Young Adult Graphic Novels
Heartstopper
By Alice Oseman
🌟 YA Graphic Novel Series I'd Put on Your Radar
💗 Heartstopper — Alice Oseman
Probably the most recognizable YA graphic-novel series. It follows Nick and Charlie, two British high-school students whose friendship develops into a relationship. The series explores friendship, first love, identity, coming out, mental health, and family. The series has sold widely and has a huge international following, helped considerably by the Netflix adaptation.
I think Heartstopper is so good because it manages to tell a story about first love and growing up while also making kindness, friendship, and emotional safety central to the story.
💗 What makes Heartstopper special?
It feels genuinely relatable. Nick and Charlie experience many of the awkward, exciting, confusing moments that come with adolescence—friendships changing, crushes, insecurity, and figuring out who you are.
The relationships feel authentic. The friendship between Nick and Charlie develops naturally into something deeper, rather than making romance the entire story.
It portrays LGBTQ+ experiences with warmth. The series includes coming out, identity, acceptance, and the challenges LGBTQ+ young people can face without making those experiences the entirety of the characters' identities.
It shows healthy relationships. Communication, respect, consent, listening, supporting one another, and respecting boundaries are woven into the story.
Friendship matters just as much as romance. Charlie's friendships and Nick's relationships with his friends and family give the story considerably more emotional depth.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, follows Freddy Riley, a teenage girl caught in an intense and complicated relationship with the charismatic Laura Dean. Laura keeps breaking up with Freddy and then coming back into her life, leaving Freddy caught in a cycle that she struggles to escape. As her relationship takes up more and more of her attention, Freddy begins to realize that she is losing touch with the friends and parts of herself that matter most. With the help of her friend Doodle and a mysterious advice columnist named Anna Vice, Freddy begins to look honestly at what her relationship with Laura is doing to her. The story explores first love, friendship, identity, self-worth, and the difficult process of recognizing when a relationship is no longer healthy. Beautifully illustrated and emotionally honest, the graphic novel captures the confusion of growing up and learning that loving someone does not mean you have to lose yourself in the process.
Why I Recommend Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
I recommend Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me because it is an honest and beautifully illustrated look at first love, friendship, and the complicated process of figuring out what you deserve in a relationship. What I especially appreciate is that the story doesn't simply present romance as something wonderful—it shows how easy it can be to confuse intense feelings with a healthy relationship. Freddy's journey is really about finding herself again and recognizing the people who genuinely support her. The artwork adds so much emotion to the story, making the characters' experiences feel immediate and personal.
It is a thoughtful choice for readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories and want a graphic novel that explores love, friendship, self-worth, and growing into yourself.