At the conclusion of Becky Albertalli’s Morris Award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Simon Spier and his mysterious online crush finally become a couple. But what happens to Leah, Simon’s best friend? In the sequel, Leah on the Offbeat, we learn that Leah is a talented drummer and artist, comfortable in her overweight body and okay with being economically disadvantaged in a wealthy town. She’s perfectly fine with staying out of the college-choice drama that consumes her friends; she’ll be going to a local university where a scholarship awaits. She’s also confident in her bisexuality . . . even if she hasn't told any of her friends about it yet.
A perfectly nice guy is interested in Leah, but she only has eyes for her friend Nick’s girlfriend, Abby. Leah longs to kiss Abby, but she worries that doing so will cause her friendships to shatter irreparably. Should she pursue her dreams—in romance and in art—or settle for always feeling slightly off beat? Leah initially dismisses prom night as a high school cliché, but everything ends up converging there, and the very prom-night magic she mocks might just be exactly what she needs.
Leah on the Offbeat is funny, authentic and totally in step with contemporary sensibilities, both serious and silly (Leah calls out racism when she sees it, speaks in teen patois and draws Harry Potter fan art). This one is highly recommended for Simon fans, or anyone wondering how to navigate saying goodbye to one part of life as another begins.
