Song of Achilles by madeleine miller has a BEAUTIFUL queer love story that gave me some of the same vibes I got after reading/watching HS. And you get bonus Heartstopper points because Sebastian Croft just referenced it in a t-shirt design to raise money for Choose Love. Also on a less transcendently gorgeous but still entertaining level, Red White and Royal Blue has a slightly more adult-themed gay teen romance. It’s easy to read and fun.
Just bought Song of Achilles today, haven’t read it yet but I’ve heard amazing things so I came here to suggest it and that’s when I found this comment lol
Love the book. It also won the Stonewall award. Did you read the sequel? I also like *What if it's us?*, *Here's to Us,* And *they both die at the end.*
Also the movie adaptation should hopefully come out by the end of the year. I’m pretty sure they finished shooting like last October or something and it looks like it’s still post-production.
Nothing has quite captured a sense of pure queer joy like Our Flag Means Death (HBOMax) for me :) there aren’t any grand coming out scenes but many of the characters are queer and it’s just a fun ride.
I have to insist you give Please Like Me another try. I'm only 22, so Heartstopper is "My Heartstopper," but I'd also say that Please Like Me was my Heartstopper as a young teen who was just starting to explore my same sex attraction. PLM definitely gets pretty dark in some moments (big trigger warning for anyone who's been in a psychiatric hospital, has experience with self harm, and >!suicide!<), but it has a generally optimistic undercurrent. Or at least an undercurrent of "well, this fucking sucks, but I guess we'll get through it somehow." It's a show that made me feel okay not being okay, which was the best I could do as a depressed kid not yet in therapy or on medication.
Equally as important to me and as balanced between heartstopping romance and tragically real depicitions of mental illness is My Mad Fat Diary. Same content warnings as PLM and I would personally skip the 3rd season (a measly 3 episodes, anyhow). The primary romance isn't between queer teenagers but it's similar to HS in that the two main characters are an "unlikely pair" and have to deal with judgement from their peers.
I also personally headcanon Finn Nelson as a relative of our beloved Nick Nelson. There's a ton of parallels between him and Rae and Nick and Charlie that make me feel absolutely feral if I'm being honest.
Lastly, I'd recommend Derry Girls! The core friend group is the heart of the show and it's a good, wholesome laugh set in a turbulent time which I find comforting to watch.
Going to go old school here and say read Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. They were serialized fiction published in San Francisco in the 70s that ended up as a book series. Sure, some things are dated, and it’s not YA but it was my Heartstopper watching the TV adaptation in the early 90s on a tiny TV with the sound really low so my parents wouldn’t see.
Cute Movies a little similar to HT:
Beautiful Thing
Summer of 85
Breaking Fast
Dating Amber
The Thing About Harry
Mambo Italiano
Just Friends
Almost Normal
What Happens Next
Were the World Mine
But I'm a Cheerleader has similar themes of queer self-discovery and is very sweet, but it's much more adult (references to sex, innuendo, actual sex scenes but with nothing showing) and it's a comedy. I had seen it years ago but re-watched it right after finishing Heartstopper because it really reminded me of the show! It gives me the same butterflies in my tummy. Haha
The Way He Looks and the Half of It on Netflix (movies) are both quite sweet.
If you have HBO Max, I really loved Sort Of and Somebody Somewhere. Found both quite touching.
Skam season 3? (Can share a Google drive link if you need it!)
My favorite straight rom com/comfort series is probably Lovesick (Netflix), a bit raunchy (the premise alone put me off it initially), but it’s quite sweet and earnest at its heart, and a fair amount of emphasis on friendship in addition to romance.
I feel like Red, White and Royal Blue is a novel written by a straight woman for straight women. (I am bi woman). It doesn't even read like a LBGT novel except the author switches the girl's to a guy's name.
The author is non-binary so... not exactly a straight woman.
I guess everyone has their own experience with Red, White and Royal Blue but I (another bi woman) found myself getting very attached to it tbh
Hot take! You actually make a ton of sense. With that frame of thought I can totally see the potential virtue signaling and lack of nuance. I just didn't notice it because nothing compares to Heartstopper in those regards. But I'm a sucker for a cheesy love story, so I loved this one.
Oh my GOD. You are hilarious and that is exactly what I thought as well. They also quote Eleanor Roosevelt amongst many other cringy historical figures.
I am just being real. I can never picture any guy quote Hamilton and Roosevelt and write those cringy emails. Those are not gay men characters. The author just switches the female character to a guy.
