Author Alice Oseman is best known for two characters that she created: Charlie and Nick. Those characters (and other characters in Solitaire) were so compelling for potential publishers that a bidding war emerged for the right to publish Solitaire, Oseman's debut novel first published in 2015. That bidding war reflects how critically and financially successful Solitaire was at the time of its release. It was a critical darling and an instant bestseller. In their glowing review of Oseman's novel, for instance, Kirkus Reviews said that Solitaire was brilliant and "evokes a classic [in Catcher in the Rye]." A series based on the characters in Solitaire and other novels is also in the works at Netflix.
Solitaire is told from the perspective of a young woman named Tori Spring, who is on the verge of graduating from the American equivalent of high school. Before her life dramatically changed, Tori had great friendships with Charlie and Nick. Now, she seemingly has no friends, and her life has become tough. To make matters worse, Tori must now contend with a young man named Michael Holden and something he calls "solitaire."
