the story dials into its core message; how do you balance embracing change and preserving what makes you YOU?
The novel itself does a relatively okay job of establishing this, but not without the expense of some good world-building done earlier in the novel. For example, a character expresses her profound loneliness and fear of change. Yet we never revisit her BY NAME again, even though she is directly related to two supporting characters (and is likely in the house during a conflict). Likewise our exposition character is completely written out after the first eighty pages or so, yet he seems to serve as a moral compass for the town.
This could have been a great DLC for LIS, or even a simplified mobile game. It has good bones as a novel but not a lot of depth and there’s a lot left on the cutting room floor.
If you love LIS, you won’t care. If you’re new to the franchise entirely, I would recommend reading LIS: Steph’s Story. It has a far superior narrative and does a very good job of bridging the different protagonists and their locales together.
November 15, 2024
So, Life is Strange is a cosy series with a formula; follow a person with secret powers, while they try to make a small community a better place. It's not as easy as it seems, despite your best intentions.
This book follows that basis very well, and it should be great. For some reason, it isn't.
I'm not certain why not, but I have a guess as to what fails to deliver.
Simply enough; the games are interactive, and the choices you make that have consequences to the rest of the game. But that doesn't really work in a linear narrative, so we just have to follow a pre-set path of someone else playing the game. And that is fine and all, that's how most books work, but it also takes the core of the games, and slaps in in a book with little to no finesse. I feel like the emotional journey the book offers falls flat.
Also, emotions are shown as different coloured auras. It's a fairly effective design for a visual medium, but less so for a book. Emotions are reduced to colours, which further disconnects the reader from the characters.
This book follows that basis very well, and it should be great. For some reason, it isn't.
I'm not certain why not, but I have a guess as to what fails to deliver.
Simply enough; the games are interactive, and the choices you make that have consequences to the rest of the game. But that doesn't really work in a linear narrative, so we just have to follow a pre-set path of someone else playing the game. And that is fine and all, that's how most books work, but it also takes the core of the games, and slaps in in a book with little to no finesse. I feel like the emotional journey the book offers falls flat.
Also, emotions are shown as different coloured auras. It's a fairly effective design for a visual medium, but less so for a book. Emotions are reduced to colours, which further disconnects the reader from the characters.
December 26, 2024
I enjoyed Steph's Story quite a bit so I was looking forward to this one, but it wasn't very good, unfortunately.
The main reason boils down to Alex and the way the narrative treats her. She keeps meddling into people's business because of her savior complex, and the narrative never calls her out on it. She asks deeply personal questions to those she's just met and she and the narration treat the person as jerk for not answering them.
Then Alex messes with people's emotions leading to some harsh outcomes for her and the town she's at, yet the narration seems to sometimes forget she's the reason those things happen and blames them on the people who's emotions she messed with. Not only that, her calming said people down is shown as a big act of heroism that shows what a good person she is, rather than her trying to fix her mess.
And in the end there are so consequences for Alex, since everything is wrapped up nicely and she ends in a better situation than before.
Again, this wasn't a very good story.
The main reason boils down to Alex and the way the narrative treats her. She keeps meddling into people's business because of her savior complex, and the narrative never calls her out on it. She asks deeply personal questions to those she's just met and she and the narration treat the person as jerk for not answering them.
Then Alex messes with people's emotions leading to some harsh outcomes for her and the town she's at, yet the narration seems to sometimes forget she's the reason those things happen and blames them on the people who's emotions she messed with. Not only that, her calming said people down is shown as a big act of heroism that shows what a good person she is, rather than her trying to fix her mess.
And in the end there are so consequences for Alex, since everything is wrapped up nicely and she ends in a better situation than before.
Again, this wasn't a very good story.
October 1, 2024
After the Steph’s Story book which got better as it went along, this book I quickly realized had a storyline that wasn’t quite as interesting. It acts as a decent sequel to the game True Colors and has a lot of similar themes involving family drama mixed with environmental activism. The political aspects felt unrealistic and the ultimate reveal was convoluted. The parts of the book that I really liked were the continuation of the relationship of Alex and Steph and wish that was more the focus of this book instead of small town politics. The narration by Erika Mori was excellent. She did a great job with both the character she originated, Alex Chen, but also everyone else. If you’re a LiS fan looking for new content before the new game this will fill that gap but not much more.
July 19, 2024
I love the game series and I've played them all multiple times. After them, of course, the next stage is reading countless fanfictions. But stumbling into this book on the shelf yesterday, and reading it in basically one chunk, was better than all of them.
Love that the story is in a similar style of the game, continues to have their personalities and style of thinking, and of course; one of the best pairings of the series. Keeps you gripped from the start, goes in some wild directions that you can't expect, and ties it all with a bow in the end.
Thank you author for this! Can't wait to read Steph's story as well.
Love that the story is in a similar style of the game, continues to have their personalities and style of thinking, and of course; one of the best pairings of the series. Keeps you gripped from the start, goes in some wild directions that you can't expect, and ties it all with a bow in the end.
Thank you author for this! Can't wait to read Steph's story as well.
July 7, 2025
I loved being back in the LIS world (hello Steph! missed you!), but this whole book kind of felt out of character. Alex amplifying feelings in these 2 men caused them to literally become mentally ill? Like it read like Jonah and the mayor went from okay guys just trying to figure out how to do what's best for their hometown and families while serving their constituency and instead now they're kidnapping/shooting people and destroying a dam that will flood their town? I don't know, I liked reading about Alex's powers but that gave me the ick.
Also, can they not give Alex a break? Shot twice in 6 months? Let her have her HEA with no additional trauma PLEASE.
Also, can they not give Alex a break? Shot twice in 6 months? Let her have her HEA with no additional trauma PLEASE.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2024
I've fallen in love with Steph and Alex all over again in this adventure that follows the two after they decide to leave Haven Springs to start their own adventure and Journey together. They both have tragedy that bonded them together and now they will go on so many more adventures. I hope they write more stories with these two. Steph is such a funny, loving, and loyal character and I love how nerdy and cool she is. Alex is musically talented, a heart of gold but she also has her own traumas that push her to be better and to do better. Together the pair help one another grow.
September 19, 2024
5/10. It was an alright story. Of course, I love Steph and Alex, and Morris got their vibe totally right. But the plot itself left more to be desired. Most of the book consists of Alex and Steph talking with people in a local town about their political grievances. I also felt like Alex's powers weren't utilized in an interesting manner. I liked the idea of her accidentally dialing up someone's anger and causing a disaster, but it happens too late in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2024
¿Por que sale Steph en la portada si el libro se centra en Alex? Me parece que es una repetición del juego. Alex llega a un pueblo, la gente parece maravillosa pero luego resulta que no, el señor mayor majo resulta que le acaba disparando y alguien casi muere. Me ha interesado CERO la historia de este pueblo, la gente era super rancia. Al menos estaba más o menos bien escrito y pasan más cosas que en la historia de Steph (el otro libro) pero me ha costado acabarlo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2024
I liked this, it felt like a continuation of the series (very similar storytelling formula to the game but that's not a bad thing because that's sorta what I bargained for. ) I'd love for this to be expanded and maybe have Steph and Alex fleshed out a little bit more. It felt like I found a really good fic and not really like it was the same creators... which I didn't mind at all. But I just love this franchise.
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