Books like Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

A warm, witty, and deeply relatable exploration of the terrifying thrill of letting yourself be truly seen. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.

warm
hopeful
swoony
anxious

01
What If It's Us
Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
A bustling, Broadway-infused summer romance that asks if the universe actually knows what it is doing when it pushes two opposites together.
Shares:
- hopeful
- earnest
02
Carry On
Rainbow Rowell
A self-aware, deeply affectionate love letter to magical school tropes that trades epic battles for messy, angsty, enemies-to-lovers romance.
Shares:
- wry
03
Perfect on Paper
Sophie Gonzales
A sharp, big-hearted rom-com about a know-it-all advice dispenser who has to learn how to take her own medicine.
Shares:
- hopeful
- wry
- vulnerable
04
Boy Meets Boy
David Levithan · 2006
A joyful, utopian queer rom-com that feels like a warm hug and a confetti cannon going off at the same time.
Shares:
- hopeful
- earnest
05
More happy than not
Adam Silvera
A heartbreaking, speculative exploration of whether erasing our deepest pains is worth losing the truth of who we are.
Shares:
- earnest
- vulnerable
06
Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
A sun-drenched, tender exploration of boyhood, identity, and the quiet miracles of first love.
Shares:
- earnest
07
The upside of unrequited
Becky Albertalli
A warm, witty, and deeply relatable exploration of the terrifying leap between crushing from afar and risking your heart in the real world.
Shares:
- warm
- hopeful
- wry
- earnest
08
Heartstopper, Volume 2
Alice Oseman
A warm, deeply comforting embrace of a story that captures the exact, breathless feeling of falling in love for the first time.
Shares:
- warm
- hopeful
- swoony
- earnest
09
They Both Die at the End
Adam Silvera
A ticking-clock romance that breaks your heart while desperately urging you to live.
Shares:
- earnest
10
The Henna wars
Adiba Jaigirdar
A spirited queer rom-com where cultural pride, family expectations, and the messy thrill of first love collide in a high school rivalry.
Shares:
- hopeful
- earnest
11
Symptoms of Being Human
Jeff Garvin
A tense, big-hearted exploration of identity, anxiety, and the terrifying leap from internet anonymity to real-world vulnerability.
Shares:
- hopeful
- anxious
- wry
- earnest
12
Radio Silence
Alice Oseman
A late-night, neon-lit love letter to platonic soulmates and the terrifying freedom of choosing your own path.
Shares:
- anxious
- earnest
- conversational

Back to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda