I really enjoyed the plot, the characters, the setting and the style. Where to start with Radio Silence? I loved this book more than expected, I chose to read it because while it had an interesting premise anyway it won the 2017 Inky award (young adults voting for their best books of the year, as chosen by young adults). A YA coming of age read that tackles issues of identity, the pressure to succeed, diversity and freedom to choose, Radio Silence is a tour de force by the most exciting writer of her generation. Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness. It’s only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past… She has to confess why Carys disappeared… Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets. Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’ dreams come crashing down. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. Nothing will stand in her way not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong? Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. I’d recommend it to everybody, but in particular if you’re looking for a diverse contemporary read, or have enjoyed the podcast Welcome to Night Vale.The second novel by the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman, author of Solitaire and graphic novel series Heartstopper – now a major Netflix series. Overall, I adored Radio Silence for its uniquely realistic writing and three-dimensional diverse cast. I was so invested in the characters that I got very tense and had to put the book down for a while! The only negative experience I had – which to be quite honest, isn’t very negative – was that this wasn’t exactly an easy read for me. The snippets of podcast from Universe City provided me with a) more material from this wonderful podcast and b) insights and reflections on the current actions during the book. But it didn’t feel like an irritating moral book being preached to you (the sort of book adults recommend to teenagers). Radio Silence managed to explore a lot of interesting themes (education, family, fandom) alongside the character’s issues. To anyone who says YA doesn’t deal with important themes: I DIRECT YOU HERE. Normally I find that first person perspective can be clunky, but I thought Radio Silence wouldn’t have worked any other way. It wasn’t trying to be young and cool, but instead fitted references in smoothly. Characters have to be the driving point for most contemporary novels, but I thought they particularly stood out in this! They were very well-rounded and diverse (appreciation for characters on the asexual spectrum, because I’ve never actually seen this in a YA novel and it made me incredibly happy)! I just adored everyone a lot. The supporting characters were excellent, too they didn’t feel like insignificant cut-outs in comparison. Her story probably stood out to me the most, because it was the closest to mine – although I’m perceived to be quite an academic person, I don’t enjoy it. To start off, with, I am going to talk about Frances because I loved her. I am not entirely sure how it happened, since I’m usually a die-hard fantasy lover in the battle of the genres, but I think my hype was entirely well-deserved. It was probably my most anticipated read of 2016. Radio Silence is the story of Frances, a highly academic study machine who secretly draws fan art for her favourite podcast, and then meets the creator of her favourite podcast.
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