Alice Oseman, the author of the graphic novel Heartstopper, has announced her plans to end the book series after the release of Volume 6. Oseman first introduced her Heartstopper protagonists, Nick Nelson and Charlie Springs, in her 2014 novel, Solitaire. She quickly realized she wanted to continue exploring the characters’ stories, deciding to do so in a graphic novel format. By 2016, she was uploading portions of Heartstopper to Tumblr as a webcomic. It gained such a large following that she turned to Kickstarter for help self-publishing the graphic novel. Within two hours, she met her funding goal and was able to release limited copies of Heartstopper.
By 2019, Hachette Children’s Group picked up the rights to Heartstopper and widely published Volumes 1 and 2 of the series. The webcomic racked up tens and millions of views, while the graphic novels quickly sold over a million copies. This success spurned Heartstopper Volumes 3 and 4 and a TV adaptation from Netflix. The Heartstopper streaming series gained critical acclaim, boasting a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and scooping up numerous accolades. It didn’t take long for Netflix to quickly renew the series for a second and third season. Readers and viewers praised both the graphic novels and the show for their realistic depiction of the LGBTQ+ community and for effectively capturing the sweetness of first love.
However, with a confirmed end in sight for the book series, the Heartstopper TV show’s end may also be approaching quicker than initially thought.
Alice Oseman announces Heartstopper‘s end
On April 5, 2023, Oseman took to Twitter with some bittersweet news for fans. The sweet part was that she confirmed the release date of Heartstopper Volume 5. The fifth volume is set to hit bookshelves in the UK and several other regions on November 9th, 2023. She went on to announce that there will be a Heartstopper Volume 6, as well. However, she simultaneously confirmed that Volume 6 will be the final Volume in the Heartstopper series.
Heartstopper Volume 6 does not yet have a release date, but it will most likely drop sometime in 2024, as a one-year gap between volumes is typical for the series. Fans of the show are likely questioning how this news will impact the series. Season 1 of the show tackled Oseman’s first two Heartstopper Volumes across its eight episodes. As a result, season 2 has been anticipated to cover Volumes 3 and 4. This means that season 3 could cover Volumes 5 and 6 and mark the end of the series. Now that the show is catching up to the books, though, there may be a noticeable delay between season 2 and season 3, if the show does indeed stick to Oseman’s plot and arcs.
A release date has not yet been set for season 2, but it is expected to premiere sometime this year. After that, it is unclear how the show will proceed, considering Volume 5’s late 2023 release and Volume 6’s TBD release. The show could split the last two volumes into two seasons or continue with its current pattern and conclude after season three.
(featured image: Hachette Children’s Group)