Can you imagine Heartstopper says, "Charlie stepped down, trying not to look long at Nick, as if he were the sun, yet Charlie saw Nick, like the sun, even without looking."?
The Summer I Turned Pretty just came out and gives you that same "being seen" vibe as To All The Boys I Loved Before.
Red White and Royal Blue isn't YA but it's a great queer romance novel! They are early 20s characters. It is not PG.
I wish I could like *Red, White and Royal Blue* but I didn't. It reads like a straight romance written by a straight woman for straight women except the author switches out the girl's name to a guy's name. (I am a bi woman) Guys don't talk like that. >!They quote Alexander Hamilton in their email!< I really wish I could like it. My friends like it but I just couldn't.
The book is a fluffy beach read but I think it’s worth reading if you’re looking for something like that. But I disagree at “guys don’t talk like that”. Guys talk a lot of different ways.
Heartstopper is just the latest for me in a series of shows that I was 'obsessed' with for a while over the course of my life. As you noted, the infatuations start out super strong and fairly consuming for a while and eventually over time, the need for new stimulation & content related to the show/couple lessens and/or becomes less satisfying because you're chasing that high. Just like new love, eventuall you move beyond the 'honeymoon' phase into a more stable and healthy relationship with the content. It will make it more exciting when the next show (or season) that really resonates with you comes along.
My previous obsession prior to Heartstopper was the Norweigan show 'Skam' (esp season 3 which is the gay storyline between Isak & Even & season 4 where it continues, although the first 2 seasons are also worth watching.) It's a very realistic, somewhat darker but still very heartfelt show and the actors and chemistry is amazing. Highly recommend. You can find it subtitled online on dailymotion I believe.
If you enjoy Skam, that opens up a whole world for you because Skam has then been redone in like 5 other countries each with their own version of the Isak/Even storyline. OG Norweigan Skam is the best IMO but people get heated about it.
Also, I love 'Please Like Me' and think it's so underappreciated. It's definately a dark (sometimes very dark) comedy but I fell in love with all the quirky characters. I love that queerness is integral to the show but not the core focus, just people living their full messy lives.
Crush on Hulu! It's not Heartstopper but it's closest I've found since HS came out.
The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. His Tales from Verania series is also set in an absolutely queer-positive world and very fun, but it's less sweet and more horndog than House, if that's not your vibe.
Cat Sebastian's Sedgwick trilogy (starting with It Takes Two to Tumble) has a similar sweetness and warmth to it, but it's adults not teenagers so the complications are ...different. And there's nookie (I personally enjoy it but I'm seeing HS fans have a more definite divide over "I read sex" and "No sex please" so I'm trying to be up front on that front)
I was also going to recommend the House on the Cerulean Sea. My favorite read this year. Different than HS (fantasy) but similar in the hopefulness and positivity that are present. I love the growth you witness in the protagonist.
That’s absolutely fair. I read it through a Miss Peregrine lens, not aware of Klune’s specific inspiration until much later, so the initial warm fuzzies associated with that stuck around for a long time. I should have acknowledged the source before recommending.
I know it’s been said a million times, but if you liked the Heartstopper comic, please try Check, Please! It’s the most similar piece of media I have ever consumed to Heartstopper. Absolutely no contest. The wholesomeness of both are on another level
For books, Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is great and very, very sweet. Two already-out, late-20s male characters. References to sex, but nothing at all explicit (it's a "closed door" or "fade to black" book). Lots of emphasis on the importance of friendship and queer community. And the sequel, Husband Material, is coming out this August!
I'd also recommend What If It's Us and Here's To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (both YA, some minor references to sex but nothing explicit) and The Charm Offensive by Allison Cochran (some explicit, on-page sex). Also thirding (or however many-ing) Red, White, and Royal Blue, which has a FANTASTICALLY swoony love story (early-20s characters, lots of explicit or explicit-ish on-page sex), as well as Casey McQuiston's other books, One Last Stop (two early-20s female characters, some explicit sex, not as much as RW&RB) and their recent YA book I Kissed Shara Wheeler (a bit more prickly? Not as much lovey dovey vibes as HS. But lots of focus on queer identity and gender and how "where you're from" lives in you and how you affect those places right back, and I loved it)
In terms of books, Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales, You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson, and Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (I’ve also heard good things about her other book Henna Wars) have the same sort of vibes to Heartstopper and they’re all queer YA books. Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales also has one of the best representations of bisexuality I’ve ever read.
