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A review by alexampersand
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
5.0
I loved almost everything about this book. The story of a gay teenager is always nice, but especially so when it's not a dreary story about a teen feeling too ashamed to come out. It's refreshing to read about a teen who is perfectly comfortable, and just feeling like it's an awkward subject to raise and inform people about.
I also love that it questioned society's 'defaults' - the fact that we assume people we read about are white, and we assume people we talk to are straight. This is definitely something that needs to be raised more in teen literature.
My edition of the book also had a little interview session with the author, who was talking about the upcoming movie adaptation, and from the sounds of it she is very clued in; she talked about how happy she was to have an equal film set - a mix of races rather than a token black character, and many gay, bi and trans people involved in the film. That little interview made me view the book even more favourably, because it really felt like the author got the POINT of oppression and equality, rather than just writing a book about a 'hot topic'.
I only really have two complaints about the book. One is that the ending felt a little bit too happy-clappy for me. Every character seemed to reach a positive resolution, even minor characters who didn't feel like they particularly needed redemption. I find unrealistic happy endings a little tiresome, because they tend to just remind me that it's a book and a fictional story that somebody is writing, which in this book especially seemed a little inconsistent with the rest of the book which had been mostly realistic.
My other complaint is a little more general, and almost turned me off the book entirely. And that's just the writing style of it. It's SUCH a generic teen high school book. The way the sentences are formulated, and the way the narrator speaks is just so cliched and generic. Luckily, I pushed on through and realised that the overall nature of the story itself was absolutely wonderful. If the story had been anything less than 5 stars, then this would have been a very mediocre book to get through. That said, I believe the story itself redeems the writing style, and makes this a book that everybody should read.
I also love that it questioned society's 'defaults' - the fact that we assume people we read about are white, and we assume people we talk to are straight. This is definitely something that needs to be raised more in teen literature.
My edition of the book also had a little interview session with the author, who was talking about the upcoming movie adaptation, and from the sounds of it she is very clued in; she talked about how happy she was to have an equal film set - a mix of races rather than a token black character, and many gay, bi and trans people involved in the film. That little interview made me view the book even more favourably, because it really felt like the author got the POINT of oppression and equality, rather than just writing a book about a 'hot topic'.
I only really have two complaints about the book. One is that the ending felt a little bit too happy-clappy for me. Every character seemed to reach a positive resolution, even minor characters who didn't feel like they particularly needed redemption. I find unrealistic happy endings a little tiresome, because they tend to just remind me that it's a book and a fictional story that somebody is writing, which in this book especially seemed a little inconsistent with the rest of the book which had been mostly realistic.
My other complaint is a little more general, and almost turned me off the book entirely. And that's just the writing style of it. It's SUCH a generic teen high school book. The way the sentences are formulated, and the way the narrator speaks is just so cliched and generic. Luckily, I pushed on through and realised that the overall nature of the story itself was absolutely wonderful. If the story had been anything less than 5 stars, then this would have been a very mediocre book to get through. That said, I believe the story itself redeems the writing style, and makes this a book that everybody should read.