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Alice Oseman Audio Collection
Three novels from the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman - one of the most talked about YA writers of recent years. Narrated by: Holly Gibbs, Aysha Kala, Huw Parmenter.
Solitaire
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.
Radio Silence
What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?
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.
I Was Born for This
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 Ark’s fandom has given her everything she loves - her friend Juliet, her dreams, 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.
Solitaire
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.
Radio Silence
What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?
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.
I Was Born for This
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 Ark’s fandom has given her everything she loves - her friend Juliet, her dreams, 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.
Audible Audio
Published June 6, 2020
5 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Alice Oseman
95 books92.5k followersAlice Oseman is an award-winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter, and was born in 1994 in Kent, England. She has written four YA contemporary novels about teenage disasters: SOLITAIRE, RADIO SILENCE, I WAS BORN FOR THIS, and LOVELESS. She is the creator of LGBTQ+ YA romance webcomic HEARTSTOPPER, which is now published in physical form by Hachette Children's Books, and she is the writer, creator, and executive producer for the television adaptation of HEARTSTOPPER, which is set to be released on Netflix.
Alice’s first novel SOLITAIRE was published when she was nineteen. Her YA novels have been nominated for the YA Book Prize, the Inky Awards, the Carnegie Medal, and the Goodreads Choice Awards.
Alongside writing and drawing, Alice enjoys playing the piano semi-proficiently, Pokémon games, and purchasing too many Converse.
Find Alice on Twitter and Instagram @AliceOseman.
Alice’s first novel SOLITAIRE was published when she was nineteen. Her YA novels have been nominated for the YA Book Prize, the Inky Awards, the Carnegie Medal, and the Goodreads Choice Awards.
Alongside writing and drawing, Alice enjoys playing the piano semi-proficiently, Pokémon games, and purchasing too many Converse.
Find Alice on Twitter and Instagram @AliceOseman.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 24, 2021
Like all the books
June 14, 2022
Solitaire: Wow, very intense emotions! So much frustration and loneliness and being a misunderstood teenager. It has an interesting Story too though. Also the Plottwists are well written and believable, so good book, but I wouldn't read/listen to it again in the near future, just because I can't handle that much concentrated aggression.
Radio Silence: as I've been a fan of welcome to nightvale too, this wasn't a big stretch for me. This story had interesting characters, for example I was happy to find out more about Aled, who I've seen in the heartstopper books, but not in the series (now I understand why). The ubiquitous pressure of academic achievement is probably relatable for many people, so I'm happy, the author is presenting an alternative to going to uni and getting a degree etc. I do think these lifegoals are only really present for a smaller part of the population, so this book may not be for everyone, it's very specific for academic high achievers.
I was born for this: well, I was and am a fan girl, so of course it got me. It shows two sides of the fandom theme very well, the perspective of the "admired" people and the perspective of fans. You see very clearly, that everyone is just a person, a normal person with their own life, own problems and own thoughts and goals. It doesn't really diminish fans, while trying to explain what lies behind it. It also doesn't make boy bands look bad. Also I am very happy to see the representation of various religious people without that consuming their identity or being in any way invalidating. People are just religious and that's okay.
Radio Silence: as I've been a fan of welcome to nightvale too, this wasn't a big stretch for me. This story had interesting characters, for example I was happy to find out more about Aled, who I've seen in the heartstopper books, but not in the series (now I understand why). The ubiquitous pressure of academic achievement is probably relatable for many people, so I'm happy, the author is presenting an alternative to going to uni and getting a degree etc. I do think these lifegoals are only really present for a smaller part of the population, so this book may not be for everyone, it's very specific for academic high achievers.
I was born for this: well, I was and am a fan girl, so of course it got me. It shows two sides of the fandom theme very well, the perspective of the "admired" people and the perspective of fans. You see very clearly, that everyone is just a person, a normal person with their own life, own problems and own thoughts and goals. It doesn't really diminish fans, while trying to explain what lies behind it. It also doesn't make boy bands look bad. Also I am very happy to see the representation of various religious people without that consuming their identity or being in any way invalidating. People are just religious and that's okay.
February 22, 2023
Solitaire: 4/5 Stars
This was a phenomenal book! But uber depressing. I empathize so deeply with Tori, that this was both therapeutic and incredibly triggering so probably gonna need to process that later lmao.
I think the themes this book handles are incredibly intriguing but I do think it just barely misses what it's trying to say. Like, the pieces are all there, but one or two aren't quite lining up, and it feels disjointed. However, I do appreciate it for what it is (and can you believe the author was only 18 when she wrote it?).
