Radio Silence: A Coming-of-Age Tale of Identity and Friendship
The second novel by the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman, the author of the million-copy bestselling Heartstopper books—now a major Netflix series.
What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?
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.
But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favorite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken.
Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances’s dreams come crashing down. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past…
She has to confess why Carys disappeared…
Meanwhile at university, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets.
It’s only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. And it’s only by being your true self that you can find happiness.
Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has.
A coming-of-age read that tackles issues of identity, the pressure to succeed, diversity, and freedom to choose, Radio Silence is a tour de force by the most exciting writer of her generation.
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Community Reviews
Let's talk about the plot:
So going into to this story, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I knew it was going to be a Fangirl-style teen book surrounding a Podcast instead of fanfiction. What I didn't expect was the ending that blew me away, the fantastic and diverse and relatable characters, or the deep messages about college and growing up.
Diversity:
Bonus points for this one because they made a biracial (Ethiopian-British), bisexual teen who was my favorite character because she was so relatable. There's also a gay, Asian boy and a demisexual(ON PAGE REP FOR THIS!) boy.
Messages:
There's an amazing message in here about parents forcing their children to go to college despite what they'd like to do. There's also some about abusive parenting (nothing too bad, just some emotional scenes so quick TW for this!). The messages in this book were so unique that I was taken aback when I realized what I was reading and I was suddenly so grateful for this story. There's a story about a character who realizes what they want to do in life and it's not what they've been working for this whole time and they realize that that's okay. There's a fantastic mother character as well who is super supportive and a fantastic example.
Relatability/Characters:
This book had one of the most weirdly relatable characters I've ever read. Frances, the main character, is a bisexual artist who's only known for her smarts and I don't think I've ever related to any YA character so much. I also loved Aled and Daniel and I appreciate how the story took the time to have Aled explain demisexuality, which prior to this I knew very little about (even though I have a close friend who's demi), in a thoughtful and non-pandering way. Also Aled knows from the very beginning that he doesn't want to go to college and I think that was very interesting to read. I also loved Raine and another character who comes along later (no spoilers!). The story also takes the time to show us what happens to a character who doesn't go to college and how they turn out alright; it even goes as far as to show them doing theatre and paying bills with it and using it as an actual career! (Which is amazing by the way!)
Nerdy Stuff:
This book is such a fantastic read for bookworms and internet nerds such as myself! The main reason one of my friends recommended this for me was because it references Doctor Who. Me, having not seen Doctor Who (yet), decided to read it just for fun. There were references to everything from Tumblr to Supernatural to Welcome to Night Vale. I felt like they weren't so forced that someone who's unfamiliar with most of those things could still understand and enjoy the story though.
Also bonus points for mentioning my favorite musician of all time, Madeon, on multiple pages across the book!
Overall I would recommend this book to literally everyone since it hit me so hard and really sends an important message. The diversity is a nice addition and the nerdy references really made the book for me. Definitely pick this up if you have the chance!!
If I could protect it from reality, I would gladly do so. If I could make everyone who's ever felt lonely in the universe read it, my life would have accomplished it's purpose.
I don't have words to describe how happy I feel by have read this, of should I try to explain it.
Frances, Aled, Daniel, Raine and Carys are the friend I had in this lifetime, and also those who I've never met.
This book will find you when you need it the most.
Wish I was just trying to be ominous, but I'm not. You'll see.
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