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ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
5.0
Nice sequel to [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Creekwood, #1)|Becky Albertalli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579], with Leah as mc (obviously).
Drama, romance, no sex although some graphic thoughts, but nothing cringeworthy.
No triggers, as I expected this to be like "Simon vs ...", I did not have the feeling like in "Simon ..." that something bad was going to happen at some point (like a school-shooting or a bloody fight or someone trying suicide for a change).
LGBTQ+, my age-advisory is 12 and above, others may differ.
Well written characters, sometimes they are rather confused, but rightfully so, I could relate to most of them, very engaging.
Read this in two days, although no thriller, for me it was a real page-turner and I stopped doing other things for it.
Recommended reading for the aware person, straight, gay, both or otherwise.
Would really like to see this filmed, so far no sign for it.
Drama, romance, no sex although some graphic thoughts, but nothing cringeworthy.
No triggers, as I expected this to be like "Simon vs ...", I did not have the feeling like in "Simon ..." that something bad was going to happen at some point (like a school-shooting or a bloody fight or someone trying suicide for a change).
LGBTQ+, my age-advisory is 12 and above, others may differ.
Well written characters, sometimes they are rather confused, but rightfully so, I could relate to most of them, very engaging.
Read this in two days, although no thriller, for me it was a real page-turner and I stopped doing other things for it.
Recommended reading for the aware person, straight, gay, both or otherwise.
Would really like to see this filmed, so far no sign for it.
snowreo's review against another edition
3.0
although i did not love this as much as i loved simon vs. or as much as i thought i would, i still love this book so so much and im so happy abby, leah, simon, and bram get to be happy
but nick’s endgame...becky why
but nick’s endgame...becky why
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
1.0
This is one of those reviews I can barely stand to write. I put this one at the bottom of my June reviews on account of how much I did not feel like revisiting my irritation at this book. Spoilers for everything - the only way I can possibly review this is to get into details.
Let’s get this out of the way: I’ve never liked Leah. In general I don’t mind the ‘sarcasm as a defense mechanism’ archetype. However, there is a thin line keeping sarcasm from sliding into plain mean. Leah falls far too on the side of mean for my tastes. I fully understand why she relies on snarky quips. It’s a realistic part of her character particularly as a teenager lacking in coping skills. Her anxiety and low self worth are relatable. That being said, it doesn't give her the right to be rude. In Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda she goes completely unchecked for her attitude. Leah on the Offbeat follows in its footsteps.
I don’t care if a character is a terrible person if there’s a reason for it and/or it’s addressed at a later date. Leah isn’t terrible per se, but she has a lot of maturing to do that she doesn’t do because Albertalli has framed it as a quirk of hers rather than a behavior that needs to be fixed or at the very least tempered.
Onto criticism more specific to this book.
I was put off immediately by the revisionism. Simon makes it abundantly clear Leah and Abby have been at odds since she moved to Creekwood. This book tries to act as if there was a time when Leah and Abby were so close Leah’s mother started to joke about the two dating soon.
Now I am willing to suspend my disbelief at the idea the two were friendlier than Simon knew. I cannot buy they had this epic almost romance in which Abby considered them best friends. It’s just flat out impossible for them to have spent that much time with one another and Simon never noticed. Leah was hiding the depths of her feelings for Abby out of fear. There is no mention of her hiding the relationship. Also even if Leah did try to hide the relationship Abby had no such qualms thus it’s unbelievable she wouldn’t have tried to engage Leah more actively in front of the entire friend group or not mentioned their hang-outs casually to Simon.
It doesn’t actually add anything to the story either. Leah could still have been hostile to disguise her deeper feelings. Abby could still have been hard to get a read on. They don’t need a shared history for Abby to decide to pursue a friendship and get the story moving. The secret mutual longing for over a year is detrimental to both books as it’s directly contradictory to what was previously established. It also reflects poorly on Abby which I will get into later.
The romance was dreadful.
Over half the story is Leah pining. She is not out to her friends. She is unaware if Abby is not straight. Abby is an enigma during this time. Reading the synopsis you already know that Abby is interested on some level though to what extent or how legitimately is up in the air.
Abby's indeterminate position made her extremely unlikable to me. She's dating Nick for around half the book. They're having problems, sure, but she is still in a committed relationship. Leah obviously ignores the signs because she doesn't believe Abby could be into girls at all let alone a girl like her. After it's confirmed Abby does like Leah, all of those seemingly innocuous signs she brushed off immediately become evidence of Abby's emotional infidelity. In two seconds flat Abby has now been technically cheating or at the very least laying the groundwork to cheat for weeks.
Leah is no better. There's this boy, Garrett, who really likes her and she entertains his pursuit of her despite knowing deep down she’s too into Abby to get into a relationship right now. She is not explicitly leading him on, but in her passivity she allows him to get more attached. Leah never faces consequences for doing this. For instance, he invites her to one of his soccer games. She lies to him about attending. She never tells him that she didn’t really go.
