Book Review: Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Title: Leah on the Offbeat Series: Creekwood #2 Written by: Becky Albertalli Published: April 24, 2018 by Balzar + Bray (HarperCollins) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst.  When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.  So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.

I loved Becky's first two books so I was really excited for her next one. Not to mention it is a sequel to Simon Vs with Leah as the protagonist. And while I enjoyed catching back up with these characters and seeing Leah get her own love story, I didn't like it as much as the other two books.

One of the things that I did enjoy about this book was the voice. With three different books, Becky has managed to create three different voices. You can hear Leah while you are reading this book. She's sometimes snarky, sometimes aggressive, and sometimes vulnerable or insecure. In this book you get to see the Leah you fell in love with in Simon Vs. but in her own words. And I loved being in Leah's head. There were a lot of times where I related to her so much throughout the book, and honestly those were problem the moments where she was her weakest. Because the thing about Leah is, she's not always very nice. But I loved that Becky gave her room to be vulnerable and unlikable. Leah was a great character with a distinct and engaging voice.

It's a good thing that Leah was such a good character because so much of the plot of this book hinged on Leah. This is a coming-of-age story which is something that Becky does so well. So much of this book was about Leah figuring out who she is, who she wants to be, and how she expresses that to the world. If you asked Leah though she'd probably tell you she knew exactly who she is at the start of this book, but she still had some tremendous development. I loved seeing Leah grow and develop in this book.

But the thing I didn't love was the romance. Now don't get me wrong, I did really enjoy a bisexual character. I think this may have been my first book with an out bisexual character, which in and of itself is cool and also sort of embarrassing (note to self: read more books with bi MCs). The thing is, however, there really was no contest when it comes to Leah's relationships. This wasn't really a love triangle, but there were elements of that. Instead it was one of those books where the character clearly favors one person over the other. Which would have been fine, if I didn't feel like she was leading the other person on. But I should take my adult goggles off and probably realize that this a realistic teen relationship. I just didn't like it as much as I would have liked.

But of course the best part of this book was the secondary characters. Being that this is a book that takes place in the same location as Simon Vs and about the same characters we got to check back in with our favorites from that book. Besides Leah we also get see Simon and Bram, who are as adorable as ever, Nick who is having a rough go in this book, and Abby who is still fun and sweet. Plus we get more from Garrett which I really liked as well as Morgan and Anna who I liked learning more about even though they were kind of jerks sometimes. But I think the secondary character I liked the most was Leah's mom. She and her mom had such an engaging relationship. It was far from perfect but you could tell they loved one another which made it all the more realistic.

I sincerely hope that this isn't the end from the Creekwood gang. I loved reading Leah's story and hearing more from everyone who we fell in love with in the original book. But I'm not ready to say goodbye. I'm personally hoping for a Nora book. We got a little bit of Nora here but I want more. Maybe in a year or two.

All in all this was a good read. It's a good contemporary coming-of-age story that handles some serious issues gracefully and has fantastic characters. I just wish I had enjoyed the romance a little bit more.

I give Leah on the Offbeat 9 out of 10 stars

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: Buy. If you like Becky and her writing, definitely check this book out. If you are looking for a swoony romance with a bisexual character this may not be the right book, but who am I to say. My romancephobic heart wasn't won over but then again, I'm hard to please.

Have you read Leah on the Offbeat? What did you think? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

Crossing Over: Contemporary Reads

It's been awhile since I've done a Crossing Over, I'm trying to make it a monthly thing where I base it on that month's theme on the blog but that hasn't really worked out for the past two months. But probably the easiest crossover books are contemporary romances and with this month's theme being contemp plus two recent YA reads reminded me a lot of some favorite adult reads that I think have crossover appeal so you get a two for one deal this month!

Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 
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One of my favorite books of 2015 and an absolutely brilliant debut. It perfectly walks the line between funny, sweet, and serious and has a tone that will have you both laughing and crying. The characters are brilliant and so realistic including the main character Simon who is geeky and quirky in such an endearing way. But the best part is the romance that takes place over email and despite the characters not meeting until almost the end of the book you ship the crap out of them!

