Radio Silence by Alice Oseman Review

Radio Silence 

By Alice Oseman

My Rating: ★★★★★

Genres: YA fiction, LGBTQ+, Coming-of-age

Radio Silence follows a year twelve, seemingly perfect student named Frances Janvier. Since Frances was a young child, she has had only one dream: going to a top university. She will do anything to achieve this dream, including shoving her real self so deep down inside of her that it is as if the girl she truly is is a whole different person.

Yet when Frances befriends her neighbour, Aled Last, the walls she has placed in front of her true personality begin to break down. Soon Frances is pulled into almost a new world for her, a world where she does not have to hide who she is. But when Aled's secret online identity is revealed, the growing trust between them is shattered and Aled leaves for university soon after. 

Frances no longer knows if the dream future she created for herself is the future she really wants and Aled faces far darker forces whilst studying at uni. The time has come for Frances to decide whether she is able to save herself - and Aled - or risk losing everything that has become dear to her. 

Content Warnings: Anxiety, Animal death, Emotionally abusive parent, Mentions of suicide.

This book really hit close to home with me, which is partially why I have given it a full five star rating. Seeing an accurate representation of someone similar to yourself in a book always boosts your enjoyment, but even if you cannot relate to Frances and Aled's struggles, there are plenty of other factors to ensure your enjoyment. Firstly, there is brilliant representation in the book. Nearly all of the main characters aren't straight (notably a bisexual character, a gay character and a demisexual character), Frances is biracial (Ethiopian-English) and another character is Asian. Next, Frances has a lovely style of narration. There are moments when she is beautifully eloquent, then soon after she speaks in the manner of a typical teenager. This makes her seem so much more well-rounded and gives the book a vividness that would be hard to achieve without this. Finally, Aled and Frances have such a lovely and sweet friendship that it makes me wish every friendship I have could be a little more like theirs. It's refreshing to see a YA book with a friendship between a boy and a girl that doesn't end up with them romantically together or with their friendship ending and them never speaking to each other again. 

All in all, this book is a great read for anyone aged 13-14 upwards, and I would recommend it to anyone who is trying to figure out their own way in the world or has struggled with mental illness or academic pressure.