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, will be compromised.
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.
Review of 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a light-hearted novel about a teenage boy's online relationship with a mysterious boy from his school. I enjoyed the ambiguous nature of their budding romance and loved Simon attempting to piece together the clues "Blue" left for him.
Though the blackmail aspect grew tiring, I was happy Martin didn't turn out to be the love interest.
If this had been published when I was in high school, I believe I would have enjoyed it more. As a 28-year-old mother of two writing a YA romance, this didn't live up to my expectations--especially after all the hype the book and movie received.
Nevertheless, I'd recommend the novel to younger LGBTQ+ readers looking to see themselves in print.
Review of 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Ah, Universe, take a bow. For somehow unerringly knowing what I needed to read, and when.
In hindsight, June was a perfect month to read [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1)|Becky Albertalli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402915678l/19547856.SY75.jpg|27679579], it being both Pride Month and my birthday month (I turned 30 this year!), and I probably could not have chosen a better YA to read, following an intense few weeks in June.
The book is narrated by the eponymous Simon (Spiers), a sixteen year old gay boy whose homosexuality is only known to 'Blue', an email correspondence whom Simon has a crush on, and who coincidentally attends the same school as him. A classmate of Simon happens across these emails, and blackmails Simon into introducing him to Abby, a girl in Simon's friend circle. The book then unfolds over a series of events which bring into sharper focus …
Ah, Universe, take a bow. For somehow unerringly knowing what I needed to read, and when.
In hindsight, June was a perfect month to read [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1)|Becky Albertalli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1402915678l/19547856.SY75.jpg|27679579], it being both Pride Month and my birthday month (I turned 30 this year!), and I probably could not have chosen a better YA to read, following an intense few weeks in June.
The book is narrated by the eponymous Simon (Spiers), a sixteen year old gay boy whose homosexuality is only known to 'Blue', an email correspondence whom Simon has a crush on, and who coincidentally attends the same school as him. A classmate of Simon happens across these emails, and blackmails Simon into introducing him to Abby, a girl in Simon's friend circle. The book then unfolds over a series of events which bring into sharper focus Simon's reluctance to reveal his sexuality, his shifting equations with his friends and family, his steadily increasing attraction for 'Blue', all while navigating school life, which can be difficult on the best of days.
This book resonated with me on various levels, not the least of which was the nervousness which Simon felt in 'coming out' to his friend, the reality of being bullied or harassed for being gay, and the importance of having support structures which one can fall back on. I liked how Albertalli dealt with this book in a very subtle, almost off-handed way, drawing attention to important issues by not drawing attention to them. The result is a cute book that, despite its very American references (Target, for example), still manages to be low-key wonderful.
It's a really cute story. It's a quick read and pretty engaging. I enjoy reading LGBTQIA+ literature and, like, seeing a happy ending, especially since it's such a low-bar to crawl over that so many books can't even do. It's nice to see some of the actual struggles of coming out (how, when, to whom) that don't often get played out well in media, especially with the genuine conflicts that happen among other friends (such as the issues with Leah and Simon after he finally comes out).
It's hugely predictable. It's so simple to know, from the moment the character is mentioned, who Blue actually is; it's simple to know exactly what Martin's going to do, even from the very beginning. That doesn't diminish the joy it brought me to read this.
Review of 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
So I guess I’m in the minority for this one. This book does iffy things with race (why do I always have to be continually reminded that Abby is black?) and the fact that it’s a gay romance written by a straight ciswoman really doesn’t give it much credence.
Also a Fruits Basket reference? For a book that supposedly takes place in 2015? Eep
Review of 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
okay I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS BOOK
I LOVE IT SO MUCH
I'm so here for a kind and real and honest portrayal of navigating identity like this book absolutely masters. I bought this book, which I rarely ever do now that I work in a library, after starting the audiobook because I NEEDED to hold it in my hands for the last half.
Review of 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I somehow feel like I have to justify my low rating because there are not only so many people who seem to love this novel but also because I do appreciate the diversity..
