Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Short, sweet LGBTQ romance as friends start college.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
LOVE, CREEKWOOD continues the stories of Simon, Blue, Abby, and Leah who are now all off at college. Abby and Leah are roommates together, but Simon and Blue are each in different colleges and missing each other like crazy. All four have to figure out how to navigate their new lives and what the changes mean to their relationships. Will Abby and Leah get too close, too tired of each other if they're together all the time? And will Simon and Blue be able to maintain their long-distance relationship?
Is It Any Good?
Fans of the "Simonverse" will eagerly devour this short, sweet novella, which serves as an epilogue for the much-loved characters in Becky Albertalli's book series. Reading the other books (Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat) first is highly recommended because this book has lots of spoilers about them. Love, Creekwood has plenty of humor and sigh-worthy romance to stand on its own as a breezy, quick read. But if you don't already know and care about the characters and their stories so far, it won't resonate as deeply as it will for fans of the franchise because there's almost no character development here.
It's part of a franchise that includes a movie (Love, Simon) and a spin-off TV show (Love, Victor). All the entries feature refreshingly positive LGBTQ role models and representations. Issues like love, romance, and coping with change are universal enough that any teen can relate to one or more of the characters. Lots of strong language and some brief but normalizing mentions of sex and drinking make it best for teens in high school and up.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the strong language in Love, Creekwood. How much is too much? Is it realistic? Does it matter if it is?
Did you read any of the other books in the series first? Which was your favorite? If not, would you like to now? What about the movie adaptaion, Love, Simon, and the Hulu TV show, Love, Victor? How do they compare?
In the Acknowledgements, author Becky Albertalli says she spent five years swearing she'd never write this book. Why do you think she changed her mind?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Balzer + Bray
- Publication date : June 30, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
- Number of pages : 128
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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