Reviewed by Leigha on
It breaks my heart to admit I did not love this book. I went into this novel expecting a slam dunk, but instead walked away feeling pretty meh about it. And I honestly do not fault the novel - my reading tastes are changing, meaning books I would have found previously enjoyable are not as entertaining to me anymore.
Listen, this book is cute. Simon is a lovable complex character and a great representation for the LGBTQ+ community. It's refreshing to read about the development of a healthy relationship where the love interests are not each others end all and be all. He and Blue are not defined by their romance. Simon has important, key relationships with friends and family members outside of his romance with Blue and vice versa. Their relationship is definitely the backbone of the novel (and super sweet), but it exists in cohesion with other elements.
I do have one particular quibble. While Simon has three best friends (as well as multiple acquaintances) in this novel, I just didn't feel the friendship between him and Leah. I was expecting her and Simon to be BrOTP goals, and yet she always seemed like such an afterthought - not just to Simon, but to Nick and Abby too. The moments where Simon and her connect felt forced and not authentic.
tl;dr A cute RomCom with complex characters and a fun mystery.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 25 May, 2018: Finished reading
- 25 May, 2018: Reviewed