Back to Abby. Garrett makes a few crude, vaguely objectifying comments implying how hot it would be if Abby and Leah were involved sexually. His comments are clearly oversexualizing casual intimacy between two girls plus unconsciously reinforcing the idea that women are non-threatening to a relationship because their desire for one another is not actually real compared to the heterosexual.
Garett sincerely apologizes - he doesn’t fully get it since Leah doesn’t tell him what the exact problem is. The point is he tries to make amends. My hang-up is that Abby’s involvement is overlooked.
Abby purposely uses the fact that her sexuality is ambiguous to toe the line and cross Leah’s boundaries. For example when the two come out of the bathroom together at the cast party Garett is standing there and says something. Abby plays into it by holding Leah’s hand and intimating the two will only do what he’s thinking when they’re alone.
Abby hiding behind the idea that ‘all straight girls are just a little bit gay for each other’ is actually reinforcing the same thing as Garrett as it also implies that girls flirting or holding hands or whatever is just something girls do for fun and not to be taken seriously. I’m not saying straight girls can’t do these things. Maintaining the ‘joke’ is the problematic part. These kinds of jokes when made between straight people - jokes made in the community by members of the community can be different depending on the comfort level of the people involved, context, environment etc - invalidates the relationships of queer women.
As we find out later Abby was not totally ready to embrace her bisexuality yet. If you don't want to come out or don't feel safe to do so that's valid. It’s a personal choice. As long as you’re not hurting anyone - like those situations where people marry their partners under false pretenses - it’s totally up to you when, if ever, you decide to do it.
Abby’s uncertainty does not obfuscate the harm she inflicts in the meantime. Her perception as straight gives her certain privileges and she is abusing it for her own gain at the expense of those in the community. Again, if it’s about safety that’s a whole different story - do whatever you need to do to keep yourself out of harm’s way. But, Abby doesn’t feel unsafe coming out. She’s merely unsure.
In a way that actually makes it worse because now she is using her good friend to explore her feelings in a manner that is comfortable to her without receiving Leah’s consent. Falling back on harmful rhetoric to get the attention off herself is just the cherry on top. She could have remained silent or made a cutting remark or tried to educate him since Garrett doesn’t mean to be malicious.
In that regard the two are perfect for one another. Abby exploits Leah. Leah is dismissive of Abby’s sexuality. It’s a match made in heaven.
Bear with me for a moment here: I like that Leah does not automatically accept Abby’s admission of being ‘lowkey bi’. Hear me out. She’s absolutely wrong to do so and she’s being very ignorant and unsupportive. However, people are not born with an encyclopedic knowledge of human sexuality. There is a learning curve especially for those who are unexposed to a lot of different orientations. I can see why someone as green as Leah would have a rigid interpretation of sexuality.
It also makes complete sense in context for Leah to be skeptical of Abby’s declaration because at this juncture Leah has spent weeks being jerked around by Abby. From her perspective Abby has proven herself to be fickle and somewhat selfish. On its face it is rather suspicious that right after Leah distances herself Abby is conveniently accepting of her newfound sexual orientation already.
Leah has only recently become privy to Abby’s muddled, complicated thought process in discerning her sexual orientation. It’s to be expected she cannot immediately assimilate this new information about Abby into her pre-established idea of her. Additionally it’s not unexpected her own hurt about the situation would cloud her judgment. It’s not an excuse though I’d argue it’s a highly sympathetic explanation. Coming from me, the self-proclaimed Leah hater, that says a lot.
Where it goes wrong - for both characters - is that neither has to take real accountability for the pain that they cause.
All of my above criticisms would have gone out the window if Leah and Abby learned from their mistakes.
(Admittedly, this applies to Abby to a far lesser extent than Leah. Abby does recognize she screwed up by sending mixed signals and taking advantage.)
After Abby makes a big mistake with Leah she spends the rest of the book as a nonfactor. She comes out faster than necessary to a select few to appease Leah - Leah does not ask for this but Abby clearly does it as a form of penance - and then she basically becomes a prize to represent Leah’s self-acceptance.
A core part of Leah’s arc is that she does not believe she deserves good things. Her self esteem is slightly above the floor. It’s part of why she can’t think of Abby as anything except straight. It’s partially a way of protecting her heart. It would hurt more if Abby wasn’t straight AND didn’t want her. It’s easier to think she is straight because Abby not wanting her would be completely out of her hands.
Towards the end Abby and Leah initially both decide not to pursue a relationship as the timing is off only to immediately disregard it and date anyways. Leah is the one who pushes back on this decision. In doing so she fulfills her arc as she realizes she does deserve better and that better is Abby.
There are a couple reasons I dislike this ending.
One, I already dove into why I found the romance lackluster. There was too much unpleasantness for me to get into it.
