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A review by eesh25
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
5.0
Reread review!
I love this book. And if you somehow haven't heard of it, it's about Simon Spier. He's gay and closeted. And he has a secret email pen pal. He doesn't know the guy's name, but does know that he goes to the same highschool as Simon. Everything is going good for them until Martin (the assface) sees some of the emails that the two shared. Martin is another student and has a crush on one of Simon's friend. So he decides it would be a great idea to blackmail Simon.
You know, I remember this book as very lighthearted, but when Martin was blackmailing Simon (which was in the very first chapter), I wondered if I was remembering wrong because I was so pissed off, I wanted to strangle Martin. But I was not remembering wrong. This is a lighthearted book because even though I hated Martin, he wasn't the most important part.
This book was about Simon. It was about his friends and his family and about Blue, the guy he's falling for through those emails. It was also about finding yourself and being happy with who you are. There was very little angst or drama. Even with Martin; I hated him but he wasn't this horribly malicious person one might expect. He was a selfish fucking douche but not hateful. And somehow, that brought more authenticity to the story.
I'm not saying that there aren't awful people in the world who like to hurt others. It's more that the author did something a little different. By making Martin a normal guy who made terrible decisions, she showed that the line between good and evil isn't as clear as it seems.
Also, I loved how adorable this book is. Even through the moments that were distressing, it didn't lose its tone. And honestly, I was smiling for like 90% of the book. I also connected so much to the characters. They weren't anything like me, but they were human and believable, and that pulled me in. I cared about them and I rooted for them. Especially Simon... I would kill for that kid, he was that great of a protagonist. I loved him to pieces and I can't wait to see him again in Leah's book. Leah is his best friend and the author has said we see him a lot in Leah on the Offbeat. I'm gonna be reading it pretty soon.
Overall, I loved everything about this novel. As mushy as it sounds, it made my heart happy. And when it ended, a part of me wanted to flip back to the first page and start again.
One last thing, I watched the movie adaptation (Love, Simon) right after (even though I usually avoid adaptations) and I liked it. There were changes and some of them bothered me more than others, but it gave us some really good scenes and it was a good movie in itself. The cast did a great job, and it managed to capture the essence of the novel. So after you finish the book, you should give the movie a shot too.
First review:
Oh my god, this was so preciously, beautifully, awesomely amazing and I loved it so so much... that I sound like a 12 year old gushing over One Direction. Though that's not etirely bad since we all need to get in touch with our fangirly side every once in a while.
Okay so the beginning line may have been a bit of an exaggeration but I really did love this book. Not just because I enjoyed it but also because my nitpick-y, critic side also very much approved. So this is gonna be one of those rare moments when I list all the things I loved and nothing else (I swear those moments almost never happen).
1. I loved Simon and how adorable, funny, sweet, ignorant, silly, stupid, cute, loving, forgetful and basically just how human he was. He was such a likable main character and was the perfect choice for this book. Honestly, Becky Albertally couldn't have come up with protagonist for this story.
2. I loved all of Simon's friends and their complicated, yet sometimes really simple, relationships with each other.
3. I loved that the author was careful to make Simon's emails a combination of the narration and the way he talked. It's not something I noticed initially and it was really smart.
4. I loved watching the two Simons, the one in the letters and the one with his friends, become one person even under the horrible circumstances.
5. I loved how the book wasn't too dramatic and despicted life so well. There weren't any too-perfect characters or loud dramatic monologues or evil villians. There were just a bunch highschoolers figuring out their life. It was simple and beautiful and so very real.
6.I loved the relationship between Simon and Blue and figuring out who Blue was. They were both so great and their emails were the cutest thing ever.
7. I loved the ending, even though I can't tell you what it was. Things were tied up so well.
Overall, this book was so simple and so wonderful and I'm so happy to have read it. I definitely think everyone else should read it as well. This is not a story you want to miss.
I love this book. And if you somehow haven't heard of it, it's about Simon Spier. He's gay and closeted. And he has a secret email pen pal. He doesn't know the guy's name, but does know that he goes to the same highschool as Simon. Everything is going good for them until Martin (the assface) sees some of the emails that the two shared. Martin is another student and has a crush on one of Simon's friend. So he decides it would be a great idea to blackmail Simon.
You know, I remember this book as very lighthearted, but when Martin was blackmailing Simon (which was in the very first chapter), I wondered if I was remembering wrong because I was so pissed off, I wanted to strangle Martin. But I was not remembering wrong. This is a lighthearted book because even though I hated Martin, he wasn't the most important part.
This book was about Simon. It was about his friends and his family and about Blue, the guy he's falling for through those emails. It was also about finding yourself and being happy with who you are. There was very little angst or drama. Even with Martin; I hated him but he wasn't this horribly malicious person one might expect. He was a selfish fucking douche but not hateful. And somehow, that brought more authenticity to the story.
I'm not saying that there aren't awful people in the world who like to hurt others. It's more that the author did something a little different. By making Martin a normal guy who made terrible decisions, she showed that the line between good and evil isn't as clear as it seems.
Also, I loved how adorable this book is. Even through the moments that were distressing, it didn't lose its tone. And honestly, I was smiling for like 90% of the book. I also connected so much to the characters. They weren't anything like me, but they were human and believable, and that pulled me in. I cared about them and I rooted for them. Especially Simon... I would kill for that kid, he was that great of a protagonist. I loved him to pieces and I can't wait to see him again in Leah's book. Leah is his best friend and the author has said we see him a lot in Leah on the Offbeat. I'm gonna be reading it pretty soon.
Overall, I loved everything about this novel. As mushy as it sounds, it made my heart happy. And when it ended, a part of me wanted to flip back to the first page and start again.
One last thing, I watched the movie adaptation (Love, Simon) right after (even though I usually avoid adaptations) and I liked it. There were changes and some of them bothered me more than others, but it gave us some really good scenes and it was a good movie in itself. The cast did a great job, and it managed to capture the essence of the novel. So after you finish the book, you should give the movie a shot too.
First review:
Oh my god, this was so preciously, beautifully, awesomely amazing and I loved it so so much... that I sound like a 12 year old gushing over One Direction. Though that's not etirely bad since we all need to get in touch with our fangirly side every once in a while.
Okay so the beginning line may have been a bit of an exaggeration but I really did love this book. Not just because I enjoyed it but also because my nitpick-y, critic side also very much approved. So this is gonna be one of those rare moments when I list all the things I loved and nothing else (I swear those moments almost never happen).
1. I loved Simon and how adorable, funny, sweet, ignorant, silly, stupid, cute, loving, forgetful and basically just how human he was. He was such a likable main character and was the perfect choice for this book. Honestly, Becky Albertally couldn't have come up with protagonist for this story.
2. I loved all of Simon's friends and their complicated, yet sometimes really simple, relationships with each other.
3. I loved that the author was careful to make Simon's emails a combination of the narration and the way he talked. It's not something I noticed initially and it was really smart.
4. I loved watching the two Simons, the one in the letters and the one with his friends, become one person even under the horrible circumstances.
5. I loved how the book wasn't too dramatic and despicted life so well. There weren't any too-perfect characters or loud dramatic monologues or evil villians. There were just a bunch highschoolers figuring out their life. It was simple and beautiful and so very real.
6.I loved the relationship between Simon and Blue and figuring out who Blue was. They were both so great and their emails were the cutest thing ever.
7. I loved the ending, even though I can't tell you what it was. Things were tied up so well.
Overall, this book was so simple and so wonderful and I'm so happy to have read it. I definitely think everyone else should read it as well. This is not a story you want to miss.