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Osemanverse #10
Radio Silence
This is a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780007559244
What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?
Frances has been a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she's unafraid to be herself.
So when the fragile trust between them is broken, Frances is caught between who she was and who she longs to be. Now Frances knows that she has to confront her past. To confess why Carys disappeared…
Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.
Engaging with themes of identity, diversity and the freedom to choose, Radio Silence is a tour de force by the most exciting writer of her generation.
What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?
Frances has been a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she's unafraid to be herself.
So when the fragile trust between them is broken, Frances is caught between who she was and who she longs to be. Now Frances knows that she has to confront her past. To confess why Carys disappeared…
Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.
Engaging with themes of identity, diversity and the freedom to choose, Radio Silence is a tour de force by the most exciting writer of her generation.
496 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2016
About the author
Alice Oseman
62 books85.4k followersAlice Oseman is an award-winning author, illustrator, and screenwriter, and was born in 1994 in Kent, England. She has written four YA contemporary novels about teenage disasters: SOLITAIRE, RADIO SILENCE, I WAS BORN FOR THIS, and LOVELESS. She is the creator of LGBTQ+ YA romance webcomic HEARTSTOPPER, which is now published in physical form by Hachette Children's Books, and she is the writer, creator, and executive producer for the television adaptation of HEARTSTOPPER, which is set to be released on Netflix.
Alice’s first novel SOLITAIRE was published when she was nineteen. Her YA novels have been nominated for the YA Book Prize, the Inky Awards, the Carnegie Medal, and the Goodreads Choice Awards.
Alongside writing and drawing, Alice enjoys playing the piano semi-proficiently, Pokémon games, and purchasing too many Converse.
Find Alice on Twitter and Instagram @AliceOseman.
Alice’s first novel SOLITAIRE was published when she was nineteen. Her YA novels have been nominated for the YA Book Prize, the Inky Awards, the Carnegie Medal, and the Goodreads Choice Awards.
Alongside writing and drawing, Alice enjoys playing the piano semi-proficiently, Pokémon games, and purchasing too many Converse.
Find Alice on Twitter and Instagram @AliceOseman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 19,766 reviews
June 7, 2019
I’m pleasantly surprised by how authentically Oseman portrays teenagers, academic pressure, fandom, and friendships. The dialogue is organic instead of forced, the themes are universally relatable, and the purely platonic friendship is very genuine. The pace throughout this book is nicely done with several points of tension throughout the story. The diversity is weaved in naturally. Overall, this is a solid book that is sure to hit home for many teenagers. The main reason why I’m not rating this 5 stars is because despite the content being very well done, I do not think the writing or prose is anything spectacular. Perhaps the casual writing adds to the realism of the teenage experience, but it’s too stripped down for my personal tastes, and I wonder if adding a little more flourish to the writing would have helped the story be more evocative and emotional without solely relying on content. I also think the explanation for the main dilemma throughout the story ended up being too simplistic for the sake of plot and conflict, so it didn’t quite pay off the climax that the book was amping up.
May 15, 2020
RADIO SILENCE is my second YA novel! It features:
- a high-achieving teenage girl who believes her future lies in academia
- her learning that sometimes there are other paths through life and learning to embrace her passion for art
- the shy, mysterious creator of a science-fiction audio drama podcast
- a friendship between a boy and a girl where they don't fall in love
- a critique of the way the education system brainwashes teens into believing that if they don't get good grades, they're destined for failure and misery
I really hope you enjoy it!!
- a high-achieving teenage girl who believes her future lies in academia
- her learning that sometimes there are other paths through life and learning to embrace her passion for art
- the shy, mysterious creator of a science-fiction audio drama podcast
- a friendship between a boy and a girl where they don't fall in love
- a critique of the way the education system brainwashes teens into believing that if they don't get good grades, they're destined for failure and misery
I really hope you enjoy it!!
December 23, 2023
Do not pity the dead, Harry, pity the living, and above all those WHO HAVE NEVER READ THIS BOOK.
This book was so tender and patient and compassionate and I feel so soft on every level of metaphorical interpretation. I honestly just want to SCREAM about this book and these characters forever and let that be my career!!
Look, I don’t know how to say “I love this book” in a way that will make your heart ache as much as mine does and I hate being so clumsy with words but I REALLY REALLY WANT YOU GUYS TO READ IT. So like, [slides all of you a crumpled 10$ bill] please do!
This book was so tender and patient and compassionate and I feel so soft on every level of metaphorical interpretation. I honestly just want to SCREAM about this book and these characters forever and let that be my career!!
Look, I don’t know how to say “I love this book” in a way that will make your heart ache as much as mine does and I hate being so clumsy with words but I REALLY REALLY WANT YOU GUYS TO READ IT. So like, [slides all of you a crumpled 10$ bill] please do!
January 21, 2019
TW: mental illness, animal abuse
This was excellent and hit so close to home on many levels. Highly recommend the audiobook!
This was excellent and hit so close to home on many levels. Highly recommend the audiobook!
July 14, 2021
i need to lie down
November 10, 2018
This hit so close to home, and I loved it. A heartfelt book that I would recommend to any person who has struggled with mental illness, academic pressure, and figuring out your own path. New favorite!
January 21, 2022
Starting with a picture I found on twitter ❤️
"Hello. I hope somebody is listening."
( next time you wanna make me cry just say this line to me)
• Every book I have ever read, listen to me you all should envy this book, because it took my heart away the way none of you ever did!
• Don't get too jealous okay, I don't want to wake up in middle of night!
• Yeah so Radio silence (calm down*screaming*)
• I FUCKING LOVE THIS BOOK AND ITS AN UNDERSTATEMENT!!!
•you see the book cover, look into her eyes, now you have my photo, look into my eyes, it's same, it's fucking same!
"You probably think that Aled Last and I are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and I am a girl.
I just wanted to say –
We don’t.
That’s all."
(a line from the book, to give you a quick look about what not to expect from this book, because not every y/a book is cliche romance )
• R
•A
•D
•I
•O
•S
•I
•L
•E
•N
•C
•E
• I honstely don't know how to talk about things I like .
•ahhhhh
• okay we are keeping it together , so I am not gonna tell you about story and characters please I am honestly not in mood to write that , please read other reviews !
• Radio silence is a part of me.
• I never want to see the world again! I am done , I am going !
"Everything had been for nothing.
I’m sure you think I was complaining about nothing. You probably think I’m a whiny teenager. And yeah, it was all in my head, probably. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t real. So fuck you all."
• it felt in the heart , right through the soul!
" I thought I might be the only person who believed me."
• Every fucking world was like yes, that's me, that's totally how I am feeling rn, omg me too, fuck this is so me!
"Not an unintelligent idiot, but a sort of naïve idiot who manages to fall into a difficult situation and then can’t get out of it because she’s too awkward.”
• it's like Alice cut out my brain, and like dig in through it , and wrote everything I have been thinking for like my entire lifetime !
• The book is made for me !
"If something’s hard, if I have to talk to someone about something difficult, I just avoid it and ignore them, as if that’ll make it go away.”
•I locked myself in bathroom and cried for like total 20 mins before my mother thought wth have I been doing in bathroom( don't over think about this)
• And this book is whole ass mood!
"I actually live in pyjamas.”
"I don’t think age has much to do with adulthood."
• Read it, just fucking read it !
“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.”( next time anyone is gonna ask me for recommendations , this is it guys !)
some declarations before we end it.
✏ I am in love with Alice oseman , her books , her YouTube channel, her art, her hair , her outrageous clothing style , basically her , and yess I have written shit load of messages to her , and I am still waiting for a reply !
✏ I thought I was born for this is my fav y/a book , but no this surpassed that one but I am happy because they all are from same author!
✏ Some authors should really read her books , so they know how to write good y/a books , I am not gonna mention name , but I hope you understand and comment section is free to use for guesses!
That's it finally before going!
READ THIS BOOK!♥️🦋
May 3, 2019
“People move on quicker than I can comprehend. People forget you within days, they take new pictures to put on Facebook and they don't read your messages. They keep on moving forward and shove you to the side because you make more mistakes than you should.”
There’s something so authentically millennial about this book. It’s in the sense of loss. The exploration of detachment from parents and of abuse. The music choices - London Grammar and The 1975’s Chocolate are mentioned on the same page. The diverse cast of characters and fact that literally every lead character is queer. The mention of memes. The exploration of the college experience. Or maybe it’s simply in the mood of the book, the desperate plea, throughout every page, to have someone listen. Maybe some will argue this dates the book, but I think it’s exactly the power of Radio Silence - that it feels real to the teen experience, both its themes and its current moments.
I think everyone's a bit bored with boy-girl romances anyway. I think the world's had enouh of those, to be honest.
🌺 If you’re looking for a book about platonic friendship, you should read this. Frances and Aled have the best-written, most compelling friendship. And I love that every single driving relationship in this book is either platonic or queer. Like, guys, this is incredible. This book invented mlm and wlw solidarity and also platonic love.
🌺 While the focus of the book is Aled and his podcast, the amount of real depth put into these characters and the amount of thought put into their emotional journies is so fucking incredible. Frances' arc around wanting to be seen and her journey into university is amazing. And though he’s not even the narrator, Abel’s paralell journey around his own abuse is equally amazing.
“When you get to this age, you realized that you’re not anyone special after all. It's like... this is all there is. This is the only special thing about me.”
🌺 The exploration of college pressures felt so authentic. And awesome. And raw. I loved how pro-living-your-life this book was!!
🌺 The fucking diversity. When was the last time you read a book with a biracial bisexual lead featuring her gay demi bestie, his Asian maybe-boyfriend, and her found family of basically entirely queer characters? Because I know I never have.
I think everyone's a bit bored with boy-girl romances anyway. I think the world's had enouh of those, to be honest.
🌺 Above all else, this is a book about a group of characters learning to love each other and themselves. There’s so much found family and the Skwad of five formed at the end of the book is literally?? amazing.
I wish I could be as subtle and beautiful. All I know how to do is scream.
I think the thing I loved so much about this book is how timely it feels. I know that’s a complaint many will have about it, and I appreciate that books with this many current references date quickly. But maybe that’s for the best. This is a book that’s going to speak to a lot of people. This is also a book that a lot of thirty-year-olds are fundamentally not going to understand. This is also a book that teens will not be talking about in ten years because none of it is of their time. But this is also the kind of novel I can picture being analyzed by some college class a hundred years from now discussing teenage society in the 2010s - a stunningly specific yet strangely universal story. It is one of the only books I have ever read that truly captures what it is like to be a young adult in this generation.
And also, these iconic besties:
Frances Janvier: HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE YOU'RE FEELING PARTY AF LOVE U LOADS U BEAUTIFUL MAN
CAN'T BELIEVE MY SMALL BUDDY IS A MAN NOW I'M CRYING
Aled Last: why are you tormenting me with cringe messages like this
Basically, sometimes a family can be you, your Very Platonic best friend, his boyfriend who he's very in love with, your lowkey ex-girlfriend who is also your best friend’s brother, and this girl who keeps ditching class to hang out with you and who you DEFINITELY should date. POLL IN THE COMMENTS who is who amongst the Three New characters who just showed up on Aled’s show!!! Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to read this and then tell me Marine Jupiter and Atom poll in the comments try to tell me who's who
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August 16, 2018
“…please just call me Radio. Radio Silence. I am, after all, only a voice on a radio, and there may not be anyone listening.”
Radio Silence is the best contemporary book I’ve ever read. Full stop. So, buckle in, because this is going to be a full-gush review, because this book was everything. And holy shit did it blow all my expectations out of the water.
