“Don’t you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default?”
‘Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda’ is one of the funniest and most heart touching stories I’ve read so far this year. I’m absolutely in love with this book and believe me, if I could force everyone in the world to read it, I would.
| by Amanda |  |
Title:
‘Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda’
Author:
Pages:
303
Reading Level:
Competent
Published:
April 7th 2015
Publisher, this copy:
Balzer + Bray
Feelings Thermometer:
Sixteen-year-old Simon Spier is secretly gay. The only person who knows about this is Blue, the anonymous boy Simon has been emailing for months now.
An online relationship
The story is told from Simon’s point of view, and through the emails to and from Blue. Throughout the book, we get to experience how their pen pal relationship develops to something more, and how Blue slowly starts becoming a part of Simon’s everyday life.
We have no idea who Blue is – the only thing we know is that he attends the same high school as Simon, and that he practically could be anyone. We don’t even know his real name or what he looks like, and I found this to be very catchy and different.
Understood why Simon liked Blue so much
The outer appearance, popularity and social status are all things we usually focus on when we get to know someone, but in this case it’s the other way around. Because we get to know Blue’s personality without knowing his real identity, he quickly becomes a very authentic character, and right from the beginning, I understood why Simon liked him so much.
When someone discovers Simon’s secret relationship with Blue and threatens to reveal it, a dilemma arises: Should Simon do whatever it takes to keep his secret from spreading, or should he just stop hiding the truth about his sexuality?
Excerpt from ‘Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda’
I’m thinking about Blue – always Blue – because really, my mind only wanders in one direction. I got another email from him this morning. Lately, we’ve been emailing almost every day, and it’s a little crazy how much he’s been on my mind. I almost fucked up a chem lab today because I was emailing Blue in my head and I kind of forgot I was pouring nitric acid. It’s weird, because Blue’s emails used to be this extra thing that was separate from my actual life. But now I think maybe the emails are my life. Everything else feels sort of like I’m slogging through a dream.
Reminds me how powerful contemporary YA fiction can be
‘Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda’ was an absolute pleasure to read. It’s the kind of book that reminds me how powerful contemporary YA fiction can be. It’s fascinating how a 300 page novel can contain so many important things. In my opinion, it’s everything you could ever ask for in a book.
The writing style is gorgeous, and I enjoyed every word of it. I found myself sympathizing with the characters right from the beginning, and it felt like they really came to life.
I guarantee you that your cheeks will hurt from smiling when you finish this book, and be aware that there’s a big chance that it will make you laugh out loud several times.
This book is very special to me, and I already can’t wait to reread it.
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