by Beck Albertalli
Becky Albertalli’s “Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” is a cute, zippy romance between two teenage boys who have never met each other. Technically they have-they go to the same high school- but they don’t know who each other are. Then they begin speaking anonymously using the school’s gossip Tumblr. I don’t normally read romance, but this was a sweet story about falling for someone’s personality over their appearance.
Simon Spier is very aware he’s gay and even more aware that he isn’t ready to come out yet. Obsessed with Harry Potter, loving mopey-music, and not into drinking, Simon isn’t always the most popular or confident teen in the room. This novel follows him as he attempts to work his way through the minefield that is adolescence – dodging too-cool hipster parents, bickering best friends and a blackmailer- while preparing for a role in a school play and attempting to woo a boy over the internet.
The characters are diverse and defy stereotypes (even the most annoying one is still a bully-fighting powerhouse), and most teens will find Simon’s contemporary world laden with pop cultural references to be relatable and reflective of their own. The writing is often witty and sometimes memorable (though I could have done with a few less of Simon’s trademark ‘freaking’s in-between many-a sentence). Such repetitive dialogue ticks aside, this is a great GLTB coming of age novel.