Two, given the messiness of their trajectory I believe the stronger story would have been the two not ending up together and it being implied or stated the two try it out at a later date. After everything that happened I truly don’t think it would be healthy for them to date now. Abby just broke up with her boyfriend and is only now unpacking her internalized shame. Similarly, Leah needs to gain more self-respect on her own without the pressure of keeping another person happy. Charming as A Verb by Ben Phillippe does this concept really well.
SPOILER FOR THE ENDING OF CHARMING AS A VERB.
They were crucial to each other’s development over the course of their senior year. Now it’s time to see if they could reasonably stand the test of time by moving on. It’s trite, but if they really are meant to be it’ll happen. I think a random meet-cute at a show after Leah has joined a new band a few months into college would have been poetic.
Three, Albertalli completely manipulates the story so as to give the two a happy ending to the detriment of the quality.
Like I mentioned earlier, Abby breaks up with Nick about halfway into the book. Assuming you’ve read the first book, you know that Nick is a core member of the friend group. He’s not solely ‘Abby’s boyfriend’; a meaningless placeholder who could be filled by any old random minor character. He’s someone you, as the reader, presumably care about due to his previous relevance. In order to make this plot work Albertalli commits character assassination.
Nick and Abby break up because Nick is going to college out of state. Abby doesn’t want to do long distance. Nick takes it really hard. Abby gets over it immediately because it’s heavily implied she was only using Nick to get over Leah after they had their falling out way back when anyways.
(So now I’m retroactively hating Abby from book 1 too? Oh joy.)
This is a perfectly acceptable, reasonable reason to break up. Neither is wrong. It’s a totally normal incompatibility plenty of couples have gone through. Yet in the midst of this Albertalli chooses to have Nick also flirt with another girl before the break up is official and then act like a jealous, obsessive maniac after the break-up occurs. It is not only totally unnecessary, it’s obvious it was only done so Nick would look bad enough that Abby and Leah’s actions would seem not as bad in comparison.
I know break-ups are tough. They can really do a number on you emotionally. In spite of that, given Nick’s actions in comparison to how he was presented in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens I firmly believe Nick is out of character.
Nick’s ruination means we’re not supposed to feel bad that his girlfriend never cared that much about him or that his close friend from before Abby even got to Creekwood is entertaining her advances.
Leah and Abby are unbelievably selfish when it comes to Nick. You can’t control who you fall for. You can choose what you do after you fall. Nick is spiraling something awful after the break-up. He’s begging for a modicum of intel from Leah about Abby’s headspace. And they flat out just don’t care. They plunge full steam ahead regardless. I know Nick is being a jerk right now. Irregardless, he’s literally one of Leah’s best friends. She’s really going to prioritize a girl she just met - comparatively - over him?
I’m not one of those people who thinks it’s always wrong to date an ex. But, when the grave is still fresh for the relationship and your friend is actively mourning in front of you, maybe cool your jets a bit? Like where is her sense of loyalty? Of common decency?
What’s most irredeemable is that when the two throw caution to the wind Albertalli has taken pains to ensure there will be no fallout.
I can take bad decisions. I can take the lying. I can take the sneaking around. I can take the bi erasure. I can take the cheating. I cannot take the avoidance of deserved consequences.
We don’t see Nick’s reaction to the news. Leah is actually on a date with Garrett at the time that they hook up officially. We don’t see his reaction to being thrown over. Despite exerting a ton of energy into trying to get Nick and Abby back together, despite also being close friends with Nick, Simon is ecstatic for them.
What kind of message is this sending by not forcing them to handle the averse response head on? By not making them confront what led them to act so inconsiderately? By not making them apologize?
If they’re so sure this is the right path then why not make them justify it or fight for it? Sure, it’ll be painful, but that’s part of growing up. You don’t get a pass for hurting others because you were struggling with your identity. Don’t hate yourself forever for it, of course, but you need to reflect on why you did it or you’ll be doomed to repeat it.
This is fully a writing problem. I don’t care at all if characters act abhorrently. It may be annoying to read, but if it’s good writing I’ll deal. I’m especially lenient when they’re teenagers. My generosity goes out the window when they’re shielded from their impact because the author either doesn’t see the harm or can’t separate their love for the characters from what’s best for the narrative. Their growth is completely stunted by skipping over the repercussions to fastpass to the epilogue where everything is peachy keen. Not to mention how unrealistic it is that after everything they’ve done they’re all still friendly - it’s as unearned as unearned can be.
There’s a plot point where a character makes a racist statement suggesting Abby unrightfully was admitted to a specific college to satisfy a diversity quota. Leah defends Abby and then holds a grudge against this person the entire book. It gave off major white savior vibes. Abby didn’t even care that much yet Leah is blowing it way out of proportion. Well meaning white people often, in an attempt to overcompensate for their guilt about their own privilege, will overstep when encountering prejudice. It’s not about the Black person or person of color deserving aid. It’s about them feeling better for stepping in. As this plot point was simply a tool to show how ‘liberal’ Leah - a white feminist if I’ve ever seen one - is, I was doubly unimpressed by its inclusion. It had nothing to say outside of the most rudimentary ‘racism bad’.
