Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Author: Becky Albertalli

My rating: 5 of 5

Simon has met a boy . . . er, well, they haven’t actually met yet. But he and Blue found each other on their high school’s Tumblr, and they’ve been exchanging e-mails. And the more Simon gets to know Blue, the more he thinks he might really be in love with this guy, whoever he is in real life. Which is where things get sticky–because they go to the same high school and might actually know each other in real life, only neither knows the other’s true identity. Neither is openly out to the community at large, and Blue at least intends to keep it that way. That might not be so easy though, especially when Simon finds that Martin, one of this classmates, has gotten into his e-mail account, read his e-mails to Blue, and is now using them to blackmail him! Very sticky situation. Not that Simon doesn’t have enough other stuff to keep him occupied, what with friend problems, a big production coming up in drama club, and a family that wants to talk about everything.

I know, I know, everyone’s been telling me to read this book for like a year at least now. And yes, I really loved Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The writing style is excellent, fitting the YA genre well but in a way that would be interesting even for older readers. I really loved the transcribed e-mails and the way in which Simon and Blue’s relationship grew through them, the way they fell in love with each other without even knowing what the other person looked like or anything. Their relationship is really sweet and funny. I also loved that the story’s not just a romance or a coming out story, although it definitely is that–rather, it’s Simon’s whole life with all of it’s complexities and relationships. I love his family and the way their relationships work; it’s so nice to read a story with a supportive, functional family on occasion. (And is it just me, or did anyone else find Simon’s sister Nora to be fascinating? I really want to read her story now!) Also, I loved Simon himself–his personality feels authentic and complex, like the way he thinks he’s so profane and badass but everyone knows he’s just adorable, or the way he’s definitely a geek but not in any stereotypical way. Speaking of being a geek, there are tons of references thrown into this book, too. Anyway, I could fangirl about the positives of this book for basically forever . . . negatives? Well, yes, it is a bit profane, so just be aware it’s probably PG13 at least, but other than that, I can’t think of anything at all. I would say that Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is highly recommended.