Tuesday 13 March 2018

Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda- Becky Albertalli BOOK TALK

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I really enjoyed this book. I didn't love love love it like everyone else seems to but it was fun, cute and very easy to read. I will say that it was a little predictable because I knew the secret identity character from very early on but that didn't spoil it for me because it was nice to anticipate the finale reveal and pat myself on the back for being so smart (I'm saying that ironically... not).
It deals with a lot of great issues and has brilliant representation throughout which instantly gives it bonus points and makes it worthy of the praise and hype it's been getting. However, I found the plot to be a little simplistic at times and maybe a bit unoriginal (online relationship with hidden identities... how often does that happen?). I also found that a lot of the side characters weren't fleshed out enough and I forgot all about them as soon as they left the page.
Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read but it didn't leave any lasting impressions on me- I'll probably forget half of it by next week.

 

SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD- SPOILERS AHEAD
I didn't think the plot for this book was very complex- it was simplistic and predictable. However, that made it an easy read and I still quite enjoyed it.
We started with the blackmail from Martin which made me immediately hate him and... that didn't change. Sure, him and Simon became sorta friends but I never grew to like Martin. There was a scary moment where I thought Simon might be Blue but that wouldn't have made any sense, thank the Gods.  
My favourite parts of the book was the emails- they were super cute, vulnerable and made me smile a lot.
From the very beginning, the secret identity of Blue was the biggest question. And, while Albertalli tried to drive us all into thinking it was Cal Price... it was way too obvious to be him! As soon as Simon said he thought Blue was Cal, my own theories went off Cal because that would be way too obvious for a book and not at all entertaining.
I did have my sights set on Bram pretty early on, though, and I'd pretty much settled on that prediction from near the beginning. So, while it was predictable who Blue was, I still had a lot of fun reading how Simon found out and getting the satisfied feeling of being right.
We also had Simon's friends (Leah, Nick, Abby) who were side characters that lacked any and all depth for me.
And we also had Simon's family (Nora, Alice and parents) who were side characters that lacked any and all depth for me.
(Let's just say, lack of depth  was a common theme in this book.)
Martin leaked the information that Simon was gay which (was bound to happen) but entertaining none the less. From this point onwards, the pages were turning themselves and I had a lot of fun finishing the book.
I found it a bit out of order that Blue was unwilling to give his identity when he knew who Simon was but... as soon as they met, any shyness, insecurity and hesitance he had obviously vanished into thin air because it was never an issue again.

Overall, it was a sweet, quick and enjoyable read but it will forever be an average book in my eyes. I understand the importance of a text and how it's a great representation and acceptance text for homosexuality but the characters could've been fleshed out a lot more in my opinion.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment your thoughts. Stay amazing!
Chloe

2 comments:

  1. I haven't read it (but I have a few friends who loved it). I'm hoping to see the movie though, because I feel like it will probably get the feelings of the book right.

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    1. I'm so excited to see the movie! It looks like it'll be quite accurate
      xx

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