I’m not saying Leah should not have stood up for her friend. I am saying that it’s interesting how this person has to practically prostrate herself before Leah’s feet before Leah will forgive her when Leah, herself, never has to apologize for the suffering she inflicts. Funny that.
I read a few reviews that were startled by the change in characterization of Simon. People have said that it feels like Albertalli wrote fanfic of her own material. I don’t disagree. However, I’d posit part of the reason for this is because Leah was so underdeveloped in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens we got no insight into how she and Simon operated. Their interactions feel totally off because the two didn't talk much in the first book since Leah was so far removed from the plot thereby making this Simon feel out of character when really he was always intended to have the kind of camaraderie he does with Leah. We’re actually seeing some of the ‘real’ Simon through Leah’s eyes.
To summarize, if you want to read a story where self-absorbed people wreak havoc on their loved ones and get off scot-free then you’ve come to the right place.
Let’s get this out of the way: I’ve never liked Leah. In general I don’t mind the ‘sarcasm as a defense mechanism’ archetype. However, there is a thin line keeping sarcasm from sliding into plain mean. Leah falls far too on the side of mean for my tastes. I fully understand why she relies on snarky quips. It’s a realistic part of her character particularly as a teenager lacking in coping skills. Her anxiety and low self worth are relatable. That being said, it doesn't give her the right to be rude. In Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda she goes completely unchecked for her attitude. Leah on the Offbeat follows in its footsteps.
I don’t care if a character is a terrible person if there’s a reason for it and/or it’s addressed at a later date. Leah isn’t terrible per se, but she has a lot of maturing to do that she doesn’t do because Albertalli has framed it as a quirk of hers rather than a behavior that needs to be fixed or at the very least tempered.
Onto criticism more specific to this book.
I was put off immediately by the revisionism. Simon makes it abundantly clear Leah and Abby have been at odds since she moved to Creekwood. This book tries to act as if there was a time when Leah and Abby were so close Leah’s mother started to joke about the two dating soon.
Now I am willing to suspend my disbelief at the idea the two were friendlier than Simon knew. I cannot buy they had this epic almost romance in which Abby considered them best friends. It’s just flat out impossible for them to have spent that much time with one another and Simon never noticed. Leah was hiding the depths of her feelings for Abby out of fear. There is no mention of her hiding the relationship. Also even if Leah did try to hide the relationship Abby had no such qualms thus it’s unbelievable she wouldn’t have tried to engage Leah more actively in front of the entire friend group or not mentioned their hang-outs casually to Simon.
It doesn’t actually add anything to the story either. Leah could still have been hostile to disguise her deeper feelings. Abby could still have been hard to get a read on. They don’t need a shared history for Abby to decide to pursue a friendship and get the story moving. The secret mutual longing for over a year is detrimental to both books as it’s directly contradictory to what was previously established. It also reflects poorly on Abby which I will get into later.
The romance was dreadful.
Over half the story is Leah pining. She is not out to her friends. She is unaware if Abby is not straight. Abby is an enigma during this time. Reading the synopsis you already know that Abby is interested on some level though to what extent or how legitimately is up in the air.
Abby's indeterminate position made her extremely unlikable to me. She's dating Nick for around half the book. They're having problems, sure, but she is still in a committed relationship. Leah obviously ignores the signs because she doesn't believe Abby could be into girls at all let alone a girl like her. After it's confirmed Abby does like Leah, all of those seemingly innocuous signs she brushed off immediately become evidence of Abby's emotional infidelity. In two seconds flat Abby has now been technically cheating or at the very least laying the groundwork to cheat for weeks.
Leah is no better. There's this boy, Garrett, who really likes her and she entertains his pursuit of her despite knowing deep down she’s too into Abby to get into a relationship right now. She is not explicitly leading him on, but in her passivity she allows him to get more attached. Leah never faces consequences for doing this. For instance, he invites her to one of his soccer games. She lies to him about attending. She never tells him that she didn’t really go.
Back to Abby. Garrett makes a few crude, vaguely objectifying comments implying how hot it would be if Abby and Leah were involved sexually. His comments are clearly oversexualizing casual intimacy between two girls plus unconsciously reinforcing the idea that women are non-threatening to a relationship because their desire for one another is not actually real compared to the heterosexual.
Garett sincerely apologizes - he doesn’t fully get it since Leah doesn’t tell him what the exact problem is. The point is he tries to make amends. My hang-up is that Abby’s involvement is overlooked.
Abby purposely uses the fact that her sexuality is ambiguous to toe the line and cross Leah’s boundaries. For example when the two come out of the bathroom together at the cast party Garett is standing there and says something. Abby plays into it by holding Leah’s hand and intimating the two will only do what he’s thinking when they’re alone.