I normally give a brief synopsis about the book I’m reviewing here, but Radio Silence almost feels too personal for me to even type this review, to be completely honest. But this is a book about a boy and girl and the different stages of their completely platonic friendship. We get to see them bond over a fandom, and we get to see them discover who they wish they could be.
➽ Frances - Bisexual, biracial (Ethiopian and white), head girl at her high school, and an artist.
➽ Aled - Gay, demisexual, creator of a up-and-coming podcast and Youtube channel.
➽ Daniel - Gay, Korean immigrant, head boy at his high school.
➽ Carys - Lesbian, Aled’s twin sister who has been missing for a while now.
➽ Raine - Indian, selfless angel, who is pan!
And these five characters come together in this book and create something so beautiful that I don’t even have words for it. But this book can get pretty dark in certain places, so please use caution. Trigger and content warnings for talk of mental illness, implied depression, implied suicidal thinking, parental abuse, physical abuse, extreme invasions of privacy on social media and the internet, very hateful comments to a creator on the internet, and death of a pet.
“This hardly qualifies as a distress call anymore—by gods, if anyone was listening, I would have heard from you by now.”
First off, I want to talk about how people always hail Fangirl as the book they related to going into college, but I think Radio Silence does everything Fangirl does, but a million times better and more relatable. Both of these stories are about kids going into college, unsure of what they want out of life, both feeling like outcasts that can never truly be themselves. Both of these books even focus on fandoms and hidden identities. Hell, they even break up the mainstream story with stories from the fandom they love. The parallels are endless, and I’m not here to be negative about Fangirl, but I only thought that story was okay, where Radio Silence touched my heart and spoke to my soul.
We live in a world where our society puts so much pressure on kids to go to college. And I’m going to be really real with you all for a minute. My college? My parents picked. They knew before I was born I’d go to that college. My degree? My parents picked because science degrees get you jobs. The job I currently have? Because of that degree, not because of my wishes or wants. And I’m very privileged to have the education I have had, to go the college I went to, and to have the job that I currently have. But those core parts of my life were picked for me, and they have and will continue to impact my life forever. And that’s not just a reality for me, that’s a reality for so many people I know. And I’ve never read a book that confronts that the way Radio Silence does.
Radio Silence is a book about living your life for you. It’s okay to not know what you want, or who you even are, but you have to live your life for you. Society’s expectations, your parent’s expectations, your academic leader’s expectations, all of this can feel like the weight of the world on your shoulders. And it can be so heavy. Like, I promise, it feels so heavy sometimes still. But this is a love letter about making the weight not feel so heavy. And I swear to God, I turned the last page of this book and felt lighter. I truly believe books can have healing powers, and Radio Silence healed some of my wounds that I thought stopped bleeding years ago.
“I was going to be happy. Wasn’t I? I was. Uni, job, money, happiness. That’s what you do. That’s the formula. Everyone knows that. I knew that.”
I do think that Radio Silence is a story about becoming who you want to be, even if you don’t know who that person is yet, but I also think it’s a story about living with mental illness. Obviously, I’m not going to pretend that my experience is the end all be all, but mental illnesses are something you have to live with and fight with constantly. Aled is such a realistic character, and his mental illness is something that I think is so relatable to so many younger people (I want to say millennials so badly) and this book is going to mean so much to so many people. I honestly wish I could put this book into every single high school senior’s hands. Because school isn’t for everyone, and college isn’t for everyone, but validity and acceptance are for everyone.
This book also shines a spotlight on how fucking toxic the internet, fandoms, and just human beings in general can be. The things people say to other people, especially the people they claim to idolize, not even thinking twice about how that’s another breathing, living, human being on the other side of the screen that is reading your hurtful words. You all, I could write an entire review on this part of Radio Silence alone. But instead I’m just going to encourage you to read this masterpiece of a book that realistically depicts it better than I ever could.
But my favorite thing about Radio Silence is probably how it is one, gigantic, love letter to art. All kinds of art, all mediums of art, but this book is truly a celebration of art everywhere. The world we live in constantly tells us how art should be a hobby, not a career, but when I sit back and think about the people who I admire most in the entire universe? Well, they are all artists. Instead of constantly belittling art and not encouraging ourselves to pursue it as a mainstream dream, Radio Silence comes along and makes you feel so hyped and excited to celebrate art and creators everywhere. This book is an honest to God gift to the world, I swear it.
My second favorite thing about Radio Silence was the depiction of friendships. The beautiful and light parts, the really ugly and dark parts, the comfortable parts, the hard parts, the selfish parts, the selfless parts, all the realistic parts. When I got a few percent into this book, I knew the author had to be around my age, because this book feels so real. I mean, every element of this book feels really real, but the friendship between France and Aled specifically felt really real to me. Frances and Aled’s friendship felt so much like me and a person I miss with all my heart’s friendship. But I wasn’t as good of a friend, like Frances was, but this book really made me wish that I would have been.
“People move on quicker than I can comprehend. People forget you within days, they take new pictures to put on Facebook and they don’t read your messages. They keep on moving forward and shove you to the side because you make more mistakes than you should.”
My third favorite thing about this book was Frances’ mother. Holy shit, talk about mom goals. Just thinking about how much better of a place this world would be if more parents were like Frances’! Especially when she is contrasted to Aled and Carys’ mom in this story. Unconditional love, support, and acceptance is such a powerful force, especially being wielded by a parent who has a child unsure of who they are. But that force can be just as powerful in the hands of good friends, too.
Overall, I don’t feel like I’m the same person after reading this book. And I know I will cherish it forever. This is easily the best book I’ve read for Pride this year, and easily one of the best books I’ve read in all of 2018. This book literally took a piece of my heart and I will never ask for it back. I can’t wait to read everything else that Alice Oseman creates.
“I wonder—if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all?”
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Buddy read with Alexis at The Sloth Reader, May at Forever and Everly, & Lily at Sprinkles of Dreams! ❤
May 26, 2017
I wish I'd read this as a teenager. Alice Oseman so delicately and personally delivers a story about enjoying creativity and seeing life as having more options than solely "go to University."
We follow Frances, a girl who is dead set on going to Cambridge... even though she doesn't really seem to understand why she got on this path in the first place or remember why it matters so much to her. It's always been her plan, so it must have been the only good option, right? When she gets involved in a YouTube podcast that she loves, through making meaningful relationships and valuing art in a new way, she starts to understand that there isn't one right option.
I think Alice Oseman was the perfect person to write this book... she wrote it while still in University, at a school she chose because of its academic qualities, pursuing a subject she chose because it seemed like the clever thing to study. I really felt while reading it that she uniquely understood the subject and that having a someone who had been gone from high school for too much longer wouldn't have felt so authentic.
I loved the use of technology (a YouTube podcast, Tumblr fan art, Twitter direct messages galore!) and I enjoyed the characters and growing story. My only criticism is the pace of the book, feeling that it was too long and could have been a bit shorter with a bit more plot. But hey, that's just me. Oo! And one more thing that just occurred to me: I was really interested in reading about a mixed race character (being mixed race myself) and I thought the representation was... insignificant. I'm glad she made the character more diverse, but I also didn't feel that anything was done with it. It was never really mentioned, it wasn't a part of her character or story, so I feel very neutral about it.
I really enjoyed this and I look forward to reading more from Alice soon!
We follow Frances, a girl who is dead set on going to Cambridge... even though she doesn't really seem to understand why she got on this path in the first place or remember why it matters so much to her. It's always been her plan, so it must have been the only good option, right? When she gets involved in a YouTube podcast that she loves, through making meaningful relationships and valuing art in a new way, she starts to understand that there isn't one right option.
I think Alice Oseman was the perfect person to write this book... she wrote it while still in University, at a school she chose because of its academic qualities, pursuing a subject she chose because it seemed like the clever thing to study. I really felt while reading it that she uniquely understood the subject and that having a someone who had been gone from high school for too much longer wouldn't have felt so authentic.
I loved the use of technology (a YouTube podcast, Tumblr fan art, Twitter direct messages galore!) and I enjoyed the characters and growing story. My only criticism is the pace of the book, feeling that it was too long and could have been a bit shorter with a bit more plot. But hey, that's just me. Oo! And one more thing that just occurred to me: I was really interested in reading about a mixed race character (being mixed race myself) and I thought the representation was... insignificant. I'm glad she made the character more diverse, but I also didn't feel that anything was done with it. It was never really mentioned, it wasn't a part of her character or story, so I feel very neutral about it.
I really enjoyed this and I look forward to reading more from Alice soon!
June 6, 2019
I have a complicated relationship with YA contemporary books. I find that they're often quite fluffy in an empty kinda of way and often overhyped.
With that said, I think this one was great and completely get it. Great representation, great friendships and overall attaching characters you will feel for.
Recommend it!
With that said, I think this one was great and completely get it. Great representation, great friendships and overall attaching characters you will feel for.
Recommend it!
November 1, 2017
Look at me posting it up!!! Find this review hereeeeee: https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...
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What. Is. This. Book.
Like...how do I review a book if I don’t know my feelings on it? AND HOW DO I DECIDE WHAT MY FEELINGS ARE IF I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS?
Okay. Let me go with the old classics and start off by stating what I know: a synopsis and the few concrete opinions I have.
So in this book we follow Frances, a studying machine who is a huge fangirl of a podcast (for a podcast? What is the proper grammar for “fangirl”). She then finds out that a total dweeb named Aled is the one making it, and they become friends and whatnot and are wildly successful and drama ensues or whatever. Aled has a lot of family drama. Things go down.
That’s the story, morning glory.
Now let’s get to the real treat: my opinions. How exciting.
Most importantly, this book is SO EFFORTLESSLY DIVERSE. Frances is bisexual. Aled is asexual and gay. (This is technically something that is revealed later on in the story, but I don’t like treating sexuality like a spoiler generally. Ace representation especially is SO RARE and v important. So I’m not going to, like, hide that from you guys. It’s not even a huge reveal. It’s just character growth and recognition and whatnot.) Frances is also half-Ethiopian and has a single mother, as does Aled, I think. It’s all just very good. All YA should be as easily inclusive as this. It makes for a much richer story.
Wow. How…earnest. Shiver.
There’s also no romance in this book which is just...profoundly refreshing. But also kind of weird in this context? Because it seems very romancey at times. It just doesn’t end up that way. So I’d like more of this, please, but also less romancey even than this.
The last good thing is that I read it in a day.
FURTHERMORE.
I did not really love or very much even like this book.
I know. I don’t know how many reasons I have for it. This book and I just didn’t click. And even if there are things about it that are really very good, and even if generally I would recommend this book to those that are interested, I’m not going to make myself give this a rating that doesn’t feel true.
I didn’t love the writing style. And overall I guess it just felt really strange to me. I felt so odd about marking this as “contemporary” because it DOESN’T FEEL LIKE THAT AT ALL. It’s so unrealistic as to almost not take place in our world. The way the characters act, but also just the way that people act as a whole...it felt like fantasy or magical realism. I don’t know. The plot jumped around a lot which, you know, didn’t exactly help to GROUND me in the magical world of steampunk whimsy in which we find ourselves.
Plus reading about England is always slightly weird. It’s like America, but not! (Insert a million angry British people in the comments.)
And “Universe City,” the podcast Aled makes/Frances obsesses over, is really just a copy of Welcome to Night Vale. It says it’s inspired by, but it’s really the same thing. And Welcome to Night Vale is a lot cooler and more exciting and interesting.
