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cozycoe's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
shmarvie's review against another edition
4.0
What can I say other than I absolutely adore this world Becky has created. I enjoyed every moment being back with these characters. This relationship was a little out of left field for me but I’m happy that it happened. It was cute. Also: I just connected with Leah so much, especially all of the self doubt, girl we’re on the same page!
Basically flew through this in a day. The ending was cliche but it was self aware so it just worked. If you read Simon you definitely don’t want to miss Leah!
Basically flew through this in a day. The ending was cliche but it was self aware so it just worked. If you read Simon you definitely don’t want to miss Leah!
leafblade's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly a 2/5 but I physically can't rate a Becky Albertalli book that low even if it's this much of a fucking mess. Okay I have a lot of things to say.
To get this out of the way, Simon and Bram are adorable and I'd read a thousand books about them. Just. Not this one.
Leah is fucking horrible. An awful person. Mean without a reason. Not like other girls in the worst way. Boycotting her own existence and blaming everyone else for it. Not suffering any of the consequences she should be suffering because of how much of a horrible human being she is. Constantly feeling like she's better than everyone else for not going to prom, not dancing, not drinking, not being rich, not being thin, not being straight. Having her friends put up with her when she literally doesn't even tolerate half of them.
I don't get why Becky would make her a character at all, let alone a main character. Having Langford on the acknowledgements didn't make it better.
Overall this book made no fucking sense.
First, a relationship that came out of nothing. We're told in half a page that all the slut-shaming and toxic jealousy from the first book was actually Leah being in love, and we're expected not to question it. I don't buy it and think this is just an attempt to make Leah redeemable, which at this point she isn't anymore.
This whole relationship also made her go WAY into the OOC realm. It either feels like her whole personality is fake or like she was just badly written, and I don't know which is worse.
I honestly would've bought the m/f relationship she was going into in the beginning! It's a totally organic thing to date your friend's boyfriend's friends, and it doesn't have to be a forever thing. He doesn't have to be the love of your life and it's okay. Some people date just bc it's fun or bc it would look good in prom pictures or whatever. It happens a lot and it's not inherently toxic.
The amount of times yaoi is mentioned absolutely grosses me out, given that Simon is Leah's best friend. Yaoi is literally about girls objectifying and fetishising gay guys and it's DISGUSTING that Leah is into it.
(That "YOU'RE EITHER BI OR YOU'RE NOT" deal made me want to punch a hole through her face with my bare fists) (Also that whole thing about her friend being racist, literally what the fuck)
I didn't even GET the prom was supposed to be the big culmination moment. The road trip was hyped so fucking much I thought that would be it. But it came and went in like two chapters and then??? They never speak about it again?????? Which felt weird and I can't even think how many pacing and storytelling devices went wrong for me to think the book would end with the road trip.
Nick was like the comic relief at best on the first book and it was bad enough but in this one he just somehow keeps getting worse. Mathematically impossible, I know, but believe me when I say it happens. Absolute tincho.
The stepdad element was not done well, as he didn't get enough page time and everything felt weird and pushed in like "it's getting late and I haven't talked about the dude in fifteen chapters I think we need to have him for half a scene now"
Most of the harry potter references were just too much. More so knowing this was written post-cursed child. You have to be brave and stupid to keep feeding people constant hp references and expecting them to love them. Leah says she's "the worst kind of slytherin" do you mean a fucking literal Nazi, dear? An abusive professor, at best? A genocide? A 50 something year old terf that keeps putting fake representation wherever she can for woke points? Would you mind to elaborate?
Unsurprisingly, even though we get overtold Leah DID NOT EVER slutshame Abby, they both slutshame Taylor. Of course they do, she's not nerdy.
She deadass said "you stole my first kiss" the way Simon said "you stole my coming out" Becky what the fuck were you thinking
Did I already say the ship made no sense?? THE SHIP MADE NO SENSE!!!! ALL OF MY BRAIN CELLS WERE TRYING TO IMAGINE THEM KISSING OR HOLDING HANDS AND I JUST COULDN'T COMPUTE!!! IF IT DOESN'T WORK IT DOESN'T WORK
TL;DR Leah you need therapy
To get this out of the way, Simon and Bram are adorable and I'd read a thousand books about them. Just. Not this one.
Leah is fucking horrible. An awful person. Mean without a reason. Not like other girls in the worst way. Boycotting her own existence and blaming everyone else for it. Not suffering any of the consequences she should be suffering because of how much of a horrible human being she is. Constantly feeling like she's better than everyone else for not going to prom, not dancing, not drinking, not being rich, not being thin, not being straight. Having her friends put up with her when she literally doesn't even tolerate half of them.
I don't get why Becky would make her a character at all, let alone a main character. Having Langford on the acknowledgements didn't make it better.
Overall this book made no fucking sense.
First, a relationship that came out of nothing. We're told in half a page that all the slut-shaming and toxic jealousy from the first book was actually Leah being in love, and we're expected not to question it. I don't buy it and think this is just an attempt to make Leah redeemable, which at this point she isn't anymore.
This whole relationship also made her go WAY into the OOC realm. It either feels like her whole personality is fake or like she was just badly written, and I don't know which is worse.
I honestly would've bought the m/f relationship she was going into in the beginning! It's a totally organic thing to date your friend's boyfriend's friends, and it doesn't have to be a forever thing. He doesn't have to be the love of your life and it's okay. Some people date just bc it's fun or bc it would look good in prom pictures or whatever. It happens a lot and it's not inherently toxic.
The amount of times yaoi is mentioned absolutely grosses me out, given that Simon is Leah's best friend. Yaoi is literally about girls objectifying and fetishising gay guys and it's DISGUSTING that Leah is into it.
(That "YOU'RE EITHER BI OR YOU'RE NOT" deal made me want to punch a hole through her face with my bare fists) (Also that whole thing about her friend being racist, literally what the fuck)
I didn't even GET the prom was supposed to be the big culmination moment. The road trip was hyped so fucking much I thought that would be it. But it came and went in like two chapters and then??? They never speak about it again?????? Which felt weird and I can't even think how many pacing and storytelling devices went wrong for me to think the book would end with the road trip.
Nick was like the comic relief at best on the first book and it was bad enough but in this one he just somehow keeps getting worse. Mathematically impossible, I know, but believe me when I say it happens. Absolute tincho.
The stepdad element was not done well, as he didn't get enough page time and everything felt weird and pushed in like "it's getting late and I haven't talked about the dude in fifteen chapters I think we need to have him for half a scene now"
Most of the harry potter references were just too much. More so knowing this was written post-cursed child. You have to be brave and stupid to keep feeding people constant hp references and expecting them to love them. Leah says she's "the worst kind of slytherin" do you mean a fucking literal Nazi, dear? An abusive professor, at best? A genocide? A 50 something year old terf that keeps putting fake representation wherever she can for woke points? Would you mind to elaborate?
Unsurprisingly, even though we get overtold Leah DID NOT EVER slutshame Abby, they both slutshame Taylor. Of course they do, she's not nerdy.
She deadass said "you stole my first kiss" the way Simon said "you stole my coming out" Becky what the fuck were you thinking
Did I already say the ship made no sense?? THE SHIP MADE NO SENSE!!!! ALL OF MY BRAIN CELLS WERE TRYING TO IMAGINE THEM KISSING OR HOLDING HANDS AND I JUST COULDN'T COMPUTE!!! IF IT DOESN'T WORK IT DOESN'T WORK
TL;DR Leah you need therapy
tishywishy's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing. Did not enjoy the characters or the 'roll my eyes' story line.
vriendelijkeheks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
joanna1905's review against another edition
5.0
Edit: 4/01/19 - 3rd Reread.
Amazing. As always. Truely amazing.
I love that Leah has this cute moment with Wells before prom - it’s nice to see her getting on with him when he seems like such a nice guy.
I also wish we got to see Garrett have a proper love interest, he’s such a nice dude and I always feel so bad that he seems so into Leah.
Leah and Abby are a ship made in heaven, it was SO obvious that Leah had feelings for Abby and this book develops it perfect.
Becky Albertalli truely is an extraordinary author and ally.
————————————————————————————————————
Edit: 5/07/18 - I just finished reading this for the second time and it was just as incredible as the first time. EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK! Queen Albertalli has once again pulled off the most flawless depiction of teenagers and LGBTQ+ teenagers. None of her books read like an adult trying to be hip in an effort to show off how much they 'get' teenagers and millennial culture. She truly understands what she's writing about and it makes for a phenomenal reading experience.
____________________________________________________________
I had high expectations for this book yet Becky Albertalli still managed to blow my fricken mind. Not that I'm surprised as I will forever worship Becky Albertalli for being the lord and savior of diverse literature.
This book is the fluffy and unproblematic portrayal of a bi girl that I have been waiting my whole life for. I loved Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda and identified so much with Simon despite him being a gay guy, and now I also identified so much with Leah, and bi girl to bi girl I hella related (also I would totally date her if she wasn't fictional).
Her cynical personality, obsession with Harry Potter and Inability to see how incredible she is was so endearing and made her such a likable character. Also, her inability to respond to text messages and the way she avoids any kind of situation she didn't wasn't equipped for was hilarious but oh so relatable.
I had my heart set on Abbey being the love interest in this one and when I was proved right I may have almost cried.
Also, it awesome getting to see Simon (and Bram) again, he's such cutie - and it was cool to see the way Leah saw him.
I LOVE THIS BOOK. BUY IT. READ IT. GET ON YOUR KNEES AND WORSHIP BECKY ALBERTALLI. THIS IS QUEER CULTURE. IT'S HERE. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. AND IT IS UNPROBLEMATIC AS FRICK.
There is so much more I could say but I'm honestly too hyped. I Love this book and I love Becky Albertalli.
Amazing. As always. Truely amazing.
I love that Leah has this cute moment with Wells before prom - it’s nice to see her getting on with him when he seems like such a nice guy.
I also wish we got to see Garrett have a proper love interest, he’s such a nice dude and I always feel so bad that he seems so into Leah.
Leah and Abby are a ship made in heaven, it was SO obvious that Leah had feelings for Abby and this book develops it perfect.
Becky Albertalli truely is an extraordinary author and ally.
————————————————————————————————————
Edit: 5/07/18 - I just finished reading this for the second time and it was just as incredible as the first time. EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK! Queen Albertalli has once again pulled off the most flawless depiction of teenagers and LGBTQ+ teenagers. None of her books read like an adult trying to be hip in an effort to show off how much they 'get' teenagers and millennial culture. She truly understands what she's writing about and it makes for a phenomenal reading experience.
____________________________________________________________
I had high expectations for this book yet Becky Albertalli still managed to blow my fricken mind. Not that I'm surprised as I will forever worship Becky Albertalli for being the lord and savior of diverse literature.
This book is the fluffy and unproblematic portrayal of a bi girl that I have been waiting my whole life for. I loved Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda and identified so much with Simon despite him being a gay guy, and now I also identified so much with Leah, and bi girl to bi girl I hella related (also I would totally date her if she wasn't fictional).
Her cynical personality, obsession with Harry Potter and Inability to see how incredible she is was so endearing and made her such a likable character. Also, her inability to respond to text messages and the way she avoids any kind of situation she didn't wasn't equipped for was hilarious but oh so relatable.
I had my heart set on Abbey being the love interest in this one and when I was proved right I may have almost cried.
Also, it awesome getting to see Simon (and Bram) again, he's such cutie - and it was cool to see the way Leah saw him.
I LOVE THIS BOOK. BUY IT. READ IT. GET ON YOUR KNEES AND WORSHIP BECKY ALBERTALLI. THIS IS QUEER CULTURE. IT'S HERE. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. AND IT IS UNPROBLEMATIC AS FRICK.
There is so much more I could say but I'm honestly too hyped. I Love this book and I love Becky Albertalli.
linnaboobooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Of the two Becky Albertalli books I've read (This one, and Simon), Leah on the Offbeat is better as I like the storyline better and I can see how much her writing has developed since her first book. Also, the audiobook is fantastic for this.
Leah is very realistic in the sense of she's a kind of an asshole, unlikable teenager sometimes as a lot of us are at that age. Abby is a darling, as is Simon, Nick is just Nick. It's all pretty typical high schooler stuff all around here.
Of the two Becky Albertalli books I've read (This one, and Simon), Leah on the Offbeat is better as I like the storyline better and I can see how much her writing has developed since her first book. Also, the audiobook is fantastic for this.
Leah is very realistic in the sense of she's a kind of an asshole, unlikable teenager sometimes as a lot of us are at that age. Abby is a darling, as is Simon, Nick is just Nick. It's all pretty typical high schooler stuff all around here.
waitaminuteash's review against another edition
3.0
Leah Burke is a bitch.
This was technically a reread because I read the book a few years back when I was younger. It was the first actual sapphic paperback I read (not including Wattpad or ao3 fanfics) and I got it from my local library. I guess I just decided to reread it because I wanted to see if it's really as good as I remember or if it's just nostalgia.
It's definitely safe to say that it was mostly nostalgia. I remember feeling like Leah was the most badass book character and that I wanted to be like her. Now she's just really bitchy and mean to everyone (even her mom for no reason). Yeah, I get she's anxious about a lot of things, but telling her mom that she's only dating Wells for his money is not something I liked at all. Leah's whole personality and "I'm not like other girls"/"prom is stupid" vibes just really irked me. I feel like one of the biggest things that irritated me was her saying she doesn't like Abby because she's too pretty (whatever that means).
I've read 3 Becky Albertalli books and for some reason all of them have casual biphobia slipped in (even coming from bisexual characters). It feels a little off-putting to me for Leah to tell Abby, who's still figuring herself out, that her thinking she's bisexual is wrong.
I don't know how it's possible that I disliked Leah so much, but I loved the Leah and Abby aspect of the book.
To be honest, Abby was the only reason I kept reading.
This was technically a reread because I read the book a few years back when I was younger. It was the first actual sapphic paperback I read (not including Wattpad or ao3 fanfics) and I got it from my local library. I guess I just decided to reread it because I wanted to see if it's really as good as I remember or if it's just nostalgia.
It's definitely safe to say that it was mostly nostalgia. I remember feeling like Leah was the most badass book character and that I wanted to be like her. Now she's just really bitchy and mean to everyone (even her mom for no reason). Yeah, I get she's anxious about a lot of things, but telling her mom that she's only dating Wells for his money is not something I liked at all. Leah's whole personality and "I'm not like other girls"/"prom is stupid" vibes just really irked me. I feel like one of the biggest things that irritated me was her saying she doesn't like Abby because she's too pretty (whatever that means).
I've read 3 Becky Albertalli books and for some reason all of them have casual biphobia slipped in (even coming from bisexual characters). It feels a little off-putting to me for Leah to tell Abby, who's still figuring herself out, that her thinking she's bisexual is wrong.
I don't know how it's possible that I disliked Leah so much, but I loved the Leah and Abby aspect of the book.
To be honest, Abby was the only reason I kept reading.
veu_'s review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5