Nov. 17th, 2020 11:17 am
Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda Re-Read
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foreverdawningAfter rewatching Love, Simon I thought I should give the book it's based on another look through.
I forgot how much I loved the book. I actually read it before I knew they were making it into a movie. The movie came out months after I read the book so it wasn't as fresh in my mind as other book-to-movie adaptions had been. Even though I knew the ending of the book it was still an exciting read through because I forgot a lot of the little details that made me love the book to begin with.
The book is about Simon who knows he's gay and begins emailing someone named Blue. Blue posted anonymously on the school tumblr that he was gay and Simon reached out with his own anonymous email account. They begin a little flirtationship that lasts throughout the book. After accidentally leaving his account unlocked, Simon's secret gets found out by school clown and thespian Martinvan Buren. Martin begins blackmailing Simon in order to get closer to one of Simon's friends, Abby. Abby becomes one of the first people Simon comes out to since he hasn't known her long at this point in the book. The plot in the book is allowed to sort of meander and develop characters more. There is an ongoing theme in the book of Leah (Simon's long time friend) becoming jealous of Abby and generally being disliked for her abrasive personality. Simon gets outed by Martin after Abby rejects Martin and starts buddying up with Simon. Martin takes that as a personal attack against him and posts on the school tumblr pretending to be Simon and propositioning everyone for "gay butt sex".
Simon begins to panic and by the end of the week, everyone at school knows. Simon worries that Blue will stop talking to him because of the post but Blue isn't involved on social media. But Blue admits he knows who Simon is and becomes upset over a miscommunication over another guy asking Simon out. Eventually Simon emails Blue saying he wants to meet him in person at the carnival, privately. He finds a boy in his class named Bram who Simon has always thought as cute. Simon asks if it's okay to hold Bram's hand in public and Bram accepts.
Things I liked that in the book that weren't in the movie: Simon's friends were totally supportive of him when he was outed. Leah only became upset when Simon came out to another friend first. Also Simon's friends in general were more nerdy and into anime and video games. That doesn't really translate onto the big screen. I also enjoyed how understated the reveal was in the end of the book. Also Martin wasn't so bad in the book (blackmailing was super wrong but at least there was a chance for a better apology in the book.)
Things I liked better in the movie: I like that Martin's brother is just mentioned and isn't the waiter at the Waffle House. I totally forgot that part on the re-read but like how he was a potential Blue. I generally just liked how the movie did the mystery of Blue. In the book it wouldn't have surprised me if Blue had been a previously unnamed character. But the movie really shows how many different guys Simon had a brief hope for until they're dashed. Simon also had a really nice scene with the only other gay kid in school and showed that even when Simon thought he was alone he still had someone in the muck with him. Sidenote: I also like that Simon didn't think Martin was Blue. That came out of nowhere and even oblivious Simon shouldn't have even considered the thought. Also Leah is a lot more likeable in the movie since she doesn't put down Abby.
In conclusion both the book and movie have its merits. I like them both for wildly different reasons and like that the movie didn't try to stick to the book completely. It led to a much more enjoyable movie for people who've already read the book. For a moment, I thought the movie would make Blue a different person so that was nice.
I forgot how much I loved the book. I actually read it before I knew they were making it into a movie. The movie came out months after I read the book so it wasn't as fresh in my mind as other book-to-movie adaptions had been. Even though I knew the ending of the book it was still an exciting read through because I forgot a lot of the little details that made me love the book to begin with.
The book is about Simon who knows he's gay and begins emailing someone named Blue. Blue posted anonymously on the school tumblr that he was gay and Simon reached out with his own anonymous email account. They begin a little flirtationship that lasts throughout the book. After accidentally leaving his account unlocked, Simon's secret gets found out by school clown and thespian Martin
Simon begins to panic and by the end of the week, everyone at school knows. Simon worries that Blue will stop talking to him because of the post but Blue isn't involved on social media. But Blue admits he knows who Simon is and becomes upset over a miscommunication over another guy asking Simon out. Eventually Simon emails Blue saying he wants to meet him in person at the carnival, privately. He finds a boy in his class named Bram who Simon has always thought as cute. Simon asks if it's okay to hold Bram's hand in public and Bram accepts.
Things I liked that in the book that weren't in the movie: Simon's friends were totally supportive of him when he was outed. Leah only became upset when Simon came out to another friend first. Also Simon's friends in general were more nerdy and into anime and video games. That doesn't really translate onto the big screen. I also enjoyed how understated the reveal was in the end of the book. Also Martin wasn't so bad in the book (blackmailing was super wrong but at least there was a chance for a better apology in the book.)
Things I liked better in the movie: I like that Martin's brother is just mentioned and isn't the waiter at the Waffle House. I totally forgot that part on the re-read but like how he was a potential Blue. I generally just liked how the movie did the mystery of Blue. In the book it wouldn't have surprised me if Blue had been a previously unnamed character. But the movie really shows how many different guys Simon had a brief hope for until they're dashed. Simon also had a really nice scene with the only other gay kid in school and showed that even when Simon thought he was alone he still had someone in the muck with him. Sidenote: I also like that Simon didn't think Martin was Blue. That came out of nowhere and even oblivious Simon shouldn't have even considered the thought. Also Leah is a lot more likeable in the movie since she doesn't put down Abby.
In conclusion both the book and movie have its merits. I like them both for wildly different reasons and like that the movie didn't try to stick to the book completely. It led to a much more enjoyable movie for people who've already read the book. For a moment, I thought the movie would make Blue a different person so that was nice.
Tags: