I can’t believe Albertalli made me miss high school, that’s power. It’s a period of change and it was so magical seeing these characters go through that phase. It was so enjoyable to read and it made me reminisce on my last semester as a high school student. Leah is a drummer and an artist and those parts of her are displayed as being just as important as her being fat and bisexual. Albertalli makes it clear straight off the bat that there is so much more to Leah than just being the fat girl in her friend group or being the bisexual girl. Authors often forget that they are people too, not just symbols. Often times when I read a book about a fat girl or a bisexual girl, that part of who they are becomes the sole purpose of their character. I also loved that Leah has a personality. Leah goes through a roller coaster of emotions in this book and Albertalli catches every rise and fall perfectly.

Albertalli’s writing and portrayal of her characters is amazing and well done. There were times when she was being annoying, but that is what makes her human. She has such a distinct voice that was human and true. Leah really comes alive in the pages of this book which I loved. Albertalli really goes the extra mile to show that Leah is her own person and that she is complex. She has such a unique way of looking at the world and way of thinking. It was very clear who Leah was from the moment I began reading. What I loved about this book was how unique and outstanding Leah’s voice was. Leah and her friends are almost done with high school and some drama is threatening to pull her friend group a part and it doesn’t help that she has a crush on someone she absolutely does not want to be having a crush on. She knows they’ll still accept her but that doesn’t stop her from keeping it to herself.

Leah on the Off Beat by Becky Albertalli is a book about Leah Burke who has been hiding the fact that she is bisexual from her friends, even though one of them recently came out as gay.

Leah off beat