Content Warnings: Solitaire Content Warning  

For those familiar with her other series YA romance,‘Heartstopper’ we start off these book reviews with Alice Oseman’s first published book, “Solitaire”. Solitaire  is one of those books that have a greater impact when you’ve been in the same shoes as the protagonist, Tori Spring. Having experienced depression and understanding the circumstances that Tori finds herself in and the struggle with finding a way out, makes her relatable. 

Tori’s story does not tackle depression specifically, rather acknowledging its existence and getting a view of how mental health can affect a person, especially if undiagnosed. 

Tori Spring, a high school junior attending Harvey Greene Grammar School for Girls, then referred to as ‘Higgs’ for the rest of the book. Between the popular kids and her other group of friends, Tori struggles with a sense of belonging, developing a pessimistic outlook on the world, primarily her school life. 

She meets Michael Holden, a high school senior while attending Higgs. Compared to Tori, Michael holds a much more optimistic outlook on life, finding a silver lining in the worst of situations with one goal,to be Tori’s friend, much to Tori’s dismay. As  the story continues, Tori warms up to Michael’s presence and despite the many ups and downs of the friendship, the two prevail.  

Throughout the book, Tori’s depression becomes a double-edged sword with her wanting to get closer to Michael but shooing him and her other friends away, hating herself for doing so each time. Slowly, she learns not how to overcome her depression but instead learns to keep existing alongside it. 

I highly recommend reading the book, Solitaire,  but it’s important to read up on the content warnings of the book first which can be found in the link at the start of this review. 

Thank you for reading my first book review, and I hope you look forward to more in the future.