Leah on the Offbeat (Simonverse, #3)

by Becky Albertalli

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Okay, so, I'm going to jump right in and say this book wasn't 3 3 3 3 for me. I'm seeing that in a lot of reviews. It was a good book and I enjoyed it, but Leah on the Offbeat definitely didn't give me those giddy, fluffy feelings I got from [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Creekwood, #1)|Becky Albertalli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579].

And that's okay. It's GOOD actually, because it showcases Becky Albertalli's skill as a writer. But there's a whole lot of negativity and low self-esteem rolling around in this one which, at times, can make it uncomfortable to read. Leah is an unhappy narrator through-and-through, constantly second guessing her ever thought, her relationships with others, and where she stands in the world. She projects her insecurities at others, which at times made me cringe. She's real though, and in that, this was fantastic. I just... don't think it's right for people to go in expecting cute emails and Oreo obsessions or anything sparkly like that. Seeing Creekwood through Leah's eyes is a whole different story.

So Leah's character wasn't actually my issue (I liked her, despite her flaws). It was the ending. The entire book has this whole mood about it and the way the ending wrapped up was way too easy and way too much of a happily ever after for me. I'm not trying to begrudge the characters happiness and I'm sure this will become somebody's OTP, but there were way too many smiles going around considering the breadth of the situation? It felt rushed and tied together too perfectly with a bow. Am I the only one who felt this way?

Okay, so I know this has been an overall negative-sounding review, but that's sort of how I felt while reading? Maybe Leah rubbed off on me. It is a good book and well worth the read and deserved all four of the stars I gave it. The ending (for me) made it lose that last star, but I'm sure there are thousands of people out there who will disagree with me.