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thepetitepunk 's review for:
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
by Becky Albertalli
Original Rating from June 12th, 2016: 5/5 stars
Updated Rating from April 20th, 2021: 3/5 stars
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Updated Review:
When I read this book back in 2016, it was one of my favorite books at the time. I loved the quick-paced writing, the mystery behind Blue, and the LGBTQ+ themes. And in a small way, I felt like I could relate to it.
After reading it a second time, I didn’t really love it like I originally did. Perhaps that’s because I’ve just read so many more books in the past five years or maybe I’m just no longer the target audience (I still do mostly read LGBTQ+ YA contemporary though), but I definitely felt like my love for the characters and writing style was no longer there. The beginning is a bit too abrupt for my taste and there were so many pop culture references that I honestly had a hard time understanding what was going on in some scenes. Most of the characters were unlikable and isn’t really something I want to read anymore.
However, I did find the last fourth of the book to be fun and enjoyable. Even though the writing pace was so fast that I didn’t feel like I got a good understanding of the characters, it did help to move the story along. It only took me a few days to finish. It’s not a bad book at all, and I’m glad I reread it. If I had to give someone some LGBTQ+ YA recs, I don’t think this one would be on the list, but if it’s on your tbr, might as well give it a try.
Updated Rating from April 20th, 2021: 3/5 stars
___________
Updated Review:
When I read this book back in 2016, it was one of my favorite books at the time. I loved the quick-paced writing, the mystery behind Blue, and the LGBTQ+ themes. And in a small way, I felt like I could relate to it.
After reading it a second time, I didn’t really love it like I originally did. Perhaps that’s because I’ve just read so many more books in the past five years or maybe I’m just no longer the target audience (I still do mostly read LGBTQ+ YA contemporary though), but I definitely felt like my love for the characters and writing style was no longer there. The beginning is a bit too abrupt for my taste and there were so many pop culture references that I honestly had a hard time understanding what was going on in some scenes. Most of the characters were unlikable and
Spoiler
the whole “outing the gay kid to the entire school”However, I did find the last fourth of the book to be fun and enjoyable. Even though the writing pace was so fast that I didn’t feel like I got a good understanding of the characters, it did help to move the story along. It only took me a few days to finish. It’s not a bad book at all, and I’m glad I reread it. If I had to give someone some LGBTQ+ YA recs, I don’t think this one would be on the list, but if it’s on your tbr, might as well give it a try.