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bookdevouringmisfit's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Best contemporary book about friendship and family I've read in a while. Very cute romance too!
Best contemporary book about friendship and family I've read in a while. Very cute romance too!
fatimareadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Many thanks to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my views and opinions below.
Okay, so I love Morgan Matson's books; they're all such memorable reads and I always find myself enjoying every single second of them. I only have, like, 3 auto-buy authors and she's definitely one of them. So, imagine my excitement when I hear that she has a new book coming out! I.am.pumped! Seriously, the excitement I felt was surreal. Unfortunately -- I don't know if it was just me or if it was the book itself -- but... this book kind of fell flat. I kept waiting for that moment when I would get completely sucked in, that heart-racing 'omg' factor... 400 pages in and... nope. Zilch. Nada. Maybe it was just because my expectations were ridiculously high and the hype was massive, but I still can't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Compared to her other books, The Unexpected Everything just failed to grab a hold of my attention and actually keep it until the end.
I'll start off by talking about what I liked about the book, because although it just wasn't up to par with her other books, the book in and itself did have some redeemable parts. I loved the dynamic between the characters, especially between Andie, Toby, Bri, and Palmer. Their friendship was just so precious! It's always nice to see books that give as much importance to the platonic relationships as they do to the romantic ones, and that's something that's always been emphasized in Morgan's books -- which I absolutely love. Also, the humor and banter was 10/10! I found myself giggling at the book more often than not. It made the pages fly by a little faster.
Andie was a nice protagonist, too. Not my favorite, but she was okay. I couldn't understand her reasoning sometimes and her decisions seemed to lack common sense a lot of the time. You know when you're reading a book and the MC does something that you just know will come back to bite them in the ass at a later point? Well, that was Andie... times ten.
Speaking of Andie, can we just talk about her dad? I loved the subplot there. I loved watching their relationship develop. I loved watching them slowly get to know each other. Most of all, I loved the care with which Morgan explored their relationship. It was really something to read! Especially the scavenger hunt scene.
Now that we've covered what I enjoyed, let's touch bases on what didn't work for me. The biggest and most important issue for me, perhaps, was how predicable everything was. As I mentioned above, there was just no 'wow' factor that made me want to ignore life and keep reading. I could've guessed what was going to happen from the get-go, but I just had to give the book the benefit of the doubt and keep reading. To be honest, most of this book could've been condensed into fewer pages. The five-hundred-something pages were just completely unnecessary. The first half of the book barely had anything going on and the second half felt like one very long epilogue that just dragged on and on and on.
Another thing that fell flat for me was Clarke and Andie's relationship. I wasn't feeling it. Their interactions were clunky and forced (especially at the beginning) and just tragic. I couldn't really enjoy the scenes of them together because they were just too tedious. I wanted banter, chemistry, a spark - call it what you will - but their dynamic just made me cringe. I feel like, as a romantic pairing, they weren't very compatible for each other; Topher would've made for a more exciting interest, probably.
In short, The Unexpected Everything wasn't what I hoped it would be, but it did have qualities that compensated for the defects. The writing was articulate and the characters were relatable and their banter was hilarious. It just that, unlike Morgan's other books, I couldn't feel the feels. :(
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Okay, so I love Morgan Matson's books; they're all such memorable reads and I always find myself enjoying every single second of them. I only have, like, 3 auto-buy authors and she's definitely one of them. So, imagine my excitement when I hear that she has a new book coming out! I.am.pumped! Seriously, the excitement I felt was surreal. Unfortunately -- I don't know if it was just me or if it was the book itself -- but... this book kind of fell flat. I kept waiting for that moment when I would get completely sucked in, that heart-racing 'omg' factor... 400 pages in and... nope. Zilch. Nada. Maybe it was just because my expectations were ridiculously high and the hype was massive, but I still can't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Compared to her other books, The Unexpected Everything just failed to grab a hold of my attention and actually keep it until the end.
I'll start off by talking about what I liked about the book, because although it just wasn't up to par with her other books, the book in and itself did have some redeemable parts. I loved the dynamic between the characters, especially between Andie, Toby, Bri, and Palmer. Their friendship was just so precious! It's always nice to see books that give as much importance to the platonic relationships as they do to the romantic ones, and that's something that's always been emphasized in Morgan's books -- which I absolutely love. Also, the humor and banter was 10/10! I found myself giggling at the book more often than not. It made the pages fly by a little faster.
Andie was a nice protagonist, too. Not my favorite, but she was okay. I couldn't understand her reasoning sometimes and her decisions seemed to lack common sense a lot of the time. You know when you're reading a book and the MC does something that you just know will come back to bite them in the ass at a later point? Well, that was Andie... times ten.
Speaking of Andie, can we just talk about her dad? I loved the subplot there. I loved watching their relationship develop. I loved watching them slowly get to know each other. Most of all, I loved the care with which Morgan explored their relationship. It was really something to read! Especially the scavenger hunt scene.
Now that we've covered what I enjoyed, let's touch bases on what didn't work for me. The biggest and most important issue for me, perhaps, was how predicable everything was. As I mentioned above, there was just no 'wow' factor that made me want to ignore life and keep reading. I could've guessed what was going to happen from the get-go, but I just had to give the book the benefit of the doubt and keep reading. To be honest, most of this book could've been condensed into fewer pages. The five-hundred-something pages were just completely unnecessary. The first half of the book barely had anything going on and the second half felt like one very long epilogue that just dragged on and on and on.
