Guys! This book... I was left speechless and emotional after I finished reading this.
It was so good.
If you don't know, Leah on the Offbeat is a sequel to Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, which was turned into a movie recently. In Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Leah is a side character and doesn't get a lot of focus. She poped up every now and then but the main character was obviously Simon.
Now I loved Leah, even in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, so when I found out that she was getting her own book I was very excited.
I do recommend reading Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda before reading Leah on the Offbeat. There are a few things that might not make sense if you read this book without reading the first book.
If you don't know what Leah on the Offbeat is about then here is the synopsis:
When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat - but real life isn't always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she's the only child of a young, single mum, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loved to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mum knows she's bisexual, she hasn't mustered the courage to tell her friends - not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.
So Leah really doesn't know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It's hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting - especially when she realises she might love one of them more than she ever intended.
My experience while reading
I read this in just over a day..
What?! I know
There was something about this book where I was finding myself not being able to put it down. I didn't plan on finishing it so soon... but that went down the toilet when it reached 9pm on a Saturday night and I turned over the last page.
Albertalli plays with your emotions hard ways. When I finished reading it I was left pretty emotional, not so much in tears but more love towards this book, like can Leah get any cuter?!
I would really like to see Albertalli write another sequel.
Characters
Leah was one of my favourite characters from Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda... just putting that out there. Sorry Simon.
I found Leah to be such a relatable character. Nearly everything that was going on in her life I had either gone through myself or I know others who have. A lot of the scenes did not seem fictional, this book could have literally been written based on someone's life experiences. Like it was that realistic, it made it easy to relate to Leah.
Not only is Leah relatable, but I feel the other characters are as well. Sure you're not in their heads but the way some of them act and some of the problems that Leah faces because of them is very realistic and relatable. If you have read the book then you will know what I am talking about.
You may also find yourself hating some of the characters. I don't want to say much incase of spoilers, but there is this one character I used to love in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and now kinda hate.
I loved being inside of Leah's head.
Can I just say, I love Leah's mum... she is one of my favourite characters from this book.
Plot
I wouldn't say that there is a big focus on plot as there is a big focus on characters. The book definitely does focus more on Leah's sexuality and discovering who she wants to be with in terms of her relationship status and feelings towards certain people.
I know most of you know that I am one of those readers who likes their books to be plot driven over character driven, but there is an occasional book that is character driven, and if it is done right, I will enjoy it just as much as I would enjoy a book that was purely focused on plot.
If you loved Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda then you will definitely love Leah on the Offbeat.
Writing
The writing is amazing, just like it was in Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
That is all I am going to say on the matter.
So this is the end of my review of Leah on the Offbeat.
If you have read Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and haven't read Leah on the Offbeat I suggest you do.
If you haven't read either of these books I highly suggest you do.
I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars, highly recommend.
Happy reading!
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