Radio Silence by Alice Oseman
Synopsis
"Frances Janvier spends most of her time studying. When she’s not studying, she’s up in her room making fan art for her favorite podcast, Universe City.
Everyone knows Aled Last as that quiet boy who gets straight As. But no one knows he’s the creator of Universe City, who goes by the name Radio Silence.
When Frances gets a message from Radio Silence asking if she’ll collaborate with him, everything changes. Frances and Aled spend an entire summer working together and becoming best friends. They get each other when no one else does.
But when Aled’s identity as Radio Silence is revealed, Frances fears that the future of Universe City—and their friendship—is at risk. Aled helped her find her voice. Without him, will she have the courage to show the world who she really is? Or will she be met with radio silence?"
My Thoughts
Oh, this was so good! I am very much a fan of podcasts and so I was immediately intrigued by this one when I found out it centered around a podcast. I was delighted further when I found that it was an absolutely bizarre podcast, loosely inspired by Welcome to Night Vale, which is the podcast that first sparked my love of podcasts.
This book was so fantastic! I loved the characters and the struggles they went through felt real without being overly dramatic. This book brought up real conversations about the need to go to college after high school, and it felt like the teens grappled with their futures in a way that didn't feel like a lecture from an adult. Being a teen is hard and I think for the longest time we've been taught that going to college is the only option. When in reality that's just not the path best suited for everyone and you can live wonderful lives without the need to kill yourself to get into a prestigious, and expensive college.
“I think everyone’s a bit bored with boy-girl romances anyway,” he said. “I think the world’s had enough of those, to be honest.”
― Alice Oseman, Radio Silence
The rep in this one was also spot on and so excellently written. There was a casualness to the queerness that I love in books. Francis is bi and while she's not really out, she doesn't really feel the need to be except to those closest to her. I feel like we need more stories like this. Coming out doesn't have to be the major storyline for LGBTQIA+ teens. Come out when and if you want and feel safe. But so often I feel like there's such an emphasis about coming out for teens that is just really unhealthy. So this book handled that in a really brilliant way that felt true to the characters.
I definitely recommend this one! If you're a fan of podcasts, art, and stories about finding yourself, this one is for you!
Genre: lgbtqia+, contemporary
Representation: bi, ace/demi, gay
Content Warnings: anxiety, animal death, emotionally abusive parent, death threats, harassment (online and in-person), mental illness, underage drinking
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