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    Solitaire
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    Solitaire
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    Solitaire
    Audiobook7 hours

    Solitaire

    Written by Alice Oseman

    Narrated by Holly Gibbs

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    A CHILDREN’S TOP 10 BESTSELLER (TCM)

    The debut novel from Alice Oseman, author of the 2021 YA Book Prize winning Loveless. Solitaire features the characters that inspired the beloved series Heartstopper – now a major Netflix series. Heartstopper Season 2, coming soon

    “The Catcher in the Rye for the digital age” The Times

    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.

    This incredible debut novel by outstanding young author Alice Oseman is perfect for fans of John Green, Rainbow Rowell and all unflinchingly honest writers.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateJul 31, 2014
    ISBN9780007590483
    Unavailable
    Solitaire
    Author

    Alice Oseman

    Alice Oseman is an award-winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter. Alice is the creator of LGBTQ+ YA romance comic Heartstopper, and the writer, creator, and executive producer for the Emmy Award-winning television adaptation for Netflix, produced by See-Saw. Alice has written every episode and been involved at every stage, from casting to music. Alice is the author of several YA contemporary novels about teenage disasters: Solitaire (published when she was 19), Radio Silence, I Was Born for This, and Loveless (a New York Times bestseller). Alice’s books have won, been shortlisted, or nominated for a number of awards, including the YA Book Prize, the Inky Awards, the Carnegie Medal, and the Goodreads Choice Awards. Alice was named the Attitude Person of the Year 2023, and The British Book Awards Illustrator of the Year.

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    Reviews for Solitaire

    4/5

    680 ratings26 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I think my expectations were high for this book, so I disappointed myself a bit. This book was well written, and well plotted out. I just didn't really care for the characters. I feel that if I was ten years younger, I might have better related to this book. I don't know. She was VERY cynical, and while I don't mind cynicism, the amount in here overpowered it. I'm glad I read it, but it was not my favorite book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I cried but it was definitely amazing!! 10/10 would recommend! Any book by Alice is just the best and the narrator was amazing! This has made my day but I shall go and buy tissues to dry my tears!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      tori spring is one of the worst main characters in literature. the description comparing her to holden caulfield is unfortunately very accurate. she whines and complains about everyone and everything, treats others like shit and acts like she's better than everyone else, especially than other girls (she should work on her internalized misogyny). tori spring in the heartstopper comics and tori spring in the solitaire books are two completely different characters. one seems like a regular mysterious older sister, and the other is an insufferable main character that makes the whole book terrible. i couldn't be interested in the plot of solitaire because of how annoying she was. although she does slightly improve, there's still a long way to go. i liked the ending, though.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      forever wishing i someday get what tori and michael had?

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      *Spoilers* Also slight spoilers for Heartstopper series.

      A lot of this book reminded me of when I was younger. I remember being 15 and hating myself and the world, despite having a boyfriend and a small (very small) group of friends. Although, I discovered that one of my friends was trying to convince my boyfriend to leave me for her, another one was spreading rumors about me aaaaand my boyfriend split up with me via FaceBook Messenger.

      Tori is clearly depressed. She clearly doesn't understand how to work through her feelings. With the lack of paternal love shown by her parents, she doesn't have anybody to turn to.

      Her brother is ill and her youngest brother is so much younger, both her parents' attention is turned onto them. I identified with that SO much. Sometimes, being the eldest means you're completely pushed aside and just expected to pull your pants up and get on with it. She had to deal with her brother hurting himself and trying to end his life, but no one speaks about it. No one speaks to the grandparents about Charlie having a BOYFRIEND and eventually would have A HUSBAND.

      The lack of communication from her parents and family basically spills into her lack of friends. Although, she internalises so much, she thinks she's the problem. I think if she saw a councillor or therapist, she would have realised what she did at the end, much sooner and had a more positivie outlook on herself and her life.

      Solitaire is obviously dramatic in the 'pranks'. I don't think anyone would be able to pull off what he did in the books, in real life, but it does show how teenagers as a whole think. They're selfish. Of course they are! They're growing and developing and testing the waters of the world but they're also very cruel. People fear those who are different, no matter how small that difference is, and that can lead to violence. It can also lead to vigilante justice, as seen in the book.

