A shy student and a brilliant creator team up to bring a cult podcast to life, only to find that internet stardom complicates everything they thought they knew about themselves. Tender, funny, and real, Radio Silence celebrates friendship, creativity, and the courage to be who you are.
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Start or resume Shelf TalkThese picks are popular with readers who enjoyed this book. Possible spoilers below.
In Radio Silence, did you enjoy the frank, queer journey of figuring out who you are—online vs. IRL?
If you connected with how Frances balances “Head Girl Frances” with her fan-artist self and how Aled protects his anonymity as the voice behind Universe City, you’ll feel right at home with Felix’s search for a name, an identity, and a future. Like Radio Silence, this story tackles labels, messy self-definition, and the courage it takes to show your true self—without asking the characters to be perfect.
In Radio Silence, did you enjoy a tender, non-romantic friendship that transforms two isolated teens?
If Frances and Aled’s ride-or-die, non-romantic bond was your favorite part—late-night conversations, showing up for each other when family life gets complicated—you’ll be moved by Adam and Julian. Their friendship has that same "I see you, the real you" energy that made Frances staying by Aled’s side (even beyond the podcast) so powerful.
In Radio Silence, did you enjoy online creativity, fandom culture, and mixed-media snippets colliding with real life?
Loved the world of Universe City, the secret creative work, and the way texts, posts, and transcripts peek into Frances and Aled’s lives? Eliza and Her Monsters dives into a wildly popular webcomic, forum threads, and DMs—capturing that same electric tension between anonymity and recognition that Aled faces as the podcast’s creator.
In Radio Silence, did you enjoy warm, inclusive YA that centers queer joy, ambition, and supportive friendships?
If you appreciated the inclusive cast in Radio Silence—Frances’s bi identity, Aled’s ace-spec vibes, Daniel’s queerness—and the way friends become a lifeline amid academic pressure, you’ll love following Liz Lighty as she leans on her crew, stakes a claim on her future, and refuses to shrink herself to fit other people’s plans.
In Radio Silence, did you enjoy an intimate, first-person coming-of-age voice that’s candid about mental health and growing up?
If Frances’s first-person honesty about stress, grades, and who she’s “supposed” to be hooked you—and if Aled’s struggles made you ache—Charlie’s letters will resonate. Like Radio Silence, it’s a quiet, heartfelt journey about finding the people who get you and learning that your future doesn’t have to look like what everyone expects.
