Hi, everyone! We have something exciting (and a little different!) for you all today. As we're sure you all know (if you've been hanging around social media, that is), Love, Simon was an absolute hit -- in both the book community and the larger moviegoer population. Which is totally heartwarming and amazing. So of course, we here at The Book Bratz had to check it out for ourselves. Emily and Jessica both read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda before seeing the movie (Jessica many years before, Emily recently), so they each have something to say about the movie in comparison to the book. So without further ado, here we go!
Jessica's Analysis
The last time I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was back when the book first came out, so I was a little worried that I wasn't going to be good at this whole book-to-movie analysis thing, since it's been so long and I thought I could honestly only say so much about the book, having remembered so little. But I was thankfully proven wrong, because as soon as the movie started, I felt everything rushing back, and I was thrown back into Simon Spier’s world and all of the friendships, relationships, and secrets that went along with it.
This movie gave me all sorts of emotions that I hadn’t been expecting. I laughed and cried, fell for some characters, and even grew to dislike some others. Simon, of course, had a huge soft spot in my heart. And the way he navigated his secret, and the emotions that came forward when things started to spiral out of control – it all felt so real and so vivid and I felt myself sucked into the story along with it. One of my favorite parts of the entire experience was at the end of the movie, when the entire theater was clapping and laughing and cheering and whooping and crying. We were all part of one big, loving community in that moment, and I loved every second of that.
As for how this movie followed the book, I was pleased with the way everything panned out. There were a few details here and there that were a bit different, but the big things all stayed relatively the same. I didn’t feel cheated or that the movie wasn’t an accurate representation of the book. I think it did a wonderful job. Maybe the fact that I went into the movie knowing who Blue was made me a lot more alert to some of the signs that clued into who it would be – but regardless, I think it was all pulled off really well.
Also, a little bit off topic here, but Emily and I definitely squealed when we saw Adam Silvera’s cameo, and also his books on Simon’s shelf. It was just a little easter egg that the YA community would understand and I loved having that little nod to our band of internet friends. It felt very personal and very real, like this movie was created for the YA community and would go on to reach out to everyone else, not the other way around. I really appreciated and enjoyed that.
Overall, I absolutely loved Love, Simon. The movie made me laugh, made me cry, made me gasp, and gave me all of those little experiences in between. If you’re on the fence about seeing this movie, I encourage you to take the plunge. And you should also read the book, too! Especially when Leah on the Offbeat comes out next month – in which you find out that Leah has been hiding some secrets of her own.
Hats off to Love, Simon – this movie blew me away, and then some. I will officially be pushing it on everybody I know, because everyone can find something to adore about this sweet, compelling story. A definitely 5/5 stars from me!
This movie gave me all sorts of emotions that I hadn’t been expecting. I laughed and cried, fell for some characters, and even grew to dislike some others. Simon, of course, had a huge soft spot in my heart. And the way he navigated his secret, and the emotions that came forward when things started to spiral out of control – it all felt so real and so vivid and I felt myself sucked into the story along with it. One of my favorite parts of the entire experience was at the end of the movie, when the entire theater was clapping and laughing and cheering and whooping and crying. We were all part of one big, loving community in that moment, and I loved every second of that.
As for how this movie followed the book, I was pleased with the way everything panned out. There were a few details here and there that were a bit different, but the big things all stayed relatively the same. I didn’t feel cheated or that the movie wasn’t an accurate representation of the book. I think it did a wonderful job. Maybe the fact that I went into the movie knowing who Blue was made me a lot more alert to some of the signs that clued into who it would be – but regardless, I think it was all pulled off really well.
Also, a little bit off topic here, but Emily and I definitely squealed when we saw Adam Silvera’s cameo, and also his books on Simon’s shelf. It was just a little easter egg that the YA community would understand and I loved having that little nod to our band of internet friends. It felt very personal and very real, like this movie was created for the YA community and would go on to reach out to everyone else, not the other way around. I really appreciated and enjoyed that.
Overall, I absolutely loved Love, Simon. The movie made me laugh, made me cry, made me gasp, and gave me all of those little experiences in between. If you’re on the fence about seeing this movie, I encourage you to take the plunge. And you should also read the book, too! Especially when Leah on the Offbeat comes out next month – in which you find out that Leah has been hiding some secrets of her own.
Hats off to Love, Simon – this movie blew me away, and then some. I will officially be pushing it on everybody I know, because everyone can find something to adore about this sweet, compelling story. A definitely 5/5 stars from me!
Emily's Analysis
Oh my god guys. I'm feeling so much right now. I actually finished Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda the night before we saw the movie and the movie didn't follow the book exactly, but it was still amazing. All the little differences really worked with the movie and made it just as good as I imagined it to be, so I'm okay with it. I loved all the characters and the way they played their roles. Everything about this movie was adorable and I think everyone needs to see. It's such a sweet story of first love and conquering your fears. Bring your best friend, your grandma, your dog, anyone!
So, those were our individual thoughts about Love, Simon as a whole and also with how it relates to the book! Did you see Love, Simon yet? What did you think about it? Leave your comments down below -- we'd love to hear them!
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