Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

2/5/2018

SYNOPSIS

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 Simon is actually being blackmailed: If he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing with, will be jeopardized.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated.

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.

Synopsis from Chapters.Indigo.ca

PERSONAL REVIEW

Why did it take me so long to read this book? I’ll be honest and say that what finally convinced me was the trailer of Love, Simon, the movie adaptation of the book. The trailer looked adorable (even more excited for this movie now) and I knew I wanted to read the book before hand. I’m SO HAPPY I DID!

So this is Why I Loved It:

Incredibly Relatable Characters:
This is a book where I immediately felt a kinship to the main character, Simon, as he struggles in his decision to come out as gay. A big high-five to Albertalli for creating a character that is so real, that it doesn’t matter what the reader’s orientation or gender is because we can all connect with Simon. I loved him; he’s funny, sarcastic, has great taste in books (heck yes to the Harry Potter references), and is somehow fearless and shy at the same time. Although I’ve never experienced the things that he goes through, I feel like I’m living it with him. From page one, I loved the journey I got to take with him.

What I also loved is that this isn't simply a coming-out story. It's a story about diversity. More then once there is an acknowledgement that inequalities between race, sexual orientations, and genders are a problem and that we need to continue having conversations about it. There is an honesty around these issues as we are forced to recognize that preconceived notions of "default" race, gender, or orientation need to be stopped. The most quoted moments from this book perfectly define this book (probably why they are so quoted ;D):

“Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it shouldn't be this big awkward thing whether you're straight, gay, bi, or whatever. I'm just saying.”

“White shouldn't be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn't even be a default.”
Authentic Storytelling:
I want to reiterate that I’m reading this from the perspective of someone who is straight, so I’ve never needed to having a coming-out conversation with my friends or family, or have faced bullying or harassment because of my sexual orientation. So for me, this story seemed like a very authentic way of telling the coming-out story of one specific character. Everyone has a different story and experience, but I really felt that Albertalli did a great job writing about Simon’s experience.

Losing his agency and being forced to come out because of the actions of others was horrible and I was heartbroken for Simon. But I loved that his friends, his sisters, and his parents just continued to love him. There were questions, but no resentment from the ones who loved him the most. Is this the reality of everyone? No. But for this story, it made sense and made me hope that as our generation grows up, the need to “come out” will shift because acceptance is there for everyone (yes, this is a big goal, but I refuse to give up hope).

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a beautiful and funny story; you won’t be able to put it down. I loved it and can’t believe it took me so long to find it! I’m a bit worried about what the movie will turn this in to, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they keep the core of this book intact: the story of boy falling in love in an emotional, funny, and wonderful way.

FINAL RATING: 5/5