Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

This book is a standalone, but it felt a lot like a sequel to Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which made me so happy! And even though it didn’t convey in me the same feelings as Simon vs did, it was still so wonderful to be back in my beloved Simonverse again that I binge-read it in a couple of hours!

The main character in this cute book is Simon’s friend Leah Burke and plot-wise, this book takes place one year after the events following Martin’s blackmail of Simon and Simon and “Blue” becoming a couple. To be honest, there isn’t that much of a story in this book though, it’s mostly focusing on what everyone is up to this year and their plans after graduation (lots and lots of graduation angst!). I also have to admit that I didn’t really connect with Leah. Her character sometimes came off as really mean and selfish and with double-standards. But on the other hand it was so refreshing with her sarcasm and humor and badass attitude and that Becky allowed her to be a totally messy person with all her flaws. There were also some scenes that I found a bit problematic from a queer perspective. And to be honest, the romance felt a bit forced. There were not a lot of cute moments between them, except for the adorable scene in the end, but I want more to really invest in them as a couple. But I still love Becky Albertalli’s writing style, it’s so good and addictive! I also love all the diversity in her books, and that we got to see a f/f-romance.  But what I loved absolutely most was getting to read about Simon again. Every time Simon appeared, I got this goofy, happy smile all over my face. There were so many cute scenes with them, and Blue’s promposal must be the best ever, it was pure literary perfection!

So a little bit of mixed feelings for the book, but nevertheless it was a good story with a great mix of feel-good, romance and friendship and serious topics like racism, bisexuality, the coming-out struggle, body insecurity and more. But most of all, I loved it for giving me more of Simon and “Blue”! 
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Rating:
4 stars

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​Author info:
Becky Albertalli