Amazon.co.uk:Customer reviews: Radio Silence: TikTok made me buy it! From the YA Prize winning author and creator of Netflix series HEARTSTOPPER

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 May 2022

The book I ordered was supposed to be the pale blue/teal cover. That's what was shown and in the description. Not only is it the wrong cover but the quality of the print is terrible. The text is misaligned. Warning for buyers, amazon have started printing their own copies of books that are not official prints.

6 people found this helpful

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Dini

Diverse, inclusive and great exploration of mental health and identity!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2022

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Just like many others, I'm a huge fan of Heartstopper (I mean, who isn't?) and when we first meet Aled in those books, my curiosity was instantly sparked. He's shy but sweet and I wanted to know more so I was really excited to learn that he was in this story. There's so much hype around AO's books and I was so ready to love this one but sadly, and *slightly unpopular opinion time*, I just didn't connect with it as much as I thought I would. Trust, no one is more disappointed than me!

I found Frances to be a compelling character. Her schoolmates only know her as the serious and studious head girl but outside of school she's quirky, bold, a passionate artist, and loves this YouTube series called Universe City. She's been working her whole life towards getting into Cambridge because she believes that's what she needs to do to succeed in life but she starts questioning whether it's what she really wants the closer it gets to the interview. Frances wasn't difficult to root for and she grows a lot throughout the story as she starts to feel more confident in her skin but what I missed was the emotional connection with her story. I don't know whether that's down to the simplicity of the writing but there was a disconnect for me that made it hard to feel invested in the story.

Aled was a secondary character but certainly just as important as Frances and he was key to part of her growth. I loved the friendship that developed between them and I was really glad that there was no romance in this. Not only can you feel how passionate they are about Universe City but it was so great to see how they were able to be their true selves together. They were almost the same person and it was such a heartwarming, albeit fragile, friendship. Aled was going through so much and I felt his pain and Frances' helplessness and panic in dealing with the situation. I loved how Frances did step up but I wished that Aled's home situation had been better resolved or handled. I'm glad it was a "happy" ending but without giving anything away, I felt the resolution was just too simplistic and it felt a little anticlimactic.

Do I still feel like this is a book younger me would've loved? Absolutely! I think it's well-written, simplistic and talks about issues teenagers face in a very relatable way, not to mention AO tackles the topics of mental health (anxiety, depression), parental abuse, identity, and societal and parental expectations very well. I think if I had read this even in my early 20s it probably would've hit that much harder. I really appreciate the way AO addresses mental health and identity in their books and I think it's something she excels at. I also love the way their characters are always so diverse and their stories are very inclusive.

2 people found this helpful

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Kymisan

One of my top 10 of all time!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2020

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First of all can I just say that this book is one of my top 10 of all time!

From the off I was hooked. By the style of writing, the characters, the story & most of all because this was relatable to me beyond belief!

I went into this book not knowing anything about it apart from people were raving about it. I can now see why. It is the perfect coming of age book for me. Covering many topics such as bullying, identity crisises & sexuality to name a few. As someone who was bullied for many years at high school I really identified with this part of the story & found my self shedding a tear many a time. Not just with the bullying either it opened my eyes to the many other problems young people go through in their teenage years.

Not don't get me wrong the book is not all doom & gloom I also found myself shedding a few tears of joy as well. Sometimes not even at the book, like when I was reading in my bed & looked up to find my babys night light still shining it's star on my bedroom ceiling I found it rather fitting as would recommend reading the full book in this setting. I also loved the way the friendships rocked & rolled through out the story, very realistic & relatable.

Basically all I can say about this book is that I love it, I love the characters & think that everyone should read it! Really cannot fault it at all!

P.s sorry the review is so vague I really don't want to give away any spoilers.

5 people found this helpful

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Miss K. Southern

A heart-warming, fun, contemporary YA with a lot of character...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2018

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Boy oh boy. This was, without a shadow of a doubt, my favourite read of the month so far. Maybe even the year so far. I'm actually shocked at the fact that I haven't read any of Oseman's books up until now, because SO many people recommended them to me (particularly this one). I had really good vibes about it too! I raced through this book pretty quickly as a result, and I must say that I was a little sad that it ended.