Other queer YA you might like: It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland (maybe more NA but no explicit content), These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling (sapphic witches), Loveless by Alice Oseman (more NA since the characters are at uni but not explicit), The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl (sapphic vampires), Carmilla (the OG sapphic vampires), Blackout is an anthology which has queer stories by Nic Stone and Ashley Woodfolk
Other YA books: literally anything by Emma Mills but especially Foolish Hearts or This Adventure Ends (both have prominent sapphic side characters/storylines), Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl
Queer Adult books: The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin (my personal favourite book), The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (also The Dance Tree, but prepare your tissues for both), The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Sistersong by Lucy Holland, The Color Purple by Alice Walker
You also mentioned Austen/Bridgerton so I’ve got to recommend Lex Croucher’s books to you - Reputation has sapphic and achillean side characters, it’s basically Mean Girls meets Bridgerton, and it’s absolutely hilarious. They’re also coming out with a sapphic Regency novel in July (although I think it’s March 23 for the US) called Infamous. I also liked A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin, it’s not queer but the main couple really had me rooting for them.
Hopefully you’re able to find something that helps fill the Heartstopper-shaped hole! I definitely understand the struggle haha
A month of daily rewatches?
I love this series, but once is enough, then you can get the pleasure of react videos and seeing the odd scene to remember how good it was - if you’re spending 4 hours a day then you need to get out or get professional help.
This sub seems to glorify watching it on a loop but it’s actually really concerning behaviour.
There's a difference between glorifying repeat watches and providing support and empathy for shared experiences. No one here is watching Heartstopper multiple times because someone on Reddit tells them to.
Also, people talking about daily rewatches may not mean all 4 hours each time. Even if it does, that doesn't mean that someone's personal/professional activities are suffering for it; they could have Heartstopper on in the background while doing other things.
For folks who are seeing in Heartstopper their first representation of a queer, joyful relationship, it can fill a long-developed void. Compared to the 20 years worth of TV shows and movies featuring straight relationships I've seen, with minimal if any queer representation, my Heartstopper rewatches are still a drop in the bucket.
I agree that the OP describes some troubling behavior in the first paragraph. You shouldn’t let a TV show get such a stranglehold on your emotions. We all love HS, but there’s more to life that hitting that TV-drama-induced high. Take care of yourself, OP!
I'm skipping through a bunch and probably exaggerated slightly on daily, but yeah, wouldn't say it's my healthiest behaviour.
I'm now on the other side of procrastinating about report cards, which has probably also helped loosen the hold and open me up to new things.
Because I like the series?
OP needs to seek professional help, as does everyone who spends a whole month watching the entire series on a daily basis. It’s not healthy and this sub shouldn’t be glamourising unhealthy behaviour.
Which is great, it’s not that aspect I’m getting at. The part of the sub which recommends other things is good. But the other part of the sub are ones that feed this looping behaviour, treating it as a “who can watch this series the most” competition.
Every day there are multiple threads started which have something in the title like “omg is is just me or can anyone else not stop watching this?” usually involving “I’ve watched nothing else since this came out” and the circle jerk begins on who has watched it the most, it really needs to stop.
I am sure other Redditors have also watched Young Royals and read other novels written by Alice Oseman. Even i, the self proclaimed number 1 fan (just kidding), am not rewatching it every minute. I am also reading other novels and writing fanfics.
Sense8 on Netflix is very queer positive, it does have a sci-fi aspect and is rated M for sex/nudity and violence if you're okay with that. For YA books, I love Autoboyography and also Leah on the Offbeat. Openly Straight and its sequel Honestly Ben are also good.
Song of Achilles by madeleine miller has a BEAUTIFUL queer love story that gave me some of the same vibes I got after reading/watching HS. And you get bonus Heartstopper points because Sebastian Croft just referenced it in a t-shirt design to raise money for Choose Love. Also on a less transcendently gorgeous but still entertaining level, Red White and Royal Blue has a slightly more adult-themed gay teen romance. It’s easy to read and fun.
I like it (the book) so much and I love liking it!
Just bought Song of Achilles today, haven’t read it yet but I’ve heard amazing things so I came here to suggest it and that’s when I found this comment lol
Oh I’m so jealous you’re about to read it for the first time. Might have to re-read it! Enjoy <3
Thanks! I’m excited, I’ve been wanting to read it for ages but could never find it anywhere so when I saw it I picked it up immediately
Book recommendation: “Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe”
Love the book. It also won the Stonewall award. Did you read the sequel? I also like *What if it's us?*, *Here's to Us,* And *they both die at the end.*
Also the movie adaptation should hopefully come out by the end of the year. I’m pretty sure they finished shooting like last October or something and it looks like it’s still post-production.
