Leah on the Offbeat
This book has been on my radar for a while...but, of course, I had to read a book that has my name in the title!
So, the story of my first name: Leah. My parents mostly just seemed to like the name. But you have to keep in mind that it is a biblical name and all that comes with that. In the Old Testament, Leah is married to Jacob when he tries to make a deal with her father to marry Leah's sister, Rachel. Rachel is the more beautiful sister and Jacob ends up tricked into marrying, Leah. She at least gets a little revenge when she gives Jacob sons and Rachel is barren.
So my parents named me Leah and then proceeded to name my younger sister Rachel. Thanks a lot Mom and Dad! But I'm actually pretty grateful for a name that is relatively uncommon. I've run into a couple Leahs here and there throughout my life so I'm not the only one but I also didn't have three other Leahs in each of my classes in school.
So the fact that there is a book where the main character's name is Leah just made me excited to read it!
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli is the sequel to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The first book in the series was adapted into the movie Love, Simon which I will admit, I have not seen. Nor have I read the book. I've heard a lot of good things about both--especially when it comes to having representation for gay teens struggling to come out to their friends and family.
And honestly, the fact that I hadn't read the first book had absolutely no negative effect on my reading of Leah on the Offbeat. I didn't feel lost or confused at any point. It really felt like its own novel, though I know that Leah is a character in the first novel and she is played by Katherine Langford in Love, Simon.
It's Leah Burke's senior year and she and her friends realize that prom and college looming on the horizon mean that they will be scattered across the country and their bonds might not be as strong as they used to be. Leah not only struggles with this but realizing that she stands out as the child of a single mom and it shows financially. And while her mom is aware of her bisexuality, her friends don't know it yet. Especially Abby, one of the friends that she realizes she might have feelings for. It's even more complicated by the fact that Leah is also best friends with Abby's boyfriend, Nick.
Believe me, this novel is full of teenage angst when it comes to dealing with prom, friends, college, and of course, romance! It's a quick fun YA read that still tackles some things that might be difficult for teenagers. Leah isn't sure how to come out as bisexual to her friends despite that Simon, her best-friend, is gay. She struggles with friendships and what the end of high school will mean for her and the status-quo of her life. She deals with feeling different from her friend group because she doesn't have as much money as they do.
I really enjoyed the fact that I felt Leah was super easy to relate to in a wide variety of aspects. As is typical of the portrayal of teenagers, there is quite a bit of language in this book so this book isn't for you if that's something you're turned off by.
Now that I've read this book, I definitely feel more invested in watching Love, Simon and reading the book so that I can see a better portrayal of Leah Burke!
So, the story of my first name: Leah. My parents mostly just seemed to like the name. But you have to keep in mind that it is a biblical name and all that comes with that. In the Old Testament, Leah is married to Jacob when he tries to make a deal with her father to marry Leah's sister, Rachel. Rachel is the more beautiful sister and Jacob ends up tricked into marrying, Leah. She at least gets a little revenge when she gives Jacob sons and Rachel is barren.
So my parents named me Leah and then proceeded to name my younger sister Rachel. Thanks a lot Mom and Dad! But I'm actually pretty grateful for a name that is relatively uncommon. I've run into a couple Leahs here and there throughout my life so I'm not the only one but I also didn't have three other Leahs in each of my classes in school.
So the fact that there is a book where the main character's name is Leah just made me excited to read it!
And honestly, the fact that I hadn't read the first book had absolutely no negative effect on my reading of Leah on the Offbeat. I didn't feel lost or confused at any point. It really felt like its own novel, though I know that Leah is a character in the first novel and she is played by Katherine Langford in Love, Simon.
It's Leah Burke's senior year and she and her friends realize that prom and college looming on the horizon mean that they will be scattered across the country and their bonds might not be as strong as they used to be. Leah not only struggles with this but realizing that she stands out as the child of a single mom and it shows financially. And while her mom is aware of her bisexuality, her friends don't know it yet. Especially Abby, one of the friends that she realizes she might have feelings for. It's even more complicated by the fact that Leah is also best friends with Abby's boyfriend, Nick.
Believe me, this novel is full of teenage angst when it comes to dealing with prom, friends, college, and of course, romance! It's a quick fun YA read that still tackles some things that might be difficult for teenagers. Leah isn't sure how to come out as bisexual to her friends despite that Simon, her best-friend, is gay. She struggles with friendships and what the end of high school will mean for her and the status-quo of her life. She deals with feeling different from her friend group because she doesn't have as much money as they do.
I really enjoyed the fact that I felt Leah was super easy to relate to in a wide variety of aspects. As is typical of the portrayal of teenagers, there is quite a bit of language in this book so this book isn't for you if that's something you're turned off by.
Now that I've read this book, I definitely feel more invested in watching Love, Simon and reading the book so that I can see a better portrayal of Leah Burke!
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