      This book shows the complexities of teenage years and how not talking about your problems can lead to disaster.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I liked that the writer included Tori as the main character in the story. I also loved how we got to see her point of view and how she saw everything from her prospective. I also loved the meaningfulness behind the book and how it connects back to Heartstopper in a lot of different ways. One more thing that I loved about the story was how you really get to know and understand Tori's point of view and I thought that it was a really good book and I loved it.
    • 4/5
      A beautiful book full of teenage insight.
      Talks about that inherent sadness of teenage years that most people dismiss and ignore. How it can truly make kids so unhappy.
      It also talks about friendships and family bonds from the point of view of an angsty teenage girl.
      Young perceptions of the world and how they shape our growth.

      Beautiful.
    • 5/5
      Its just awesome and that plot twist and it makes it so great
    • 5/5
      Oh my god. That's it. I have no words .
    • 2/5
      I dislike it. The main protagonist is so immature, plus her irresponsible mother and the stupid decision of hers.
    • 5/5
      Loved this .... think I've listened to all the books out of sequence but doesn't matter..... pure joy....
    • 4/5
      Tori did come across as a bit annoying, but you sort of get used to her pessimism after a while and, I suppose, can relate to it at times. The author has a way of finding just the right words to use which I think is quite beautiful and has sort of helped me to understand my own feelings better if that makes sense? I would definitely recommend if like me your in sixth-form and just starting to freak out over how fast and much everything is changing. I think this book reminds you have to live a little- don't just focus on school, friends and family are important to + take care of ur self ♡
      (Sorry for the mini essay haha maybe i should've picked english lit to)
    • 3/5
      Bon mais Mitigé
      Bonne lecture pour commencer la lecture en anglais
    • 5/5
      Insightful authentic characters celebrating the complexities, trials and joys at the dawning of adulthood. I personally found this story compelling, enriching and above all, respectful of young people. I particularly enjoyed the loving and loving diverse representations of characters. Oh! Did I say there were belly-laugh-out-loud moments? The reader was amazing. Loved it! Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      It gives you a lot to think about. It’s simple and perfect.
    • 5/5
      Amazing work, Alice. I am looking forward to reading/listening/watching more of your future work in my lifetime.
    • 5/5
      This was an incredible book and i think anyone can enjoy it I loved it so much and I am so happy Alice made a book about Tori.
    • 4/5
      Me parece algo muy intenso escuchar una historia tan real y profunda sobre un padecimiento tan complejo. Que historia tan valiosa.
    • 4/5
      This was a very hard book for me to read. I didn't like the main character at all. Tori Spring tells the story and it would be hard to find a more pessimistic, self-absorbed character in fiction. She doesn't care about anything and all the people around her are just wallpaper for her boring, depressing life.We learn that her younger brother Charlie has gone through some mental health issues. He went from being obsessive to being anorexic to hurting himself. He is out of the hospital now but the family still has to force him to eat. I think Tori's parents are so concerned with Charlie's problems that they don't have the energy to notice that Tori is falling into a deep depression. Things get even more difficult for Tori when two boys enter her life. Lucas was her best friend when they were in primary school but she hadn't seen him for years until he transferred to her school. Michael Holden is also a new transfer to her school who wants to be her friend. He is another awkward, socially maladjusted teen. Then there is the new blog Solitaire which intrigues people. Solitaire instigates a series of pranks at Tori's school that all seem connected to her in some way. The pranks escalate from the annoying to the dangerous. But it isn't until someone gets hurt that Tori decides that she is going to find out who is behind Solitaire and stop them. She finally gets out of her own head a little bit. Reading this one was hard but I was encouraged at the changes Tori managed to make through the course of the book.
    • 1/5
      Did not like the book. Did not like the narrator. All in all It has made me feel pretty bummed out and question if there is actually any good books out there. Stupid solitaire.
    • 1/5
      The worst narrator I've ever heard on an audiobook. Completely soulless (with undertones of arrogance) and devoid of any emotion. You could never truly grasp what is going on within the story ,which honestly, was not very much. Perhaps I'm too old for this genre of book but the childish 'does he like me?', 'are they together?', or labelling of sexuality just because of dress sense and lack of catering to societal norms: 'are you gay or not/do you like girls or boys?' was unbearable. It's not the 1800s anymore - WHO CARES?!? Judging sexuality based off looks or demeanour alone is primitive and the approach of the author on such a subject felt so immature that I to physically force myself to finish as I didn't want to waste an audiobook credit. Really wish I hadn't listened to this now as the narrator has numbed my brain and the plot has robbed me of my consciousness - officially putting me in a reading slump. Throughly disappointed.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I listened to the audiobook narrated by Holly Gibbs, so my reading experience was different – there are several things that I may not have appreciated or understood because of it, so that's also a factor that influences my review. I must admit, however, that I didn't appreciate Gibb's narration at all. Maybe my expectations were too high (the only other audiobook I ever read was 'Born a Crime' and Noah is exceptional), but I found her reading to be monotonous and lacking emotion. It was hard to distinguish the characters from one another when they were in dialogue, as she used the same voice, tone and expression for everyone. I had to go back several times, which is very ineffective and time-consuming.
      I also think there should've been trigger-warnings at the beginning of the audio. This book tackles suicide, self-harm, depression and anxiety and the reader just gets thrown into it unexpectedly.