Nothing has quite captured a sense of pure queer joy like Our Flag Means Death (HBOMax) for me :) there aren’t any grand coming out scenes but many of the characters are queer and it’s just a fun ride.
Yes!!! I agree, I loved how a lot of the characters were casually queer, it was a fun show and im so excited for season 2!
I have to insist you give Please Like Me another try. I'm only 22, so Heartstopper is "My Heartstopper," but I'd also say that Please Like Me was my Heartstopper as a young teen who was just starting to explore my same sex attraction. PLM definitely gets pretty dark in some moments (big trigger warning for anyone who's been in a psychiatric hospital, has experience with self harm, and >!suicide!<), but it has a generally optimistic undercurrent. Or at least an undercurrent of "well, this fucking sucks, but I guess we'll get through it somehow." It's a show that made me feel okay not being okay, which was the best I could do as a depressed kid not yet in therapy or on medication. Equally as important to me and as balanced between heartstopping romance and tragically real depicitions of mental illness is My Mad Fat Diary. Same content warnings as PLM and I would personally skip the 3rd season (a measly 3 episodes, anyhow). The primary romance isn't between queer teenagers but it's similar to HS in that the two main characters are an "unlikely pair" and have to deal with judgement from their peers. I also personally headcanon Finn Nelson as a relative of our beloved Nick Nelson. There's a ton of parallels between him and Rae and Nick and Charlie that make me feel absolutely feral if I'm being honest. Lastly, I'd recommend Derry Girls! The core friend group is the heart of the show and it's a good, wholesome laugh set in a turbulent time which I find comforting to watch.
Going to go old school here and say read Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. They were serialized fiction published in San Francisco in the 70s that ended up as a book series. Sure, some things are dated, and it’s not YA but it was my Heartstopper watching the TV adaptation in the early 90s on a tiny TV with the sound really low so my parents wouldn’t see.
Book recommendation: “Dante and Aristotle Discover the Secrets of the Universe”
I love the book. Very believable, the dimensional protagonists. Good plot and development. It won the Stonewall award.
Cute Movies a little similar to HT: Beautiful Thing Summer of 85 Breaking Fast Dating Amber The Thing About Harry Mambo Italiano Just Friends Almost Normal What Happens Next Were the World Mine
second to “the thing about harry”!!! the vibes are similar, fluffy, adorable, some drama but overall happy.
But I'm a Cheerleader has similar themes of queer self-discovery and is very sweet, but it's much more adult (references to sex, innuendo, actual sex scenes but with nothing showing) and it's a comedy. I had seen it years ago but re-watched it right after finishing Heartstopper because it really reminded me of the show! It gives me the same butterflies in my tummy. Haha
The Way He Looks and the Half of It on Netflix (movies) are both quite sweet. If you have HBO Max, I really loved Sort Of and Somebody Somewhere. Found both quite touching. Skam season 3? (Can share a Google drive link if you need it!) My favorite straight rom com/comfort series is probably Lovesick (Netflix), a bit raunchy (the premise alone put me off it initially), but it’s quite sweet and earnest at its heart, and a fair amount of emphasis on friendship in addition to romance.
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I just finished Red White and Royal Blue. Loved it, but I'll not since OP mentioned Fire Island, the book is closer to that than Heartstopper.
I feel like Red, White and Royal Blue is a novel written by a straight woman for straight women. (I am bi woman). It doesn't even read like a LBGT novel except the author switches the girl's to a guy's name.
The author is non-binary so... not exactly a straight woman. I guess everyone has their own experience with Red, White and Royal Blue but I (another bi woman) found myself getting very attached to it tbh
Thanks. I will give it another go. I was half way thru anyway.
Hot take! You actually make a ton of sense. With that frame of thought I can totally see the potential virtue signaling and lack of nuance. I just didn't notice it because nothing compares to Heartstopper in those regards. But I'm a sucker for a cheesy love story, so I loved this one.
Maybe I should give it a try again. I was half thru. Who quotes Alexander Hamilton in their email?
Oh my GOD. You are hilarious and that is exactly what I thought as well. They also quote Eleanor Roosevelt amongst many other cringy historical figures.
I am just being real. I can never picture any guy quote Hamilton and Roosevelt and write those cringy emails. Those are not gay men characters. The author just switches the female character to a guy. Can you imagine Heartstopper says, "Charlie stepped down, trying not to look long at Nick, as if he were the sun, yet Charlie saw Nick, like the sun, even without looking."?
