Alice oseman radio silence5/15/2023 Speaking of the characters, both Frances and Aled were fantastically written, with very relatable struggles, and I loved the way that it was only in finding each other that they were able to truly find their own selves, and their own voices each of them only needing somebody who had no specific expectations of them in order to come out of their shells – and those shells were pretty thick… Frances had put so much effort into making herself into “Cambridge material” that realising that the other parts of her might be just as important became incredibly difficult, while Aled was trapped under layers and layers of hurt that he didn’t know how to (or, it seems, believe that he deserved to) escape from. Frances’ love for the podcast is evident almost from the very beginning of the book, and I feel like it provides a really nice insight into an aspect of fan culture that I haven’t seen explored in YA lit before… That said, this book is not about Universe City, it’s about Frances and Aled, and Universe City is, more than anything else, the medium through which we are able to best know Aled. The backdrop to this story is the podcast Universe City (a Welcome to Night Vale-esque narrative about somebody who’s trapped on a campus that’s full of monsters, and trying to escape), and the community that builds up around it. One evening, however, a boy she knows drunkenly lets slip that he’s the mysterious creator of her favourite podcast, and they discover a friendship like neither of them have ever known… but this new relationship is tested by Aled and his podcast’s sudden rise to internet fame, and Frances’ feeling of responsibility over the disappearance of his sister, Carys. And she’s well on her way to achieving it, with an excellent work ethic, consistently high grades, and the position of head girl, but very few friends who truly know her. A YA coming of age read that tackles issues of identity, the pressure to succeed, diversity and freedom to choose, Radio Silence is a tour de force by the most exciting writer of her generation.With only one more year of school to go, Frances is more focused than ever on what’s been the goal of the last few years of her life: Cambridge University. Frances is going to need every bit of courage she has. And it's only by being your true self that you can find happiness. It's only by facing up to your fears that you can overcome them. Meanwhile at uni, Aled is alone, fighting even darker secrets. Suffocating with guilt, she knows that she has to confront her past.She has to confess why Carys disappeared. Caught between who she was and who she longs to be, Frances' dreams come crashing down. Then the podcast goes viral and the fragile trust between them is broken. He unlocks the door to Real Frances and for the first time she experiences true friendship, unafraid to be herself. But when Frances meets Aled, the shy genius behind her favourite podcast, she discovers a new freedom. Nothing will stand in her way not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong? Frances has always been a study machine with one goal, elite university. The second novel by the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman, the author of the 2021 YA Book Prize winning Loveless, Solitaire and graphic novel series Heartstopper – now a major Netflix series.
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