      Now, focusing on the story... Depending on who you are, you might also get thrown off by the main character's attitude when dealing with all of those issues I stated above. Tory Spring is a bitter young teenager, who thinks the world is out to get her. It's obvious she suffers from depression, but she's also incredibly mean. The horrible thoughts she has concerning her friends, parents and acquaintances are ruthless and make it harder for you to empathize with her. Yes, she always keeps her thoughts to herself, but still, she's a terrible human being. And the worst part is how she wears her personality proudly as if being terrible is something to be proud of.
      If you're thinking you might be able to ignore the main character's faulty personality, or that there's more to the story than Spring, there's not. She's our narrator and this book works as her journal. All her thoughts and feelings, all her anger and disgust appear unfiltered, so be prepared to feel uncomfortable.
      This book reminded me of why I stopped reading YA. It's just a series of clichés and unnecessary dramas.
      You can see this is the author's first book - there are many things she could improve, especially now that she's thinking about re-editing - and so I'll give her a second chance (I've read 'Heartstopper' and was not impressed, but that was a comic, not a novel). However, I don't recommend this book. It is a love story even though the cover states otherwise; it tackles all these important issues superficially; there are unnecessary repetitions (like 'It's funny because it's true'); the pace is too slow (and the book is 100 pages too big); the plot is very predictable, and the characters are flat and irritating.

      Be warned 'Heartstopper' fans: if you think this is a nice way to reconnect with Nick and Charlie, think again. It's not funny, even though it's true...

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      I have consistently loved Alice Oseman's Heartstopper graphic novels, but I'm not terribly keen on her novels so far.I picked up this one because I knew that it features characters from the graphic novels. I was not aware though that it is set chronologically after the graphic novels, so I got some spoilers for where that story is headed, but nothing that hasn't already been hinted at or will ruin the them for me. But steer clear if you'd rather see the events unfold there first.I did enjoy the first half of this book as narrator Victoria "Tori" Spring gave us her pessimistic and introverted perspective on her schoolmates, pop culture, and life. But in the final hundred pages, the snark turns exceedingly to self-pity, which I tire of quickly. It's also frustrating that such a bright person is so willfully oblivious to the feelings of the people around her and developments occurring in the plot. And boy does that plot unravel into some purely ridiculous action set pieces that left me rolling my eyes as I closed the cover for the last time.Of course, Oseman wrote this novel when she was only seventeen, so it is not surprising that the graphic novels have benefited from her added years of life and writing experience.
    • 4/5
      There are books out there that pull you in, books were you have to keep reading, Solitaire is one of those books for me. I do not have enough words to describe my love of this book. Solitaire, written by Alice Oseman, is about Tori Spring, a cynical teenager trying to navigate her life, with a brother who is having depression and anorexia issues. Along with having to deal with a new student, Michael Holden, and the mysterious group Solitaire.