Yes, the thing I actually enjoyed was that the main character is gay but that's about it. All of the characters felt very flat to me. None of them were remarkable, everybody was quite sterotypical IMO.
In addition, I hated the writing style. I had the impression I read the thoughts of a 10-year-old because the structure was so juvenile. And yeah, I also use "and" an awful lot in my sentences but the thing is that I just write short reviews for fun and writing isn't my job and English is only my secondary language.. (So please, forgive my poor grammar btw)
I guess this might just be one of those books where the movie adaption …
I somehow feel like I have to justify my low rating because there are not only so many people who seem to love this novel but also because I do appreciate the diversity..
Yes, the thing I actually enjoyed was that the main character is gay but that's about it. All of the characters felt very flat to me. None of them were remarkable, everybody was quite sterotypical IMO.
In addition, I hated the writing style. I had the impression I read the thoughts of a 10-year-old because the structure was so juvenile. And yeah, I also use "and" an awful lot in my sentences but the thing is that I just write short reviews for fun and writing isn't my job and English is only my secondary language.. (So please, forgive my poor grammar btw)
I guess this might just be one of those books where the movie adaption is indeed better than the original... Alas, I won't find out until summer because the release takes forever here in Germany.
Review of 'Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Un roman Young Adult et gay finalement très classique, mais vraiment plaisant à lire ! Je dois dire que j'attends avec curiosité l'adaptation cinématographique annoncée.
Review of 'Yo, Simon, homo sapiens' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
“White shouldn't be the default any more than straight should be the default. There shouldn't even be a default.”
(3,5) ¡¡Me ha encantado leer esta historia!! Si bien tiene unos cuantos altibajos y también unos cuantos personajes que no me han terminado de convencer, es una novela que me ha gustado mucho en general. Me he identificado mucho con los protagonistas y esas dosis de crítica han sido como YAAAS.
No sé, el libro no es perfecto pero para mí ha cumplido.
Review of 'Yo, Simon, homo sapiens' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
This book made me laugh a lot, even in the public transport. Funny, ironical, interesting and amazing, this novel is everything I need in a book. Plus, is LGBT themed. It's perfect.
Review of 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is rather a sweet little book dealing with coming out, but also about identity and friendship. It is assumed that Blue is someone Simon knows, and it was great to keep guessing throughout. I changed my mind on several occasions but, in the end, I was as clueless as Simon.
Simon and Blue’s emails reminded me a little of the letters my friends and I wrote to each other at school, although ours weren’t anonymous or romantic. They did feel authentic in style, something I can imagine teenagers writing (at least the ones who don’t insist on using textspeak).
The anonymity of the emails highlights how for many, it’s easier to be open with someone you don’t know, and the internet can be a huge enabler for this. Tumblr appears as both positive and negative, it can be used for the power of good …
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda is rather a sweet little book dealing with coming out, but also about identity and friendship. It is assumed that Blue is someone Simon knows, and it was great to keep guessing throughout. I changed my mind on several occasions but, in the end, I was as clueless as Simon.
Simon and Blue’s emails reminded me a little of the letters my friends and I wrote to each other at school, although ours weren’t anonymous or romantic. They did feel authentic in style, something I can imagine teenagers writing (at least the ones who don’t insist on using textspeak).
The anonymity of the emails highlights how for many, it’s easier to be open with someone you don’t know, and the internet can be a huge enabler for this. Tumblr appears as both positive and negative, it can be used for the power of good as well as bullying. And Simon feels it is easier to come out first to someone he hasn’t known forever, the risk is lower if they walk away. But telling your best friends and family? That’s something a lot harder to get past the worry of what ifs.
The school isn’t an openly hostile environment. Yes, they have a few idiots, but it felt like a decent bunch of kids and somewhere where Simon shouldn’t have been too worried about coming out. Of course, it’s a big step but I liked that it was more about Simon getting to the place where he can be open about it. It might have been accelerated by the actions of others, but his greatest worry really was losing Blue at the end of the day.