Abby hiding behind the idea that ‘all straight girls are just a little bit gay for each other’ is actually reinforcing the same thing as Garrett as it also implies that girls flirting or holding hands or whatever is just something girls do for fun and not to be taken seriously. I’m not saying straight girls can’t do these things. Maintaining the ‘joke’ is the problematic part. These kinds of jokes when made between straight people - jokes made in the community by members of the community can be different depending on the comfort level of the people involved, context, environment etc - invalidates the relationships of queer women.
As we find out later Abby was not totally ready to embrace her bisexuality yet. If you don't want to come out or don't feel safe to do so that's valid. It’s a personal choice. As long as you’re not hurting anyone - like those situations where people marry their partners under false pretenses - it’s totally up to you when, if ever, you decide to do it.
Abby’s uncertainty does not obfuscate the harm she inflicts in the meantime. Her perception as straight gives her certain privileges and she is abusing it for her own gain at the expense of those in the community. Again, if it’s about safety that’s a whole different story - do whatever you need to do to keep yourself out of harm’s way. But, Abby doesn’t feel unsafe coming out. She’s merely unsure.
In a way that actually makes it worse because now she is using her good friend to explore her feelings in a manner that is comfortable to her without receiving Leah’s consent. Falling back on harmful rhetoric to get the attention off herself is just the cherry on top. She could have remained silent or made a cutting remark or tried to educate him since Garrett doesn’t mean to be malicious.
In that regard the two are perfect for one another. Abby exploits Leah. Leah is dismissive of Abby’s sexuality. It’s a match made in heaven.
Bear with me for a moment here: I like that Leah does not automatically accept Abby’s admission of being ‘lowkey bi’. Hear me out. She’s absolutely wrong to do so and she’s being very ignorant and unsupportive. However, people are not born with an encyclopedic knowledge of human sexuality. There is a learning curve especially for those who are unexposed to a lot of different orientations. I can see why someone as green as Leah would have a rigid interpretation of sexuality.
It also makes complete sense in context for Leah to be skeptical of Abby’s declaration because at this juncture Leah has spent weeks being jerked around by Abby. From her perspective Abby has proven herself to be fickle and somewhat selfish. On its face it is rather suspicious that right after Leah distances herself Abby is conveniently accepting of her newfound sexual orientation already.
Leah has only recently become privy to Abby’s muddled, complicated thought process in discerning her sexual orientation. It’s to be expected she cannot immediately assimilate this new information about Abby into her pre-established idea of her. Additionally it’s not unexpected her own hurt about the situation would cloud her judgment. It’s not an excuse though I’d argue it’s a highly sympathetic explanation. Coming from me, the self-proclaimed Leah hater, that says a lot.
Where it goes wrong - for both characters - is that neither has to take real accountability for the pain that they cause.
All of my above criticisms would have gone out the window if Leah and Abby learned from their mistakes.
(Admittedly, this applies to Abby to a far lesser extent than Leah. Abby does recognize she screwed up by sending mixed signals and taking advantage.)
After Abby makes a big mistake with Leah
Spoiler
She kisses her assuming both are two straight girls experimentingA core part of Leah’s arc is that she does not believe she deserves good things. Her self esteem is slightly above the floor. It’s part of why she can’t think of Abby as anything except straight. It’s partially a way of protecting her heart. It would hurt more if Abby wasn’t straight AND didn’t want her. It’s easier to think she is straight because Abby not wanting her would be completely out of her hands.
Towards the end Abby and Leah initially both decide not to pursue a relationship as the timing is off only to immediately disregard it and date anyways. Leah is the one who pushes back on this decision. In doing so she fulfills her arc as she realizes she does deserve better and that better is Abby.
There are a couple reasons I dislike this ending.
One, I already dove into why I found the romance lackluster. There was too much unpleasantness for me to get into it.
Two, given the messiness of their trajectory I believe the stronger story would have been the two not ending up together and it being implied or stated the two try it out at a later date. After everything that happened I truly don’t think it would be healthy for them to date now. Abby just broke up with her boyfriend and is only now unpacking her internalized shame. Similarly, Leah needs to gain more self-respect on her own without the pressure of keeping another person happy. Charming as A Verb by Ben Phillippe does this concept really well.
SPOILER FOR THE ENDING OF CHARMING AS A VERB
Spoiler
Main character Halti betrays his love interest Corinne’s trust. While the two reach an accord they do not immediately reconcile. Corinne is willing to be friends though. Then in the epilogue it’s revealed the two got together again after taking it slow and maturing more.They were crucial to each other’s development over the course of their senior year. Now it’s time to see if they could reasonably stand the test of time by moving on. It’s trite, but if they really are meant to be it’ll happen. I think a random meet-cute at a show after Leah has joined a new band a few months into college would have been poetic.
Three, Albertalli completely manipulates the story so as to give the two a happy ending to the detriment of the quality.
