Bonus content in Alice Oseman’s novels

We are a sucker for new editions and bonus content. Last time we chatted about the bonus content in the anniversary edition The Dark Artifices. Today let’s chat about the bonus content in the new editions of Alice Oseman’s novels.

Harpercollins Childrens recently launched Harper Fire, a new YA imprint that is long overdue. With the new imprint, Harper Collins is publishing new YA books like Compass and Blade, as well as reprints of YA classics. The first reprints under Harper Fire are Alice Oseman’s novels. The new edition features covers drawn and designed by Alice herself, as well as amazing bonus content.

Radio Silence 

We start simple with the bonus content in Radio Silence. This bonus content is relatively shorter, as it is an author’s note about Alice Oseman’s own journey in realising that university is not for her, despite being good at it. While we wish the bonus content is a new short story between Frances and Carys, this is actually a well-chosen bonus content for Radio Silence given Frances’ relationship with education.

 

Solitaire 

Solitaire is the first book written by Alice Oseman. In fact, it was written before Heartstopper was created. Solitaire‘s bonus content is an in-depth interview between Alice Oseman and her US editor, David Levithan. Yes, THE David Levithan. The interview touches upon many things, from Alice Oseman’s writing style to whether Alice regrets anything in Solitaire, whether Alice Oseman enjoys Jane Eyre, etc. It was a great interview and we are so glad that it was David Levithan, another YA icon known for his LGBTQ+ books, who conducted it. (Well, we also wish we had done the interview, but we are happy for David to do it instead.)

I Was Born for This 

The bonus content in I Was Born for This is a short story featuring Rowan and Lister, particularly their bonding experience while Jimmy disappeared. In the book, we don’t see Rowan and Lister interact much and this new short story is here to fix this. It is a great story for people who have always wondered what friend groups would be like if the person holding the group together is not there one day. And while you might think the friend group is then destined to dissolve, this short story is here to encourage you to open up to individuals within your friend group whom you might not interact much with.

 

Nick and Charlie

In Nick and Charlie, readers get to read the text messages between Nick and Charlie on Nick’s first day at university. This is the perfect bonus material as readers of the recent Heartstopper Volume 5 would have read about Nick’s difficult decision to attend University of Leeds instead of a university closer to Charlie. And we already know that Heartstopper Volume 6, i.e. the final volume of Heartstopper, will focus on Charlie and Nick’s long-distance relationship. As they will likely need to rely on text messaging to communicate during their long-distance relationship, the text messages here give us a glimpse of what that would look like.

Loveless 

In Loveless, we get a bonus story between Pip and Rooney. Remember when Georgia wakes up to a wall of texts after Pip and Rooney’s first kiss? The bonus story tells the first kiss from Pip and Rooney’s POV and it is so cute.

 

 

 

We will be back to discuss the bonus content in This Winter when it comes out later this year.