***WARNING!! SPOILERS AHEAD!! Those who haven’t read the book/watched the movie yet, exit this page immediately unless you have already or you like spoilers then go ahead. You have been warned.***

So. Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda. Or as movie enthusiasts call: Love, Simon.

To summarize the whole story:

It’s about a closeted boy who has fallen in love with someone he met online, who was also closeted, whose real persona he doesn’t know. No one he personally knows about his secret except for his e-mail friend until one time when he forgot to log out from one of the library computers, which a nerd from his class saw, screenshot and used as a blackmail against him to get closer to one of his best friends, whom the nerd is attracted to. He agreed to do so and it seemed to be going well but at some point it went downhill, and the nerd revealed on their school confession site to everyone that he was gay. He got somewhat depressed that he didn’t get the chance to come out himself and that he lost his best friends in the process, including his e-mail friend, who said that they shouldn’t talk anymore. He finally comes out to his parents who comforted him. He finally mustered up his courage and posted on the online confession site, apologizing to his friends and reaching out to his e-mail friend, asking if they could meet up at the carnival, where the friend sat next to him on the Ferris Wheel on the last ride and revealed himself as their friends cheered them on.

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When I first saw this book at the bookstore, I immediately fell in love with it but I didn’t get to buy it until two months later due to financial constraints (I was holding myself back from buying too many books because I have already picked two during that time).

It did not disappoint. It was one of those books in which the characters were life-like you can feel all emotions being shown in the book. You could sense Leah’s insecurity, Nick’s undying crush on Abby, Simon’s frustration between defending himself and protecting his friends. Also, you cannot keep it cool when you’re reading about Martin (he’s a jackass).

And Simon’s struggle with keeping his secret in the dark and waiting for the perfect time to finally come out and all of the sudden, someone takes the rug and pulls it beneath him. It’s a hard fall and he’s trying to get back up as he looks for support to help him up again.

When I watched the preview, there were only less than 15 people in the theater, but then again the Infinity War occupied three theaters where I lived. Anyway, I was jittery the whole time before the movie started because I was nervous about how the movie was going to be different from the book and excited about how accurate it will be. Like the book, the movie gave me different emotions. Even I could hear the couple from the other side of the theater react to the film ( I saw them wiping away tears when the lights were turned back on).

I’m recommend this book to everyone who felt like they were on their own trying to figure out themselves and just become who they wanted to be without hurting anyone else’s feelings.

To everyone who feels suffocated as they try to keep to themselves their identities, just remember that I’m here for you and I’ll always listen to your stories.

See you again soon!

-claude