The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde - UPDATED REVIEW

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde  Genre : Classics Blurb (on back of book) : Oscar Wilde’s only novel is the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. In this celebrated work Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind. UPDATED REVIEW MY OPINION : ****** I would like to start out this review by stating that this is undoubtedly m...
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Heartstopper (Volume II) - Alice Oseman

Heartstopper (Volume II) by Alice Oseman
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction/Graphic Novel

Blurb (on back of book): Nick and Charlie are best friends. Nick knows Charlie's gay, and Charlie is sure that Nick isn't.
But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family ... and himself.

MY OPINION: ****

In the Webtoon version of this book, I'm pretty sure all of Chapter 3 was the entirety of this book, which makes sense as it was an unusually long chapter. I'm not entirely positive on that fact though but from what I've read, that seems to be the case. 

I loved this section of the Webtoon because we get to see some clear development in Charlie and Nick as individuals and within their relationship as well. The book is super cute just like the first one and goes more in depth to that honeymoon stage of a first-love relationship that we all love to hate to love. 

Charlie still suffers from a lot of insecurities and I felt so bad for him, especially in light of public enemy #1 (he-who-shall-not-be-named) and the blatant homophobia. This volume definitely covers the darker side of coming out and illustrates the damaging effects of discrimination and homophobia more than the first one. I loved Charlie with my whole heart and I'm glad he had Nick to help him through the horrible things he faces. 

Nick is more open about his sexuality and has started to accept that part of himself more than he did in the first book. This volume focuses more on his coming out journey and learning to be comfortable with sharing that part of himself with those around him, and I loved how the author portrayed his story. I think it's obviously a very different experience for everyone but this felt very realistic and beautiful. 

This book focuses a lot more on the very early stages of getting into a relationship and I loved everything about it. I loved Charlie's friends and family and how supportive they were, even Tao. I liked Tao's character because he made some mistakes but it wasn't done out of hatred or malice and instead were just genuine misunderstandings. I think he added an additional layer to the book that otherwise could have been more surface-level without Tao. 

Short review for a short book but I would recommend this one to readers looking for a fun, cute, fast-paced graphic novel. 

Main Character: Nick, Charlie
Sidekick(s): Friends, family, etc
Villain(s): Harry, homophobia, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life. 

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