Rebecca Albertalli (née Goldstein; born November 17, 1982)
Life and career
Albertalli was born and raised in the Atlanta metropolitan area, with her sister Caroline and brother Sam, where she still lives with her husband, Brian, and two sons, Owen and Henry.
Albertalli was raised in a
Reform Judaism household.
Albertalli attended Wesleyan University and majored in psychology, before moving to Washington, D.C., and earning her Doctor of Psychology degree from George Washington University.
In her psychological practice, she specialized in working with LGBTQ teens and gender nonconforming children. She worked as a psychologist until 2012—when her first son was born—and subsequently decided to try writing a
novel.
Albertalli cites Australian author
Jaclyn Moriarty as her primary inspiration in becoming a novelist.
holding Albertalli's debut novel,
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, in the United States House of Representatives]]
On April 7, 2015,
Albertalli's debut novel,
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, was published.
A sequel to
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, titled
Leah on the Offbeat, was released in 2018 and won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction.
In 2020, Albertalli released the third and final installment of the series,
Love, Creekwood, described as an "epilogue."
Additional works include The Upside of Unrequited, Love, Creekwood, and the What If It's Us duology, the latter of which she co-wrote with Adam Silvera. Movie rights to What If It's Us sold to Anonymous Content in 2018, with Brian Yorkey attached as screenwriter.
Personal life
In August 2020, Albertalli came out as
Bisexuality in an essay responding to public figures who had criticized her for writing about gay characters as a presumed heterosexual. She stated that coming out was not an "attempt to neutralize criticism of her books" and asked her critics to acknowledge that "carelessness in these discussions has caused real harm".
Bibliography
Simonverse
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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Balzer + Bray, 2015)
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The Upside of Unrequited (Balzer + Bray, 2017)
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Leah on the Offbeat (Balzer + Bray, 2018)
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Love, Creekwood (Balzer + Bray, 2020)
Imogenverse
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Imogen, Obviously (Balzer + Bray, 2023)
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Amelia, If Only (HarperCollins, 2025)
What If It's Us
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What If It's Us, co-written with Adam Silvera (HarperTeen, 2018)
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Here's To Us, co-written with Adam Silvera (HarperTeen/Balzer + Bray, 2021)
Standalone works
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Yes No Maybe So, co-written with Aisha Saeed (Balzer + Bray, 2019)
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Kate in Waiting (Balzer + Bray, 2021)
Short essays
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in Dear Heartbreak: YA Authors and Teens on the Dark Side of Love, edited by Heather Demetrios (Henry Holt, 2018)
Filmography
| +
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Screenwriters
! Based on
! Ref. |
| 2018 | Love, Simon | Greg Berlanti | Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger | Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda | |
Awards
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2015 American Library Association's William C. Morris Award for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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2015 National Book Award longlist for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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2015 Goodreads Choice Award finalist for Best Debut Author for Albertalli
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2015 Wall Street Journal Best Young Adult novel for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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2016 Carnegie Medal nominee for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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2016 Lambda Literary Award finalist for LGBT Children's/Young Adult for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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2016 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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2017 German Youth Literature Prize for Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
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2017 New York Public Library Best Books for Teens for The Upside of Unrequited
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2018 American Library Association's Rainbow List for The Upside of Unrequited
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2018 Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Novel for Leah on the Offbeat
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2019 American Library Association's Rainbow Book List for Leah on the Offbeat and What If It's Us
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2020 New York Public Library Best Books for Teens for Yes No Maybe So
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2020 Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction for Yes No Maybe So
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2021 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults for Yes No Maybe So
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2021 Boston Public Library Best Young Adult Book for Kate in Waiting
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2022 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults for Kate in Waiting
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2023 School Library Journal Best Young Adult Book for Imogen, Obviously
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2023 Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction for Imogen, Obviously
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2023 Chicago Public Library Best Teen Fiction for Imogen, Obviously
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2024 American Library Association's Rainbow List for Imogen, Obviously
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2024 American Library Association's Stonewall Honor Book for Imogen, Obviously
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2024 New York Public Library Summer 2024 Picks for Teens for Sí, No, Tal Vez
External links
