Radio Silence

I went into Radio Silence with my guard up because I've heard it compared a lot to Eliza and Her Monsters, which I had a hard time with. But then it turned out to be the type of book that's embarrassing for me to read when I'm out because I can't stop smiling at it.

It was very refreshing to read a book—especially a young adult book—where two characters care deeply for one another, but the nature of their relationship is not romantic/sexual.
Too often, I find romance is invoked to justify a character being concerned about another character. People can love each other without being in love. In fact, friendships are some of the most powerful and needed relationships people have.

It was also refreshing not to have to read another book where a character is hiding something huge that you know must come out eventually. I'm tired of stories slowly building to an obvious reveal, because I become frustrated by lack of communication in characters and lack of originality in plot.
Oseman let her characters share secrets throughout the book, while still keeping enough obscure that neither the reader nor any character had everything figured out.

I was taken with Oseman's representation of the stress placed on young people in school—by teachers, parents, peers, themselves. It makes people “good” at school feel terrible. It makes people “bad” at school feel terrible. In their formative years, people stop sleeping well, eating well, letting themselves have fun or even have friends.
Students tie their self-worth to exam results and college acceptance letters. They have trouble conceiving of any possible future without securing escalating academic achievements. This is a hugely prevalent issue facing teenagers and young adults, and I appreciate Oseman placing such a focus on it.

It's definitely a longer book, especially for a YA contemporary, but the chapters are typically short and it has mixed media components that make it go by quickly. It discussed race, sexuality, and mental illness sensitively and intentionally. Frances' mom was the best. This is a new favorite of mine.