Time for another round of Yvonne’s Shorties! This time around a graphic novel sequel I enjoyed and a horror read that disappointed despite the fantastic premise.

Title: Heartstopper Volume 3
(Heartstopper #3)
Author: Alice Oseman
Genre: Graphic Novel, Romance
First published: February 6th 2020
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Finished reading: October 7th 2022
Pages: 384

“There’s this idea that if you’re not straight, you have to tell all you family and friends immediately, like you owe it to them. But you don’t. You don’t have to do anything until you’re ready.”


REVIEW

It’s true that I hardly ever read graphic novels, but I’m making an exception for the Heartstopper books. I admit that I read the first volume only because I needed a graphic novel for a challenge, but I enjoyed my time with Nick and Charlie so much that I decided to continue the series. Volume two was even better, and I’ve been looking forward to read Heartstopper Volume 3 ever since. While I do think the second volume is still my favorite, I very much enjoyed my time with this story. Nick and Charlie are once again SO adorable, and I loved that the plot took us on a trip to Paris this time around. It was great to do all the sightseeing along with the rest of the cast! It’s not all fun and games though, as the story also focuses on more serious topics including bullying, gender discrimination, being outed, mental health, self harm and eating disorder. The balance is still there though, and there are many many adorable moments not only between Nick and Charlie, but also between some of the other (new) couples. If you are looking for a graphic novel with a great cast of characters and the perfect mix of fluffy and profound, the Heartstopper books are an excellent choice.

Title: Hide
Author: Kiersten White
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Paranormal
First published: May 24th 2022
Publisher: Del Rey
Finished reading: October 7th 2022
Pages: 256

“People pretend things aren’t wrong, even when they can feel the truth, because they’re too afraid of what it means to look right at the horror, right at the wrongness, to face the truth in all its terrible glory.”


REVIEW

The work of this author is a bit of a mixed bag for me, but there was something about the premise of Hide that made it irresistible. It probably had a lot to do with the abandoned amusement park setting as well as the competition and the promise of a sinister twist. I’ve been saving it for Halloween month, thinking it would be the perfect October read… There is no doubt that the premise fits the bill perfectly, but sadly the execution was a bit lackluster for me and I do understand the lower rating now. There is SO much potential in Hide, and the amusement park setting couldn’t have been more perfect. While I did spot the mythology reference early on, I could appreciate how it was incorporated into the plot. There were a couple major issues I couldn’t get past though. First of all is that there are simply too many POVs and as a result most of the characters are way underdeveloped and mostly feel like stereotypes. A lot of them feel so similar as well, and I struggled to keep them apart (until the cast started downsizing, that is). I was also quite disappointed by just how mild and vague the whole horror element was. The story never gives you the fully gory details, but instead kind of skirts around it and I ended up being quite underwhelmed (and even bored in points) by it all. I wasn’t a big fan of the writing either, and the characters mostly felt quite immature and almost like teenagers. The story finished quite abruptly as well without offering a proper explanation nor a satisfying ending. All in all Hide sadly ended up being yet another miss for me by this author…

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