Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda: Becky Albertalli

YA contemporary is one of the genres I tend to read the least of - the majority of the books I read nowadays aren't YA and I'm much more inclined towards the speculative than the 'normal' - but every now and then I stray back into the genre, and I almost always enjoy it when I do. This instance was no different. I've heard nothing but praise for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, so when I saw the kindle edition was relatively cheap I bought a copy and if I hadn't started reading it in the late hours, with work the next morning, I easily could have read it in one sitting; I read it for about an hour before I went to sleep and breezed through almost a third of it. I finished it the next day. I flew through this book, it's so much fun and surprisingly funny; as in 'I-actually-laughed-while-reading-this-and-got-weird-looks-from-my-family' funny. This is one of those YA books where the characters feel like real teenagers. Some of the characters in this book reminded me of some of the people I went to school with, and as someone who so often finds it difficult to relate to the characters in contemporary YA this made for such a wonderfully nostalgic reading experience. I knew my fair share of Abbys, Taylors and Martins when I was at school. Simon is a fantastic protagonist. He's funny and adorable and also genuine; he feels like a real boy (no that's not a Pinocchio reference) and the way he reacts to the pretty horrible situation he finds himself in is perfectly realistic. Considering she's a (presumably) heterosexual woman, Becky Albertalli has written a young gay man very well. I loved his relationship with Blue, too; the two of them have electric, honest chemistry and their emails were heartwarming, heartwrenching and hilarious all at once. Even though Blue was a little frustrating at times, he was never unlikeable, and even though I guessed who Blue was just over half way through it didn't take anything away from the ultimate reveal. This isn't the best book I've ever read, but it was an incredibly pleasant surprise. I was glad that characters like Martin and Leah didn't get their ideal happy endings in a romantic sense because the two of them still have some growing to do; both of them were pretty s***** towards Abby, and what Martin does to Simon is, quite frankly, horrific. Blackmailing someone by threatening to out them is disrespectful and dangerous; some people don't come out because they don't feel safe in doing so, and Martin never even considers that. All in all it was a fabulously entertaining book that I loved from start to finish and couldn't put down - 5 stars from me!

Honestly this is the fluffiest and sweetest book I've ever read. The characters are all likeable, admittedly at points I disliked some of them, and I always adored their interactions. As for Simon? He is one of very few gay protagonists I've had the pleasure to read about and he is a delight. If you're looking for a cute slice-of-life esque story this is definitely for you. This book is a sweet exploration of relationships and preconceptions and how maybe defining yourself--defining anyone--is really just refusing to see the truth and holding yourself back from growing. But more importantly, it's a well rounded teen romance with all the syrupy sweet goodness of first-loves and all the fuzzy loveliness we don't normally get to see for couples (or characters for that matter) that aren't straight. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a well-humoured, satisfying, story which doesn't rely on worn out tropes like miscommunication to add conflict. I'm honestly just over the moon that Simon got a happy non-ending and although I guessed who Blue was rather quickly I didn't find that fact irritating! It was a little heart breaking, Blue's uncertainty, but it all worked out and made the story all the sweeter. I've never been so pleased by a book with lgbt representation, there aren't many out there, but I think in an ideal world where there ARE thousands upon thousands of books with honest-to-god canon lgbt+ characters this book would still be in my top 10. A gay teen romance which doesn't end in tragedy and at no point made me want throw my kindle in frustration. If the book Gods can hear me I'd like more of the same!

Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda is a really fun novel to read, but it's not the easiest novel for me to review as a straight reader. I've read the arguments that this novel is more written for straight readers than LGBT ones and perhaps that's true. Really, I have no way of judging it. Perhaps this novel will speak to you on a personal level and perhaps not. However, I can say that I really enjoyed it. While the book doesn't have much by way of a plot, it presents a really moving character study of a gay teenager as he is forced to come out. It's really a look at why coming out is such a "big deal", contrasting the views of Simon's straight friends (many of whom don't fully understand him) with the complexity of Simon's feelings. While the story seems simple on the surface, it explores some very complicated themes as Simon struggles to define himself and discovers what he means to those around him. The chapters are interspersed with emails between Simon and Blue. These were some of my favourite parts of the story as they felt very natural. Their relationship clearly blossomed over the course of the story and both boys, while witty and heartfelt, also had noticeably different voices. However, I didn't really think that the novel dropped enough hints as to Blue's true identity. While there were some clues later in the novel, when this is finally revealed the story tries to make it seem as though this should have been obvious despite some of the information that was available to Simon was withheld from the reader. Yet the novel is still very sweet and I did get very invested in their relationship, ever hopeful that the two would eventually find happiness together. However, I did think that some of the secondary cast felt a bit shallow. While the cast of the story is quite large, Simon's viewpoint is understandably self-centred. All we really learn about the cast is how they react to Simon. Ultimately, we don't learn much about most of them purely because Simon doesn't know them on a personal level. So, in all, this novel is definitely one that I would recommend. I loved Simon as a character and found that I was incredibly invested in his relationship with Blue. While it's not my favourite LGBT novel, it's definitely one that I'd recommend.

