A review by leahlovesloslibros
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

emotional hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Leah marches to the beat of her own drum, and she's not shy about it. But she is hiding something big. Simon is Leah's best friend, but he doesn't know she is bisexual. No one does, except her mom. Leah is struggling with how to handle herself in her group of friends, which seems to be crumbling at the worst time ever - the months and weeks leading up to graduation. Can Leah be true to herself without losing the people who mean the most to her? 

This book was cute. The main character, Leah, is bisexual, which immediately drew me in. The story focuses around her senior year in high school, especially the second half of the year during prom season. The characters were going through some of the big themes that many teens face as high school comes to a close - choosing what college to go to, how to fit in when you get there, whether or not to do long-distance relationships with your high school sweetheart, prom, etc. There were some struggles within the friends group that took me back to my own high school years, too. And of course you can't forget the battle with your parents. This book was chock-full of teenage rites of passage. 

If I were a high school or even college student reading this book, I probably would've appreciated it a bit more. While I typically enjoy YA books, this one was a bit too "teen angsty" for me. I don't blame the author or the book for this, since it is targeted at a YA audience, and would probably be very relatable to them. The story was well-written and I liked the characters; I just didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. 
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