Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

Title: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Author: Becky Albertalli
Series: Simonverse #1
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
Format: Kindle
Pages: 336
Rating:

My Thoughts

I grew up in a very conservative religious family. Like many Christian religions, my religion believes acting on “same-sex attraction” is a sin. Because of this, I’ve always shied away from reading LGBTQ+ stories. In more recent years, I’ve come to the conclusion that LGBTQ+ literature’s important because of representation and normalizing that love is love.

SIMON VS. THE HOMO SAPIENS AGENDA is a heart-warming story about love and acceptance in all its forms. I loved the relationship he had with Blue. I loved reading their emails to each other. They were fun and witty. I also loved his relationship with his parents and sisters. His family was protective and supportive, but not without their flaws which made the story more realistic.

I felt scared and happy on Simon’s behalf when he came out to his friends and family. When I read about his fear of rejection and/or disappointing those he loved, my heart broke and I wanted to hug him and tell him everything was going to be okay. I also felt sad and angry for him when he was outed without his consent and bullied at the hands of other students in his school. I actually really loved how Albertalli used the bullying Simon faced as a way for him to feel supported by his friends, family, and teachers as they rallied around him.