This is so weird and choppy but I’m still REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY I DIDN’T LIKE THIS. I’M SORRY.
Okay. I took a two week break to reflect. I vacationed, I sat on beaches, I looked out train windows onto rainy landscapes with my head resting on my hand, other tropes about thinking. And I think I know what it is.
It’s...the characters.
There’s a lot of insta-friendship, which always feels uncomfy. And everyone treats each other sh*ttily (I love making the word sh*t into an adverb) and do things that people would just like, never do. Everyone is flat, and if they’re not flat then they end up acting totally unrealistically and then that MAKES them flat and I don’t get it!!!!! I am so screaming into the void right now and even the void is like you’re not making any sense!!!!!!
This is the worst review I’ve ever written. AND STILL I DON’T LIKE THIS BOOK.
Bottom line: Yeah read this if you want to. Literally don’t listen to me at all. I’M DELETING MY ACCOUNT BYE
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What. Is. This. Book.
Like...how do I review a book if I don’t know my feelings on it? AND HOW DO I DECIDE WHAT MY FEELINGS ARE IF I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS?
Okay. Let me go with the old classics and start off by stating what I know: a synopsis and the few concrete opinions I have.
So in this book we follow Frances, a studying machine who is a huge fangirl of a podcast (for a podcast? What is the proper grammar for “fangirl”). She then finds out that a total dweeb named Aled is the one making it, and they become friends and whatnot and are wildly successful and drama ensues or whatever. Aled has a lot of family drama. Things go down.
That’s the story, morning glory.
Now let’s get to the real treat: my opinions. How exciting.
Most importantly, this book is SO EFFORTLESSLY DIVERSE. Frances is bisexual. Aled is asexual and gay. (This is technically something that is revealed later on in the story, but I don’t like treating sexuality like a spoiler generally. Ace representation especially is SO RARE and v important. So I’m not going to, like, hide that from you guys. It’s not even a huge reveal. It’s just character growth and recognition and whatnot.) Frances is also half-Ethiopian and has a single mother, as does Aled, I think. It’s all just very good. All YA should be as easily inclusive as this. It makes for a much richer story.
Wow. How…earnest. Shiver.
There’s also no romance in this book which is just...profoundly refreshing. But also kind of weird in this context? Because it seems very romancey at times. It just doesn’t end up that way. So I’d like more of this, please, but also less romancey even than this.
The last good thing is that I read it in a day.
FURTHERMORE.
I did not really love or very much even like this book.
I know. I don’t know how many reasons I have for it. This book and I just didn’t click. And even if there are things about it that are really very good, and even if generally I would recommend this book to those that are interested, I’m not going to make myself give this a rating that doesn’t feel true.
I didn’t love the writing style. And overall I guess it just felt really strange to me. I felt so odd about marking this as “contemporary” because it DOESN’T FEEL LIKE THAT AT ALL. It’s so unrealistic as to almost not take place in our world. The way the characters act, but also just the way that people act as a whole...it felt like fantasy or magical realism. I don’t know. The plot jumped around a lot which, you know, didn’t exactly help to GROUND me in the magical world of steampunk whimsy in which we find ourselves.
Plus reading about England is always slightly weird. It’s like America, but not! (Insert a million angry British people in the comments.)
And “Universe City,” the podcast Aled makes/Frances obsesses over, is really just a copy of Welcome to Night Vale. It says it’s inspired by, but it’s really the same thing. And Welcome to Night Vale is a lot cooler and more exciting and interesting.
This is so weird and choppy but I’m still REALLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY I DIDN’T LIKE THIS. I’M SORRY.
Okay. I took a two week break to reflect. I vacationed, I sat on beaches, I looked out train windows onto rainy landscapes with my head resting on my hand, other tropes about thinking. And I think I know what it is.
It’s...the characters.
There’s a lot of insta-friendship, which always feels uncomfy. And everyone treats each other sh*ttily (I love making the word sh*t into an adverb) and do things that people would just like, never do. Everyone is flat, and if they’re not flat then they end up acting totally unrealistically and then that MAKES them flat and I don’t get it!!!!! I am so screaming into the void right now and even the void is like you’re not making any sense!!!!!!
This is the worst review I’ve ever written. AND STILL I DON’T LIKE THIS BOOK.
Bottom line: Yeah read this if you want to. Literally don’t listen to me at all. I’M DELETING MY ACCOUNT BYE
September 5, 2019
i absolutely tore through this. i actually dont think ive ever finished a book so quickly. just the effortlessness and ease of this story is really something. most likely because the pacing is on point, the storyline is good, and aled. oh my gosh. aled is so innocent and wholesome. i honestly kind of wish the story was told from his perspective instead.
but can we hear it for boy/girl friendships that actually STAY a friendship!? its sooo refreshing to read about this kind of relationship and i wish it was represented more in YA. boys and girls can be friends, great friends even, but only friends and its totally okay. actually, this book is full of great representation and themes that are crucial for those in the YA target audience. so kudos to alice oseman for helping young people feel seen!
↠ 4 stars
but can we hear it for boy/girl friendships that actually STAY a friendship!? its sooo refreshing to read about this kind of relationship and i wish it was represented more in YA. boys and girls can be friends, great friends even, but only friends and its totally okay. actually, this book is full of great representation and themes that are crucial for those in the YA target audience. so kudos to alice oseman for helping young people feel seen!
↠ 4 stars
February 9, 2024
This book is just so damn important!
One of the best coming of age, young adult books ever.
It's just so real.
I started reading this one with no expectations. Good or bad, I was not going to care. I just jad to read it. The book has been slowly getting its audience ever since it got published.
This book is just not about the dilemma of the young who are getting into University and handling social media. This book is more than that. It talks about passion, the difficult situations the younger generation has to face where the so called adults decide everything for them thinking they are making their lives easier (which I would say, they don't most of the time but rather end up hurting them more and make them more confused!).
The book wastes no words. The book gives importance to every character involved. The writing style is simple and maintains an uninterrupted flow till the end. The character representation is diverse and perfect. The character development is so wholesome and the chemistry so relevantly realistically strong. The plot is direct and consuming. The ending is simply satisfying. Everything from the beginning was set up well and the whole book answers everything in itself.
I have got one most hateful parent character (Aled's mother) and one of the most strong, lovely single parent character (Frances' mom).
Various important themes regarding lgbt, mental health, academic choices, physical and emotional abuse, friendship, social anxiety issues, how social media affects the ones who are handling them have been represented so well. The emotions are out there staring right at you and you just cannot escape them.
I feel so good having read this book. My reading soul just found one of its missing pieces!
One of the best coming of age, young adult books ever.
It's just so real.
I started reading this one with no expectations. Good or bad, I was not going to care. I just jad to read it. The book has been slowly getting its audience ever since it got published.
This book is just not about the dilemma of the young who are getting into University and handling social media. This book is more than that. It talks about passion, the difficult situations the younger generation has to face where the so called adults decide everything for them thinking they are making their lives easier (which I would say, they don't most of the time but rather end up hurting them more and make them more confused!).
The book wastes no words. The book gives importance to every character involved. The writing style is simple and maintains an uninterrupted flow till the end. The character representation is diverse and perfect. The character development is so wholesome and the chemistry so relevantly realistically strong. The plot is direct and consuming. The ending is simply satisfying. Everything from the beginning was set up well and the whole book answers everything in itself.
I have got one most hateful parent character (Aled's mother) and one of the most strong, lovely single parent character (Frances' mom).
Various important themes regarding lgbt, mental health, academic choices, physical and emotional abuse, friendship, social anxiety issues, how social media affects the ones who are handling them have been represented so well. The emotions are out there staring right at you and you just cannot escape them.
I feel so good having read this book. My reading soul just found one of its missing pieces!
June 15, 2021
”Hello. I hope somebody is listening.”
I think by now this quote made its way into the most epic quotes of all time and I can totally understand all the hype this book got. When I joined goodreads back in 2017 “Radio Silence” was all over my feed and people were raving about it like crazy. I had no idea what all the fuss was about but three years later and countless books in between I finally get it. XD Alice Oseman’s book is amazing, epic, brilliant and most of all it’s relatable af!
As an author it’s not easy to capture the voice of a generation but I think Oseman did it masterfully. Truth be told, it’s more than the voice of a generation, it’s the voice of many generations that all went through the same thing. Did I lose you already? What I’m trying to say is that this book is timeless because it speaks to every teenager and young adult that ever went through adolescence.
“Radio Silence” tackles the strong bonds of friendships you only seem to have as a teen, it addresses the insecurities of young adults, the urgency and intensity of emotions, it shows that our educational system is far from perfect and that good grades aren’t everything in life, it makes room for individualism and it demonstrates that parents can influence their children in the best but also in the worst way possible. It plays with the idea of the internet as a medium that can connect people all over the world but it also illustrates how easy it is to hurt people and their privacy.
Seriously, this book gives so many thought-provoking impulses it’s hard to write it all into a summary, which only seems to emphasise my earlier statement of Oseman’s skill to capture the voice of a generation. People are complex, relationships are complicated and the way to your true self is paved with plenty of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. So just another ordinary day in the life of a young adult, right? ;-P
trigger warnings:
The characters:
This is my spoilery spoiler section and if you haven’t already read the book: Well, pirates ye be warned! ;-P This said: Welcome to Universe City, I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time with Radio and his sidekicks!
Frances Janvier:
”Being clever was, after all, my primary source of self-esteem. I’m a very sad person, in all senses of the word, but at least I was going to get into university.”
I really liked Frances! I mean I was never as good at school as her but I kind of admire her for getting good grades while following her obsession with “Radio Silence”. It’s no small feat and I really appreciated the idea of a character that’s good at school but also has a very creative streak. =) For some reason this is pretty rare in books and I don’t know why. XD Also the distinction between “School Frances” and “Normal Frances “ was amazing and very relatable. As a teen a lot of us are insecure and act differently when they are around their friends so this was such a great way to represent that sentiment. Also now is the moment I have to mention that I want Aled’s and France’s wardrobe! *lol* Seriously, their clothes are amazing! <3 I would have loved to get my hands on them. Haha! Anyway, back to Frances as a character! I loved her compassion and that she always tried to do the right thing and was very responsible. Plus she was a really great friend! I hope we’ll see more of her in other books but I’m not sure she’s going to be in one of the others?! Guess I’ll have to find out.
”I couldn’t quite believe how much I seriously loved Aled Last, even if it wasn’t in the ideal way that would make it socially acceptable for us to live together until we die.”
Aled Last:
”it’s honestly fine!!!! what’s up?
if you’re feeling crap it’s always better to talk about it
I really wish Aled would have taken his own advice! I know he’s the silent, withdrawn and broody kind of type but a lot of his problems could have been tackled if he would have just talked about them. Then again his mother certainly didn’t make it easy to develop some self-esteem, let alone to talk about his problems. (I’m so angry at his mom btw!!!) I felt so, so sorry for him and I was glad Frances and Daniel were able to see the true Aled. My heart really bled for this boy and it made me so sad that his mother couldn’t see how beautiful he was! <3 I mean he made a podcast thousands of people followed and listened to, they even made fanart of it and yet his mother had nothing better to do than to destroy every little piece of him. >_< It killed me. Really. Aled suffered so much and I wish I could have jumped right into the book and saved him! He didn’t want to go to university and he was drowning in despair, which got more and more apparent with every episode he made. Those last few episodes? It just hurt... because they were a reflection of his true life and helplessness. T_T
”Sometimes I think if nobody spoke to me, I’d never speak again.”
