Leah on the Off Beat by Becky Albertalli. Unabridged e-audiobook. ~6 hours. Read by Shannon Purser. HarperAudio, May, 2018. 9780062822932. (Review of e-audio downloaded from public library. Own HC.)
Teen Tuesday features Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli. Albertalli follows up on her Morris Award-winning debut novel, Simon vs. the Homo sapiens Agenda with this companion which takes the following school year. Leah Burke is Simon Spier's best friend. She is also drummer for a girl band called Emoji and doesn't like change. But change is coming as she and her friends await their college acceptance (or rejection) letters and plan for prom, or not.
Leah has been keeping a secret from everyone but her mom. She was supportive of Simon when he came out, but didn't reveal her own bisexuality to him at what might have been the perfect time.
Leah's blunt, salty, sarcastic style is refreshingly hilarious yet also provocative. While it has been some time since I read Simon, Leah didn't come off quite as edgy as she does here. She's headstrong and anxious, edgy and vulnerable, smart and protective and she's hyper-aware of the economic disparity between her friends and her.
New-to-me narrator Shannon Purser plays Leah perfectly. I didn't want the story/ recording to end. Your teen fans of Simon vs. the Homo sapiens agenda will be so on board this this sequel but it can stand alone.
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