Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

By: Becky Albertalli

Narrated by: Michael Crouch

Now a major motion picture from Twentieth Century Fox: Love, Simon

William C. Morris Award Winner: Best Young Adult Debut of the Year * National Book Award Longlist

""A remarkable gift of a novel.""—Andrew Smith, author of Grasshopper Jungle

""I am so in love with this book.""—Nina LaCour, author of Hold Still

""Feels timelessly, effortlessly now.""—Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever

""The best kind of love story.""—Alex Sanchez, Lambda Award-winning author of Rainbow Boys and Boyfriends with Girlfriends

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 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.

Incredibly funny and poignant, this twenty-first-century coming-of-age, coming out story—wrapped in a geek romance—is a knockout of a debut novel by Becky Albertalli.

Plus don't miss Yes No Maybe So, Becky Albertalli's and Aisha Saeed's heartwarming and hilarious new novel, coming in 2020!

Best love story this year!

Coming from the default straight white guy...I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! The characters are so real, it is fantastically written, and the story is perfect in every way.

A fun and cute story

What did you like best about this story?

This is one of those Contemporary books that I normally wouldn't care about in the slightest, but luckily Simon was a fun character whose head I enjoyed being inside of, so his thoughts saved the book for me. Nothing much happens, it's basically about Simon's daily life with his friends and family and his email correspondences with Blue (his crush). There were a lot of comical moments and I particularly enjoyed the emails between Simon and Blue. Everything was pretty light-hearted and realistic.

I connected very easily with Simon and I genuinely liked him. He's very grounded for a teenager, although he's not without his faults, and I enjoyed all his little quirks. I liked that you get a well-rounded picture of Simon and his life and all the relationship dynamics are portrayed here very nicely. Becky did an outstanding job in that aspect. He has some drama with his friends, and there's a realistic push and pull there that I appreciated. You also get a crazy mix of characters in his family, but I loved how supportive they were of each other. Plus, that world of Oreos? Sign me up!

One thing I have to point out though was so many times the characters kept referring to Tumblr as "the Tumblr" and I was scratching my head in wonder. I mean, these are teenagers and I know for a fact that teens nowadays are all over social media, especially Tumblr, and no one calls it "the Tumblr". It just made it cringe. Maybe it's because it's the school's Tumblr so they refer to it as such?! I don't know, it just irked me like nails on a chalkboard.

But that's beside the point. The book was a decent read as far as the genre goes. It's a quick read and Simon is a quirky character that you can't help but like. It's not really exciting, but I expect that with these kinds of books, and Albertalli made up for it with her characters. I think I just have to accept that this is how this genre is. It's not exactly my favorite thing to read, but it makes me extra happy when I can find the gems within that I genuinely like. I'm glad that the book didn't focus on the fact that he's gay and how different that it, but more about how normal it is. Also, that ending was almost too cute and it left me smiling and feeling very happy. A truly feel-good read if there ever was one.

Have you listened to any of Michael Crouch’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my first time listening to Michael and I could totally imagine him as Simon. He had just the right amount of sarcasm and snark, with a touch of sweetness that added to how much I liked and connected with Simon. Michael just has a relatable voice and made the book so enjoyable for me to listen to.

Everyone knows a Simon

Would you listen to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda again? Why?

You're either the Simon of your life or you know a Simon in your life. The kid who seems to have it all but doesn't know it. Who's as clueless about his life as he seems in charge of it. Reading this book while hearing Michael Crouch's voice was the perfect way to really get into the head of Simon. Loved this book!

It's a 4.5 overall

Would you consider the audio edition of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda to be better than the print version?

I loved the performance, so probably.

What did you like best about this story?

The language was actually what you'd expect from teens. It was spoken by Michael Crouch in the same way. While I really enjoy John Green's work too, this style was more realistic.

Which scene was your favorite?

The bar scene, but I really enjoyed the story as a whole.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ferris wheel scene at the end.

Any additional comments?

The story was somewhat predictable and simple, hence the 4.5 rather than a 5, but that did not distract from my enjoyment. I will positively read/listen to Ms. Abertalli's future work. I enjoyed this from beginning to end!

Download this!

It’s sweet and earnest and honest and very well performed. I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager struggling to come out. I kept recognizing myself in the characters.

It’s about a closeted gay kid in Atlanta dealing with that leap into being his own person, how that changes the way he sees himself, the way others see him, and his relationships with family and friends.