Working at Barnes & Noble every summer break means that my memory is a mini supercomputer filled with screenshots of book covers. So naturally, whenever Isaac showed up on screen in Heartstopper Season 2 holding a book, my brain automatically determined its title and location in the store based on three seconds of screen time. Heartstopper’s got a special relationship with books, seeing as the show is adapted from Alice Oseman’s graphic novels, so Isaac’s choices are anything but arbitrary. They tend to reflect whatever’s going on in the show — and this season, they’re a reflection of Isaac himself.
A couple of disclaimers before we start: I was able to identify 15 out of the 17 books Isaac reads this season. Neither I, my coworkers, nor the librarians at my local library recognized the other two books, so shoutout to Isaac for probably having the most unique Goodreads profile on Earth. Also, Isaac’s room has more books than empty floor space, so for the purposes of this article, I’m only counting the individual books we actually see him holding in his hands and/or actively reading. Here are (most of) the books Isaac reads in Season 2 of Heartstopper that you’ll want to add to your TBR. Spoiler warning: Spoilers for Season 2 of Heartstopper follow.
Episode 1: “Out”
- Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
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Described as a mix between Gossip Girl and Get Out, Ace of Spades is a YA private school thriller about an anonymous texter who targets the only two black students on campus. Dan Humphrey would never.
Episode 2: “Family”
- We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
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Although We Are Okay is mostly about grief, it’s also about leaning on your friends when times get tough. Isaac is usually the one being leaned on; I hope this book taught him that it’s OK to ask other people for help!
- The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
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You may have read this hilarious play about mistaken identities in AP Lit. The title is a play on the name Ernest and the adjective “earnest,” which is exactly the way in which Tao tells Isaac and Charlie that he has a crush on Elle. Guess which Penguin Classic Isaac is holding in that scene (I told you Heartstopper was clever with its books!).
Episode 3: “Promise”
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry
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Sometimes you just need a fun rom-com to breeze through after reading a Victorian play. As a book lover himself, it’s easy to see why Isaac would be drawn to Emily Henry’s enemies-to-lovers romance between a workaholic literary agent and a brooding book editor.
episode 4: “challenge”
- Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
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Isaac packs appropriately for Truham and Higgs’s field trip to Paris. He reads the French classic Les Miserables on the bus ride there. The book is nearly 1,500 pages long, but not even Javert could stop Isaac from getting 75% of his reading done before stepping foot in France.
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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This classic French novella is about a pilot who crash-lands on a strange planet and meets a prince who tells him his life story. It sounds like a children’s book, but its reflections on life and love apply to readers of all ages. Isaac must have wanted a quick read after finishing Les Mis!
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin
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Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening caused quite a stir when it was published in 1899 due to its frank description of a woman getting in touch with her sexuality and forming her own sense of identity. That’s kind of what Isaac is going through at this point in the season when he thinks he may have a crush on his classmate.
episode 5: “heat”
- the stranger by albert camus
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The translation Isaac is reading is titled The Outsider instead of The Stranger (which made identifying this one 10 times harder), but the basic plot of an emotionless man who kills someone because life has no meaning is the same. This seems like a pretty depressing book to read on a school trip.
episode 6: “truth / dare”
- birthday by meredith russo
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According to the blurb on the back of the book, Birthday tells the story of two best friends, a boy and a transgender girl, “as they come together, drift apart, fall in love, and discover who they’re meant to be — and if they’re meant to be together.” That sounds like Tao and Elle to me!
- crush by richard siken
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How clever is it that Isaac reads a poetry collection called Crush when he thinks he may have a crush? One reader describes Siken’s panicked description of crushing on someone of the same gender as “every Donna Tartt novel crushed into every Hozier song.” I’m sold.
episode 7: “sorry”
- boy erased by garrard conley
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Boy Erased is a memoir about a gay college student finding his sense of self through being forced to attend a conversion camp. It’s an apt choice for Isaac, who spends this episode privately questioning his sexuality.
- all boys aren’t blue by george m. johnson
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If the title reminds you of the beach scene in Moonlight, you’re riding the right wave. Johnson’s memoir-manifesto about growing up as a queer black man was inspired by the Oscar-winning film.
- we have always been here by samra habib
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We Have Always Been Here calls itself “an exploration of faith, art, love, and queer sexuality,” a rallying cry for anyone who has ever felt out of place,” and “a testament to the power of fearlessly inhabiting one’s truest self.” Woah. A book this powerful also has a powerful connection to Isaac’s character arc; he’s carrying it in the scene when he gets introduced to the concept of asexuality.
episode 8: “perfect”
- summer bird blue by akemi dawn bowman
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Summer Bird Blue is about a teenage musician named Rumi who is grieving the loss of her younger sister. She leans on the “boys next door” (AKA a teenage surfer and an 80-year-old man) to find her way back to her passion.
- Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen
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By the end of Season 2, Isaac realizes (with a little help from this book) that he identifies as asexual. Oseman, who identifies as aromantic asexual, told Attitude before Season 2 was released that “asexuality will be discussed on TV in a big way. I’m excited. I hope it’ll change the world.” Isaac’s storyline paves the way for more inclusive LGBTQ+ representation in the media.
