In the sequel to Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda, we follow Leah Burke, a character who is the polar opposite of Simon in almost every way…except for one. Leah is surely, sarcastic, moody and generally passive aggressive towards her mom, her mom’s boyfriend and her friends (especially Abby, an infiltrator of her tight knit squad). But under this protective shell she’s created for herself, she is also highly vulnerable and concerned with how her best friends will respond to her some-what cataclysmic secret: Leah is bisexual. This in and of itself is not so mind-blowing, but who she finds herself inexplicably drawn to is. It’s an attraction that could have serious repercussions for Leah’s close knit circle. Leah begins to question herself, her worth, and her loyalty to the people she cares about most. In her last year of high school, she also struggles with the growing pains that come from leaving home and becoming an adult. It all comes together in the end (or does it fall apart?) during prom, where anything and everything is possible and all the Earth shattering teenage problems come to a head (in a somewhat cliché fashion).
Twinning and being extra with my girl, Leah. #youcantsitwithus
Alrighty, let me preface this; I liked Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda. So. Much. More. I’m really excited to have it as part of my library because of it’s LGBTQ genre and Simon’s process/struggle with coming out. It’s a relatable difficulty for so many kids, and I think Albertalli did a fantastic job capturing that. Also, the format of SATHSA was just better. One of the things I liked most about SATHSA was the inclusion of the emails between Simon and Blue. It was different, built up their relationship and added juiciness to the story. I really got my hopes up that Leah on the Off Beat would follow along swimmingly.
However, LOTOB doesn’t have the same structure. The reader follows along with Leah’s point of view the entire time. Though I think Leah is a funny character, especially because she reminds me of friends I had in high school, she can get tiresome. She’s just such a downer, which ironically is very realistic to the default setting of most teenagers. At points I really didn’t like Leah, but at the same time I reminded myself to take into account that Leah was closeted to her friends and that’s extremely hard. Leah isn’t a butterflies and hugs kind of person, but she’s okay and the reader is still able to laugh along with her unflappable sarcasm through the entire story.
I also really didn’t buy into Leah’s love interest. I won’t blatantly name who it is, but readers will be able to figure it out fairly quickly. It just felt so forced and not as fluid as Simon and Blue (which isn’t the character’s real name, but I’ll refrain from sharing it, in case you haven’t read SATHSA yet. READ IT. What are you waiting for??)
Unfortunately, this was a so-so book for me. But I’m in the minority with this opinion, so you should definitely read it for yourself and share your thoughts!
Happy & healthy reading!
Alexis
If this sounds like your kind of book, you can grab it here:
And if you haven’t picked up SATHSA, do yourself a favor and get it here:
And if you’re looking for more YA/LGBTQ reading material, or more books by Becky Albertalli, check out:
