Hello.

I hope someone is reading.

"Radio Silence" is probably one of the best books I've read this year (and also ever). Once I had started, it was hard to put it down and I desperately wanted to know how the story would turn and twist and eventually end.

One of the main aspects I like about the book is its honesty and its unadorned portrayal of reality. Though some aspects feel a little exaggerated (most things related to Carol Last, but then maybe I've not met the right wrong people yet), I had the feeling that Aled could be my neighbour and Universe City my sister's favourite podcast.
Social Media, especially tumblr, has been a huge part of my life for the past few years and the author has captured the surreal thing we call fandom so on point. Nowadays, it has such a big influence on each and everyone of us and can totally take over someone's life, for the better or the worse. Once more this shows that you can learn and read and try to understand a thing as much as you want, it always feels different when you're really from the inside.
And Alice Oseman is from the inside. I've been following her on tumblr for quite some time now and from what I've seen, she has put a lot of personal experiences and opinions in this book which is why it seems so realistic. S
I wish Universe City was a real podcast and I would listen to it every week then.

Sometimes University is not the right way for you, high heels might not be the right shoes for you and a specific gender must not apply to you.
Despite a beautiful writing style, the intention of Radio Silence is an important one that often seems to not be taken seriously. Being a University student myself (although in Germany), it seems crazy under how much pressure many people are regarding higher education (I've only experienced a weak version of that, first and second hand, which was already enough for me). Forgetting one's life is not the way to go and the book is clearly emphasising that what might be right for one person, must not always be the best choice for the next.

Another aspects I enjoyed a lot is the nerdiness of the story and especially of Frances and Aled. Monsters, Inc. leggins, do I need so say anything else!? The friendship between the two is so pure and genuine, ever finding a friend like that seems impossible. It never seemed forced or unnatural to me, because the two clearly belong together. Not in a romantic way, which is one of the reasons I started the book in the first place. The YA market is flooded with so many stories consisting of the same ideas and plot lines and romance is the main motif in nearly all of them, but Radio Silence really is a story mainly about friendship and growing up.

Oh, and thumps up for Frances' mother. I've seldomly read about a protagonist's mother not fighting or criticising or not understanding her child, but believing in it and its choices and supporting it without hesitation.

If you ever only read one YA book in your life, this is my suggestion. It makes you believe in the genre again and I was reminded why I started reading YA in the first place. Alice Oseman is an author I'll definitely lok out for in the future.