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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Becky Albertalli | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Gender Studies
8
9.0 (29 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had read a few chapters earlier in the day before I jumped in bed to read – fast forward a few hours and it was way past my normal bedtime... and the book was done. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was a cute contemporary book that once you pick it up, you won’t want to put it down.

Simon and his friends are typical, relatable high school students that deal with relationships, family dynamics and the difficulty of navigating adolescence. The students at the school have a tumblr in which they can gossip or post secrets. It was there that Simon stumbles across a post that he relates to and decides to contact the author. Throughout the novel, Simon is corresponding the other boy in his school although neither know the other’s identity. It was nice to experience them getting to know one another before they’ve ever even met.

I read the Upside of Unrequited prior to reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, so I had a reverse experience with the character cameos. We hear a little from Abby through her conversations with Molly, so it was nice to see her as an important character in Simon’s tale. One funny scene in Upside was when Molly and Abby were skyping while Simon was over. He asked her a very important question, which House did Abby belong to. It wasn’t important to the plot, but after reading this book and getting to know Simon I loved it even more.

Despite life’s ups and downs, the conclusion to this novel was the happy end that you can expect from a YA contemporary. I would highly recommend it to young adult/teen fans of contemporary books that are set in high school and have diverse characters.
  
TM
The Manifesto on How to be Interesting
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was my first Holly Bourne novel and I had had it on my TBR for ages and kicked myself for not picking it up sooner. I love YA contemporary books, I love all the feels you get and how invested you get into the story. I was surprised how much I loved this book. I liked Bree and it was interesting to see how much she developed as a character. This book showed you that you didn’t need to be popular to be interesting but it also showed how uncomfortable it was trying to fit in with a crowd that is not the norm for you. It showed valuable life lessons and had really powerful messages. I would have rated this 5 stars but the ending didn’t turn out as I wanted it to but I still loved it. This book does have a teacher/student relationship, so if that’s not your thing I would steer clear.