(no subject)

[skygiants]

I enjoyed the Love, Simon film enough that I have finally read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which was definitely the right order to do it in. The film was charming, but the book was definitely much more my speed, and also had many fewer moments when I had to hide my face in my hands to overcome contact embarrassment.

Anyway, in case you missed it, the story is a coming-of-age rom-com centering on Simon, a closeted queer teen processing his experience by engaging in an anonymous correspondence with another closeted queer teen at his school. Complications, of course, ensue, including blackmail, mistaken identity, teen friendship drama, and Inconvenient Feelings.

Things I really liked about the book that I did not realize the film was missing until I read it:

- an actual sense of place; the book is set in Georgia, and it's relevant. I assume the film was also set somewhere, but I could not have told you where
- a realistic depiction of high school social dynamics that includes actual close friends, your friends' close friends that you don't really know but you sit with at lunch, people you hang out with exclusively during extracurriculars, and people who are probably assholes but you don't really know because you've never actually interacted with them
- a legitimate super tropey slow-burn secret identity epistolary romance featuring two whole real characters, rather than one character and one Mystery Love Interest

...OK actually I did realize when I was watching the film that it didn't really give us much of a sense of who Simon's pen pal love was as a person outside of their status as the object of Simon's affection, but now I'm extra aware of it!

Comments

[sovay]

a legitimate super tropey slow-burn secret identity epistolary romance featuring two whole real characters, rather than one character and one Mystery Love Interest

Nice!

Does the book have less embarrassment squick built in, or does it just handle the same situations less cringingly?

[skygiants]

Six of one and half a dozen of the other, I'd say -- the movie definitely ramps up the High Drama of several of its embarrassing situations, but also the book just handles of the inevitable fallout of the plot in a more low-key and realistic fashion. Part of that of course is time pressure, but part of it isn't.

[monanotlisa]

Aw, I like the film a lot, but the book adds so much more depths. It's really an odd twofer; I recommend consuming both. This is a great review.

[skygiants]

Yeah, I'm glad I did consume both, and I'm very glad I did it in the order in which I did it!

[scribe]

Ooh, I never managed to get around to seeing the movie, but maybe I will try the book!

[skygiants]

It's very charming! The movie set my expectations at an OK point, but then the book exceeded them. :D

[aamcnamara]

Yeah, I'm glad Love, Simon exists, but I actively like Simon Vs. much much more. And I think it's probably good I didn't reread Simon Vs. right before seeing the movie, because I was able to take them more or less as separate entities, which is definitely the correct way.

[skygiants]

FOR SURE. And, like, the way we saw Love, Simon with the theater full of tiny queer children was absolutely a delightful experience, but I do think I would have been cranky had I read the book first, so I'm glad that people gave me the correct advice about not bothering!

[izilen]

I read the book when I first came out and loved it, so this is not exactly a great recommendation of the film, oops.

[skygiants]

Yeah I suspect you would not like the film nearly as well! Though it is fun and cute, just very .... very Teen Drama.