A review by milkshakevoid
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
5.0
This book was absolutely impossible to put down. From the first sentence I was in love with Simon and his friends and his problems and the magical clusterfuck that one email made his life out to be. I don't think I've ever seen so much swearing in a book before, and it had the same beauty to me as it did when I was in high school. It wasn't over the top, and it enhanced the chaos going on in Simon's mind versus everything else and I loved it. I also loved how many fabulous Harry Potter references are in this novel. I've never read about a character who loved Harry Potter as much as me, or who talked about it as much as me (notable exception being Fangirl which we can debate later), but it was entirely heartfelt and glorious. Every character had their own secrets and lives and there weren't any cardboard people in this book.
While I don't want to ruin the surprise twists and turns that the book takes on, I would like to congratulate Becky Albertalli for her kind, thoughtful and wondrous representations of so many different types of relationships and people. I'm quite pleased that non-traditional (what does that even f-ing mean?!) relationships are becoming more and more prevalent in the YA community, but I was also really pleased that this book features a multi racial cast as well. There wasn't that awkward divide that we sometimes see where there are a few black or hispanic or asian characters in the cast but those characters are sidekicks or villains or something other than core cast. This was truly an inclusive, beautiful story, and I whole heartedly recommend it to anyone who loves humor, awkward teen romance, drama and those who generally just want to have a great time with a fast read. I'll definitely be reading this one again, and I'll be purchasing a hard copy to go along with my digital. Fantastic story!
While I don't want to ruin the surprise twists and turns that the book takes on, I would like to congratulate Becky Albertalli for her kind, thoughtful and wondrous representations of so many different types of relationships and people. I'm quite pleased that non-traditional (what does that even f-ing mean?!) relationships are becoming more and more prevalent in the YA community, but I was also really pleased that this book features a multi racial cast as well. There wasn't that awkward divide that we sometimes see where there are a few black or hispanic or asian characters in the cast but those characters are sidekicks or villains or something other than core cast. This was truly an inclusive, beautiful story, and I whole heartedly recommend it to anyone who loves humor, awkward teen romance, drama and those who generally just want to have a great time with a fast read. I'll definitely be reading this one again, and I'll be purchasing a hard copy to go along with my digital. Fantastic story!