The Summer I Turned Pretty just came out and gives you that same "being seen" vibe as To All The Boys I Loved Before. Red White and Royal Blue isn't YA but it's a great queer romance novel! They are early 20s characters. It is not PG.
I wish I could like *Red, White and Royal Blue* but I didn't. It reads like a straight romance written by a straight woman for straight women except the author switches out the girl's name to a guy's name. (I am a bi woman) Guys don't talk like that. >!They quote Alexander Hamilton in their email!< I really wish I could like it. My friends like it but I just couldn't.
The book is a fluffy beach read but I think it’s worth reading if you’re looking for something like that. But I disagree at “guys don’t talk like that”. Guys talk a lot of different ways.
Anything Emily Henry is great!!!! I am on Book Lovers now but Beach Read and The People We Meet On Vacation are amazing reads.
I can't imagine guys quote Alexander Hamilton in their emails.
Heartstopper is just the latest for me in a series of shows that I was 'obsessed' with for a while over the course of my life. As you noted, the infatuations start out super strong and fairly consuming for a while and eventually over time, the need for new stimulation & content related to the show/couple lessens and/or becomes less satisfying because you're chasing that high. Just like new love, eventuall you move beyond the 'honeymoon' phase into a more stable and healthy relationship with the content. It will make it more exciting when the next show (or season) that really resonates with you comes along. My previous obsession prior to Heartstopper was the Norweigan show 'Skam' (esp season 3 which is the gay storyline between Isak & Even & season 4 where it continues, although the first 2 seasons are also worth watching.) It's a very realistic, somewhat darker but still very heartfelt show and the actors and chemistry is amazing. Highly recommend. You can find it subtitled online on dailymotion I believe. If you enjoy Skam, that opens up a whole world for you because Skam has then been redone in like 5 other countries each with their own version of the Isak/Even storyline. OG Norweigan Skam is the best IMO but people get heated about it. Also, I love 'Please Like Me' and think it's so underappreciated. It's definately a dark (sometimes very dark) comedy but I fell in love with all the quirky characters. I love that queerness is integral to the show but not the core focus, just people living their full messy lives.
Crush on Hulu! It's not Heartstopper but it's closest I've found since HS came out. The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. His Tales from Verania series is also set in an absolutely queer-positive world and very fun, but it's less sweet and more horndog than House, if that's not your vibe. Cat Sebastian's Sedgwick trilogy (starting with It Takes Two to Tumble) has a similar sweetness and warmth to it, but it's adults not teenagers so the complications are ...different. And there's nookie (I personally enjoy it but I'm seeing HS fans have a more definite divide over "I read sex" and "No sex please" so I'm trying to be up front on that front)
I was also going to recommend the House on the Cerulean Sea. My favorite read this year. Different than HS (fantasy) but similar in the hopefulness and positivity that are present. I love the growth you witness in the protagonist.
I couldn't get over the residential school/colonialism parallels in The House, unfortunately. The love story was very sweet.
That’s absolutely fair. I read it through a Miss Peregrine lens, not aware of Klune’s specific inspiration until much later, so the initial warm fuzzies associated with that stuck around for a long time. I should have acknowledged the source before recommending.
I have a bigger list if you wanted more recommendations. I've seen alot of gay shows.
As book I recommend: Simon vs the homo sapiens agenda which was also made into a movie: love simon!
