Seeing how they open up to each other and share their creativity was endearing, it’s the kind of friendship I really wish everyone gets to experience. They’re nerds, but the kind of nerds I can relate to because I am one myself. There’s something sweetly innocent about both Aled and Francis and their secret art projects. I’m just so happy to have a story about love that isn’t a love story. As someone who has experienced a similarly creative partnership and friendship that then fell apart, the fights Aled and Francis had hit particularly close to home. Alice Oseman authentically represents the drama and genuine heartache of platonic relationships that often get overlooked in contemporary Young Adult novels. I love, love, love that at the heart of Radio Silence is a strong, platonic friendship. I kind of wished I had read this book sooner, I think it might have helped me with my own anxiety about university and the future in general. Having different characters make different choices and also change their mind is not only relatable, it is relieving. Overall, I enjoy how the plot revolves around a particularly stressful transitional period in life that is often riddled with confusion about what’s right. The author perfectly captures how art can be a safe space and how violating it can be to have that space taken away from you. Things spiral out of control as soon as his art and his real-life start to intertwine.Īt first, that is a good thing, his friendship with Francis elevates the art and they form a genuine connection, but when Universe City is no longer their secret, it takes a toll on Aled’s mental health. He can share his anxieties, his hopes through a carefully constructed piece of art as a safe space. The struggle of wanting to be listened to, understood, but not necessarily seen is resolved in the anonymity of Aled’s Universe City podcast. Podcasts are some of my favourite pieces of content and I think the medium lends itself perfectly to what Alice Oseman is trying to do.

I love that the story is centred around a podcast. Instead, it’s a story about identity, self-worth and the transformative power of art. Radio Silence is a story somewhat about school that interestingly enough doesn’t really take place at school – maybe because the themes are so much bigger than the framework of school. Alice Oseman examines how a well-established path isn’t necessarily right for everyone and that it’s okay to change your mind. Radio Silence is a liminal story about finding your way in life told through the lens of the pre-university anxiety many teenagers face.

Radio silence book