”I can take a little beating now and then. I’m a tough one. I’m a star. I’m steel-chested and diamond-eyed. Cyborgs live and then they break, but I’ll never break. Even when my bone dust drifts over the City walls, I’ll be living and I’ll be flying, and I will wave and laugh.”
Daniel Jun:
”We were so important to each other. We’d tell each other everything and anything. We were each other’s first everything. First and only everything. He’s – he’s an angel.”
Daniel might have appeared to be a study machine but deep down he was a really nice guy and it was pretty obvious that he cared about Aled. With his neat appearance and orderly life he’s the complete opposite of Aled, yet he still enjoyed being with his friend. Daniel was so focused on school that it wasn’t easy to see his true self but the longer I read the more I began to warm to him. XD Guess I made the same experience like Frances. ;-)
Carys:
Carol raised an eyebrow. “Well, it is how it is. I’m not here to see you and, frankly, I don’t want to. I want to talk to my real child.”
“I don’t think you deserve to,” said Carys, and I could feel the inaudible gasps of everyone in the room.
Okay, I admit it: There was a moment when I wanted to punch Carys in the face! I mean if it would have been my brother suffering so much I would have run to him in a heartbeat. But then again she thought that she was the problem and that Aled would be fine. Thankfully Frances could persuade her to seek him out and the moment she realized her mother was destroying Aled she became the lioness I wanted her to be! XD I loved how she defended Aled and that she gave her mother a run for her money because quite honestly this was what I wanted her to do the entire book! I’m so glad Aled and her reconciled and I was glad Frances and Carys got a chance to talk about the night she vanished.
The relationships:
Frances & Aled:
He laughed again and hid his face under the blanket.
“Why are you so nice to me?”
“Because I’m an angel.”
“You are.” He stretched out his arm and patted me on the head. “And I’m platonically in love with you.”
“That was literally the boy-girl version of ‘no homo’, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
Boy their relationship was one hell of a rollercoaster! When they got to know each other and started to work on “Universe City” I was so happy for them but the more Aled’s mother and the fandom of Radio interfered, the more their friendship got under attack. I really would have loved for them just to do their own thing and not to be bothered by anything but of course life had other plans. I mean it’s no wonder Aled kind of broke under the pressure. Between the constant emotional abuse of his mother and the personal attacks of the fandom it would have been hard for anyone to keep on swimming. So bless Frances for always trying to reach out to him! Heaven knows Aled’s condition and his character didn’t make it easy to get through to him, but she never gave up on him and that’s what true friends do! Even though I’ve to admit that he said quite hurtful things to her and it’s no wonder she was insecure about their friendship. Still, at the end they found together again and I was very glad they did! =)
He wrenched his hand back. “It’s fine. She’s always like this.”
“Does she hurt you?” I said. “Tell me if she hurts you. Right now. I’m serious.”
“No. I swear she doesn’t. He waved his injured hand. “This was an accident.”
“That’s not right. She can’t just – She just – What the fuck, I mean ...”
”I’m just the replacement. You’re obsessed with me. Just the same as Carys, and you’ve managed to fuck up the only thing I had, the only good thing I fucking have, just like you managed to fuck up Carys’s. D’you fancy me as well?”
”Do you want to be famous?”
“I just ... want to be special.”
“You are special.”
He laughed and said, “Shut up.”
Frances & her mum:
”Don’t let him escape!” said Mum. “This could be your only chance at securing a spouse!”
I swear Frances’s mum is kick-ass! I strive to be as cool as her once my little one is in her teens! I mean that woman wore a unicorn onesie and was basically an angel! I loved that Frances could talk with her about everything and that she always listened to her daughter’s troubles. She didn’t judge and let Frances figure out things for herself and most importantly: She accepted her the way she was!!! Even when Frances told her that she didn’t want to go to university she was totally okay with it and respected her daughter’s decision! I just loved that she was so supportive! She was the total opposite of Aled’s mum and I really liked that parents weren’t just mentioned as a footnote in “Radio Silence” but actually were a part of their children’s lives! =) This is really rare in YA and I appreciated it immensely!
”I don’t think I want to go to university.”
“Oh, Frances.” She didn’t sound disappointed. “That’s okay.”
“Is it okay?” I asked, because I wasn’t sure.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s okay.”
Aled & his mum:
”She looked terrifying, in that classic white, middle-class mum sort of way. Dyed cropped hair, slightly round physique, a smile that said ‘Can I get you a cup of tea?’ and eyes that said ‘I will burn everything you love.’
I really hated this woman! So, so much! GRRR!!! She stands for everything a parent shouldn’t do and be and URGH! I just couldn’t with her! I mean who ruins their children’s life? Who takes a scissor and cuts their son’s hair even though he said he doesn���t want to cut it?! Like seriously!?? And don’t even get me started on her changing Aled’s room! That was his personal space his safe haven and she destroyed it because she thought it was too messy?! WTF?! YOU. DON’T. INVADE. YOUR. CHILD’S. PRVIVATE. SPACE. EVER.!!! You let them put up posters, you let them scribble poetry on a white board, you idk give them room to breathe and to be who they are!! You don’t destroy their home! And then the thing with Aled’s dog Brian?! WTH?! Which mother does things like that?! I’m outraged and furious about this behaviour from a person that should lover her child unconditionally! The emotional abuse this woman put her children through isn’t normal and it’s extremely appalling! She might have never raised her hand against them but the emotional scars her actions left are at least as severe as if she would have hit them. All throughout the entire book I just wanted to call the youth welfare office! >_< I can’t with this woman. I just can’t! I’m so glad Carys and Aled aren’t with her anymore. They suffered enough! And this from a woman that birthed them and should have loved them... *shakes head*
”Aled was going to cry when he saw this.
She had taken his private space – his home – and destroyed it.
She took everything he loved and ruined it.”
”But we were sitting under the streetlamps and Aled was shaking in my arms and this was real, this was happening. She was taking everything Aled had and burning it. She was burning him, slowly, until he died.”
Daniel & Aled:
”I think we were so caught up in each other that we just... missed all the heteronormative propaganda that’s thrust at you when you’re that age.”
Ahh those two were actually kinda cute! Daniel broke my heart when he spoke about their relationship with Frances though. I think for him it must have been very difficult to deal with Aled. On the one hand he was his best friend and knew him better than anyone else but on the other hand he had no idea how he truly felt about him. I could understand why Aled was insecure about outing himself as demisexual. A lot of people never heard of it and he had only just begun to figure out what this meant for him as a person. I’m sure he didn’t want to hurt Daniel and so he rather pushed him away instead of talking things out. Anyway. It made me happy that they eventually managed to speak about it and I hope that one day they’ll reach the moment when they’ll both feel comfortable enough to show the world. =)
”It was all just for us in private, like we had to protect it, because we didn’t want the rest of the world to ruin it. I don’t really know why... I guess it didn’t feel like we were in a relationship at all. Because we were best friends, first and foremost. So we never knew how we’d explain it to people.”
”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.”
The reps and diversity:
This is an Alice Oseman book so the reps and the diversity were amazing! We have Frances who’s bisexual and English/Ethiopian; then there is Aled - the second MC - who is demisexual and his best friend/boyfriend Daniel who is South Korean and gay! Rain a friend of Frances is Indian and last but not least there’s Carys – Aled’s sister – who is a lesbian. So you just gotta love the diversity in this book! Also I think Aled is showing signs of depression but it’s never really verified. (though pretty much implied!)
Conclusion:
This is probably the best contemporary book I ever read and considering it’s a genre I rarely dive into this should tell you enough! Alice Oseman is a genius and the characters she created, their struggles and friendships, their hopes and dreams, their fears and doubts; they all felt real and more than just a little relatable! “Radio Silence” is the accurate voice of numerous generations, describing the one thing every one of us has to experience in order to become who we truly are: Adolescence! ;-)
I think by now this quote made its way into the most epic quotes of all time and I can totally understand all the hype this book got. When I joined goodreads back in 2017 “Radio Silence” was all over my feed and people were raving about it like crazy. I had no idea what all the fuss was about but three years later and countless books in between I finally get it. XD Alice Oseman’s book is amazing, epic, brilliant and most of all it’s relatable af!
As an author it’s not easy to capture the voice of a generation but I think Oseman did it masterfully. Truth be told, it’s more than the voice of a generation, it’s the voice of many generations that all went through the same thing. Did I lose you already? What I’m trying to say is that this book is timeless because it speaks to every teenager and young adult that ever went through adolescence.
“Radio Silence” tackles the strong bonds of friendships you only seem to have as a teen, it addresses the insecurities of young adults, the urgency and intensity of emotions, it shows that our educational system is far from perfect and that good grades aren’t everything in life, it makes room for individualism and it demonstrates that parents can influence their children in the best but also in the worst way possible. It plays with the idea of the internet as a medium that can connect people all over the world but it also illustrates how easy it is to hurt people and their privacy.
Seriously, this book gives so many thought-provoking impulses it’s hard to write it all into a summary, which only seems to emphasise my earlier statement of Oseman’s skill to capture the voice of a generation. People are complex, relationships are complicated and the way to your true self is paved with plenty of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. So just another ordinary day in the life of a young adult, right? ;-P
trigger warnings:
The characters:
This is my spoilery spoiler section and if you haven’t already read the book: Well, pirates ye be warned! ;-P This said: Welcome to Universe City, I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time with Radio and his sidekicks!
Frances Janvier:
”Being clever was, after all, my primary source of self-esteem. I’m a very sad person, in all senses of the word, but at least I was going to get into university.”
I really liked Frances! I mean I was never as good at school as her but I kind of admire her for getting good grades while following her obsession with “Radio Silence”. It’s no small feat and I really appreciated the idea of a character that’s good at school but also has a very creative streak. =) For some reason this is pretty rare in books and I don’t know why. XD Also the distinction between “School Frances” and “Normal Frances “ was amazing and very relatable. As a teen a lot of us are insecure and act differently when they are around their friends so this was such a great way to represent that sentiment. Also now is the moment I have to mention that I want Aled’s and France’s wardrobe! *lol* Seriously, their clothes are amazing! <3 I would have loved to get my hands on them. Haha! Anyway, back to Frances as a character! I loved her compassion and that she always tried to do the right thing and was very responsible. Plus she was a really great friend! I hope we’ll see more of her in other books but I’m not sure she’s going to be in one of the others?! Guess I’ll have to find out.
”I couldn’t quite believe how much I seriously loved Aled Last, even if it wasn’t in the ideal way that would make it socially acceptable for us to live together until we die.”
Aled Last:
”it’s honestly fine!!!! what’s up?
if you’re feeling crap it’s always better to talk about it
I really wish Aled would have taken his own advice! I know he’s the silent, withdrawn and broody kind of type but a lot of his problems could have been tackled if he would have just talked about them. Then again his mother certainly didn’t make it easy to develop some self-esteem, let alone to talk about his problems. (I’m so angry at his mom btw!!!) I felt so, so sorry for him and I was glad Frances and Daniel were able to see the true Aled. My heart really bled for this boy and it made me so sad that his mother couldn’t see how beautiful he was! <3 I mean he made a podcast thousands of people followed and listened to, they even made fanart of it and yet his mother had nothing better to do than to destroy every little piece of him. >_< It killed me. Really. Aled suffered so much and I wish I could have jumped right into the book and saved him! He didn’t want to go to university and he was drowning in despair, which got more and more apparent with every episode he made. Those last few episodes? It just hurt... because they were a reflection of his true life and helplessness. T_T
”Sometimes I think if nobody spoke to me, I’d never speak again.”
