⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5)

Contains potential spoilers for the Heartstopper / Solitaire universe

TW: mentions of eating disorder, mental illness and self harm

Nick and Charlie is a novella that is part of the Heartstopper / Solitaire universe, and the plot takes place towards the end of Nick’s final year at Sixth Form. Nick is going to head off to uni, but Charlie will be entering his final year of school – should they stay together and try to make the distance work?

The plot of this novella follows an issue that many young people in relationships face: what to do when one of you is heading off to university. Oseman gives us this novella from both a Nick and Charlie’s perspectives and I think that is important to show how both sides feel and what they are thinking. However, in this case, we see that they are not communicating this to well to one another, but we understand why they are struggling with this as we read their thoughts. Ultimately, the story shows how important communication is to a relationship, even when it means having difficult conversations.

Although this novella could probably be read on it’s own, I think it is best read as part of the Osemanverse because that way you will be familiar with the characters and their stories already. Familiarity with Nick and Charlie’s relationship really adds to the narrative of this novella, and this is a nice addition to the couple’s story.

I really enjoyed being back with Nick and Charlie, and because this novella is set later than any of the other parts of this time line that I have read, I could see how Nick and Charlie have grown, which was great.

Overall, this story is a nice addition to the Heartstopper / Solitaire universe, and if you are interested in that then I recommend reading this book.