One of the movies that I am most looking forward to this year is "Love, Simon." This movie is based on the book "Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda." I am one of those people who loves reading books before seeing the movie so of course, I had to run to my local Barnes and Noble to binge-read (Is that a thing? It should be!) the book. Let me tell you, this book is amazing!
First of all, I love that the main character and plenty of others are part of the LGBTQ+ community. Simon, Blue, and Cal are all so special in their own ways throughout the book, and they all bring something so different to the storyline. It's so rare that you find a book, movie, TV show, or piece of pop culture that has one LGBTQ+ character, let alone three. Simon and Blue are both gay, and they come out to their respective families and friends during the middle of the book, and Cal comes out to Simon as bisexual.
Speaking of Cal, isn't it great that he actually uses the word 'bisexual'! So many pieces of pop culture call bisexual people "confused" or they don't actually say the word. It is so important to have inclusive bi characters in the world today because the number of people who identify as bisexual has grown in recent years.
Simon is such a dynamic and ever-changing character that I hope the author, Becky Albertalli is super proud of because I'm proud of him and he's not even real! He is a 16-year-old closeted teen from a small, conservative town outside of Atlanta, Georgia. He emails back and forth with a guy under the code name "Blue" and when a classmate finds out about these secret emails, he blackmails Simon with the threat that he will release the emails to the public and out Simon as gay.
Without trying to give any of the secrets away, Simon and Blue's emails are so cute and always make me so happy! They are honestly meant for each other and it's such a fun adventure throughout the book to try and guess who Blue actually is. It's almost like a teen romance and mystery in one! Needless to say, I actually screamed when Blue's secret identity was finally released.
If you're looking for something cute, but substantial and meaningful, this is honestly the book for you! I need more books or a sequel or something in my life after reading it! I just want more books because all the characters are so loveable, relatable, and special in their own ways.
Another great thing about this book is how easy it is to read. Right from the beginning, I was totally hooked on it. It is just one of those books where you cannot put it down! There are strong themes of friendship, acceptance, and self-love that everyone can relate to.
I am honestly SO excited for this movie to 'come out' (See what I did there??? That wasn't even intentional haha!) in mid-May! I will definitely go see it on opening weekend and I totally recommend that you do too! This is not a book to miss and I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I did!
