25 book adaptations that surprisingly lived up to the books they’re based on

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is a favorite amongst young adult readers, and it’s easy to understand why. The novel follows sixteen-year-old Simon Spier as he’s blackmailed by a classmate. The classmate threatens to expose Simon’s sexual identity if he doesn’t set him up with one of his friends—a threat that not only takes away Simon’s choice in how he comes out to his loved ones but also could sabotage his relationship with his online crush.

Though the topics covered in Albertalli’s debut are fairly serious, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is best known for its lighthearted nature. Simon and his friends are quirky, and Simon’s narration is comical—allowing readers to laugh with him and empathize with his situation in the process.

And Love, Simon, the 2018 film adaptation of Albertalli’s novel, preserves the lighthearted tone of the story, offering up many laugh-out-loud moments and keeping Simon’s often snarky narration on point. But it also successfully toes the line between being humorous and serious, balancing its many jovial scenes with a few tear-jerking ones.

When it comes to casting, director Greg Berlanti couldn’t have found a better actor to play Simon than Nick Robinson. Robinson captures Simon’s personality with ease, and he’s able to replicate Simon’s relationships with the other characters in ways that are mostly accurate to the book. (There is the small misstep of Leah having feelings for Simon, but hey, no film is perfect.)

Love, Simon is also impressive in its portrayal of Simon’s relationship with Blue, bringing their online relationship to life regardless of the fact that it consists mostly of email correspondence. It can’t be easy pulling off that much narration without distracting viewers, but this adaptation manages it.