Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is one of the best YA books ever! I loved all the characters, they were so realistic. And I loved the dilemmas Simon and Blue faced with realizing they were gay.
This is a book I'm getting for the library at the school where I teach, I think every teenager should read it.
Story:
I don't think there's much I can say about Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda that hasn't been said before. Simon is just the perfect character in a young adult story. He's a little awkward. A little obsessed with himself and his own problems - even if he loves his friends and his family. And he's more than a little hooked on Blue, a guy from his school. Whom he doesn't really know, but then again, maybe he does. And he falls in love with Blue through a whole lot of e-mails.
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda tackles a lot of topics teens deal with in our day and age. There is bullying. Homophobia. Just the growing up and feeling awkward about it. Having strong friendships that suddenly appear a more fragile. Underage drinking. Social media that isn't always used for good. And I think the way these themes are dealt with are astonishing! Of course, I fell in love with the theatre teacher. Because she shut down bullies from the get-go. Plus Simon's parents were delightful in their awkwardness to see their children growing up.
I won't say more, apart from if you haven't read this yet, you really, really should! Even if you think YA isn't for you. One thing that really stood out is how authentic all the characters were, which just made the whole story seem real.
Characters:
Simon is the best male protagonist ever. He's funny - even when he doesn't mean to. And he asks himself a lot of questions about life, himself, being gay, and other things.
Nick is one of Simon's best friends, and I really enjoyed him, even if I didn't get to know him as well as I got to know other characters.
Abby is new to Simon's group of friends. And she's kind of amazing. She listens carefully, and she's loyal and supportive.
Leah is the friend who's a bit on the outskirts. She's in love with Nick. But Nick has a thing for Abby... However, there is none of the awful drama that could have come from this.
Blue. He was also an amazing character. Even if for most of the story, I only got to know him through his e-mail interactions with Simon.
Writing style :
First person point of view, from Simon's perspective. However, there are a lot of dialogues included, and the e-mails between Blue and Simon. The present tense makes everything that happens immediate, as if the readers are right there with Simon and his friends.
Feels :
*sighs* I can't even. All the feels, for sure!
And I'm seriously not in the mood to deal with my family. I probably ha e about an hour until dinner, which means an hour of trying to spin my school day into a string of hilarious anecdotes. My parents are like that. It's like you can't just tell them about your French teacher's obvious wedgie. You have to perform it.
That was the summer I taught myself how to do laundry. There are some socks that shouldn't be washed by your mom.
Honestly, the weirdest part is how they made it feel like this big coming out moment. Which can't be normal. As far as I know, coming out isn't something that straight kids generally worry about.