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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I really, really wanted to love this book the way I did with Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda. I think it's a much needed book and I applaud Albertalli for taking that on. My issue was more with the way it was written and the characters. It just didn't have the same polish that Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda did. I also, unfortunately, did not really like Leah's character in this. I think my teenage self might've liked her (which is obviously the target audience here), but my current self...not so much. I also felt as though the romance was forced and rushed. I think there was more chemistry between characters who didn't end up together than with characters who did and I found that frustrating. I want to re-read it to see if I can gain new insight on it though. That being said, I think it's still a good book because it does focus on a bi relationship and that representation is crucial.
Not quite as good as The Upside of Unrequited but about the same as Simon. I think I need to reread Simon now to solidify my opinion
Again, Becky didn’t disappoint! It 100% felt like her writing which I’m in love with and is honestly 80% of why I love her stories to begin with. The only reason this isn’t a 5 star read or a 4.5 star is because, I didn’t like Leah a lot in Simon... and I really didn’t think I’d like her much in her own novel and I was correct! Her character just wasn’t for me, but I still really enjoyed this book and it was once again a super quick read. Plus! I had the chance to revisit all my favourite characters in the Simonverse one last time which was a bonus.
Thoughts on the plot itself were meh, I found it felt a little jumpy and all over the place at times but somehow Becky still made it okay enough to enjoy.
I liked the beginning more then the ending I believe, the middle was meh, and the ending wasn’t horrible it just felt really rushed? Which was the last thing I wanted to feel.
On a very side note I LOVED LEAH’S MOM! She was amazing, and a side character but probably my favourite from the whole story!
Anyways, READ THIS! You need too especially if you loved Becky’s other works, this is a wrap in the Simonverse but I am so so so excited for what’s to come in the future with more of Becky’s writing!!!!
Thoughts on the plot itself were meh, I found it felt a little jumpy and all over the place at times but somehow Becky still made it okay enough to enjoy.
I liked the beginning more then the ending I believe, the middle was meh, and the ending wasn’t horrible it just felt really rushed? Which was the last thing I wanted to feel.
On a very side note I LOVED LEAH’S MOM! She was amazing, and a side character but probably my favourite from the whole story!
Anyways, READ THIS! You need too especially if you loved Becky’s other works, this is a wrap in the Simonverse but I am so so so excited for what’s to come in the future with more of Becky’s writing!!!!
3.5 stars. Great at times but went off the rails at the end. I seem to be reading a bunch of those lately.
I am infuriated at how good this was. INFURIATED. Nothing is going to measure up to this and so the next few books I read are going to be GARBAGE no matter how good they actually are and also I’m kind of crying??? I DON’T ACT LIKE THIS ABOUT BOOKS!
Update 6/18/20: So I guess I'm just gonna keep re-reading this book for the rest of my life huh
Update 6/18/20: So I guess I'm just gonna keep re-reading this book for the rest of my life huh
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars.
Let me start off with the fact that I love Becky Albertalli and all of the books she writes. I've read the other 2 novels in this universe/world of Simon and loved them to bits. Albertalli has a way of incredibly accurately depicting the teenage experience in a way I have rarely seen done before.
This book still lived up to that however, it was a little too angsty. Leah was not a character that I really disliked but I didn't enjoy reading about as much as the other characters in this world. I understand that it was highlighting the complications of teen relationships, breakups and college while also dealing with identity, much like the other novels, but this fell a little more flat for me.
Don't get me wrong I did enjoy this book but not as much as the others. It seems so dramatic and a little unrealistic in my opinion. It was a quick read which I enjoyed and there were definitely parts that made me laugh. Overall, solid read.
I hope we get a novel about these characters in college later down the line. I would love more about the characters from The Upside of Unrequited and Simon vs.
Let me start off with the fact that I love Becky Albertalli and all of the books she writes. I've read the other 2 novels in this universe/world of Simon and loved them to bits. Albertalli has a way of incredibly accurately depicting the teenage experience in a way I have rarely seen done before.
This book still lived up to that however, it was a little too angsty. Leah was not a character that I really disliked but I didn't enjoy reading about as much as the other characters in this world. I understand that it was highlighting the complications of teen relationships, breakups and college while also dealing with identity, much like the other novels, but this fell a little more flat for me.
Don't get me wrong I did enjoy this book but not as much as the others. It seems so dramatic and a little unrealistic in my opinion. It was a quick read which I enjoyed and there were definitely parts that made me laugh. Overall, solid read.
