Rarely does a television adaptation of a popular book series manage to successfully expand on the beloved aspects of its source material without forgoing quality or accuracy. For Netflix’s Heartstopper to exceptionally capture the heart, tone, and wholesomeness of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series is an accomplishment in its own right. The fact that it also happens to be wildly praised by critics is the cherry on top.
Indeed, it’s hard not to fall in love with Oseman’s characters – be it Nick and Charlie, Tao and Elle, Darcy and Tara, or even Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk. Like any good adaptation, falling in love with on-screen characters can immediately lead to the desire to relive their stories all over again in print form.
Oseman’s graphic novels received their official worldwide release in 2019. Since then, Volume 4 went on to become a New York Times bestseller with millions of fans and numerous spin-offs to keep audiences enraptured in the world of Nick and Charlie. Because the first season of the Netflix series actually covered two volumes of the graphic novels, you might be wondering what order to read them in, and if the spin-offs affect that in any way. Here’s what you should know.
How many Heartstopper books are there?
There are six Heartstopper graphic novels in total. Heartstopper Volume 1 came out on Feb. 7, 2019, although its contents were technically released as a webcomic in 2016. Due to its popularity, Alice Oseman launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the creation of the official graphic novels.
Volume 2 was released on July 11, 2019, Volume 3 was on Feb. 6, 2020, Volume 4 was on May 6, 2021, and Volume 5 is scheduled to release on Dec. 7, 2023. The sixth and final volume has yet to be given an official release date.
How to read the Hearstopper graphic novels in order
It’s actually quite easy to read the Heartstopper books, as they follow a chronological structure and don’t involve elaborate flashbacks that need to be consumed out of order. The reading order is as follows.
- Heartstopper Volume 1
- Heartstopper Volume 2
- Heartstopper Volume 3
- Heartstopper Volume 4
- Heartstopper Volume 5
- Heartstopper Volume 6
What about the spin-offs?
The other books within the Heartstopper universe include Solitaire, Radio Silence, I Was Born for This, and Loveless. There are also the two novellas This Winter and Nick and Charlie, which are spin-offs of Solitaire and Heartstopper, respectively.
All of the books exist within the same universe and don’t take place in any specific year, as Alice Oseman doesn’t attach years or dates to her novels. According to her, they can all be read at their own time without bearing significance on the comprehension of another.
Nevertheless, some books like Solitaire do take place after some books in the universe and before others. Technically, Solitaire takes place in the middle of Heartstopper Volume 4 and ends before Volume 5 begins. So as not to confuse matters, here is the best reading order of all the books in the Heartstopper universe, including the spin-offs:
- Heartstopper Volume 1
- Heartstopper Volume 2
- Heartstopper Volume 3
- Heartstopper Volume 4 (begins)
- This Winter
- Solitare
- Radio Silence (just the prologue)
- Heartstopper Volume 4 (ends)
- Nick and Charlie
- Radio Silence
- I Was Born for This
- Loveless