Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda Review

Title: Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Author: Becky Albertalli
Series: Creekwood #1
Publisher: Penguin
Publication Date: 07 April 2015
Source: Purchased
Format: Paperback
Pages: 303
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Reading Timeline: 24 June 2018

Goodreads Synopsis:

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 Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. 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.

Book Review:

Pre-reading Thoughts:

It has definitely taken me so much time to get to this book mainly because I never used to be so into contemporaries. So many people love this book, so I definitely hope that I can join them. I am also reading this book because the movie is coming out soon. Because of this, this book is also for the Topping the TBR book for May and June.

Writing Thoughts:

I was expecting a little something different when it came to the writing. I wasn't disappointed but I struggled to get into it. The emails really helped to break the up writing. It also helped a lot with the pace. I liked how the book didn't need a lot of detail but I felt like the author needed to describe the characters appearances a little more. I struggled to create an image of them.

Plot Thoughts:

This book was slow paced. We are introduced to this crazy situation and you kind of get excited to see what is going to happen but then after that, things just slow down a lot. It felt like the middle dragged quite a bit. I was hoping for a bit more during that time. The plot only really picked up towards the end and I loved how mushy and adorable it became. 

Character Thoughts:

I really adored some of the characters in this book. I loved how we got to see how they deal with their insecurities and I loved how the author created these imperfect characters that were realistic. It made them accessible and intriguing because we are always searching for someone who we can relate to in books.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I liked this book. Was it the best thing I have ever read, no but it did such a fantastic job when it came to certain elements. It is easy to see why people love this book so much. I definitely can't wait to watch the movie. The writing wasn't what I expected. It was difficult to get into but I liked how the emails broke the writing to make it easier. I loved the whole mystery element to the book. I loved the characters who were accessible and realistic. Overall, this was a great book and I cannot wait to read more about the characters we were introduced to.

Yours in Reading,

Melleny