Like I mentioned earlier, Abby breaks up with Nick about halfway into the book. Assuming you’ve read the first book, you know that Nick is a core member of the friend group. He’s not solely ‘Abby’s boyfriend’; a meaningless placeholder who could be filled by any old random minor character. He’s someone you, as the reader, presumably care about due to his previous relevance. In order to make this plot work Albertalli commits character assassination.
Nick and Abby break up because Nick is going to college out of state. Abby doesn’t want to do long distance. Nick takes it really hard. Abby gets over it immediately because it’s heavily implied she was only using Nick to get over Leah after they had their falling out way back when anyways.
(So now I’m retroactively hating Abby from book 1 too? Oh joy.)
This is a perfectly acceptable, reasonable reason to break up. Neither is wrong. It’s a totally normal incompatibility plenty of couples have gone through. Yet in the midst of this Albertalli chooses to have Nick also flirt with another girl before the break up is official and then act like a jealous, obsessive maniac after the break-up occurs. It is not only totally unnecessary, it’s obvious it was only done so Nick would look bad enough that Abby and Leah’s actions would seem not as bad in comparison.
I know break-ups are tough. They can really do a number on you emotionally. In spite of that, given Nick’s actions in comparison to how he was presented in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens I firmly believe Nick is out of character.
Nick’s ruination means we’re not supposed to feel bad that his girlfriend never cared that much about him or that his close friend from before Abby even got to Creekwood is entertaining her advances.
Leah and Abby are unbelievably selfish when it comes to Nick. You can’t control who you fall for. You can choose what you do after you fall. Nick is spiraling something awful after the break-up. He’s begging for a modicum of intel from Leah about Abby’s headspace. And they flat out just don’t care. They plunge full steam ahead regardless. I know Nick is being a jerk right now. Irregardless, he’s literally one of Leah’s best friends. She’s really going to prioritize a girl she just met - comparatively - over him?
I’m not one of those people who thinks it’s always wrong to date an ex. But, when the grave is still fresh for the relationship and your friend is actively mourning in front of you, maybe cool your jets a bit? Like where is her sense of loyalty? Of common decency?
What’s most irredeemable is that when the two throw caution to the wind Albertalli has taken pains to ensure there will be no fallout.
I can take bad decisions. I can take the lying. I can take the sneaking around. I can take the bi erasure. I can take the cheating. I cannot take the avoidance of deserved consequences.
We don’t see Nick’s reaction to the news. Leah is actually on a date with Garrett at the time that they hook up officially. We don’t see his reaction to being thrown over. Despite exerting a ton of energy into trying to get Nick and Abby back together, despite also being close friends with Nick, Simon is ecstatic for them.
What kind of message is this sending by not forcing them to handle the averse response head on? By not making them confront what led them to act so inconsiderately? By not making them apologize?
If they’re so sure this is the right path then why not make them justify it or fight for it? Sure, it’ll be painful, but that’s part of growing up. You don’t get a pass for hurting others because you were struggling with your identity. Don’t hate yourself forever for it, of course, but you need to reflect on why you did it or you’ll be doomed to repeat it.
This is fully a writing problem. I don’t care at all if characters act abhorrently. It may be annoying to read, but if it’s good writing I’ll deal. I’m especially lenient when they’re teenagers. My generosity goes out the window when they’re shielded from their impact because the author either doesn’t see the harm or can’t separate their love for the characters from what’s best for the narrative. Their growth is completely stunted by skipping over the repercussions to fastpass to the epilogue where everything is peachy keen. Not to mention how unrealistic it is that after everything they’ve done they’re all still friendly - it’s as unearned as unearned can be.
There’s a plot point where a character makes a racist statement suggesting Abby unrightfully was admitted to a specific college to satisfy a diversity quota. Leah defends Abby and then holds a grudge against this person the entire book. It gave off major white savior vibes. Abby didn’t even care that much yet Leah is blowing it way out of proportion. Well meaning white people often, in an attempt to overcompensate for their guilt about their own privilege, will overstep when encountering prejudice. It’s not about the Black person or person of color deserving aid. It’s about them feeling better for stepping in. As this plot point was simply a tool to show how ‘liberal’ Leah - a white feminist if I’ve ever seen one - is, I was doubly unimpressed by its inclusion. It had nothing to say outside of the most rudimentary ‘racism bad’.
I’m not saying Leah should not have stood up for her friend. I am saying that it’s interesting how this person has to practically prostrate herself before Leah’s feet before Leah will forgive her when Leah, herself, never has to apologize for the suffering she inflicts. Funny that.
I read a few reviews that were startled by the change in characterization of Simon. People have said that it feels like Albertalli wrote fanfic of her own material. I don’t disagree. However, I’d posit part of the reason for this is because Leah was so underdeveloped in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens we got no insight into how she and Simon operated. Their interactions feel totally off because the two didn't talk much in the first book since Leah was so far removed from the plot thereby making this Simon feel out of character when really he was always intended to have the kind of camaraderie he does with Leah. We’re actually seeing some of the ‘real’ Simon through Leah’s eyes.
