Love, Creekwood: A Simonverse Novella (utgåvan 2020)

Oh Becky, how can you leave us with that ending?!?! It was an absolute pleasure delving back into the Simonverse as the crew goes away to college and explores being away from each other for the first time - an especially difficult experience for Simon and Bram, as they’re used to being inseparable by now. The story unfolds via emails (a classic throwback to the original Simon novel), but this time from the voice of all of the characters as we get Leah, Abby, Garrett, Nick, and the whole crew alongside Simon and Bram. This was a bit of an adjustment, as only getting the story through emails creates a distance between the reader and the characters, but they each have such a unique writing voice that once you get into it the story is captivating. The book is only a short 111 pages, so we’re really only getting a taste of the crew away at college, and we’re left completely hanging by the last emails (I won’t ruin it, but DAMN Becky), so I really hope that the success of this book encourages Albertalli to get back into the Simonverse and give us the rest of the story! ( )

(Note: This review contains spoilers for earlier books in the series, particularly Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat.)

It's the freshman year of college for Simon, Bram, Leah, and Abby. Simon and Bram are at separate schools, experiencing the agony of the long-distance relationship, while Leah and Abby are roommates. Can Simon and Bram's relationship survive the distance? And will Leah ever feel comfortable using "the L word" to describe her feelings for Abby?

This quick little bite of a story is told entirely through emails, which means that the reader does not get to see much of the "action" first-hand. You can tell that the author brushed up against the limitations of the format in some places. I also found it super frustrating when there were group emails, as the audiobook narrators had to read off each of the group's email addresses before getting to the content of the email, text that would be easy to skip or skim if reading the print book. Apart from that, there's just not much story here. The author clearly doesn't want to put her characters through interpersonal conflict, so the only real problem that the characters face in the entire novel is that of Simon and Bram's long-distance relationship and how much they hate being apart.

If you really love these characters, this is a nice little glimpse into their world. I'd recommend text rather than audio, not due to any deficiency on the part of the narrators, but simply because the format doesn't translate well to audio. If you haven't read the earlier books in the series, you will probably not appreciate this one, as it requires prior investment in the characters and their relationships. ( )

This epistolary novel (in e-mails) follows Simon, Bram, Leah, Abby, and others from Creekwood into their first year of college. Catnip for fans of the Simonverse (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Leah on the Offbeat, etc.)

Quotes

You know what's been an unexpectedly hard adjustment? The fact that we don't know all the same people anymore. I know that's such a weird thing to miss. But it was really its own kind of language, having all those people in common... (Bram to Simon)

But it's all kind of cumulative, I guess. I just miss you on top of missing you on top of missing you. (Simon to Bram) ( )

Quando um trabalho é criticado por muitas pessoas e os fãs gostam, a gente costuma ouvir o "FOI FEITO PARA OS FÃS". Na maioria das vezes, é só uma desculpa pra tentar deslegitimar qualquer crítica ou visão negativa da obra, mas creio que nenhuma outra frase pode definir a existência desse livro tão bem.

Não há história, não há conflito, não há desenvolvimento ou algo minimamente ambicioso. O que há aqui é simplesmente a nostalgia desse universo, a revisita aos personagens, a curiosidade de saber como eles estão nessa nova fase da vida deles. E funciona muito bem por isso.

Se quem não curte essa série tentar ler esse livro, certamente vai revirar os olhos a cada e-mail, referência de cultura pop ou piada. Mas esse livro não é pra essas pessoas, e nem tenta ser. É pra todos aqueles que se apaixonaram por Simon, Bram, Leah, Abby e cia e só gostariam de passar um tempo a mais com eles. E não só não há problema com essa intenção, como o livro consegue alcançar essas expectativas com louvor.

Se este é o fim do "Simonverse", é um final que vai satisfazer a qualquer um que ama esses livros. ( )