After meeting online, Simon Spier has been in contact with the elusive Blue over email, sharing their experiences of coming out with one another. It’s not long before the pair are really close, sharing secrets that they wouldn’t even tell their best friends. What’s more, not only do Blue and Simon go to the same school, but they are in the same year – as Simon begins to fall for Blue, he wants to know Blue’s real identity…
While it took me a while to get to know the characters, they all had well-developed personalities, and I really began to warm to Simon and his sense of humour. Probably the highlight of this book is that not only do we have the mystery of Blue’s identity, but we get to understand Simon’s apprehensions and worries as he comes out as gay, and understands his thoughts and feelings, something which I think is really important today. This is a story of acceptance and the meaning of friendship, and I finished the book feeling uplifted with a big smile on my face!
“He talked about the ocean between people. And how the whole point of everything is to find a shore worth swimming to.”
―
This book is advertised as a book that fans of John Green will enjoy, and I totally agree, as many of the characters are very similar, and both explore teen love and identity. You’ll also find that the writing styles have a lot in common!
Alyssa
Fiction for Teens 