Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda~ Becky Albertalli

Last year, I saw Love, Simon in the cinema and absolutely loved it. I knew it was based on a book, but I just kept not getting around to reading it. So, to rectify that, I added it to my required reading list this year. I am also watching the movie as I type this review.

I will admit that I was a little nervous that the film I really loved would become a disappointment in comparison to the book. I was still excited to read it.

If you don’t know by now, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is the story of Simon who is a closeted gay teen, who finds a friend in an anonymous closeted teen, Blue. I really liked that the novel didn’t start with a real introduction, just starts right at the crux of the matter, when Martin finds the emails between Simon and Blue. It was nice to get to know the characters as people rather than backstories.

The contrast between the prose and the emails is really fun to read. The emails are sweet and sound as if they are one hundred per cent real. It feels as if I have been given the glimpse into Simon and Blue’s private lives.

There are moments in this book where I get so frustrated with some of the characters and this was not a product of bad writing, but the result of creating such realistic characters. Martin irritates me by thinking he has the right to out someone and I think that’s because I knew someone who believed he could do that too and it hits a little close to home. Simon’s friends, as true to real-life friends as they are, frustrate me when they stop talking to him over him trying to meddle with their lives, even with no real harm done (although this is more of a movie complaint than a book complaint). I can understand them being irritated or betrayed, but as someone who loves their friends so completely, I don’t understand how they could stop talking to him after he was outed so awfully when he needed them the most.

On the contrast, I loved the familial relationships in this book. Simon has such a great family, that isn’t quite perfect. His relationship with his sisters and their complete and utter support is beautifully written. I love the idea that his parents accept Simon with no real issues and change for the better because of it. This book is about Simon and his coming out and finding love. It didn’t need the drama of homophobic parents rejecting their son and Becky Albertalli wrote a wonderful LGBTQ+ story without it.

Overall I loved Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. It was very sweet and very well written. It was nice to read an LGBTQ+ book without the seemingly obligatory homophobia. It’S a book that I think if you haven’t read you should. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda gets five stars.

C

🌙