Definitely a severely different vibe from Heartstoppers, to warn folks, but it was so lovely to see an outsider view on Nick and Charlie as well!
****
Radio Silence: 3/5 Stars
This book felt a bit like someone asked, "what if manic pixie dream girls had layers?" Which is all fine and good, except when it still feels a bit like the manic pixie dream girl is only there to help the boy's plotline still?
I mean, yes, Frances had her own aspirations, hopes, fears, dreams, heartbreaks... but she also just felt like a vehicle to explain, chronicle, and support Aled's life.
I think, to an extent, they both saved each other, I can acknowledge that. But it also felt like somewhere along the line, Frances' sole motivation was Aled.
I'm pivoting between loving this as a tender book about friendship and caring so deeply for your found family and also wanting to leave it in the past with the other tropey YA of old.
(Also, spoiler, but I feel really crushed that the only sapphic book Oseman has written wasn't a romance. She doesn't owe it, but reading all of the other books where all the queer characters get a HEA with their lover makes this one stand out even fiercer. Such a bummer.)
For now, I'll just say it's a well written book, the plot kept me engaged throughout, and the characters were incredibly fleshed out and had great voice.
For later, I might come back and revise this review with more eloquent thoughts.
****
I Was Born For This: 4/5 Stars
This was such a unique, complex book about fandom about what it means to be a fan.
It's a bit on the nose at times (the middle portion slogged a whee bit for me), but it was also so ground shaking at the same time to realize that yes, being a fan and fandoms can be such beautiful, wonderful things, but being a fan at the expense of being yourself is such a complex battle that many fans face at a certain point.
Loved the dual perspectives too!
This was a phenomenal book! But uber depressing. I empathize so deeply with Tori, that this was both therapeutic and incredibly triggering so probably gonna need to process that later lmao.
I think the themes this book handles are incredibly intriguing but I do think it just barely misses what it's trying to say. Like, the pieces are all there, but one or two aren't quite lining up, and it feels disjointed. However, I do appreciate it for what it is (and can you believe the author was only 18 when she wrote it?).
Definitely a severely different vibe from Heartstoppers, to warn folks, but it was so lovely to see an outsider view on Nick and Charlie as well!
****
Radio Silence: 3/5 Stars
This book felt a bit like someone asked, "what if manic pixie dream girls had layers?" Which is all fine and good, except when it still feels a bit like the manic pixie dream girl is only there to help the boy's plotline still?
I mean, yes, Frances had her own aspirations, hopes, fears, dreams, heartbreaks... but she also just felt like a vehicle to explain, chronicle, and support Aled's life.
I think, to an extent, they both saved each other, I can acknowledge that. But it also felt like somewhere along the line, Frances' sole motivation was Aled.
I'm pivoting between loving this as a tender book about friendship and caring so deeply for your found family and also wanting to leave it in the past with the other tropey YA of old.
(Also, spoiler, but I feel really crushed that the only sapphic book Oseman has written wasn't a romance. She doesn't owe it, but reading all of the other books where all the queer characters get a HEA with their lover makes this one stand out even fiercer. Such a bummer.)
For now, I'll just say it's a well written book, the plot kept me engaged throughout, and the characters were incredibly fleshed out and had great voice.
For later, I might come back and revise this review with more eloquent thoughts.
****
I Was Born For This: 4/5 Stars
This was such a unique, complex book about fandom about what it means to be a fan.
It's a bit on the nose at times (the middle portion slogged a whee bit for me), but it was also so ground shaking at the same time to realize that yes, being a fan and fandoms can be such beautiful, wonderful things, but being a fan at the expense of being yourself is such a complex battle that many fans face at a certain point.
Loved the dual perspectives too!
April 14, 2022
I’ll update this soon with proper reviews.
Solitaire: 5*
Radio Silence: 5*
I Was Born For This: 5*
First few chapters of this really took me back to my teens fangirling with my sister and best friend over w-inds. XD
Solitaire: 5*
Radio Silence: 5*
I Was Born For This: 5*
First few chapters of this really took me back to my teens fangirling with my sister and best friend over w-inds. XD
February 2, 2023
KSKS
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2022
Dość nierówne. Były momenty, które były cudne, były też takie, że wołałam o pomstę do nieba, bo osią konfliktu najczęściej było to, że dana postać/postacie żyły za bardzo w swoim wyobrażeniu rzeczywistości i nie przyszło mi do głowy porozmawiać z drugą stroną żeby cokolwiek zweryfikować i rozwiać wątpliwości puchnące im w głowach.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews