After re-reading and very much enjoying The Fault In Our Stars, I decided to follow it up with another YA book I had enjoyed (also because I had been meaning to re-read it so I could get to the sequel properly contextualized). Enter Simon.
This was one of the first YA books I read that featured a love story between two boys. It’s not the only one out there, but this and Will Grayson, Will Grayson are the two I’ve read and loved. This book has a lot of things I love. Like The Fault In Our Stars, the parents in this book are present and seem to be good at being parents. There are siblings who have their own identities and aren’t just cut-out antagonists. There are friends who are supportive and loving (and also the complexity that often accompanies friendships that have one-sided crushes in high school). There is fear about coming out, of course, but not because of fear of not being accepted, but fear of and frustration about this revelation making people around you see you and treat you differently, like suddenly overnight you are no longer the you you have always been. Fear of growing up. Fear of change. There is solidarity and betrayal, there are stupid decisions and forced ones, there are surprises that are horrible and wonderful.
One of the things I adored so much about this book, other than its diversity, is that it does a great job of capturing the insecurity and complexity of teenaged emotions. I remember feelings being SO BIG and everything feeling like THE END OF THE WORLD even when it most decidedly was not. I appreciate an author who can write this without making it seem over the top or ridiculous. Because even when it is, it also isn’t at the time.
I still enjoyed getting to know these characters, wondering who Blue was (it has been that long since I read it and I didn’t remember at first) and rooting for he and Simon to finally meet. I cried at the end. In short, it was a great experience the second time round, and I’m very glad I decided to give it another read! I also re-watched the film based on this book, which I equally enjoyed.
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met. – Goodreads
Book Title: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Author: Becky Albertalli
Series: Yes – Creekwood #1
Edition: Paperback; Audiobook
Published By: Penguin; Audible
Released: April 7, 2015
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult, LGBT
Pages: 303
Date Read: November 4-6, 2015; September 1-2, 2020
Rating: 8/10; 7/10
Average Goodreads Rating: 4.29/5 (282,855 ratings)
Orignial Review: May 12-13, 2013, link to original review here.
Another really old one from my TBR that I haven’t read yet. I think I added this when I was on a YA streak and then I got burned out so I ended up shelving quite a few titles that I need to revisit. Good to know it’s stood up to the test of time!
So glad you enjoyed rereading it! I love this one, too. I haven’t read it in years, though I finally convinced two of my younger siblings to read it the year that the movie adaptation came out. Have you seen it? It’s definitely a bit of a tearjerker… at least it was for me!
I’m glad it stood up to rereading. I want to reread this book too. I loved it the first time.
Yeah, I have a particular soft spot for this one!