Heartstopper Books in Order: All 6 Volumes + Timeline

The Heartstopper books in order follow Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring from an awkward first meeting to a tender coming-of-age romance. Alice Oseman’s graphic novels balance first love, friendship, coming out, family, and mental-health struggles with a warm, hopeful tone.

The core series is complete at six numbered volumes. That part is simple, but the wider timeline gets trickier because This Winter and Solitaire overlap Heartstopper: Volume 4. I’ll break down the simplest reading order and separate the essential books from the optional Osemanverse extras.

Jump to:

Heartstopper Books in Order
Heartstopper Timeline and Reading Order
More Alice Oseman Books
Heartstopper Companion Books and Comics
Heartstopper on Netflix
Who is Alice Oseman?

Heartstopper Books in Order

There are six Heartstopper graphic novels, and they should be read in numbered order. The publication order is also the intended reading order, so I recommend starting with Volume 1 and continuing straight through Volume 6.

The first U.S. editions began with Volumes 1 and 2 in 2020. Heartstopper originally launched as a webcomic in 2016, and Oseman crowdfunded the first physical edition in 2018. That’s why you may see earlier years attached to the first few volumes elsewhere.

I prefer the numbered graphic novels for a first read, but you can also read the completed Heartstopper webcomic online through Oseman’s official platforms.

Heartstopper Timeline and Reading Order

The six graphic novels are easy to follow, but the prose books don’t fit neatly between complete volumes. This Winter takes place on Christmas Day during Volume 4, and Solitaire begins the following January while the closing portion of Volume 4 is still unfolding.

I don’t think it’s worth stopping partway through Volume 4 to switch books. My recommended Heartstopper and Osemanverse reading order keeps each book intact:

This Winter focuses on Charlie, Tori, and their family during a difficult Christmas. Solitaire follows Tori and overlaps the later events of Volume 4. Both add useful context, but neither is required to understand the six-volume graphic-novel story.

Nick and Charlie follows the couple as Nick prepares to leave for university. I recommend saving it until after Volume 6 and treating it as an optional follow-up rather than interrupting the completed graphic-novel story.

What Year Does Heartstopper Take Place?

Heartstopper follows a clear relative timeline through school terms, seasons, birthdays, and holidays, but it doesn’t take place in one fixed real-world calendar year. Oseman uses a floating contemporary timeline, so I’d focus on the order of events rather than trying to assign the story a specific year.

More Alice Oseman Books

These prose books are the most relevant choices after the graphic novels because they feature Nick, Charlie, Tori, or the Spring family. The U.S. editions were published in this order:

Solitaire (2015)
Nick and Charlie (2023) (Novella)
This Winter (2023) (Novella)

Solitaire is Tori Spring’s novel and has a darker tone than Heartstopper. This Winter and Nick and Charlie are shorter spin-off novellas. The 2023 dates above are their first U.S. releases, although both novellas appeared earlier in the United Kingdom.

If you only want Nick and Charlie’s main story, the six graphic novels are enough. In my view, This Winter is the most useful addition for understanding Charlie’s family and recovery, while Solitaire is the best choice for readers who want more of Tori.

Other Alice Oseman Novels

Oseman’s other novels are standalones with different central characters. They aren’t required Heartstopper reading, and you can read them in any order.

I’d choose among these by premise rather than chronology. Radio Silence explores friendship, identity, and academic pressure; Loveless centers aromantic and asexual identity; and I Was Born for This follows a devoted music fan and a member of the band she loves.

Heartstopper Companion Books and Comics

The following extras are optional. None of them belongs in the numbered six-volume series, but they may appeal to readers who want more artwork, mini-comics, or behind-the-scenes material.

Heartstopper: Become Human (2019) (Mini-Comic)
The Ethics of Infatuation Dynamics (2021) (Mini-Comic)
The Heartstopper Yearbook (2022)
The Official Heartstopper Coloring Book (2022)

Heartstopper: Become Human is an official alternate-universe crossover with the video game Detroit: Become Human, and you don’t need to know the game to read it. The Ethics of Infatuation Dynamics was written by Wren James and illustrated by Oseman. It was later printed in the Heartstopper: Volume 5 special-edition hardback.

The Heartstopper Yearbook is the most substantial companion book, with an exclusive mini-comic, character profiles, illustrations, trivia, and material about Oseman’s creative process. The coloring book is an activity book rather than a story collection, although it does include the complete Tara and Darcy mini-comic.

Heartstopper on Netflix

Netflix adapted Heartstopper across three seasons and the concluding feature film Heartstopper Forever. Joe Locke stars as Charlie, Kit Connor plays Nick, and Oseman wrote and executive produced the screen adaptation.

The first season closely follows Volumes 1 and 2, Season 2 is based primarily on Volume 3, and Season 3 draws from Volumes 4 and 5. Heartstopper Forever completes the screen story with material from Volume 6 and Nick and Charlie.

The adaptation remains faithful to Nick and Charlie’s relationship, but it expands the supporting characters and rearranges some events for television. My advice is to read the graphic novels first if you want to experience Oseman’s original pacing before seeing the changes made for the screen.

Who is Alice Oseman?

Alice Oseman is an English author, illustrator, and screenwriter. Oseman published the debut novel Solitaire at nineteen and later created Heartstopper as a webcomic before writing and illustrating all six graphic novels. Oseman also created, wrote, and executive produced the Netflix adaptation.

Heartstopper is compassionate and hopeful, but later volumes include mental-health struggles, eating disorders, self-harm, inpatient psychiatric treatment, and sexual references. I recommend checking detailed content guidance before reading if any of those subjects may be difficult for you.

Looking for similar books in order?

If you want more romance authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Romance Books in Order index.