”I can take a little beating now and then. I’m a tough one. I’m a star. I’m steel-chested and diamond-eyed. Cyborgs live and then they break, but I’ll never break. Even when my bone dust drifts over the City walls, I’ll be living and I’ll be flying, and I will wave and laugh.”
Daniel Jun:
”We were so important to each other. We’d tell each other everything and anything. We were each other’s first everything. First and only everything. He’s – he’s an angel.”
Daniel might have appeared to be a study machine but deep down he was a really nice guy and it was pretty obvious that he cared about Aled. With his neat appearance and orderly life he’s the complete opposite of Aled, yet he still enjoyed being with his friend. Daniel was so focused on school that it wasn’t easy to see his true self but the longer I read the more I began to warm to him. XD Guess I made the same experience like Frances. ;-)
Carys:
Carol raised an eyebrow. “Well, it is how it is. I’m not here to see you and, frankly, I don’t want to. I want to talk to my real child.”
“I don’t think you deserve to,” said Carys, and I could feel the inaudible gasps of everyone in the room.
Okay, I admit it: There was a moment when I wanted to punch Carys in the face! I mean if it would have been my brother suffering so much I would have run to him in a heartbeat. But then again she thought that she was the problem and that Aled would be fine. Thankfully Frances could persuade her to seek him out and the moment she realized her mother was destroying Aled she became the lioness I wanted her to be! XD I loved how she defended Aled and that she gave her mother a run for her money because quite honestly this was what I wanted her to do the entire book! I’m so glad Aled and her reconciled and I was glad Frances and Carys got a chance to talk about the night she vanished.
The relationships:
Frances & Aled:
He laughed again and hid his face under the blanket.
“Why are you so nice to me?”
“Because I’m an angel.”
“You are.” He stretched out his arm and patted me on the head. “And I’m platonically in love with you.”
“That was literally the boy-girl version of ‘no homo’, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
Boy their relationship was one hell of a rollercoaster! When they got to know each other and started to work on “Universe City” I was so happy for them but the more Aled’s mother and the fandom of Radio interfered, the more their friendship got under attack. I really would have loved for them just to do their own thing and not to be bothered by anything but of course life had other plans. I mean it’s no wonder Aled kind of broke under the pressure. Between the constant emotional abuse of his mother and the personal attacks of the fandom it would have been hard for anyone to keep on swimming. So bless Frances for always trying to reach out to him! Heaven knows Aled’s condition and his character didn’t make it easy to get through to him, but she never gave up on him and that’s what true friends do! Even though I’ve to admit that he said quite hurtful things to her and it’s no wonder she was insecure about their friendship. Still, at the end they found together again and I was very glad they did! =)
He wrenched his hand back. “It’s fine. She’s always like this.”
“Does she hurt you?” I said. “Tell me if she hurts you. Right now. I’m serious.”
“No. I swear she doesn’t. He waved his injured hand. “This was an accident.”
“That’s not right. She can’t just – She just – What the fuck, I mean ...”
”I’m just the replacement. You’re obsessed with me. Just the same as Carys, and you’ve managed to fuck up the only thing I had, the only good thing I fucking have, just like you managed to fuck up Carys’s. D’you fancy me as well?”
”Do you want to be famous?”
“I just ... want to be special.”
“You are special.”
He laughed and said, “Shut up.”
Frances & her mum:
”Don’t let him escape!” said Mum. “This could be your only chance at securing a spouse!”
I swear Frances’s mum is kick-ass! I strive to be as cool as her once my little one is in her teens! I mean that woman wore a unicorn onesie and was basically an angel! I loved that Frances could talk with her about everything and that she always listened to her daughter’s troubles. She didn’t judge and let Frances figure out things for herself and most importantly: She accepted her the way she was!!! Even when Frances told her that she didn’t want to go to university she was totally okay with it and respected her daughter’s decision! I just loved that she was so supportive! She was the total opposite of Aled’s mum and I really liked that parents weren’t just mentioned as a footnote in “Radio Silence” but actually were a part of their children’s lives! =) This is really rare in YA and I appreciated it immensely!
”I don’t think I want to go to university.”
“Oh, Frances.” She didn’t sound disappointed. “That’s okay.”
“Is it okay?” I asked, because I wasn’t sure.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s okay.”
Aled & his mum:
”She looked terrifying, in that classic white, middle-class mum sort of way. Dyed cropped hair, slightly round physique, a smile that said ‘Can I get you a cup of tea?’ and eyes that said ‘I will burn everything you love.’
I really hated this woman! So, so much! GRRR!!! She stands for everything a parent shouldn’t do and be and URGH! I just couldn’t with her! I mean who ruins their children’s life? Who takes a scissor and cuts their son’s hair even though he said he doesn���t want to cut it?! Like seriously!?? And don’t even get me started on her changing Aled’s room! That was his personal space his safe haven and she destroyed it because she thought it was too messy?! WTF?! YOU. DON’T. INVADE. YOUR. CHILD’S. PRVIVATE. SPACE. EVER.!!! You let them put up posters, you let them scribble poetry on a white board, you idk give them room to breathe and to be who they are!! You don’t destroy their home! And then the thing with Aled’s dog Brian?! WTH?! Which mother does things like that?! I’m outraged and furious about this behaviour from a person that should lover her child unconditionally! The emotional abuse this woman put her children through isn’t normal and it’s extremely appalling! She might have never raised her hand against them but the emotional scars her actions left are at least as severe as if she would have hit them. All throughout the entire book I just wanted to call the youth welfare office! >_< I can’t with this woman. I just can’t! I’m so glad Carys and Aled aren’t with her anymore. They suffered enough! And this from a woman that birthed them and should have loved them... *shakes head*
”Aled was going to cry when he saw this.
She had taken his private space – his home – and destroyed it.
She took everything he loved and ruined it.”
”But we were sitting under the streetlamps and Aled was shaking in my arms and this was real, this was happening. She was taking everything Aled had and burning it. She was burning him, slowly, until he died.”
Daniel & Aled:
”I think we were so caught up in each other that we just... missed all the heteronormative propaganda that’s thrust at you when you’re that age.”
Ahh those two were actually kinda cute! Daniel broke my heart when he spoke about their relationship with Frances though. I think for him it must have been very difficult to deal with Aled. On the one hand he was his best friend and knew him better than anyone else but on the other hand he had no idea how he truly felt about him. I could understand why Aled was insecure about outing himself as demisexual. A lot of people never heard of it and he had only just begun to figure out what this meant for him as a person. I’m sure he didn’t want to hurt Daniel and so he rather pushed him away instead of talking things out. Anyway. It made me happy that they eventually managed to speak about it and I hope that one day they’ll reach the moment when they’ll both feel comfortable enough to show the world. =)
”It was all just for us in private, like we had to protect it, because we didn’t want the rest of the world to ruin it. I don’t really know why... I guess it didn’t feel like we were in a relationship at all. Because we were best friends, first and foremost. So we never knew how we’d explain it to people.”
”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.”
The reps and diversity:
This is an Alice Oseman book so the reps and the diversity were amazing! We have Frances who’s bisexual and English/Ethiopian; then there is Aled - the second MC - who is demisexual and his best friend/boyfriend Daniel who is South Korean and gay! Rain a friend of Frances is Indian and last but not least there’s Carys – Aled’s sister – who is a lesbian. So you just gotta love the diversity in this book! Also I think Aled is showing signs of depression but it’s never really verified. (though pretty much implied!)
Conclusion:
This is probably the best contemporary book I ever read and considering it’s a genre I rarely dive into this should tell you enough! Alice Oseman is a genius and the characters she created, their struggles and friendships, their hopes and dreams, their fears and doubts; they all felt real and more than just a little relatable! “Radio Silence” is the accurate voice of numerous generations, describing the one thing every one of us has to experience in order to become who we truly are: Adolescence! ;-)
July 17, 2023
This book was simple, heartwarming, invigorative, and evocative with a charming story. It was one of the best YA books I have ever read. If you are a teenager, please don’t miss the opportunity to read this book. The story of this high-achieving teenage girl and her shy friend will help you to rediscover yourself.
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“I kept peeling off layers of my personality, but I seemed to be going in circles. Every time I thought I’d worked out what I really enjoyed, I started to second-guess myself.”
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You can also follow me on
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March 15, 2020
This book missed the mark for me, but also helped me solidify the fact that I don't think I enjoy fandom books anymore. This book focuses a lot on a fictional podcast and fanart and fandom, and I just found it more cringy than relatable. I liked Aled, so I wish this book was about him rather than Frances. I just couldn't relate at all to the storyline, and the overarching conflict of the characters not wanting to go to college ended up being so flat with such an easy solution--then don't?
I'm sure other people who see themselves in this book would love it a whole lot more than I did, but even though it was an easy read that I flew through, I just wasn't wowed. I don't anticipate I'll read anything else from Alice Oseman other than her graphic novel series.
I'm sure other people who see themselves in this book would love it a whole lot more than I did, but even though it was an easy read that I flew through, I just wasn't wowed. I don't anticipate I'll read anything else from Alice Oseman other than her graphic novel series.
April 20, 2018
Me: time to talk about Radio Silence!
*clears voice*
Me: ARRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I cannot, literally cannot emphasis to you how much I freakin adore this book with all my heart
Radio Silence is a book I've seen promoted around, especially by my friendos Amelie and Tasha and I expected to enjoy it but what I didn't expect was to fall down a radio silence hole never to be seen again
PLEASE READ MY REVIEW I WANT PEOPLE TO READ THIS BOOK
this is one of those books that is about a lot more then it seems. At the most basic level, it's about this girl called Frances who is secretly obsessed with this fairly lowkey youtube podcast called Universe City. When she finds out the creator of it, Aled, is the guy who lives across the road from her she ends up becoming really good friends with him and the two's worlds kind of collide. This book is about Aled and Frances friendship, and the podcast Universe City, but it's also about a lot more. It's one of those books I kinda think should be gone into without knowing too much because I think the brilliant thing about it is how much depth it has underneath it's surface.
This book made me incredibly emotional. It's one of those books that makes you happy and sad and a bit of both at the same time. I quickly found myself really invested in the lives of every single character. This is a character driven story and the characters are so so well written, rich people. The emotion and care put into each character is so obvious and I genuinely love every single character so much. The character growth is phenomenal and the book I think to compare the characters (as in, their richness rather then their personalities) is The Raven Boys. I absolutely adored these characters and it's hard not to become invested in their lives and feel the emotions they do.
Another thing I loved about this was the exploration of the various themes. The big theme centres around University and some of the expectations or culture surrounding university. I think these discussions were incredibly well done, and I liked that Alice Oseman offers a new perspective - that not everyone needs to or wants to go to university and that is perfectly okay
Geek Culture and how each character dealt with it is one big theme. I personally really related to the whole "closet geek" thing Aled and especially Frances had going on. I think this book explored both the good and the dark sides of fandom
Alice Oseman writes teenagers so well. Every character in this book talked, felt and read like a real teenager of their age. I think the teen culture was so accurate ... memes, facebook, texting and getting drunk in a random ass field all came up and I was here for it. I recently made a post about things I want to see more of in YA Books and to my absolute delight this book honestly hit every single point
I mean the bit where she texts her mum a crying face and her mum texts back a thumbs up, four salsa dancing girls and a four leaf clover? relatable af. Speaking of her mum, Frances' mum is honestly one of the best YA mums ever and I freakin love her. The relationship between Frances and her mum is soo well done and I just loved that relationship was so strong and important. I also loved though that on the other end of the spectrum we have Aled's mum, who's emotionally abusive and controlling and I think showing that aspect of parenting was also really well done too. Aled's mum is fucking awful but I personally thought the exploration was done quite well.
