Well, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak, and Oseman to finally dive headfirst into the more serious matters she’d been dancing around. However, I don’t know that I expected it to go this far. That’s not a bad thing. I appreciate that Oseman didn’t aim to give readers some twee, PG version of these things. That would’ve been a disservice to the characters, their story, and the subject matter. Nick, Charlie, and everyone around them are in the absolute trenches in volume four. At the same time as Charlie is considering how and when to say those three words – “I love you” – to Nick, Nick is waging a mental war of his own over how to handle his concerns about Charlie’s possible eating disorder. This clash makes for some of Heartstopper‘s most heartwrenching and heartwarming moments to date, as both characters navigate their own share of unfamiliar territory.
Charlie has to figure out his way back to okay, with Oseman noting that for people like him it’s always an easy detour back to that dark place. Nick has to figure out how to navigate all of this, all while dealing with little roadblocks of his own, such as coming out to his father, or his homophobic twat of a brother. But throughout it all, they have one another, and their friends, to keep them bouncing back, even when the darkness might seem all-consuming. Surround yourself with the right people and you can get through anything. It really is true. I wish I had what Charlie and Nick have; I have my person, but I wish I had that unfaltering friend group to support me. Maybe one day.