What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedHeartbeats
Xavier Dolan · Film · 2010
If you loved Heartbeats, start with Heartstopper (Alice Oseman, 2022) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Heartbeats across media.
What hooked you in Heartbeats was the painful, beautiful way that obsession and unspoken desire reshape the dynamics of your closest friendships.
Books on the same thread
Heartstopper, Vol. 1
Alice Oseman · Book
Shares a thread with Heartbeats: coming-of-age.
Like Heartbeats, this story captures the tender, high-stakes vulnerability of young attraction, focusing on how personal discovery shifts the boundaries of existing social connections and budding romantic intimacy.
Sputnik Sweetheart
Haruki Murakami · Book · 2001
Shares a thread with Heartbeats: Unrequited Love.
If you appreciated the unrequited longing in Heartbeats, you will find this exploration of elusive affection and the existential search for connection deeply resonant and hauntingly familiar.
Norwegian Wood (ノルウェイの森)
Haruki Murakami · Book · 1987
Shares a thread with Heartbeats: Coming-of-Age.
This narrative mirrors the emotional turbulence found in Heartbeats, replacing the frothy comedy with a somber examination of how grief and deep-seated longing define our most significant romantic bonds.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Carson McCullers · Book · 2000
Shares a thread with Heartbeats: Coming-of-Age.
Much like the isolation felt by the leads in Heartbeats, this story delves into the profound loneliness and communication barriers that often accompany the search for beauty and understanding.
Series on the same thread
Heartstopper
Alice Oseman · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with Heartbeats: Identity.
Fans of Heartbeats will recognize the delicate dance of young love here, where the ambiguity of friendship and the thrill of self-discovery drive the narrative tension between the protagonists.
Heated Rivalry
Jacob Tierney · Series · 2025
Explores: Rivalry, Forbidden Love, Career Ambition.
This story captures the same intense, competitive friction seen in Heartbeats, illustrating how ambition and secret desires can complicate the evolution of a relationship between two young men.
Normal People
Series · 2020
Explores: First Love, Social Class Differences, Miscommunication.
The complex miscommunication and emotional intimacy explored here echo the central tensions of Heartbeats, showing how the desire to be loved creates a messy, recurring cycle of attachment.
Euphoria
Sam Levinson · Series · 2019
Shares 2 threads with Heartbeats: Identity, Coming-of-Age.
This series mirrors the intense, often self-destructive infatuation found in Heartbeats, focusing on the chaotic ways that teenage identity and social dynamics are shaped by trauma and desire.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Heart
Kaitlin Prest · Podcast · 2026
This podcast shares the intimate, cinematic focus of Heartbeats, providing a raw and honest space to explore the complex, unnamed human experiences that define our most passionate romantic encounters.
Betches Video Club
Podcast
Explores: Film Criticism, Humorous Discussion, Pop Culture.
If you enjoyed the stylish, opinionated atmosphere of Heartbeats, you will appreciate this podcast's blend of cultural analysis and humorous, candid commentary on the films that shape our perspectives.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Heartbeats a film about a love triangle?
Yes, Heartbeats centers on two best friends, Francis and Marie, who both become infatuated with a man named Nicolas. Their competitive pursuit of his affections creates a conflict that drives the narrative of the movie as they navigate their changing friendship and his indeterminate interest in them.
Where does the story in Heartbeats take place?
The setting for Heartbeats is primarily in Montreal. The plot follows the characters as they meet in a local coffee shop and eventually travel together to the vacation home of Nicolas' mother, where the central conflict of the film reaches its climax.
Who are the main characters featured in Heartbeats?
Heartbeats features three central characters: Francis, a young gay man; Marie, a young straight woman; and Nicolas, the man they both become infatuated with. The film explores the evolving dynamics and competition between these three individuals after they meet in a coffee shop.
What is the tone of the movie Heartbeats?
Heartbeats is described as a frothy comedy. The film uses a specific narrative style to depict the infatuation of Francis and Marie as they compete for the attention of Nicolas, tracking their interactions from a Montreal coffee shop to a trip at a vacation home.