Review for Simon vs. the Homo-Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli!
ONE SENTENCE REVIEW: IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN ADORABLE, GEEKY, HILARIOUS, CUTE, SCREAMING-BECAUSE-YOU-CAN’T-HANDLE-THE-PERFECTNESS-OF-EVERYTHING, HAVING SOMEWHAT OF A MYSTERIOUS EDGE STORY, THEN THIS NOVEL IS THE PERFECT CANDIDATE.,. DON’T HESITATE, IT WILL SURPRISE YOU.
Quick View Review
Characters: **** (4/5)
Plot: **** (4.3/5)
Writing Quality: **** (4.8/5)
Amazon Rating: **** (4.7/5)
Summary: Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.
Review: I’ve been meaning to read this book but never really got around to it, (and honestly I was scared I wouldn’t like it that much). I was pleasantly surprised (if that’s not the understatement of the year I don’t know what is), because I absolutely fell in love with this story every time I flipped the page. Certain characters weren’t as developed as they could be, even though the main character, Simon, was developed very well and I felt somewhat connected to him, his story, and his emotions. The writing was beautiful, flowing, and had just the right amount of teenage slang to make it relatable. There wasn’t an extreme plot twist, (even though technically there was one), and I had some suspicions about that conclusion and ended up right, (but I also had a few--million--other guesses for what was going to happen so I guess that doesn’t really count). The author did have me fooled at one point, so that was pretty thrilling, especially for this type of novel. Even though the awaiting plot twist was a bit underdeveloped, the resolution afterwards made up for it; (it included some of my favorite parts and was just so freakin’ adorable; eek!). I felt like a whole new world was opened to me, especially the importance of “coming out” to family and friends and the meaning behind it. It isn’t simply stating a fact, it’s a very serious moment that includes high-running emotions that other people don’t have to experience. It was really informative and interesting, which I love when I read a novel. Teenagers are complicated in every way, so I love reading novels about teenagers so that I can get clues on what’s not only happening to other teens, but what is also happening to me. Please read this novel, I promise you Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda won’t disappoint.
Recommendations: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.
Happy Reading!
XOXO,
Zoe
