Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda Excerpt Tour: Day Five

Hi everyone! Today it’s my absolute pleasure to host the fifth and final stop on the Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda Excerpt Tour! Over the course of the last week, four other blogs have provided a glimpse into one of the many email exchanges that take place between the novel’s protagonist, Simon (writing under the pseudonym ‘Jacques’), and Blue, a mysterious boy with whom he’s been corresponding. It is through these magnificent, heartfelt and often hilarious exchanges that the novel truly shines, allowing the two boys to share their hopes, their fears, their desires, and their feelings, in conversations that are earnest, profound, and undeniably sweet. While I have not yet shared my review of Becky Albertalli’s 2015 debut, I would not hesitate to declare Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda one of, if not the best, book I have read in years, and urge all of my readers to procure a copy as soon as humanely possible. I promise you won’t regret it.

Title Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Author Becky Albertalli
Pages 320 Pages
Genre Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, LGBTQ
Publisher Balzer + Bray
Publisher On April 7th, 2015
Find It On GoodreadsAmazon.comBarnes & NobleIndieBound

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.

The excerpts being shared in this week’s tour are sequential, meaning that in order to fully appreciate today’s snippet, it’s important to begin with Day One and proceed from there. Below, please find a complete list of the prior four tour stops and their accompanying excerpts.

Day OneDay TwoDay ThreeDay Four

FROM: hourtohour.notetonote@gmail.com
TO: bluegreen118@gmail.com
DATE: Oct. 31 at 8:28 AM
SUBJECT: re: Hollow Wieners

GAHHHHH!!!!!
SUCH a good guess. SUCH. Jesus Christ. This is why I never write you from my phone.
Anyway, I’m going to go die of embarrassment now.
– J


About Becky Albertalli

Becky Albertalli is a clinical psychologist who has had the privilege of conducting therapy with dozens of smart, weird, irresistible teenagers. She also served for seven years as co-leader of a support group for gender nonconforming children in Washington, DC. She now lives with her family in Atlanta. Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda is her first novel.

Author Links: WebsiteTwitterTumblrInstagramGoodreads


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Hi! I’m Jen! I’m a thirty-something introvert who loves nothing more than the cozy comfort of home and snuggling my two rescue cats, Pepper and Pancakes. I also enjoy running, jigsaw puzzles, baking and everything Disney. Few things bring me more joy than helping a reader find the right book for them!

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