Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
[Spoiler alert!]
I will be honest with y'all. I've read this book three times. I originally found it in the teen section of my library and the cover interested me, so I checked it out. I'm so, so glad I did. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is one of my favorite coming-of-age stories so far and actually one of the few romances that I've ever actually really connected with.
Three things: Simon Spier is gay, he doesn't want his friends' and family's perception of him to change, and he's been emailing this amazing guy anonymously. This guy goes to his school. This guy doesn't want to know who Simon is irl and would like to keep it that way. This guy signs off his emails as Blue.
Oh, I guess four things. Simon is being blackmailed by Martin Addison concerning his emails to the aforementioned Blue.
Like I've said, I've read this book three times. Even on the third read, I still feel the twist in my gut of suspense as Simon tries to figure out who Blue is and stumbles onto the wrong conclusion; there's still a feeling of absolute giddiness when Simon and Blue finally meet. Despite the fact the book is a familiar tale now, it still feels remarkably fresh.
The emails between Blue and Simon (or should I say Jacques?) are so utterly sweet that they make me want to melt into a puddle. They help naturally move the book along and never feel like an intrusion.
Something can indeed be said about Simon escaping some consequences pretty easily towards the end of the book, but ohmygod the book is so great that I can easily overlook that. This is definitely something you'd want to read when you're feeling down and want a pick-me-up. You have the Evander guarantee that this'll leave you feeling a-ok by the end of it.
Another note that I do have about this book is the fact that I'm afraid it'll become outdated in a few year's time, with direct references to Justin Bieber (the dog in this story), repeated mentions of Harry Potter, a scene involving Adventure Time, Tumblr, lots of music artist name drops. It does help the immersion into the high school world, but I also fear that the passage of time will be easily spotted.
Hmm, what else is there to say? Abby is one of those characters where you can't help but love her. Leah is so deeply understandable, because who wouldn't be upset if you thought your best friend was moving on from you? Ohmygod Blue is so sweet.
Love,
Evander
Discussion questions:
What are your feelings on Martin Addison?
Is there anything in the book that you wish was handled better?
Opinions on Leah?
Did you manage to figure out who Blue was before Simon?
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Reviews: 324