Book vs. Movie: Love, Simon

Book vs. Movie is a feature here at JenniElyse. I do a side-by-side comparison of the book and adaptation. Afterward, I reveal which I like better.

As I said in my review of SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, I actually saw the movie before I read the book. I loved LOVE, SIMON so much that I decided to read SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA as my first foray into LGBTQ+ fiction. Subsequently, this is more of a Movie vs. Book post.

I watched LOVE, SIMON on Hulu and fell in love with Simon’s story. I connected strongly with him because of his fear of rejection and/or disappointing those he loved if he came out.

I thought that Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel were perfect in the role of Simon’s parents. I loved Nick Robinson as Simon and the actors who played the other high schoolers. I also thought Tony Hale was amazing as the high school principal. I also loved the dancing scene of Simon’s daydream about college. It made me smile and I laughed at his “maybe not that gay” comment.

When I read SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA, I was surprised to find out that Simon has two sisters and that he and Abby were in the musical together as the movie doesn’t address that at all. Cal and Martin, Leah’s crush, and the ending were all different between the movie and book. I like both endings. I think they both fit the medium well. I liked that both the movie and book explore bullying, acceptance, friendship, and family.

Verdict

I bet you know the verdict before I even say it. The movie’s different from the book, but the spirit of the story’s still the same. Most of the time books are way better than their movies, but in this instance, I think both the book and movie are equally as good.

Have you read SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA? Have you seen LOVE, SIMON? Do you like the book or the movie better?

About Jenni Elyse


Hi, I'm Jenni. I’m an eclectic reader. I mostly read fiction and I favor fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, mystery, thrillers, and romance. The more kissing in a book the better!
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16 replies
  2. Margaret
    Margaret says:

    I most often prefer the book to the movie, but in the cases where I’ve actually seen the movie first, the book is hard for me to read and not judge the differences. Perhaps because I have a clear vision of what the people looked like in the film?

    • Jenni Elyse
      Jenni Elyse says:

      I do as well. 😀 Every once in a while, I find a movie I like better or where I think the movie’s just as good as the book. If the movie’s really different from the book, like with Jurassic Park, then I have hard time not judging the differences as well when I see the movie first.

    • Jenni Elyse
      Jenni Elyse says:

      If you do decide to read the book or watch the movie, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. 😀 And, I look forward to reading your thoughts about either or both.

  5. chelsea @ your bookish friend
    chelsea @ your bookish friend says:

    i must be in the minority here, but i prefer watching tv/movies before reading the books. as a general rule of thumb, the books will always be better. so why would you consume the best first? in my opinion, consume what you think will be worse first, that way you can enjoy both without constantly going, “that didn’t happen in the book” 😂😂

    • Jenni Elyse
      Jenni Elyse says:

      I actually don’t mind watching movies first either. I don’t think I go out of my way to watch the movie first like you do, but I also don’t go out of my way to read the book first either. 😀

  6. Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight
    Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight says:

    I have not read or watched yet! I have owned the book for YEARS, and I keep telling myself I am going to either read it or watch it and then… I never get around to it! Glad to hear that they were both pretty good though!

  7. Tanya @ Girl Plus Books
    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books says:

    I totally agree that both the book and movie stand on their own merits. And I totally love both. I do remember Abby being in the musical in the movie, though. She was at rehearsals, and they went and ran lines together at the Waffle House with Martin. I’ve read the book and seen the movie so many times… it is such a favorite. 🙂

    • Jenni Elyse
      Jenni Elyse says:

      Good call. I don’t remember the musical in the movie so I thought they didn’t do it. I’ll have to watch the movie again now that I’ve read the book. 😀

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