To summarize, if you want to read a story where self-absorbed people wreak havoc on their loved ones and get off scot-free then you’ve come to the right place.
lisamchuk's review against another edition
4.0
Ok so the romance was a bit convenient, but it was nice to revisit the characters from the first book. Equally as heartwarming a love story.
kaulhilo's review against another edition
4.0
this book was so nice and so soft and i absolutely adore leah and abby! there’s some parts which made me 👀👀 but overall i loved it so much i’m so happy💗
mehsi's review against another edition
1.0
Dropped at page 78. One of my MOST anticipated reads this year. Check my review on my blog for all the Aggretsuko Gifs I used which just too well fitted. Sorry, Goodreads + Gifs are just not working for me.
Becky Albertalli quickly became my favourite writer after Simon Vs, I then had the chance to meet her and I became an even bigger fan of her. So imagine my delight when I heard about this book, that this one would be a sequel to Simon Vs. Not with Simon (sadly), but with Leah. I was very eager to get to read this book, but it took me a bit longer to start it, I was just too worried I would hate it. Now I guess I could just have read it whenever I wanted.
From the start though I noticed that Leah was just a bitch. The first sentence along made me go like: Whut girl? "I don't mean to be dramatic, but God save me from Morgan picking our set list. That girl is a suburban dad's midlife crisis in a high school senior body." Who the actual hell says that about their friends? Or later on. "Translation of the translation: Leah Catherine Burke is an actual genius, and we should never ever doubt her music taste." Or this classic line: "Welp. I guess I should have shut up about Journey. Like, I get it. I am white. I'm supposed to love shitty classic rock." And then there is this sentence just a page later: "I'm basically your resident fat Slytherin Rory Gilmore." Um, whut?
But that is not the first we see of Leah and making weird remarks. She is an utter bitch towards anyone and everyone. Well, OK, maybe not towards Simon or his boyfriend Bram. Leah LURRRVVESSS Simon and would marry him if he wasn't gay (and taken). She calls him sweet baby gay (whut?), and she is constantly gushing about the guy. I get that she has/had a crush, but really, um, this just felt so awkward.
But Leah went from terrible to worse when she kept acting like a total 5-year old towards her mom. Your mom finally found a good dude after 7 FUCKING years, and all you do, as an 18-year old (as I am guessing she must be around that age) is whine, complain, be a fucking bitch towards him, not giving him one chance. I get that it is probably hard for you to understand, but your mom is allowed to date, your mom is allowed to find a new hubby, your mom is allowed to do that as she has her life, and you have yours. Just talk to her honestly and tell her how you feel instead of constantly bitching and whining.
Garrett, poor poor Garrett. I just wanted to hug him, tell him he should stop going after Leah as she has NO interest in him, she is just being an absolute bitch. Yep, I felt so sorry for Garrett. Leah clearly knows he has an interest in her, even to the point of that he likes her a lot, and instead of just clearing up the air and telling him that no, she doesn't want to date him. She leads him on, acts totally weird around him, and then to make matters worse, when asked on a date to a game (I would call it a date), she just doesn't go because she doesn't feel like it. Because she had a shitty day. Because whatever Leah-ness came between. And yes, she just doesn't go. She doesn't cancel, she doesn't answer anything, and then later she even LIES ABOUT IT towards the dude. Girllll, shitty ass attitude? And funny enough, she blames him for stuff. Like this classic sentence: "I can't go to the game. Not feeling the way I feel right now. I can't deal with Garrett and his try-hard, dudebro act. Like, we all know you're secretly a dreamy-eyed piano kid, so stop pretending to be a douchebag. And stop messing with my head. Either flirt with me or don't. Either be cute or not." Which is a funny one, as throughout the book I haven't seen Garrett act one time like a douchebag or a hard dude-bro (whatever that may be, but it sounds terrible). And yes, he is flirting with you, all the time, but he is probably also unsure about things, as boys are. Girls aren't the only ones who feel unsure about starting something, boys also have feelings. :|
Then there was the whole Morgan didn't get accepted to x college that Leah will go to, so please Leah, don't talk to Morgan. What? Why? What kind of friendship do these girls have? It sounds quite unhealthy to me. I get that Morgan is probably hurt, but still to just act like this towards Leah? No thank you. For this one rare time, I was in team Leah.
And then there was that awkward racist conversation that really came out of nowhere and quite destroyed the character of Morgan.
Also Nick and Abby? Suddenly their perfect relationship is starting to grow cracks and even on the verge of breaking up. What the hell?
Oh and since we are on the topic of Retsuko, Leah did remind me of Tsunoda.
