Summary:
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.
My review:
Rating: 4.5⭐/5
Such a beautiful book that warmed my heart like none other. It is so good to read a good YA after so long. And I couldn’t stop smiling reading this rendition.
Simon is officially one of my most favorite YA characters of all time and shall remain so. It was all so vivid and real. I loved his characterisation and development.
But I didn’t like Abby or Leah or Nick for that matter. I don’t even know if I am supposed to like them because they all sounded too self-centered to me. Maybe because I was only reading Simon’s pov and couldn’t get to know what they actually thought of certain situations. Yet, a little bit of depth to them would have been great as well. And that irked me that it wasn’t there.
I loved Blue. Oh my God. Blue. Blue. Blue. Blue. My blue. I can’t say enough about him yet there aren’t enough words to describe how I felt for him.
Leah, however, pissed me off. Mostly because she wouldn’t speak out or stand up for herself. Even though she is supposed to come off as badass or something, she is the most cowardly of all and her character didn’t develop at all.
Abby, I found her so dumb. Like I dunno how one can not perceive such things as discomfort when it comes to their own friends? But I guess some just don’t get it. (And I have always hated those popular girls at school anyway. Like fuck me. “Everybody wants her” trope. Ugh.) And the way she handled the Si and Martin situation, I did not like it. And I don’t think she would ever be clever enough to understand (yes, I hate her, I am sorry).
And Nick is basically a dumbass with 100% guitar skills and 0% other skills. Dumbass. That’s all he gets cz I don’t even know him. Like the whole Tumblr situation with Leah and Nick? What the hell was all of that? I was so annoyed at that moment with them both. If they can’t even stand with their own friend, be supportive, open and non-judgemental, what are they friends for? And I got why Simon was apprehensive about himself around them and his parents. Because all of them had no idea how to deal with change. Uh huh…no. Wait. Not change. They cannot accept anyone as the person they are other than the version they have created for them. Worst. Friends. Ever. Even, Abby looked better, in that moment.
The story is set in Georgia and the effect of the place on the course of events is made understood a little bit.
What I really liked about the book is the fact that being a story that revolves around gay romance, it didn’t have those sad fucking tropes but obviously, it is because of the time in which it is set. So, it was good to read a happy gay romance after all.
And the message of how everyone comes out of their closets, straight or gay or bi or whatever, intrigued me. The fact that all of us have something to come clean about something, be it our sexuality, life choices, decisions, mistakes, groups us all under one agenda. An agenda that is a huge umbrella that treats us all equal. The homosapiens agenda.
This book makes one realise that it is not a big fucking deal if you aren’t straight. Maybe it is, in your bubble of romance where you finally get to kiss the one you love but it isn’t, among all great things. It isn’t a big deal when you zoom out of your life and look at it. Your sexuality is just a part of who you are and not entirely who you are.
I enjoyed reading this book so so much and I guess I will read it again someday.
I read the book in ebook version as well as the Audiobook version. Thanks to Storytel again for providing with the Audiobook.
Do try Storytel : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=grit.storytel.app
Official Website : https://www.storytel.com
Oliver The Puppet 