Want to get into the ‘Heartstopper’ comics? Here they are ranked so you know what to expect

The third season of Heartstopper brought us back into the world of Nick and Charlie—played by Kit Connor and Joe Locke respectively—and their days of teenage romance. Not that “teenage romance” implies everything is fluffy and carefree, though—Nick and Charlie deal with some pretty heavy themes this season, as do their friend group as they all go through personal issues, choosing colleges and navigating life as queer youth.

Almost all the storyline twists and turns that we’ve seen throughout the eight episodes of season three, though, were not a surprise for longtime fans of the Heartstopper comics on which the show is based. British author Alice Oseman has been publishing it online since 2016, and over the course of its run, it has also been turned into a series of print volumes. There are five of them so far, with a sixth one expected to be the final one in the series.

So, as we all wait for any kind of announcement about the sixth and final installment of the Heartstopper saga, let me share with you my personal ranking of all the other volumes so far.

5. Volume 2

Let me preface all this ranking by saying that the Heartstopper series is overall incredibly enjoyable and devastatingly emotional, especially if you have been a queer teenager that didn’t really have a chance to express yourself as the story’s main characters do. Still, something had to be at the bottom of this ranking and it’s Volume 2. It simply suffers from the curse that plagues most second installments in any series—being sandwiched between the curiosity of the story and the greater developments that come as it progresses. Nick and Charlie discovering their budding relationship, though, is always ten out of ten on the cuteness scale.

4. Volume 3

The same goes for the volume in the fourth place of this ranking. The Paris school trip, which takes center stage for the entire book, is absolutely iconic within the larger Heartstopper universe and it has definitely led to some great character moments for everyone—as well as facilitating the creation of the core friend group with whom Nick and Charlie will continue to hang out for the rest of the series. Plus, it has the budding romances of Nick and Charlie’s teachers, Mr Farouk and Mr Ajayi, which has always been a favorite of mine. Still, I much prefer the heavier themes that are explored in later volumes of the series, which is why Volume 3 is second-to-last in this ranking.

3. Volume 5

The latest installment in the series, released at the end of 2023, is all about the great life change that is moving on from high school and entering one’s university years. It’s beautifully and carefully portrayed as all other issues that have come up in Heartstopper, and it certainly marks a new step in the relationship of the story’s protagonists. While it lacks some of the fluffy romance that made Heartstopper famous, it feels like a more mature evolution of the story—something that I can’t help but appreciate as a reader who is very much no longer the target audience for teen romances.

2. Volume 1

I am and forever will be a lover of beginnings—I feel like they have the highest re-read potential since there are few things as enjoyable for me as coming back to those first pages knowing what the characters are going to go through and seeing how far they’ve come in their stories. It’s almost the same omniscient spectator feeling you get when you watch or read prequels to beloved pieces of media, I feel. Volume 1 prepared the stage for everything that is so uniquely Heartstopper and also follows the beginning of Nick and Charlie’s friendship through their developing feelings for each other—something that as a romance addict I can’t help but love.

1. Volume 4

Maybe because it’s the one that hits closer to home, Volume 4 has always been my favorite of the Heartstopper books. Charlie and Nick’s relationship develops further, as they start to explore even more emotional and physical intimacy but also as they go through a series of hardships that bring them closer—Charlie’s struggle with an ED and Nick’s choosing what exactly he wants to do after he leaves high school. It’s a sharp turn towards heavier themes when compared to the volumes before, but it does give the story some more gravity and realism, making it that much more relatable for its audience. Something that definitely happened to me.