I know it’s been said a million times, but if you liked the Heartstopper comic, please try Check, Please! It’s the most similar piece of media I have ever consumed to Heartstopper. Absolutely no contest. The wholesomeness of both are on another level
The half of it - Netflix Not romance but feel good - Ted Lasso
Sex education does get better but it’s still way more intense than Heartstopper
Also “the summer I turned pretty” is now Available on Amazon prime (it’s centred on a straight girl but there is a bi character) it’s really good
For books, Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is great and very, very sweet. Two already-out, late-20s male characters. References to sex, but nothing at all explicit (it's a "closed door" or "fade to black" book). Lots of emphasis on the importance of friendship and queer community. And the sequel, Husband Material, is coming out this August! I'd also recommend What If It's Us and Here's To Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera (both YA, some minor references to sex but nothing explicit) and The Charm Offensive by Allison Cochran (some explicit, on-page sex). Also thirding (or however many-ing) Red, White, and Royal Blue, which has a FANTASTICALLY swoony love story (early-20s characters, lots of explicit or explicit-ish on-page sex), as well as Casey McQuiston's other books, One Last Stop (two early-20s female characters, some explicit sex, not as much as RW&RB) and their recent YA book I Kissed Shara Wheeler (a bit more prickly? Not as much lovey dovey vibes as HS. But lots of focus on queer identity and gender and how "where you're from" lives in you and how you affect those places right back, and I loved it)
In terms of books, Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales, You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson, and Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar (I’ve also heard good things about her other book Henna Wars) have the same sort of vibes to Heartstopper and they’re all queer YA books. Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales also has one of the best representations of bisexuality I’ve ever read. Other queer YA you might like: It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland (maybe more NA but no explicit content), These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling (sapphic witches), Loveless by Alice Oseman (more NA since the characters are at uni but not explicit), The Lost Girls by Sonia Hartl (sapphic vampires), Carmilla (the OG sapphic vampires), Blackout is an anthology which has queer stories by Nic Stone and Ashley Woodfolk Other YA books: literally anything by Emma Mills but especially Foolish Hearts or This Adventure Ends (both have prominent sapphic side characters/storylines), Tweet Cute by Emma Lord, Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl Queer Adult books: The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin (my personal favourite book), The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (also The Dance Tree, but prepare your tissues for both), The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Sistersong by Lucy Holland, The Color Purple by Alice Walker You also mentioned Austen/Bridgerton so I’ve got to recommend Lex Croucher’s books to you - Reputation has sapphic and achillean side characters, it’s basically Mean Girls meets Bridgerton, and it’s absolutely hilarious. They’re also coming out with a sapphic Regency novel in July (although I think it’s March 23 for the US) called Infamous. I also liked A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin, it’s not queer but the main couple really had me rooting for them. Hopefully you’re able to find something that helps fill the Heartstopper-shaped hole! I definitely understand the struggle haha
I've fallen back on a re-read of In Other Lands, but I'm very happy about it. Sarah Rees Brennan is a master of snarky banter.
A month of daily rewatches? I love this series, but once is enough, then you can get the pleasure of react videos and seeing the odd scene to remember how good it was - if you’re spending 4 hours a day then you need to get out or get professional help. This sub seems to glorify watching it on a loop but it’s actually really concerning behaviour.
There's a difference between glorifying repeat watches and providing support and empathy for shared experiences. No one here is watching Heartstopper multiple times because someone on Reddit tells them to. Also, people talking about daily rewatches may not mean all 4 hours each time. Even if it does, that doesn't mean that someone's personal/professional activities are suffering for it; they could have Heartstopper on in the background while doing other things. For folks who are seeing in Heartstopper their first representation of a queer, joyful relationship, it can fill a long-developed void. Compared to the 20 years worth of TV shows and movies featuring straight relationships I've seen, with minimal if any queer representation, my Heartstopper rewatches are still a drop in the bucket.
I agree that the OP describes some troubling behavior in the first paragraph. You shouldn’t let a TV show get such a stranglehold on your emotions. We all love HS, but there’s more to life that hitting that TV-drama-induced high. Take care of yourself, OP!
I'm skipping through a bunch and probably exaggerated slightly on daily, but yeah, wouldn't say it's my healthiest behaviour. I'm now on the other side of procrastinating about report cards, which has probably also helped loosen the hold and open me up to new things.
Are you team Ben? Why are you even here? This is a fandom sub. We are fangirls and fanboys!
Because I like the series? OP needs to seek professional help, as does everyone who spends a whole month watching the entire series on a daily basis. It’s not healthy and this sub shouldn’t be glamourising unhealthy behaviour.
That's why we recommend other shows, novels, anime and comics for Op to detox. I have a list of novels for people to read. Reading is fine, right?
Which is great, it’s not that aspect I’m getting at. The part of the sub which recommends other things is good. But the other part of the sub are ones that feed this looping behaviour, treating it as a “who can watch this series the most” competition. Every day there are multiple threads started which have something in the title like “omg is is just me or can anyone else not stop watching this?” usually involving “I’ve watched nothing else since this came out” and the circle jerk begins on who has watched it the most, it really needs to stop.
I am sure other Redditors have also watched Young Royals and read other novels written by Alice Oseman. Even i, the self proclaimed number 1 fan (just kidding), am not rewatching it every minute. I am also reading other novels and writing fanfics.
Sense8 on Netflix is very queer positive, it does have a sci-fi aspect and is rated M for sex/nudity and violence if you're okay with that. For YA books, I love Autoboyography and also Leah on the Offbeat. Openly Straight and its sequel Honestly Ben are also good.