Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli
"Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met."- summary from Amazon

I could write pages upon pages about how awesome and adorable this book is but I will try not to make this too long. Albertalli has written such a wonderful coming-out and coming-of-age tale. Simon's voice is pitch perfect and felt like such a realistic depiction of gay teens today. While GLBT people are becoming more accepted and it can be easier to come out nowadays, it is still a difficult process to have to come out to your friends and family. You may think you know them well enough, but sometimes you don't and it's hard to fathom that kind of rejection so you hide part of your basic self from others. Simon is dealing with that problem and there are little things that are said or done that affect how he perceives people and how he thinks they'll handle this sort of announcement.

Keeping him happy is the relationship that's slowly blossoming between him and Blue, another gay boy at his school. They keep in touch through emails sent from accounts used just for that purpose. I could honestly read a whole book just composed of their emails because they are hilarious, touching, insightful, and playful. It is such a perfect way to show how close they are getting and how willing (or not willing) they are to break their self-imposed silence.

Simon's friends are also written very well and they are brought to life through Albertalli's breezy yet thoughtful way of writing. The writing itself is light when it needs to be and heavy when it needs to be, just like real life. The various friendships written in this novel are so realistically done that they all feel like real people and people I would like to spend time with.

Overall, an amazingly stunning debut and I urge you all to read it and become fans for life like I am. Get this book immediately when it comes out tomorrow.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.