I hope we get a novel about these characters in college later down the line. I would love more about the characters from The Upside of Unrequited and Simon vs.
Too real. I have a hard time sometimes with YA fiction because when a writer really captures the intensity of adolescence, it's wayyy more feelings than I can handle. Leah's worth it, though, struggling with her suppressed feelings for her friend's girlfriend, the impending shift from high school to college, and her mom's love life.
I could not put this book down. I identified with Leah way more than I expected and the book just made me so happy.
As always with a Becky Albertalli book, I flew through it. I haven't read an entire book in a night in quite a long time, but I felt compelled to keep going even though it got pretty late. And then I figured I might as well just finish it. No regrets here! A good time was had. I do think this is my least favorite of her three books, so far, though.
Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with Leah herself. Leah is a tough character to like for me. I bounced off her a little bit in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, as well. She's often brash and stubborn and reactive. But Albertalli does a great job internalizing her personality, so that even when she's being more difficult, you see where she's coming from. She feels human, and I really liked her almost immediately as a protagonist.
There are two things keeping me from giving this four stars, despite how fun it was and how fast I read it. First, I'm not really sure I can identify what Leah's arc is in this book. I liked reading the book so much that I didn't really catch on to this until trying to sum up my feelings for it, but she doesn't really grow or change throughout. Besides gaining a significant other, and coming out to her friends as bi, nothing about Leah is different from page one through the end. The growth is more on the part of other characters, especially Abby. Well, wait, now that I think about it, she does open up, and that is a change. She also starts showing people her art. So, there's that. But I had to think a little bit about it before it occurred to me, so I still wish a little more had been done there.
The second thing is her relationship with Abby. I liked Abby in Simon, felt I knew who she was, but here I felt weirdly removed from her. Even as I loved Leah having an adorable crush on her, I'm not sure I entirely see how they work as a couple? I mean, I'm clear on Leah's end. We see all her thoughts. But I'm not sure about Abby. I think this might just be me, though from the acknowledgements, this is something Albertalli actually got from the fan community and wasn't something she was planning on her own, if that makes any difference at all. I have no idea.
Regardless, I liked this quite a bit. As always with Albertalli, so many little details and emotional nuances are packed in. From Leah defending Abby getting in to a college that another friend didn't, when that friend implies she only got in because she's black, from high school relationships not lasting, through the very common breaking up of a formerly close friend group. All those things ring true.
I think if I ever re-read this, the two issues I mentioned above might not be there anymore, so they really aren't that big of a deal for me, clearly.
Read Harder Challenge 2018: A one-sitting book.
Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with Leah herself. Leah is a tough character to like for me. I bounced off her a little bit in Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, as well. She's often brash and stubborn and reactive. But Albertalli does a great job internalizing her personality, so that even when she's being more difficult, you see where she's coming from. She feels human, and I really liked her almost immediately as a protagonist.
There are two things keeping me from giving this four stars, despite how fun it was and how fast I read it. First, I'm not really sure I can identify what Leah's arc is in this book. I liked reading the book so much that I didn't really catch on to this until trying to sum up my feelings for it, but she doesn't really grow or change throughout. Besides gaining a significant other, and coming out to her friends as bi, nothing about Leah is different from page one through the end. The growth is more on the part of other characters, especially Abby. Well, wait, now that I think about it, she does open up, and that is a change. She also starts showing people her art. So, there's that. But I had to think a little bit about it before it occurred to me, so I still wish a little more had been done there.
The second thing is her relationship with Abby. I liked Abby in Simon, felt I knew who she was, but here I felt weirdly removed from her. Even as I loved Leah having an adorable crush on her, I'm not sure I entirely see how they work as a couple? I mean, I'm clear on Leah's end. We see all her thoughts. But I'm not sure about Abby. I think this might just be me, though from the acknowledgements, this is something Albertalli actually got from the fan community and wasn't something she was planning on her own, if that makes any difference at all. I have no idea.
Regardless, I liked this quite a bit. As always with Albertalli, so many little details and emotional nuances are packed in. From Leah defending Abby getting in to a college that another friend didn't, when that friend implies she only got in because she's black, from high school relationships not lasting, through the very common breaking up of a formerly close friend group. All those things ring true.
I think if I ever re-read this, the two issues I mentioned above might not be there anymore, so they really aren't that big of a deal for me, clearly.
Read Harder Challenge 2018: A one-sitting book.