Leah on the Offbeat (Creekwood #2, Simonverse #3) by Becky Albertalli, read by Shannon Purser
- Publisher: HarperAudio, 2018
- Genre: Young Adult, LGBTQ+
- Format: Audiobook
- Length: 7h 6m (352 pages)
- My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
I hate when assholes have talent. I want to live in a world where good people rule at everything and shitty people suck at everything.
Okay, I really like this book. It hit home so hard. Also, I am an aching and happy mess hours after finishing the book.
After enjoying Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, I pre-ordered the sequel and waited for 24th April to come. THE WAITING WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!
First of all, Becky really got into Leah’s head, just as she had with Simon. From the last book, we already know that Leah is this super self-conscious and stubborn teen girl. Now, we get the chance of living through her thoughts and struggles. She overthinks everything, is very cynical, a talented drummer and artist, and also beautifully unapologetic for being herself: fat girl and bisexual and everything. Sometimes I feel like ‘how could you’ and also ‘I totally get it’ at the same time.
Unlike a lot of protagonists in books, Leah is not very amicable. She makes mistakes, and is sometimes so stubborn you want to choke her, but she is only just as flawed as any actual human being. That is why everything in this book seems so weirdly real. Like Leah is probably more like yourself than you’d admit, or she could be one of your friends. Even other seemingly perfect characters are never perfect. I love it when people in stories are normal people, not these godly figures who never make mistakes and always know how to react. That would be a fairy tale, and not very relatable.
This audiobook is really cute and beautiful, and as much a cliché as a teen’s story, it is very enjoyable. Very. I laughed and cried so many times throughout the book I wonder if I was mad.
Narrator Shannon Purser is amazing at portraying Leah. I feel that I am Leah when I listen to her voice, catching when Leah cries, giddy when Leah is happy, raging when Leah is fuming. Her narration made all the emotions so raw and reactions so alive. Honestly, I might not enjoy the story so much if I were only to read it. Or if someone else narrated it. Probably a 4-star without Shannon. Also, the fact that Shannon is not a skinny girl and that she is bi makes everything even greater, if possible.
Through her voice, I morphed into Leah and my stomach flutters so bad whenever she does. My heart melts, and I feel I am in love…. [25 Apr 2018]