There was so much awesome in this book. The diverse cast list, the relateable teenage characters, the setting (my home county, Kent of all places! I've never read a book set there!), the plot, and especially the writing. Oseman is a real talent, and 'Solitaire' is going on my list straight away! Characters are her biggest skill, she writes such good, unique ones! I loved the relationships: a platonic friendship between a guy and a girl with no romantic interest, a gay relationship that felt REAL and not like it had been edged in to tick a box, a YA parent that was supportive and nurturing, a YA parent that was the very opposite. I loved the themes it covered too, a deep look at exams and the education system, the value of University, fandoms and 'nerdiness'. It perfectly highlighted the kind of stress teens go through and how adult figures (teachers, parents, etc.) can really help or make things a LOT worse.

I genuinely can't think of anything that I didn't enjoy about this story, though I have to say that the main 'villain' as it were felt a little on the ridiculous, exaggerated side of things. Nevertheless, it made for intense reading and spiced things up nicely. Frances was a great MC and ethnically diverse, I totally figured out who February Friday was but I was still excited about the big reveal, I loved watching Aled's relationship with Daniel too. Raine and Carys were great characters too and it was wonderful to see normal teenagers interacting on a level that I understood and could relate to. Bravo Miss Oseman!

6 people found this helpful

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Kate

Perfect for fans of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Radio Silence is a brilliantly inclusive, current and culturally relevant story.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 September 2017

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Radio Silence is a brilliantly inclusive, current and culturally relevant story.

If you enjoyed Rainbow Rowell's 'Fangirl' and are looking for something with a similar feel, with the addition of diversity and art, I definitely think Radio Silence would be the perfect read for you.

I loved that, despite there being a variety of sexualities, this wasn't a 'coming out' story. It was more about what the characters wanted out of life, rather than who they wanted. Their sexuality was part of them and their story but it wasn't their while narrative. It just normalised sexualities other than straight, which I thought was fantastic.

The insight into university and the experience so many teens go though throughout their A Levels, GCSE's and University years was outstanding. It made me so happy to finally read a book with the message that University and grades aren't the be all and end all of life. I think this has such a positive message about so many things and will be a genuine comfort to so many of its readers.

I loved the writing style and the pacing of the plot. There were multiple subplots but none were too intense or overwhelmed the others. They all intertwined so smoothly and the outcome was a comfortable and genuine read.

Lastly, as a little added note. The cultural references absolutely made my day. Tamagotchi's, High School Musical, Camp Rock?... What more could I possibly ask for?!

7 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Aled and the Osemaniverse

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 May 2022

Verified Purchase

Radio Silence is set in the same era and area as Heartstopper, Nick and Charlie, and Solitaire. If you've read those books, or even just watched the TV series, you'll spot brief mentions of characters and locations. That on its own will be, for some readers, the initial draw.
Radio Silence is, on its own, fantastic. If you want an academic review, I'll tell you AO uses her narrative devices selectively and skillfully. Aled, a quiet, private character is not overtly social, and so not immediately or fully accessible. Oseman lets readers meet Aled through Frances, the main character and narrator here, whose world, worries, art, and ambitions drive the narrative forward.
I loved this book. It was slower to "get into" at first (than the novellas or Solitaire, where the familiar Tori, Charlie, and Nick are central). But the pay-off is well-worth the investment.
Themes include how family systems shape us, assumptions about others' behaviours and limits of perspective, and critiques of the contemporary English school system, mental health, LGBTQ diversity, and comparisons of healthy and harmful behaviours.
Oseman's voice, warmth, and humour continue to shine through. Oseman's craft is stronger still. Radio Silence is a Good Read as a story, for sure, and read as one part of Oseman's work, offers further richness.
Recommended.

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Deborah

2 dimensional

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 July 2022

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Young people deserve something less preachy and more nuanced than this ‘university bad, escape academia good’ narrative. For every Aled and his 200,000 subscribers, there are many thousands of young adults with no qualifications scrambling to find a job that pays above minimum wage. Follow your heart, absolutely, but with a grounding in reality. Slightly patronising and hypocritical for the Durham university graduate Miss Oseman to so adamantly deny the advantages of further education.

