I was quite worried when starting this book because Alice Oseman is primarily known for romance (especially the Heartstopper series), and I’m not a fan of romance books. Also, my brother loves this book and Oseman’s work in general, and when I told him I was going to read this, he told me that I would hate it, but I still read it because it fit the bingo category perfectly (and then forgot to review it for bingo).
Radio Silence is the story of Frances Janvier, a 17 or 18 year old girl who is, on the outside, the typical “smart kid” (study machine, good grades, head girl, applying to Cambridge, etc). However, there’s levels to her. She has a secret obsession with a podcast on YouTube, Universe City, that she draws fanart for. Then, the mysterious creator of the podcast asks her to make animations for it, but, unbeknownst to both of them, they meet…
The book tells the story, not just of this, but of the lives of the creator and Frances, who deal with mental health problems, parental abuse, expectations, and not knowing what they want out of life.
Surprisingly, it was good. I liked it. There was a little bit of romance, but it wasn’t central to the plot. To be honest, I don’t really know why my brother thought I would hate it. I found it to be well written and interesting, especially with the plot twists. Overall, this was a good book. I would recommend it. I would also recommend that you don’t listen to your brother who tells you that you will hate it (unless you think you will too).
