Turkey's family ministry calls book with gay characters a 'harmful publication' ". The Turkish Minute. 9 September 2021 . Retrieved 13 May 2023. Yates, Jonny (21 March 2022). "Gay graphic novel Heartstopper gets cover makeover to tie in with Netflix adaptation". PinkNews . Retrieved 22 May 2022. Wong, Curtis M. (17 March 2022). "Netflix Teases 'Heartstopper' With A Delightful Gay Teen Meet Cute". HuffPost . Retrieved 13 September 2022.

The webcomic series received more than 52 million views and the novel had sold more than one million copies worldwide. [30] Restrictions and book banning controversies [ edit ] Wratten, Marcus (27 March 2023). "Alice Oseman slams 'thriving' homophobia following Heartstopper book ban in Florida". thepinknews.com. White, Peter (11 July 2019). " 'Top Of The Lake' Producer See-Saw Films To Adapt Alice Oseman's Graphic Novel Series 'Heartstopper' For TV". Deadline . Retrieved 29 April 2022. Absolutely delightful. Sweet, romantic, kind. Beautifully paced. I loved this book.' RAINBOW ROWELL, author of Carry On Martaus, Alaine (2020). "Heartstopper: Volume 1; by Alice Oseman". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 73 (10): 442–443. doi: 10.1353/bcc.2020.0437. ISSN 1558-6766. S2CID 219502331.Heartstopper review – possibly the loveliest show on TV". the Guardian. 22 April 2022 . Retrieved 27 April 2022. Wratten, Marcus (19 July 2023). "Alice Oseman slams decision to fine Hungarian bookshop for selling Heartstopper: 'Sad and angry' ". thepinknews.com. Babb, Tiffany (21 October 2020). "Heartstopper Volume 2 finds joy in the quiet moments of teen romance". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 19 May 2022.

Writing for The National, Gemma McLaughlin praised the novels for being able to "capture the attention" through "the small stories that make up life" rather than plot twists and heavy drama. She called the story "infinitely welcoming with characters that seem like real life friends", singling out Charlie as "extremely likeable" and praising the novels' treatment of his mental health. [13] Publishers Weekly said that the novels' "leisurely pace and focus on everyday events ... allows the characters' relationship to develop in a natural, relatable way" and stated that the art style complemented the tone of the story. [14] Imogen Russell Williams in The Times Literary Supplement called Oseman's illustration style "loose and flowing" and said of the novels that they "[engage] directly with shame, fear and anxiety, bringing them sweetly into the light". [15] The A.V. Club included the webcomic on its list of "The best comics of 2018", with Caitlin Rosberg saying that it is "best defined by its kindness both to the characters and the reader". [16] Metaphrog also included the comic on The Herald's 2019 list of "The best comics and graphic novels of the year as chosen by comic creators". [17] Aled Last, Charlie's gay demisexual friend and the main character in another of Oseman's novels, Radio Silence.Wade, Prudence (12 May 2021). "5 new books to read this week". The Independent . Retrieved 19 May 2022. Martaus, Alaine (2020). "Heartstopper: Volume 2 by Alice Oseman". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 74 (3): 139–140. doi: 10.1353/bcc.2020.0774. ISSN 1558-6766. S2CID 226752465. Elle Argent, Charlie's friend and Tao's girlfriend. She is transgender and attends Higgs Girls School. Williams, Imogen Russell (22 October 2021). "Speed, rage, heat or stink: The conventions and merits of the children's graphic novel". The Times Literary Supplement . Retrieved 13 September 2022. Hughes, Sarah (13 February 2020). "25 of the best new YA books, from Diary of a Confused Feminist to Wonderland". i . Retrieved 25 May 2022.

Aroesti, Rachel (18 March 2022). "No drugs, booze, sex or swearing: will Heartstopper rewrite the young love rulebook?". The Guardian . Retrieved 13 September 2022.Zornosa, Laura (9 May 2022). " 'Heartstopper' Is a TV Love Story With the Soul of a Comic". The New York Times . Retrieved 5 November 2022. In 2023, the Heartstopper novels increasingly became subject of a wave of U.S. restrictions against books featuring POC, racism, gender identity and/or queer individuals. The books were pulled from shelves in at least two school districts, Clay County, Florida [33] and Canby, Oregon. [34]

McLaughlin, Gemma E. (2 May 2021). "Heartwarming, real and unaffected: a tale of teenage romance". The National . Retrieved 19 May 2022. Children's Book Review: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman". Publishers Weekly. 5 May 2020 . Retrieved 19 May 2022.British author's book sold in envelopes in Turkey for including gay character". duvaR.english. 26 September 2021 . Retrieved 13 May 2023. Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. An LGBTQ+ graphic novel about life, love, and everything that happens in between: this is the second volume of the bestselling HEARTSTOPPER series. *Includes exclusive Tara/Darcy story!* Jamieson, Teddy (13 December 2019). "Graphic Content: The best comics and graphic novels of the year as chosen by comic creators". The Herald . Retrieved 25 May 2022. In September 2021, Turkey's Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services labeled the publication "harmful" concluding that "some elements in the books might have harmful effects on the morality of the those aged below 18." [31] Following this decision, copies of the books are only allowed to be sold inside of sealed envelopes with the label "Harmful for children" in Turkey. [32] Valle, Jay (10 August 2023). " 'Heartstopper' books temporarily removed from Mississippi public library". NBC News . Retrieved 13 August 2023.