Extract from Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Author’s Note This book contains references to suicide and suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, self-harm, depression, eating disorders, and obsessive-compulsive behaviours. Please read safely and responsibly, and for more detailed content warnings, visit aliceoseman. com/content-warnings. Solitaire shares some characters with my graphic novel series, Heartstopper, and it takes place during the events of Heartstopper: Volume Four. For those readers who have discovered this book after reading Heartstopper, please note that this story is very different in tone. Solitaire was written in 2012, long before the creation of Heartstopper, and it explores much darker themes than Heartstopper. Solitaire may not be suitable for all readers who have enjoyed Heartstopper. In 2020, I was given the incredible opportunity to make some editorial changes to Solitaire. I’ve been able to bring Solitaire more in line with the events of Heartstopper, alongside editing various elements of the story I felt were particularly harmful or sensationalised. I’m so grateful to my readers who are still eager to read my old works and to my publisher who has been so supportive of my backlist! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported my stories! - Alice Oseman, August 2020