Another thing I adored was the friendships. First of all, there is a purely platonic friendship between a girl and a a boy and it's emphasised right from the start that they're not going to fall in love. They're just a platonic girl and guy friend. The friendship between Aled and Frances is honestly amazing. I just found their friendship so pure and so well done and I absolutely freakin loved the scenes of them just hanging out, making cool art together and enjoying eachothers company.
REPRESENTATION Another big area I want to cover is representation.
The main character Frances is bisexual, as well as British/Ethiopian
Aled is demisexual and also implied to have depression
Daniel (Aled's kind of but not really boyfriend) is gay and a South Korean immigrant
Aled's twin sister Carys is a lesbian
Raine, Frances other best friend is Indian
There is a m/m romance, and I wouldn't call it a romance but there is also f/f representation
The general discussions around sexuality were, in my opinion, done so well. One thing I loved about Frances' bisexual representation was that she figured out she was bi through the internet which was totally relatable, and also that she's very outright with her sexuality and it's never under fire or cheapened or misrepresented. As an OV reviewing I personally found the bisexual rep to be incredibly well done.
All this representation is on the page (except Aled's depression though this is heavily implied/coded)
This is honestly one of the most phenomenal contemporary books I've ever read and I KNOW I just said that about The Hate U Give but I think I somehow ... also loved this even more then that and I fucking loved THUG.
Every element of this was just so incredibly appealing to me. The solid m/f friendship, the parents in the story, the relationship between Aled and Daniel. The podcast, Frances worry about school, the pressure on the kids regarding school, the teenagers hanging out, the little mystery element over who is February Friday, and what happened to Carys.
I read this entire 410 page book in one day and then sent an embarrassing "Im crying because I love your book" to Alice Oseman's tumblr so safe to say I really really really really loved this and honestly can everyone just stop what they are doing and read it right fucking now??
trigger warnings: parental abuse (emotional, hair cutting being the most physical), alcohol use/getting drunk, depression and suicidal implications
me upon finishing this
some more quotes I loved
“And I’m platonically in love with you.”
“That was literally the boy-girl version of ‘no homo’, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
“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.”
my playlist
*clears voice*
Me: ARRRRRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
I cannot, literally cannot emphasis to you how much I freakin adore this book with all my heart
Radio Silence is a book I've seen promoted around, especially by my friendos Amelie and Tasha and I expected to enjoy it but what I didn't expect was to fall down a radio silence hole never to be seen again
“In Distress. Stuck in Universe City. Send Help.
PLEASE READ MY REVIEW I WANT PEOPLE TO READ THIS BOOK
this is one of those books that is about a lot more then it seems. At the most basic level, it's about this girl called Frances who is secretly obsessed with this fairly lowkey youtube podcast called Universe City. When she finds out the creator of it, Aled, is the guy who lives across the road from her she ends up becoming really good friends with him and the two's worlds kind of collide. This book is about Aled and Frances friendship, and the podcast Universe City, but it's also about a lot more. It's one of those books I kinda think should be gone into without knowing too much because I think the brilliant thing about it is how much depth it has underneath it's surface.
Hello.
I hope somebody is listening.
This book made me incredibly emotional. It's one of those books that makes you happy and sad and a bit of both at the same time. I quickly found myself really invested in the lives of every single character. This is a character driven story and the characters are so so well written, rich people. The emotion and care put into each character is so obvious and I genuinely love every single character so much. The character growth is phenomenal and the book I think to compare the characters (as in, their richness rather then their personalities) is The Raven Boys. I absolutely adored these characters and it's hard not to become invested in their lives and feel the emotions they do.
“I'm sending out this call via radio signal - long out-dated, I know, but perhaps one of the few methods of communication the City has forgotten to monitor - in a dark and desperate plea for help"
Another thing I loved about this was the exploration of the various themes. The big theme centres around University and some of the expectations or culture surrounding university. I think these discussions were incredibly well done, and I liked that Alice Oseman offers a new perspective - that not everyone needs to or wants to go to university and that is perfectly okay
Geek Culture and how each character dealt with it is one big theme. I personally really related to the whole "closet geek" thing Aled and especially Frances had going on. I think this book explored both the good and the dark sides of fandom
“Things in Universe City are not what they seem"
Alice Oseman writes teenagers so well. Every character in this book talked, felt and read like a real teenager of their age. I think the teen culture was so accurate ... memes, facebook, texting and getting drunk in a random ass field all came up and I was here for it. I recently made a post about things I want to see more of in YA Books and to my absolute delight this book honestly hit every single point
I mean the bit where she texts her mum a crying face and her mum texts back a thumbs up, four salsa dancing girls and a four leaf clover? relatable af. Speaking of her mum, Frances' mum is honestly one of the best YA mums ever and I freakin love her. The relationship between Frances and her mum is soo well done and I just loved that relationship was so strong and important. I also loved though that on the other end of the spectrum we have Aled's mum, who's emotionally abusive and controlling and I think showing that aspect of parenting was also really well done too. Aled's mum is fucking awful but I personally thought the exploration was done quite well.
Another thing I adored was the friendships. First of all, there is a purely platonic friendship between a girl and a a boy and it's emphasised right from the start that they're not going to fall in love. They're just a platonic girl and guy friend. The friendship between Aled and Frances is honestly amazing. I just found their friendship so pure and so well done and I absolutely freakin loved the scenes of them just hanging out, making cool art together and enjoying eachothers company.
“I cannot tell you who I am. Please call me ... please just call me Radio. Radio Silence. I am, after all, only a voice on a radio, and there may not be anyone listening"
REPRESENTATION Another big area I want to cover is representation.
The main character Frances is bisexual, as well as British/Ethiopian
Aled is demisexual and also implied to have depression
Daniel (Aled's kind of but not really boyfriend) is gay and a South Korean immigrant
Aled's twin sister Carys is a lesbian
Raine, Frances other best friend is Indian
There is a m/m romance, and I wouldn't call it a romance but there is also f/f representation
The general discussions around sexuality were, in my opinion, done so well. One thing I loved about Frances' bisexual representation was that she figured out she was bi through the internet which was totally relatable, and also that she's very outright with her sexuality and it's never under fire or cheapened or misrepresented. As an OV reviewing I personally found the bisexual rep to be incredibly well done.
All this representation is on the page (except Aled's depression though this is heavily implied/coded)
This is honestly one of the most phenomenal contemporary books I've ever read and I KNOW I just said that about The Hate U Give but I think I somehow ... also loved this even more then that and I fucking loved THUG.
Every element of this was just so incredibly appealing to me. The solid m/f friendship, the parents in the story, the relationship between Aled and Daniel. The podcast, Frances worry about school, the pressure on the kids regarding school, the teenagers hanging out, the little mystery element over who is February Friday, and what happened to Carys.
I read this entire 410 page book in one day and then sent an embarrassing "Im crying because I love your book" to Alice Oseman's tumblr so safe to say I really really really really loved this and honestly can everyone just stop what they are doing and read it right fucking now??
trigger warnings: parental abuse (emotional, hair cutting being the most physical), alcohol use/getting drunk, depression and suicidal implications
“I wonder - if nobody is listening to my voice, am I even making any sound at all?"
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
me upon finishing this
some more quotes I loved
“And I’m platonically in love with you.”
“That was literally the boy-girl version of ‘no homo’, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
“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.”
my playlist
August 27, 2018
"if you like it, then it is brilliant."
shit y'all. i'm honestly at a loss for words when it comes to this book. as with many books, i was influenced by another person to read this one. specifically by kat of paperbackdreams on youtube. if you watch her, you'll understand the expectations that i had going into this.
it wasn't at all what i expected. i didn't know much about the plot going in, purposefully. but i didn't expect a book about a girl in her senior year of high school & a boy with an anonymous youtube channel to be so stark and poignant.
there was a lot to love. the format of the book, despite the (sorry) lack of plot lent itself well to binge reading. every chapter ended with SUCH. QUOTABLE. LINES. the idea that just because something is "typical" it doesn't have to be the right choice for you. the characters felt real, lovely, and so so imperfect. and the relationships were impeccably nuanced. all things that i need in books.
PLUS! the boy/girl friendship and NOT BANGIN rep was fantastic.
the only reason i couldn't 5 star this is because i'm old. truly. there was just a certain level of disconnect from the characters' struggles given that i'm already out of university and in the real world. i felt myself remembering some of that "what am i going to do with my life" angst that i had back then but it's hard to truly relate 5 years later.
but that's not a bad thing. books are not written solely for me to relate to. and i still felt the beautiful sentiment that this book had to offer. go read this, especially if you're in high school. you'll find yourself wishing frances & aled were your friends too.
shit y'all. i'm honestly at a loss for words when it comes to this book. as with many books, i was influenced by another person to read this one. specifically by kat of paperbackdreams on youtube. if you watch her, you'll understand the expectations that i had going into this.
it wasn't at all what i expected. i didn't know much about the plot going in, purposefully. but i didn't expect a book about a girl in her senior year of high school & a boy with an anonymous youtube channel to be so stark and poignant.
there was a lot to love. the format of the book, despite the (sorry) lack of plot lent itself well to binge reading. every chapter ended with SUCH. QUOTABLE. LINES. the idea that just because something is "typical" it doesn't have to be the right choice for you. the characters felt real, lovely, and so so imperfect. and the relationships were impeccably nuanced. all things that i need in books.
PLUS! the boy/girl friendship and NOT BANGIN rep was fantastic.
the only reason i couldn't 5 star this is because i'm old. truly. there was just a certain level of disconnect from the characters' struggles given that i'm already out of university and in the real world. i felt myself remembering some of that "what am i going to do with my life" angst that i had back then but it's hard to truly relate 5 years later.
but that's not a bad thing. books are not written solely for me to relate to. and i still felt the beautiful sentiment that this book had to offer. go read this, especially if you're in high school. you'll find yourself wishing frances & aled were your friends too.
March 5, 2019
"Everything's better under the stars, I suppose. If we get another life after we die, I'll meet you there."
4.5/5 stars
A girl pretending to be someone else entirely. A boy who can peel away her layers. A friendship so deep they'll never want to lose each other. And secrets that could destroy it all.
I've you've read Solitaire or Radio Silence you'll know that she's one of us. Movie and book nerd, internet and 90's kid, passionate procrastinator, feminist, possibly awkward. Which is the main reason her writing is so close to my heart. It's highly relatable and highly sarcastic. No wonder I read this in a day. This was even better than her debut novel.
There's many more reasons this book made happy:
•I just love the characters, especially Frances' mom. She's the best. And even though you won't like the evil Mom-next-door, she's someone you'll recognise from your non-book life.
•Thumbs up also for talking feminism, diversity, and sexual identity.
•CAMEOS. I NEED MORE NICK&CHARLIE IN MY LIFE PRETTY PLEASE.
The only thing I can criticise - and where I had to take away half a star - is the clichéd drama. But that shall be forgiven. 99% of books have that moment where you roll your eyes because of some big misunderstanding, where you know that if they'd just talk, it could be sorted out in a minute.
Now, how long will I have to wait for a new Oseman book?
