Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

I'll try to resist using the word “adorable” in this review, since I see it in so many of the other gushing reviews on Goodreads, but it's a pretty accurate descriptor. Becky Albertalli hits a home run out of the park with her debut novel. She does an amazing job of portraying the process of coming out in a world where gay marriage is legal in the majority of states. While it's not as traumatic and dangerous a process as it once was, declaring oneself as gay is still a big deal to teenagers who are trying to define their identity and their way of relating to the wider world. And it's still a big enough deal that Simon lets himself be blackmailed by a classmate who has discovered his secret emails. I think Albertalli nails this perfectly - Simon knows his parents will be supportive, and most of his friends are cool, but it's still complicated, especially details like which one of his friends he tells first, and he still has to face a few immature a$$holes who have nothing better to do than torment him.

And then there's the romance between Simon and the boy he only knows through email as “Blue.” Sigh. This is where the story becomes truly - there's no other word - adorable. I'm a complete sucker for epistolary romances, and the feelings that develop as Simon and Blue gradually open up more and more to each other through their correspondence are anything but virtual. And when they finally meet in person - well, that's a swoon-worthy, perfectly cinematic moment (and I'm sure Hollywood is already figuring out how to screw up - I mean adapt this novel into a major motion picture).

I read the book in less than 24 hours. Then I skimmed through my favorite parts again. Then I went back and re-read the whole thing again. I wouldn't change one word of it.