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
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One of my favorite books of 2014 and an absolutely brilliant debut (although it debuted in 2013). It perfectly walks the line between funny, sweet, and serious and has a tone that will have you both laughing and crying. The characters are brilliant and so realistic including the main character Lincoln who is geeky and quirky in such an charming way. But the best part is the romance that takes place as the MC reads email from the other character. And despite the characters not officially meeting until almost the end of the book you want them to get together.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Avile Saenz 
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I don't like sad books, I don't like books that are sad on purpose and yet I absolutely loved this book. But it was a fantastic coming of age story about characters you couldn't help but love and root for. The heart of this book is about friendship and loneliness and finding that one person you can connect with, the one person who truly understands you the way that you are. Plus it's beautifully written with prose that is both tragic and poetic.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 
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This is not really a contemporary novel, it's a "modern classic" but it's also one of my all-time favorite books. I don't like sad books, I don't like books that are sad on purpose and yet I absolutely loved this book. But it was a fantastic coming of age story about characters you couldn't help but love and root for. The heart of this book is about friendship and loneliness and finding that one person you can connect with, the one person who truly understands you the way that you are. Plus it's beautifully written with prose that is both tragic and poetic.

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What are some of your favorite contemporary novels with crossover appeal? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!

ARC Review: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Title: Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda Author: Becky Albettalli Published: April 7, 2015 by Balzar + Bray (HarperCollins) (Amazon / Goodreads) Synopsis: 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.

I'm pretty sure I have a toothache from this book, it was that sweet! And I mean this in the best possible way. Because Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda is the cutest, sweetest, and most adorable book I have read in a long time. I am not usually a fan of contemporary romance novels. It takes a very specific and well-written book to blow me away and Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda completely did!

The best thing about this book for me was the characters. Becky was able to create some of the most genuine and likable characters I have ever come across. It didn't take long for me to fall hopelessly in love with Simon Spier. He's feels like a real seventeen year old. He's quirky and fun with a snarky sense of humor. He makes mistakes and does stupid things. He swears and makes sexual innuendos. Throughout the novel he is figuring out who he is and who he wants to be but being a gay teen he can't completely be himself. He's a bit awkward and uncertain at times but at other times he's confident and intelligent. He also shows a tremendous amount of inner strength with his situation. But there was also an amazing cast of secondary characters that were just as realistic and likable. Simon's friends Abby, Nick, and Leah were fantastic and so were his family.

I think I liked the characters because of the way that they interacted. This book is non-stop witty banter, awkward conversations, and emotional heart-to-hearts. And sometimes they all happened at once. First I have to mention how amazing Simon's parents were. In a lot of YA the parents are minimally involved, if they are involved at all. But Simon's parents were totally involved in his life. In fact they may have been a little too involved. But that really made things all the more realistic. They were a little over-protective but it felt genuine because of their love and support for Simon. Same thing with his sisters. They interacted the way that siblings interact. I also really enjoyed the way that Simon interacted with his friends. They had very real conversation and they did real teenage things like going to parties and playing video games. But they also didn't always get along. It wasn't always sunshine and puppies for Simon, especially with these relationships, but it was great to see that there was a real support system for him. That support system is what allowed Simon to be brave enough to be himself and that really can't be anything other than heartwarming.

But my favorite interaction in this book was the ship. I seriously ship Simon and Blue so hard! When we are first introduced to Blue it is through emails. He and Simon have been talking anonymously for the past few months after Simon saw a post of Blue's on the school tumblr. Their interactions are the cutest and swooniest emails I have perhaps ever seen. Their flirty and full of thinly veiled sexual inneudos that had me giggling and feeling all warm and fuzzy. As the book develops so does their relationship and I found myself just as invested in their success as Simon was. Then when we finally find out who Blue is, it makes things even more exciting and adorable. You see, the underlying plot point in Simon is this mystery about Blue. I wouldn't necessarily call it a mystery but it was a great dimension to an engaging and fun story.

Because that is what Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is, it's fun. I like my contemporary novels to be on the lighter side of things but with a balance of the more serious moments of life. That's what this book does. Don't get me wrong, it deftly and honestly deals with some very serious and thought-provoking issues. But instead of getting bogged down in the heavy subject matter of being a gay teen and coming out (or being forced out) to your friends and family, it has a real humor and effervescent quality to it. It's a lighthearted and entertaining read that you will want to read in one sitting. I read it in just a few days and I will admit that at least one of those days I stayed up much later into the night than I intended. That never happens to me with contemporary romances. But I was so invested in Simon and his story, I couldn't stop reading until I found out who Blue was and found out if Simon got his happy ending. And that to me says how well-written this book is more than anything else. Sure, it's fun and deep and the writing is lyrical and interesting, but more than that you just connect with this story. You connect with the story, you connect with the characters, and you connect with the romance.

I give Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli a 10 out of 10

Buy/Borrow/Bypass: BUY! This book is not to be missed for fans of contemporary romances. It's on the lighter side of things so if you aren't a big fan of the genre but are looking for a sweet and fun palate cleanser then check this one out as well. Simon Vs. is an absolutely adorable read with amazing characters, a flawless ship, and an engaging plot. One of my favorite debuts of the year so far!