Find more of my books on Instagram
4.5/5 stars
A girl pretending to be someone else entirely. A boy who can peel away her layers. A friendship so deep they'll never want to lose each other. And secrets that could destroy it all.
I've you've read Solitaire or Radio Silence you'll know that she's one of us. Movie and book nerd, internet and 90's kid, passionate procrastinator, feminist, possibly awkward. Which is the main reason her writing is so close to my heart. It's highly relatable and highly sarcastic. No wonder I read this in a day. This was even better than her debut novel.
There's many more reasons this book made happy:
•I just love the characters, especially Frances' mom. She's the best. And even though you won't like the evil Mom-next-door, she's someone you'll recognise from your non-book life.
•Thumbs up also for talking feminism, diversity, and sexual identity.
•CAMEOS. I NEED MORE NICK&CHARLIE IN MY LIFE PRETTY PLEASE.
The only thing I can criticise - and where I had to take away half a star - is the clichéd drama. But that shall be forgiven. 99% of books have that moment where you roll your eyes because of some big misunderstanding, where you know that if they'd just talk, it could be sorted out in a minute.
Now, how long will I have to wait for a new Oseman book?
Find more of my books on Instagram
December 30, 2021
This book is for all my fellow sarcastic, goal-oriented overachievers with unreliable self-esteem, oddly specific obsessions, and unrealistic dreams.
I don't think I'll ever be the same.
Review to come...
I don't think I'll ever be the same.
Review to come...
April 14, 2018
*4.5/5
I honestly can’t tell you how long it’s been since I stayed up too late, not even realizing what time it was because I was so desperate to finish a story. Brilliant.
I honestly can’t tell you how long it’s been since I stayed up too late, not even realizing what time it was because I was so desperate to finish a story. Brilliant.
July 17, 2018
What a PHENOMENAL book. Wow. Wow wow wow. WOW.
February 10, 2017
“Hello. I hope somebody is listening.”
Radio Silence has been on my wishlist for ages, so I figured the time has come to pick it up. And wow was time right.
We follow Frances Janvier's final school year. Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside.
Frances is obsessed with Universe City, a YouTube podcast show about a suit-wearing student detective looking for a way to escape a sci-fi, monster-infested university.
“Nobody knew who made the podcast, but it was the voice of the narrator that got me addicted to the show – it has a kind of softness. It makes you want to fall asleep. In the least weird way possible, it’s a bit like someone stroking your hair.”
That's what I thought when I listened to my first podcast episode: it makes you want to fall asleep (in the best way possible).
Oh, and Frances is also mixed-race & bisexual.
This review contains mild *spoilers*.
When Frances meets Aled Last, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom.
“I never told anyone about Universe City,” he said, glancing back at me. “I thought they’d think I was weird.”
There were a hundred things I could have said in reply to that, but I just said:
“Same.”
Same here, too.
I also loved how they slowly became good friends, it's one of my favorite things to read about in books:
“Just before he left, as we were standing in the doorway, I said:
“Where did you get your shoes? They’re so nice.”
He looked at me like I’d told him he’d won the lottery.
“ASOS,” he said.
“Ah, cool.”
“They’re …” He almost didn’t say it. “I know they’re weird. They were in the women’s section.”
“Oh. They don’t look like women’s shoes.” I looked at his feet. “They don’t look like men’s shoes either. They’re just shoes.” I looked back at him and smiled, not quite sure where I was going with this. He was staring at me, his expression now completely unreadable.
“I have a coat from Topman,” I continued. “And I tell you what, the men’s section of Primark is the best for Christmas jumpers.”
Yes! Thank you for addressing this in writing.
And for a second there I was troubled that this was going to become a love story, but I needn't have worried.
“I just sort of want to say something before we continue.
You probably think that Aled Last and I are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and I am a girl.
I just wanted to say –
We don’t.
That’s all.”
I felt so surprised (in a good way) when she addressed the reader. I even had that Robert De Niro moment:
But I just... I loved how well-developed and real the friendship between Frances and Aled was:
“Our friendship had become this:
(00:00) Frances Janvier
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE YOU’RE FEELING PARTY AF
LOVE U LOADS U BEAUTIFUL MAN
CAN’T BELIEVE MY SMALL BUDDY IS A MAN NOW
I’M CRYING
(00:02) Aled Last
why are you tormenting me with cringe messages like this
(00:03) Frances Janvier
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(00: 03) Aled Last
Wow
thank u tho luv u (✿♥‿♥)
(00:04) Frances Janvier”
THAT was cringe m8
(00:04) Aled Last
that was payback "
Literally cry-laughing over their messages.
Speaking of... the humor in this book was right up my alley.
“There was a huge Facebook event for the post-exams night happening at Johnny R’s on the same day, which everyone in sixth form had been invited to, but I didn’t really want to go. Firstly, everyone was just gonna get drunk, which I could do perfectly well by myself in my lounge while watching YouTube videos instead of having to worry about catching the last train home or avoiding sexual assault. Secondly, I hadn’t really spoken to any of my school friends apart from Raine very recently, and I think if we were in The Sims, our friendship bar would almost be back to nothing.”
I don't know why, but that Sims reference made me crack up for days.
...On a more serious note, I went into this book thinking that Frances was asexual (not bisexual), so that was a mistake on my part. But Radio Silence talked about really important topics in such an inclusive way, I loved it.
“Like, it’s one of the reasons that I got so into Universe City in the first place. Because Radio falls in love with all sorts of people, boys and girls and other genders and … like, aliens and stuff.” I laughed and he smiled too.
“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.”
True!!!
Also, the pop-culture references were written in such a smooth way!! There was talk of Harry Potter, Youtubers, Twitter (including tweets)... and again, the instant messages between Frances and Aled were hysterical.
Social media was just handled in a really well way, both the positive and the negative aspects. I mean, when some people in the fandom were acting like literal detectives trying to expose someone online, it was scary. Not gonna lie.
Messing with the privacy of a person who clearly wanted to remain anonymous? Not cool.
“It was disgusting. People who knew Aled in real life had taken stuff from his private Facebook. They’d listened in on my conversation with Jess and quoted me. What was this? Who did they think I was? A celebrity?”
I'm very glad Alice Oseman included this.
Also, on a completely unrelated note— can we take a minute to appreciate Raine? Because I loved it whenever she showed up. She just said whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. Incredible.
“Is that an ‘Oh my God you look absolutely ridiculous’?” I said, getting into the passenger seat, “because that’s an understandable reaction.”
“No, I mean I didn’t know you were so … pop punk. I thought I was gonna have to corrupt the nerdy one, but … you’re not actually a nerd, are you?”
She appeared to be being genuine.
“This is real, this is me,” I said.
She blinked. “Did you just quote Camp Rock at me? That’s not very pop punk.”
“I’ve gotta go my own way.”
“Okay, firstly, that’s High School Musical …”
Ha! She took my line about Camp Rock!!
Also, quoting old Disney Channel movies in books? Yes, please.
Truly though, Lorraine Sengupta had my heart because her lines were the absolute best. She's a sunshine angel.
Oh, and as I mentioned before about asexuality... I was really glad that it did end up being included when Aled mentioned that he's demisexual!
I pretty much adored everything about Radio Silence, and my only tiny (really tiny) complaint being that the word 'literally' was used one too many times for my liking. I enjoy using it too, but while reading I prefer seeing it in moderation.
Also, I just wanted to mention that this book had so many great recommendations for music artists (London Grammar, Nero, Madeon...). And yet I still somehow ended up listening to this next song on repeat because I'm obsessed with Phillipa Soo's voice.
(Every single time she sings “I wrote to the General a month ago,” a piece of my heart cracks.)
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Radio Silence, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
Radio Silence has been on my wishlist for ages, so I figured the time has come to pick it up. And wow was time right.
We follow Frances Janvier's final school year. Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside.
Frances is obsessed with Universe City, a YouTube podcast show about a suit-wearing student detective looking for a way to escape a sci-fi, monster-infested university.
“Nobody knew who made the podcast, but it was the voice of the narrator that got me addicted to the show – it has a kind of softness. It makes you want to fall asleep. In the least weird way possible, it’s a bit like someone stroking your hair.”
That's what I thought when I listened to my first podcast episode: it makes you want to fall asleep (in the best way possible).
Oh, and Frances is also mixed-race & bisexual.
This review contains mild *spoilers*.
When Frances meets Aled Last, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom.
“I never told anyone about Universe City,” he said, glancing back at me. “I thought they’d think I was weird.”
There were a hundred things I could have said in reply to that, but I just said:
“Same.”
Same here, too.
I also loved how they slowly became good friends, it's one of my favorite things to read about in books:
“Just before he left, as we were standing in the doorway, I said:
“Where did you get your shoes? They’re so nice.”
He looked at me like I’d told him he’d won the lottery.
“ASOS,” he said.
“Ah, cool.”
“They’re …” He almost didn’t say it. “I know they’re weird. They were in the women’s section.”
“Oh. They don’t look like women’s shoes.” I looked at his feet. “They don’t look like men’s shoes either. They’re just shoes.” I looked back at him and smiled, not quite sure where I was going with this. He was staring at me, his expression now completely unreadable.
“I have a coat from Topman,” I continued. “And I tell you what, the men’s section of Primark is the best for Christmas jumpers.”
Yes! Thank you for addressing this in writing.
And for a second there I was troubled that this was going to become a love story, but I needn't have worried.
“I just sort of want to say something before we continue.
You probably think that Aled Last and I are going to fall in love or something. Since he is a boy and I am a girl.
I just wanted to say –
We don’t.
That’s all.”
I felt so surprised (in a good way) when she addressed the reader. I even had that Robert De Niro moment:
But I just... I loved how well-developed and real the friendship between Frances and Aled was:
“Our friendship had become this:
(00:00) Frances Janvier
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HOPE YOU’RE FEELING PARTY AF
LOVE U LOADS U BEAUTIFUL MAN
CAN’T BELIEVE MY SMALL BUDDY IS A MAN NOW
I’M CRYING
(00:02) Aled Last
why are you tormenting me with cringe messages like this
(00:03) Frances Janvier
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
(00: 03) Aled Last
Wow
thank u tho luv u (✿♥‿♥)
(00:04) Frances Janvier”
THAT was cringe m8
(00:04) Aled Last
that was payback "
Literally cry-laughing over their messages.
Speaking of... the humor in this book was right up my alley.
“There was a huge Facebook event for the post-exams night happening at Johnny R’s on the same day, which everyone in sixth form had been invited to, but I didn’t really want to go. Firstly, everyone was just gonna get drunk, which I could do perfectly well by myself in my lounge while watching YouTube videos instead of having to worry about catching the last train home or avoiding sexual assault. Secondly, I hadn’t really spoken to any of my school friends apart from Raine very recently, and I think if we were in The Sims, our friendship bar would almost be back to nothing.”
I don't know why, but that Sims reference made me crack up for days.
...On a more serious note, I went into this book thinking that Frances was asexual (not bisexual), so that was a mistake on my part. But Radio Silence talked about really important topics in such an inclusive way, I loved it.
“Like, it’s one of the reasons that I got so into Universe City in the first place. Because Radio falls in love with all sorts of people, boys and girls and other genders and … like, aliens and stuff.” I laughed and he smiled too.
“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.”
True!!!
Also, the pop-culture references were written in such a smooth way!! There was talk of Harry Potter, Youtubers, Twitter (including tweets)... and again, the instant messages between Frances and Aled were hysterical.
Social media was just handled in a really well way, both the positive and the negative aspects. I mean, when some people in the fandom were acting like literal detectives trying to expose someone online, it was scary. Not gonna lie.
