Simon vs The Homosapien’s Agenda Book Review

I JUST WANT TO BUY A PACKET OF OREOS(OR MAYBE ONE OF THOSE TUBS OF BABY OREOS) AND RE-READ THIS BOOK WHILE STUFFING MY FACE! THE STRUGGLE IS REAL!!!!! 

8tracks

Simon vs The Homosapien’s Agenda is a  LGBTQ novel written by Becky Albertalli. This is a her debut novel. The story revolves around the main protagonist Simon Spier – a sixteen year old boy – who is trying to work out who he is and discovering his sexuality.  Simon is emailing a boy named Blue, who he may be falling in love with. However these emails fall into the wrong hands and that is where things start getting complicated.

I have been meaning to pick up this novel since it’s release last year but after I read Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and wanted to pick up some more LGBTQ novels – which I have been loving – I knew that Simon vs The Homosapien’s Agenda was going to be high up on that list. I was not disappointed by this book. I read it in a day (well I read 13 pages the day before but…) I didn’t want to put it down and I did a shift at work that day as well. I gave it a Goodreads rating of 4 stars but I think I would give in 4.5 stars as there was a few things that I thought could have been better. That being said I throughly enjoyed this book.

Society 6

When I first heard about this novel I thought that the blackmail element was going to be much more prominent than it was. Maybe it was just me and I think that blackmail to involve humiliating things that you don’t want to do. However in consideration I think that the blackmail plot line wasn’t the main plot of the story more the catalyst for Simon and Blue to embrace their sexuality and gain the confidence to come out and find each other. The narrative is a realistic without being too serious, Simon’s humour runs through the novel giving it a lighthearted feel while still dealing with issues race, sexuality and gender and the different relationships beautifully. Another thing I really enjoyed about this novel was the inclusion of high school activities, a lot of the story takes place during rehearsals for the school musical. In a lot of novels, high school is just a backdrop – kind of surplus to requirement.

This novel doesn’t just end with the reveal of who Blue really is and I think that this is why – for me – it was as good as it was. Obviously their is a pre-page 1 established relationship and a lot of YA novels would have left it off with the two boys meeting but we get to see them establishing their new relationship which I love. Mostly because it’s squeal worthy cute.

tumblr

I love Simon, he is sarcastic, witting, adorable Harry Potter nerd who likes to make sure his grammar is correct. What’s not to love about that? Simon is a very well rounded character and I think that Albertalli did a great job with writing her main character. He is the type of character you want to be real because you want him to be your best friend. The thing is Simon isn’t perfect, he’s human and he has flaws. Simon doesn’t always do the right thing and doesn’t always make the right decision’s but he learns and apologises and that is what makes us grow as people.

Blue is fricking adorable and sooo sweet. I can honestly say I didn’t even guess who Blue actually was, but when we see Blue behind the emails I still love him as a character. You see the effect Simon has on him. You can see that Simon’s presence helps him grow and I enjoyed that development and no one can deny he’s hella cute about it. There are so many great character’s in this book, each with their own personality, no one was left out. Simon’s family and friend dynamics were well established and you could see the relationships and the importance that they had in Simon’s life. Albertalli didn’t just expect you to accept things that happened, especially with Martin; the blackmailer. She explained his motives which I appreciated as a reader, because he wasn’t just a bully, despite his malicious actions.

The CW

There is a reason that this has such a high rating and people love it as much as they do and that is because it is a well thought out book with relatable characters that grow through out the novel. Albertalli makes a conscious effort to right a story that everyone can associate with and has a wide range of diverse characters with humour and whimsy. If you are looking for a LGTBQ novel that is lighthearted, fun and adorable then I recommend you pick this up.