Radio Silence

This has to be one of my favorite books. The characters are so well written and it feels like I'm right there with Frances and Aled as they promote Universe City. I relate to them both so much. Frances is me as I'm trying to mask and be normal around people who don't really know me. Aled is me as I cry because no one gets what I'm trying to do. Frances and Aled are me as I'm trying not to make friends with someone who won't really know me before I get surprised by the kindness of some people who actually like hearing what I have to say. Universe City is the world I feel like I live in sometimes-broken and post-apocalyptic and tired. And the silence? The silence is what I get from those I love. I loved this book so much that I hated it. It was too good. I didn't want to cry, but I did. I cried my heart out, even when it ended on a hopeful note, because I wasn't sure if it really would be hopeful, and because I knew I would never find out what happened to them afterward. Thank you, Alice

Radio Silence is a book that should probably be a must-read for teens everywhere - it would speak to them. The premise of the novel is a coming-of-age story about parental and societal expectations, moving forward in life, deciding your options and doing what you love. For me, this hit a bit close to home, and I felt myself connecting to it so much, despite me not being a teen anymore. I don't know what it exactly was - maybe the plenty of pop culture references, the fact that the podcast, Universe City is like Welcome to Night Vale (which also gets multiple shoutouts in the book), the whole fandom and Tumblr experience so realistic (and of course it would be, since the author is fairly regular and interactive with fans on her Tumblr) - but I couldn't help but be absorbed but also be there in this world. Frances always thought that since she is a good student, the only thing for her to do is to continue on to university and job and so on and so forth. Aled is similar in that he is also a great student, but he is not interested in all that. His life is his podcast that he creates, but his mother wants to fit him into her mold. Frances' mother, on the other hand, gives her daughter every independence and lets her make her own decisions. Despite their vastly different home circumstances, the fact remains that even if they are great students on paper, it doesn't mean that is what they like doing. As Frances points out, 'what else is there to do?', it is about the kids knowing and acknowledging that there is something beyond book smarts. Sidebar here - The millennial generation has often been brainwashed with the 'you have to do your best or else you are a failure' mentality since childhood, and the mounting pressures of getting into the top college/university whether or not you are interested in doing those courses is something that is repetitively discussed but often ignored. Oseman brings up this nicely in the contrasting examples of Frances and Aled - both not meant for traditional academic successes but feeling like that is their only way forward in life; like, all this effort until now has to go somewhere, right? Also, I loved how the author develops their relationship; they have such a wholesome platonic friendship and it is given such good build-up - more than I've seen in romantic relationships in some YA books (including Solitaire, if I may say so). Seriously, we need more books that give equal importance to solid friendship and avoid romantic subplots sometimes. Also I loved this particular quote - I couldn’t quite believe how much I seriously loved Aled Last, even if it wasn’t in the ideal way that would make it socially acceptable for us to live together until we die. The book also has some great rep for bisexuality, demi-sexuality and homosexuality, without need for a coming-out arc. Some characters from Solitaire make brief appearances, too, but it is mostly separate from the that book and is largely without continuity. Now, the only things I disliked about the book was the voice and the pace in the first half. In Solitaire, my main issue was with the pacing and the voice style - here the writing was improved upon that you could connect with the characters, but Frances comes across as much younger (11-12) than the 17 she is posing as. Her narration throughout the first half was like reading a pre-teen's diary - mindlessly droning on about classes and stuff, and it was only in the second half that I felt the voice changed, and improved. These issues aside, it was otherwise a great book and I would recommend it for all readers, but teens especially.

Sometimes, you read a book, and it feels like the author ripped the words from your very soul. That was Radio Silence for me. While Radio Silence ended on a hopeful note, I still found myself with tears in my eyes as I read the last page. I cannot begin to articulate the feelings this book dragged out of me, but it made me feel so seen. Frances was me, years ago, when I thought the only way to be happy was to have a prestigious acceptance letter in hand. I once cried for joy because I got more than four hours of sleep one day in my senior year. And even then, that wasn't enough for my dream school. All that work, but it constantly felt like I wasn't enough. What if I worked harder? There had to be a way, right? Frances proved she was so much more than that. Your happiness has to come above everything else, especially the societal expectations that don't mean anything. And that is the toughest lesson of all.