Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

The Upside of Unrequited

Becky Albertalli

Publication Date: April 11, 2017

Hardcover, 336 pages, Balzer + Bray

Genres: YA, Contemporary

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Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

My Review

Molly, like most teenage girls, feels like there’s something wrong or different about her. She hasn’t had a boyfriend or even been kissed by a guy, but maybe that’s about to change. Molly and her sister Cassie make some new friends, and somehow, Molly’s old and new friends think her and Will would make a great couple. Commence friends trying to set her up with Will.

Okay, so maybe that plot sounds a little cliché, and for a good chunk of the book, it was. It was basically the storyline of every romantic comedy ever with just a few twists and turns thrown in. Molly’s voice made the short, contemporary read refreshing and humorous, though. She’s also got a sweet Pinterest vibe going on.

One thing that was great about this book was how diverse the characters were. It was a nice change of pace from the typical YA contemporary. However, the diverse cast didn’t really help me with the plotline any. I just couldn’t really understand what this book was truly about and what its main message was. The message may have been about accepting yourself, but with how the storyline ended, I simply don’t see how that message holds up. Molly didn’t evolve as much from the start to the finish of the book as I would have hoped.

It’s a fun read, but I think that’s almost all there is to this book. I was expecting another Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but I didn’t really get that same vibe for this one.

All in all, if you’re looking for a fluffy, diverse, contemporary read, The Upside of Unrequited is probably a good choice for you.

*Note: I borrowed a copy of this book from my local library. This in no way affected my opinion/review.