      The characters were relatable and convincing and the plot was completely engaging and believable. From Tori to Michael to Charlie and Lucas. I wanted to wrap myself up in this book and get lost. The characters made me fall in love with them and cry for them and root for them. I especially loved Tori, who reminds me of myself at that age. I cannot find books, or characters, now a days who represent teenagers or young adults dealing with mental illnesses. Solitaire has beautifully written characters dealing with mental illnesses. I am even more shocked that this book was written when Alice Oseman was 17 and published when she was 18. I think one of the most beautiful, and one of my favorite, quotes is:

      "I mean, I'm still not one hundred per cent sure that I really want to wake up tomorrow. I'm not fixed, just because Michael's here. I still want to get into bed and lie there all day because it's a very easy thing to do."

      Because you can still love someone, you can be friends with someone, but they cannot save you. No matter how much they want to at the end of the day the only person who can save you from feeling depressed is yourself. I'm glad Alice Oseman wrote Solitaire this way, I'm glad she didn't have this be a typical love story. Because it's not a love story, it's a story about finding yourself and learning to save yourself.

      Alice Oseman has an amazing talent and I cannot wait to see what else she writes. I loved this book so much and it has easily become one of my favorite books, and one I will re-read very soon. Everyone needs to go out and read this book right away.

      5/5
    • 3/5
      Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A raw, vivid novel about a depressed teenager in the UK.Opening Sentence: I am aware as I step into the common room that the majority of the people here are almost dead, including me.The Review:Victoria “Tori” Spring doesn’t really like much. Honestly, she hates most things, from books to hipster clothing. Her two hobbies include sleeping and blogging, and she hangs with a group of friends that she rather despises being around. She’s sick of making an effort to be social, to be happy, when she’d rather live in her own personal pity party. She’s aware that she’s apathetic and pessimistic and can be downright awkward, but what can she do? When two people enter her life – one being Lucas, her best friend from primary school, and the other being Michael, a talented skater and proclaimed freak – her life is suddenly thrown into disarray.Then a blog pops up, and its the only thing the school can talk about. Solitaire.uk starts by playing harmless, funny pranks, like blasting songs over the intercom or hacking into the computers and replacing every screen with a picture of a half-naked actor. But then they start getting dangerous, and a point is reached where people start to get hurt. And Tori can’t help but notice that a lot of the things Solitaire is doing are centered around her interests.Victoria was a hard character to like. Yes, I get it, that’s kind of the point. But I like to think of myself as a generally optimistic person, and our personalities clashed pretty badly, seeing as she hated most everything. That being said, even I could sympathize with her plights, and the silent depression that was beginning to overcome her. She was a complex, rich character, but her mindset was so violently pessimistic. It was only when Michael began to become her friend that she started to soften, started to see things a tad bit better. This wasn’t centered on a love story, though there was a romance, which I liked. It focused more on Tori’s depression and how she was developing.There were multiple side characters, all of whom held some significance in the story. There was Becky, Tori’s supposed “best friend”. There was Tori’s brother, who tried to kill himself last year and is anorexic, obviously leaving a huge mark on Tori herself. He is healing, but he’s still going through a lot of pain, and only his boyfriend Nick is helping to get him through. Michael was an important one, Tori’s new friend, who helped her through her worst times. There was a whole “who is Solitaire?” mystery going on, but I basically figured it out a couple chapters in, so there you go.Altogether, I thought this was a decent read and that people will enjoy it. I didn’t like Tori very much, because our personalities contrasted so severely, but I enjoyed the overall plotline and the complexity of the characters. I enjoyed getting to see a glimpse of life in the UK – I’ve always wanted to visit! I think that the message got a little blurry, and I couldn’t really get a clear focus on what the author was trying to convey, but it was a good story all the same.Notable Scene:“Michael means ‘who resembles God'”, he says, “and I think that if God could choose to resemble any human being . . . “He stops then, right in the street, looking at me, just looking, through the pane of his glasses, through the blue and green, through depths and expanses, bleeding one million incomprehensible thoughts.” . . . he wouldn’t choose me.”We continue to walk.FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Solitaire. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this more than I did. A young girl and many of her friends are just going through the motions of school. A series of sticky notes leads the protagonist to a new guy and a website.