Simon is , in some ways, little different from other supposed teenage narrators of gay coming out stories i.e. he is an adult's creation: clever, cute, self aware and self-analytical and hugely articulate. And of course he is charming, decent: the boy next door with just enough attitude to make him interesting. So far, so fairly par for the course. But this book is more than a cut above the norm. At its heart, are the email exchanges between Simon and 'Blue', an unidentified classmate who is also gay and also not out to friends and family. The complexities of the online relationship and its traumatic outing into Simon's school and social world are powerfully and poignantly depicted. The author also gets under the skin of family (especially sibling) relationships in a way that is funny, perceptive and touching. Simon's actual coming out - and the revelation of who Blue is - are very moving: the joy of love after the pain of secrecy and then exposure. The 'whodunnit' part of the search for the identity of Blue makes the book a real page turner. It has a cast of characters who are interesting and appealing and it is leavened with humour. It is a great read.

I loved this book! If you are looking for a cute love story then this is the book for you! You follow the main character Simon, who is not openly gay and has been talking to a mysterious person online known as 'Blue'. Blue goes to the same school as Simon, so as you can imagine Simon is trying his best to find out who Blue actually is. I loved everything about this book. I find it rare that I like how all the characters are written but this was one exception. I found Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda to be funny and thought provoking and found that it made me smile alot. I read this book within 2 days which for me is fast. I really couldn't put it down. I also loved the biggest message within this book. Why do gay people have to 'come out'? Shouldn't straight people have to come out too. If you haven't read this then I strongly recommend this book to you. If you are looking for something easy to read but has a brilliant story and likeable and relatable characters then this one is for you.

If this is Beck Albertalli's debut novel, I cannot wait to see what she comes up with in the future! I can't remember the last time I polished off an entire novel in a single sitting. Warm, funny, and very real. I adore the Harry Potter references, and find the fact that Simon secretly reads Harry Potter gay fanfiction adorable. But what I like most about this is the way homosexuality is presented in this book. There are no family conflicts, no friends cutting him from their lives because of Simon's sexual orientation. Just a slow build as Simon learns not only to accept his sexuality but also see himself as 'normal' with nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, Albertalli condemns the South for its bigotry, making reference to the fact that Simon and 'Blue' cannot hold hands in public 'because this is still Georgia'. So, who is this 'Blue'? The clues are there, and I admit I guessed rather early on, but this didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story one single iota. An enjoyable read with a lovely protagonist. I would love to see a sequel, or at least more from this promising and talented author in the future.

Simon had been emailing Blue someone like him and even attending the same school but he has no idea who he is only that he's falling for him. When Simon is forced out by someone, it changes his whole life and maybe he can now get his happy ending? but is life ever that simple? Oh I loved this so much. Its sweet, cute and often hilarious. The plot is well done and briliantly written. It builds to the most perfect ending that fitted with the story. I loved all the emails interspersed amongst the story adding that extra and often hilarious depth to the story. Simon is just instantly likeable and by the end I was in love with him too. You want him to get everything he wants. A beautiful story thats instantly relatable and fun. An easy, light read.

I'm just going to put it out there...I love Simon. How have I not read this book until now?!! 😆 So if you are like me and had no clue, it is a coming of age and coming out story. You follow Simon, a closeted gay teenage boy who is forced to come out after a blackmailer discovers his emails written to another closeted classmate ’Blue’ with whom he has fallen in love. The characterisation is brilliant. Simon is cute, clever, a good boy with enough attitude to keep him interesting. Love him! His friends are portrayed with maturity which is refreshing. It's not all teenage angst, they actually support each other. Albertalli clearly understands teenagers and that's why it's a relatable book. Overall, the characters are really likeable, well apart from Martin. Yes he redeems himself but I still don't have to like him. Albertalli does a great job getting under the skin of family dynamics too in a way that is funny and touching. The main focus is the email exchanges between Simon and 'Blue'. A romance that takes place over email? Sold! I adored the fact that Simon and Blue fell in love with each other without knowing what the other looked like. The complications of their online relationship and its agonising outing to Simon's school and family are poignantly depicted in the book. The writing is simple, the characters have good chemistry with lots of great dialogue and it has a great message about acceptance and being true to oneself. The only downside was that I found it a little slow to start with but thankfully it picked up and got going. It's probably just me being picky! Overall, this book left me with a big smile on my face. I laughed, I cried and I feel good having read it. It's a sweet contemporary book that I would recommend everyone to read, particularly teenagers and their parents!!