Messing with the privacy of a person who clearly wanted to remain anonymous? Not cool.
“It was disgusting. People who knew Aled in real life had taken stuff from his private Facebook. They’d listened in on my conversation with Jess and quoted me. What was this? Who did they think I was? A celebrity?”
I'm very glad Alice Oseman included this.
Also, on a completely unrelated note— can we take a minute to appreciate Raine? Because I loved it whenever she showed up. She just said whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. Incredible.
“Is that an ‘Oh my God you look absolutely ridiculous’?” I said, getting into the passenger seat, “because that’s an understandable reaction.”
“No, I mean I didn’t know you were so … pop punk. I thought I was gonna have to corrupt the nerdy one, but … you’re not actually a nerd, are you?”
She appeared to be being genuine.
“This is real, this is me,” I said.
She blinked. “Did you just quote Camp Rock at me? That’s not very pop punk.”
“I’ve gotta go my own way.”
“Okay, firstly, that’s High School Musical …”
Ha! She took my line about Camp Rock!!
Also, quoting old Disney Channel movies in books? Yes, please.
Truly though, Lorraine Sengupta had my heart because her lines were the absolute best. She's a sunshine angel.
Oh, and as I mentioned before about asexuality... I was really glad that it did end up being included when Aled mentioned that he's demisexual!
I pretty much adored everything about Radio Silence, and my only tiny (really tiny) complaint being that the word 'literally' was used one too many times for my liking. I enjoy using it too, but while reading I prefer seeing it in moderation.
Also, I just wanted to mention that this book had so many great recommendations for music artists (London Grammar, Nero, Madeon...). And yet I still somehow ended up listening to this next song on repeat because I'm obsessed with Phillipa Soo's voice.
(Every single time she sings “I wrote to the General a month ago,” a piece of my heart cracks.)
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying Radio Silence, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
This review and more can be found on my blog.
July 3, 2022
read most of this in one sitting and now idk what to do with myself
May 24, 2019
3,5* - this was so great up until the "showdown" happened. Realistic characters and relationships, a compelling writing style and a great message. But ugh the ending was so over dramatic and unrealistic.. It kinda ruined the book for me tbh.
July 24, 2022
"Hello. I hope somebody is listening."
I feel so happy! This book gave me so many happy feels! I can't. Just thinking about it and I feel happy. I know for sure that I am going to re-read this book over and over in the future. I've only read Heartstopper from Alice Oseman before this book, but I already know that she will be a favourite author of mine once I finish reading all her books. Wait, no, scratch that, she already is a favourite author of mine.
This will probably be a bit of a chaotic review as I find it hard sometimes to put into words why I love a story so much, but please enjoy!
TW: anxiety, animal death, emotionally abusive parent
"On the first of November, I turned eighteen. I expected to feel different but of course, I didn't. I don't think age has much to do with adulthood."
Radio Silence follows Aled and Frances and they basically make a podcast together, but it's so much more than that. You may think it's a romance since Aled is a boy and Frances is a girl but it's really not. They don't fall in love. It's a story about friendship, about what it's like being a teenager and not knowing what you want from life, about mental health and sexuality.
"Art reflects life," said Carys. "Or... maybe it's the other way round."
Oh my god, this book has so much LBTG rep in it. We have a demisexual character, a bisexual character, a gay character and more and I was just here for all of it! The ace spectrum is something I find so rarely in books so I was very excited and happy when we got demi rep in here. I started screaming in excitement.
"Aled... he's always been weird. He doesn't care what people think. He doesn't even, like, register the social norms... he's just caught upin his own little world."
art by Alice Oseman
I loved the characters. Aled had to be my favourite, since I feel like I have a similar personality with him and I really connect with him. I saw myself in so many of the situations that he was in. Also let's not forget that he dyes his hair a lot. I love seeing characters who love dying they hair as I do.this coming from someone who had more haircolors than they could count
"Hair is the window to the soul."
I have never ever found a character in a book that is so much like me at the time. Since then I found so many others, but Aled will always have a special place in my heart due to him being from my all time favourite book. Yes, I said it. Radio Silence is my favourite book of all time. I loved Frances and Daniel too and I related with Frances too, but not nearly as much as Aled. She is way more outspoken while he is just this quiet person, although if he trusts someone or is close to that person he could talk your ear off.
“Sometimes I think if nobody spoke to me, I'd never speak again.”
This was one of the many quotes from Aled that just spoke to me. He is such a complex character and I will eternally be grateful to Alice Oseman for creating his character
"And I’m platonically in love with you.”
“That was literally the boy-girl version of ‘no homo’, but I appreciate the sentiment."
“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.”
I loved seeing how their relationships developed. It was good to see that we didn't end up having a romance between Aled and Frances just because he is a boy and she is girl. It felt so refreshing and different! I also loved that in this book not all the characters needed to be in a relationship or have a love interest by the end of the book! Most YA contamporaries feel the need to remain in these bondaries, while this novel just does its own thing.
art by Alice Oseman
"I've come to the conclusion that it's impossible to survive alone in Universe City."
The podcast part of the book with Universe City is probably one of the best thing in this book. First of all I just love multi-media in books. It's always such a breath fresh of air and I just love how it makes the book feel even more unique. For Aled Universe City was something deeply personal and I loved the fact that ultimately he used it as a whole methaphor for his life. The podcast is something so cleverly crafted that also tries to bring out the problems in the world, specifically with the educational system.
"I'd like it if someone were to rescue me soon. Oh, I'd like that very much. I'd like that. I'd like that very much indeed
The humours was so good. Most of the book I was cry laughing and there were times when I was reading next to my father and trying so hard not to laugh out loud. Unlike so many other authors who write contemporaries with a focus on teenagers, Alice Oseman understands how to write them realistic and not make them seem forced or it being obvious they were written by an adult. Setting aside the fact that she is an excellent writer and amazing storyteller, she understands teengers so well because she started writting at a very young age, publishing her first book when she was 18 I think and now she is still in her 20s!
“Everyone's different inside their head.”
I loved this book so much. As I said this has quickly become my favourite book of all time. I always found it hard to actually choose a favourite book, but immediately after I read it, I realised this was it. I found that book for me. After reading this book and having such string feelings for it, I cannot wait to read Alice Oseman's other books!
"I wonder- if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all?"
Bonus! Short book playlist haha! Songs that reminded me of this book while reading:
4 am - girl in red
American Pie - Don Mclean
For This You Were Born - Unsecret
Lucky - Aurora
Take on the World - You Me at Six
save me from the monsters in my head - Welshly Arms
Runaway - Aurora
Riptide - Vance Joy
Train Wreck - James Arthur
Renegades - X Ambassadors
smoke signals - Pheobe Bridgers
bad idea! - girl in red
Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
art by Alice Oseman
I feel so happy! This book gave me so many happy feels! I can't. Just thinking about it and I feel happy. I know for sure that I am going to re-read this book over and over in the future. I've only read Heartstopper from Alice Oseman before this book, but I already know that she will be a favourite author of mine once I finish reading all her books. Wait, no, scratch that, she already is a favourite author of mine.
This will probably be a bit of a chaotic review as I find it hard sometimes to put into words why I love a story so much, but please enjoy!
TW: anxiety, animal death, emotionally abusive parent
"On the first of November, I turned eighteen. I expected to feel different but of course, I didn't. I don't think age has much to do with adulthood."
Radio Silence follows Aled and Frances and they basically make a podcast together, but it's so much more than that. You may think it's a romance since Aled is a boy and Frances is a girl but it's really not. They don't fall in love. It's a story about friendship, about what it's like being a teenager and not knowing what you want from life, about mental health and sexuality.
"Art reflects life," said Carys. "Or... maybe it's the other way round."
Oh my god, this book has so much LBTG rep in it. We have a demisexual character, a bisexual character, a gay character and more and I was just here for all of it! The ace spectrum is something I find so rarely in books so I was very excited and happy when we got demi rep in here. I started screaming in excitement.
"Aled... he's always been weird. He doesn't care what people think. He doesn't even, like, register the social norms... he's just caught upin his own little world."
art by Alice Oseman
I loved the characters. Aled had to be my favourite, since I feel like I have a similar personality with him and I really connect with him. I saw myself in so many of the situations that he was in. Also let's not forget that he dyes his hair a lot. I love seeing characters who love dying they hair as I do.
"Hair is the window to the soul."
I have never ever found a character in a book that is so much like me at the time. Since then I found so many others, but Aled will always have a special place in my heart due to him being from my all time favourite book. Yes, I said it. Radio Silence is my favourite book of all time. I loved Frances and Daniel too and I related with Frances too, but not nearly as much as Aled. She is way more outspoken while he is just this quiet person, although if he trusts someone or is close to that person he could talk your ear off.
“Sometimes I think if nobody spoke to me, I'd never speak again.”
This was one of the many quotes from Aled that just spoke to me. He is such a complex character and I will eternally be grateful to Alice Oseman for creating his character
"And I’m platonically in love with you.”
“That was literally the boy-girl version of ‘no homo’, but I appreciate the sentiment."
“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.”
I loved seeing how their relationships developed. It was good to see that we didn't end up having a romance between Aled and Frances just because he is a boy and she is girl. It felt so refreshing and different! I also loved that in this book not all the characters needed to be in a relationship or have a love interest by the end of the book! Most YA contamporaries feel the need to remain in these bondaries, while this novel just does its own thing.
art by Alice Oseman
"I've come to the conclusion that it's impossible to survive alone in Universe City."
The podcast part of the book with Universe City is probably one of the best thing in this book. First of all I just love multi-media in books. It's always such a breath fresh of air and I just love how it makes the book feel even more unique. For Aled Universe City was something deeply personal and I loved the fact that ultimately he used it as a whole methaphor for his life. The podcast is something so cleverly crafted that also tries to bring out the problems in the world, specifically with the educational system.
"I'd like it if someone were to rescue me soon. Oh, I'd like that very much. I'd like that. I'd like that very much indeed
The humours was so good. Most of the book I was cry laughing and there were times when I was reading next to my father and trying so hard not to laugh out loud. Unlike so many other authors who write contemporaries with a focus on teenagers, Alice Oseman understands how to write them realistic and not make them seem forced or it being obvious they were written by an adult. Setting aside the fact that she is an excellent writer and amazing storyteller, she understands teengers so well because she started writting at a very young age, publishing her first book when she was 18 I think and now she is still in her 20s!
“Everyone's different inside their head.”
I loved this book so much. As I said this has quickly become my favourite book of all time. I always found it hard to actually choose a favourite book, but immediately after I read it, I realised this was it. I found that book for me. After reading this book and having such string feelings for it, I cannot wait to read Alice Oseman's other books!
"I wonder- if nobody is listening to my voice, am I making any sound at all?"
Bonus! Short book playlist haha! Songs that reminded me of this book while reading:
4 am - girl in red
American Pie - Don Mclean
For This You Were Born - Unsecret
Lucky - Aurora
Take on the World - You Me at Six
save me from the monsters in my head - Welshly Arms
Runaway - Aurora
Riptide - Vance Joy
Train Wreck - James Arthur
Renegades - X Ambassadors
smoke signals - Pheobe Bridgers
bad idea! - girl in red
Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
art by Alice Oseman
Want to read
January 18, 2020this is everywhere
February 11, 2019
They were all so precious I love them all.
June 6, 2019
THIS WAS SO GOOD EXCUSE ME WHILE I CRY FOR THE NEXT 20 YEARS
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