So, I am terribly sorry, but I hated this. This was terrible. Leah was horrendous, she keeps complaining, judging, making mean comments, and she is just urggghhhhhhhh. This book made me rage (just like Retsuko), but also very sad. This is my first BA book that I didn't like, correction, that I hated. :( I do hope her next book will be better again, can we just have another book about Simon?
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Becky Albertalli quickly became my favourite writer after Simon Vs, I then had the chance to meet her and I became an even bigger fan of her. So imagine my delight when I heard about this book, that this one would be a sequel to Simon Vs. Not with Simon (sadly), but with Leah. I was very eager to get to read this book, but it took me a bit longer to start it, I was just too worried I would hate it. Now I guess I could just have read it whenever I wanted.
From the start though I noticed that Leah was just a bitch. The first sentence along made me go like: Whut girl? "I don't mean to be dramatic, but God save me from Morgan picking our set list. That girl is a suburban dad's midlife crisis in a high school senior body." Who the actual hell says that about their friends? Or later on. "Translation of the translation: Leah Catherine Burke is an actual genius, and we should never ever doubt her music taste." Or this classic line: "Welp. I guess I should have shut up about Journey. Like, I get it. I am white. I'm supposed to love shitty classic rock." And then there is this sentence just a page later: "I'm basically your resident fat Slytherin Rory Gilmore." Um, whut?
But that is not the first we see of Leah and making weird remarks. She is an utter bitch towards anyone and everyone. Well, OK, maybe not towards Simon or his boyfriend Bram. Leah LURRRVVESSS Simon and would marry him if he wasn't gay (and taken). She calls him sweet baby gay (whut?), and she is constantly gushing about the guy. I get that she has/had a crush, but really, um, this just felt so awkward.
But Leah went from terrible to worse when she kept acting like a total 5-year old towards her mom. Your mom finally found a good dude after 7 FUCKING years, and all you do, as an 18-year old (as I am guessing she must be around that age) is whine, complain, be a fucking bitch towards him, not giving him one chance. I get that it is probably hard for you to understand, but your mom is allowed to date, your mom is allowed to find a new hubby, your mom is allowed to do that as she has her life, and you have yours. Just talk to her honestly and tell her how you feel instead of constantly bitching and whining.
Garrett, poor poor Garrett. I just wanted to hug him, tell him he should stop going after Leah as she has NO interest in him, she is just being an absolute bitch. Yep, I felt so sorry for Garrett. Leah clearly knows he has an interest in her, even to the point of that he likes her a lot, and instead of just clearing up the air and telling him that no, she doesn't want to date him. She leads him on, acts totally weird around him, and then to make matters worse, when asked on a date to a game (I would call it a date), she just doesn't go because she doesn't feel like it. Because she had a shitty day. Because whatever Leah-ness came between. And yes, she just doesn't go. She doesn't cancel, she doesn't answer anything, and then later she even LIES ABOUT IT towards the dude. Girllll, shitty ass attitude? And funny enough, she blames him for stuff. Like this classic sentence: "I can't go to the game. Not feeling the way I feel right now. I can't deal with Garrett and his try-hard, dudebro act. Like, we all know you're secretly a dreamy-eyed piano kid, so stop pretending to be a douchebag. And stop messing with my head. Either flirt with me or don't. Either be cute or not." Which is a funny one, as throughout the book I haven't seen Garrett act one time like a douchebag or a hard dude-bro (whatever that may be, but it sounds terrible). And yes, he is flirting with you, all the time, but he is probably also unsure about things, as boys are. Girls aren't the only ones who feel unsure about starting something, boys also have feelings. :|
Then there was the whole Morgan didn't get accepted to x college that Leah will go to, so please Leah, don't talk to Morgan. What? Why? What kind of friendship do these girls have? It sounds quite unhealthy to me. I get that Morgan is probably hurt, but still to just act like this towards Leah? No thank you. For this one rare time, I was in team Leah.
And then there was that awkward racist conversation that really came out of nowhere and quite destroyed the character of Morgan.
Also Nick and Abby? Suddenly their perfect relationship is starting to grow cracks and even on the verge of breaking up. What the hell?
Oh and since we are on the topic of Retsuko, Leah did remind me of Tsunoda.
So, I am terribly sorry, but I hated this. This was terrible. Leah was horrendous, she keeps complaining, judging, making mean comments, and she is just urggghhhhhhhh. This book made me rage (just like Retsuko), but also very sad. This is my first BA book that I didn't like, correction, that I hated. :( I do hope her next book will be better again, can we just have another book about Simon?
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
omgitsofg's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
luci_08's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
vimki's review against another edition
5.0
i am sobbing. i loved this so freaking much. ive missed my creekwood babies 😭 i love Leah SO MUCH !!!!! im so happy simon & bram are still together and happy and THRIVING. my boys. my otp. also ABBY AND LEAH I KNEW IT FROM THE START !!!!!! eeeeee im so happy they got their happy ending 😁