From Goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn't play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone's business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he's been emailing, will be compromised.
With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon's junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he's pushed out- without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he's never met.
My thoughts and review:
So, WOW!!!!! This book is amazing. Talk about feeling real. I felt like these characters perfectly embodied your typical high school students dealing with normal teenage issues.
"It is definitely annoying that straight (and white, for that matter) is the default, and that the only people who have to think about their identity are the ones who don't fit that mold."
I loved the way the relationship between Simon and "Blue" developed. I have to admit, my thoughts of Blue's true identity changed multiple times through out the book. At one point I was certain I had figured it out, and was thinking to myself how does Simon not realize this guy is Blue, just to realize there was no possible way that person was Blue.
I loved all of the dynamics of the characters. The spats between friends. The bullying. The over the top parents, and the super amazing teacher. This book is just great. It is one that I will definitely encourage my children to read when they get to high school.