Worse, the portrayal of Aled’s mother was damaging. I waited for her backstory- the huge trauma that caused her to be so cold and cruel to her children. But no- she was just pointlessly selfish, heartless and cruel. Mothers, even those who relentlessly push their kids, overwhelmingly do so out of love and fear for their futures. They may be misguided, but a woman whose 16yo daughter disappears will 99.9999/100 be maddened with grief and despair.

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Mim

Amazing Book! Not so amazing delivery...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2022

Verified Purchase

I ordered this book with Prime and it came the following day. The packaging was COMPLETELY ripped and the book was hanging out of it. Upon inspection, the spine was slightly dented and the book itself had little dents and scratches all over it. Considering the way it had been delivered (shoved through the letterbox with no regard for the product) the book could have looked worse, but I am not impressed with this delivery experience. I have never experienced this with Amazon before but I have heard this can happen when ordering books off of Amazon, unfortunately.

Anyway, my experience with the delivery has nothing to do with Alice and her actual work.The book itself is truly phenomenal, it is one of my favourite books of all time and I highly recommend! My experience with the delivery has nothing to do with Alice and her actual work. I suggest you buy it asap, but maybe not from Amazon...

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Annmarie

Fantastic YA - would highly recommend

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2016

Verified Purchase

‘Radio Silence’ is one of those powerful, powerful novels that sticks with you long after you’ve finished it. It’s striking, rebellious, startlingly funny and incredibly honest at the same time. Most of all though, it’s a beautiful story about two people finding love and solace in each other. And when I say that, I mean in a completely platonic sense. Yes that’s right, the main relationship in this novel is a boy-girl friendship that DOESN’T turn into a romance. And frankly I think that’s what makes this book great.

There’s so much pressure in society nowadays to find a romantic partner - romance is portrayed as being the only way to love and be loved. Anything else is useless and a waste of time. But I really hate that idea, that love is basically worthless unless it’s a certain kind of love. I believe that you can find soulmates in platonic relationships too. And I don’t think a platonic relationship is less strong or less valuable than a romantic one. They’re just different kinds of love. Both good, both beautiful in their own ways.

Anyway, rant aside, I don’t see enough good friendship stories around, and ‘Radio Silence’ satisfies my need for one. It’s quirky, fun and the main character is a nerdy fangirl so I think most of us bookworms out there can probably relate. The story is written in first person from the point of view of Frances who feels alone, misunderstood, and basically pours all of her energy into her studies to distract herself from it. Her secret obsession is a sci-fi podcast called ‘University City’ which she draws fan art for and puts on tumblr. Then the maker of the podcast asks her to become the official artist for the show. Around the same time, she also meets and befriends the maker in real life - Aled Last, a shy boy who’s hiding more than one secret, including a missing sister who Frances used to be friends with.

Frances and Aled quickly bond over the podcast and become best friends, however when Aled’s secret identity as the maker of the podcast is revealed, the trust between them is broken and things start to go downhill.

Alice Oseman’s writing style in ‘Radio Silence’ is very grounded and authentic - she’s only 21 herself which is absolutely incredible, and in my opinion makes her very relatable to this generation of young readers. Tumblr and online culture play a big part in the book, much more so than in any other YA I’ve read, which again is all down to the author drawing from her own personal experiences. Also there’s a lot of diversity - non-white characters, LGBT characters, asexual characters, characters with mental health issues. I think this is an incredibly brave move, as I get the feeling that despite the demand for diversity YA publishers still tend to stick more to ‘conventional’ books as they believe there’s less risk attached.
Anyway, in conclusion, GO AND READ THIS BOOK. It’s a book about so many things - identity, sexuality, goals, friendship. Frances and Aled were more than just main characters, they were people I was rooting for and wanted to be friends with. And I think that’s how you know when a book’s good. When you’re so invested that it stops being fiction and becomes real to you.

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stephanie

perfect book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 June 2022

Verified Purchase

this book is amazing. every time someone asks me what book i’ve read recently or what book to recommend, i always say this. was slightly disappointed that it came as it’s older cover, but i really don’t mind since the print is the same. :) great lgbtq rep and perfect sorry line

i cried when i finished it too

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