Leah on the Off Beat

Obviously, after I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda I had to move on to Becky Albertalli’s newest Creekwood book, Leah on the Off Beat.

Set about a year after the first book ends, Leah and her group of friends (Simon, Bram, Nick, Abby, Anna, Morgan, and Daniel) are all seniors and with that comes some decisions, like where to go to school and what to do about prom.  Leah also has another decision to make:  whether to tell her friends she’s bi or not.  After Simon’s coming out the year before, she thinks it should be easy, but everything seems to be needlessly complicated.  For instance, Daniel’s on-again-off-again flirting, her recently tense friendship with Morgan and Anna, and her mother’s new boyfriend.  Everyone just assumes Leah’s solid and stoic behavior is normal, but underneath she’s a hot mess.  Now she has to work out her romantic feelings while also help her friend Nick through his recent heartbreak, especially when she may have feelings towards his ex.

Leah on the Off Beat has the same themes as Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, however, it lacked some of Simon’s charm.  Maybe because Simon is such a charismatic main character who wears his emotions on his sleeves and Leah is definitely inwardly focused, to the point where she misses friendly intentions from others.  Looking back at the first book, this book makes sense.  I can see Leah’s attitude as a cover for her true feelings and I love her independent spirit, even if she feels self-conscious most of the time.  The one part I had a hard time with was Abby’s sudden decision to come out as bi.  In my opinion, it seemed a little like a forced storyline instead of a natural romance.  I also felt like it ended very abruptly.  I needed a little more on the falling action side of the plot map to even out the drama (sorry, English teacher rant is over).  

Basically, if you love Simon’s story, you’ll also fall in love with Leah’s story.

*Make sure you mark your calendars for October 20th…Becky Albertelli is coming to Read Up Greenville this year!