Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda

I feel like this book came at the right time to cement queer romances in the book community. The characters are all so lovable, and the story is the perfect mix of mystery (Who is Blue?), drama, humor and romance! It's just very genuine... and genuinely great!

This is one of my absolute favourite books of all time. I have read it at least four or five times, particularly when I was a teenager. It made me feel understood at core and not just in regards to LGBTQ+ concerns, but in general. The way the characters' emotions are depicted feels so true to life in ways that I struggle to name. Yet at the same time the book tells an entertaining story. I adored the main characters, particularly the protagonist himself. It is a fantastic pick for teens but I would also recommend it to adults. This is one of the most well written books I know.

Romance (the genre) and I have a complicated history. Like many I used to be a fantasy reader that got lured into reading romance by the many many Romantasy books out there. It became my favourite genre and it was a good time. For some time. But recently most romance books I've read have been quite disappointing. A lot of spice, unlikeable love interests, the rise of Dark Romance (to each their own but it's definitely not my cup of tea) and many more factors have made me lose interest in the genre. I've dnfed so many books, it's actually insane. There have been some exceptions and funnily enough most of them were gay. Fake Dates and Mooncakes was a cute read but nothing more, Red White and Royal Blue was massively overrated but also quite enjoyable if you turn a blind eye to the terrible political implications and the unlikeable self-congratulating characters and Boyfriend Material was probably the worst of the bunch but at least had an interesting set-up and spice that didn't want to make me throw up. But still the Romance genre seems to be losing me as a fan more and more. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is one of the few exceptions though. Cute through and through, unique and likeable characters, an endearing relationship between the main couple and the almost nostalgic feeling of teenage years in high school. The writing style made me fall in love with Simon right from the start and every side character feels well thought out and coherent. A lot of cute scenes with the potential to make me giggle and kick my feet and an ending that leaves me feeling satisfied without dragging out the story. A very wholesome read, I hope one day I'll get to read more romance like this again. (PS: Just ignore that there are any sequels, trust me)

Der Roman stellt auf undramatische, aber lebensnahen Weise, die Barrieren dar, die man in der heutigen Welt hat, obwohl es kein Problem sein sollte sich als Homosexuell zu outen. Die romantische Liebesgeschichte zwischen Simon und Blue lässt den Leser bis zum Ende mitfiebern und mithoffen.

I enjoyed this book so much. I absolutely fell for every single character in this book. every.single.one. This is probably going to be a book I will read over and over and over again.