Another thing that fell flat for me was Clarke and Andie's relationship. I wasn't feeling it. Their interactions were clunky and forced (especially at the beginning) and just tragic. I couldn't really enjoy the scenes of them together because they were just too tedious. I wanted banter, chemistry, a spark - call it what you will - but their dynamic just made me cringe. I feel like, as a romantic pairing, they weren't very compatible for each other; Topher would've made for a more exciting interest, probably.
In short, The Unexpected Everything wasn't what I hoped it would be, but it did have qualities that compensated for the defects. The writing was articulate and the characters were relatable and their banter was hilarious. It just that, unlike Morgan's other books, I couldn't feel the feels. :(
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
4.0
Update Rating - 4.5
I finished this in such a huff that I didn't get around to writing a review.
I really enjoyed this book in a playful romance sort of way. When I look now at the 5 star rating that I initially give it, I question if it's really a five star book to me. Admittedly when I finished reading it, this is how I felt. When I look back at it now. I'm not sure. So I'm adjusting to to be a 4.5. Obviously the book touched me at the time so it should be a high rating, but it didn't leave a strong imprint on me.
That being said, the story is about an ambitious girl who's summer plans get ruined when her political father goes under fire for alleged corrupt behavior. Frankly his old connection no longer supported him and her letter of recommendation is removed for a prestigious medical school summer program (or something like that). Instead she finds a job as a dog walker, and is forced to spend more time with her dad.
Spolier-y stuff:
I loved how driven the main character was. The idea of dog walking seemed cute and fun and the romance that ensued made me smile. This shy and semi-awkward boy signing up for a dog walker just so he could have a chance to spend more time with her was pretty cute.
Now admittedly once they got into a relationship I couldn't help but initially think "why is there still half a book left!?" But I quickly realized that they hadn't yet solidified their relationship in more than one way.
I did like her reluctance to form serious relationships because to some degree I was able to relate to that. Although unlike her I'm not one to have a relationship on kisses and small talk alone. But considering her upbringing as a politicians daughter I guess it made sense that she would veer away from serious and personal conversation when dating people she fingered wouldn't last.
I did like the novelist boyfriends romantic side and the being the driving force behind her final act of love in the end. Her friendship falling apart seemed a little.. I don't know. Like it was there just to add a bit of extra interest in the grand scheme of things as she is trying to race to the finish line of the books love story.
And I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get a little more information on what happened with the friends afterward. Like we do get hints of linger love between best friends as if it's the beginning of a story instead of the end. Although, in some ways it was satisfying and in other ways it wasn't.
I also felt like the Topher relationship/character was a bit empty in the end. He was a pretty prominent part in her life and seemed to hold some importance to her but he was just there to shed light to her feelings for author dude. That on it's own is fine, but when he starts talking about 'you actually love him' and 'what would of happened if we actually started dating the first time' I couldn't help but want to know more about him. And then all of a sudden he was done with. I don't know if that's an actual flaw cause it bring character to supporting characters which is nice but some of them (including the friends) felt like their was build up but no satisfying conclusion to their stories.
And basically part of me wanted to know a little bit more about what happened in other peoples lives.
In regards to the main romance, it was enjoyable. I LOVED them taking care of the dog and bonding after having had an awful date! I think that was cute and charming and a nice idea of second chances.
Overall I liked the book, and would recommend it for a mostly lighthearted romantic read.
I finished this in such a huff that I didn't get around to writing a review.
I really enjoyed this book in a playful romance sort of way. When I look now at the 5 star rating that I initially give it, I question if it's really a five star book to me. Admittedly when I finished reading it, this is how I felt. When I look back at it now. I'm not sure. So I'm adjusting to to be a 4.5. Obviously the book touched me at the time so it should be a high rating, but it didn't leave a strong imprint on me.
That being said, the story is about an ambitious girl who's summer plans get ruined when her political father goes under fire for alleged corrupt behavior. Frankly his old connection no longer supported him and her letter of recommendation is removed for a prestigious medical school summer program (or something like that). Instead she finds a job as a dog walker, and is forced to spend more time with her dad.
Spolier-y stuff:
Spoiler
I loved how driven the main character was. The idea of dog walking seemed cute and fun and the romance that ensued made me smile. This shy and semi-awkward boy signing up for a dog walker just so he could have a chance to spend more time with her was pretty cute.
Now admittedly once they got into a relationship I couldn't help but initially think "why is there still half a book left!?" But I quickly realized that they hadn't yet solidified their relationship in more than one way.
I did like her reluctance to form serious relationships because to some degree I was able to relate to that. Although unlike her I'm not one to have a relationship on kisses and small talk alone. But considering her upbringing as a politicians daughter I guess it made sense that she would veer away from serious and personal conversation when dating people she fingered wouldn't last.
I did like the novelist boyfriends romantic side and the being the driving force behind her final act of love in the end. Her friendship falling apart seemed a little.. I don't know. Like it was there just to add a bit of extra interest in the grand scheme of things as she is trying to race to the finish line of the books love story.
And I was a bit disappointed that we didn't get a little more information on what happened with the friends afterward. Like we do get hints of linger love between best friends as if it's the beginning of a story instead of the end. Although, in some ways it was satisfying and in other ways it wasn't.
I also felt like the Topher relationship/character was a bit empty in the end. He was a pretty prominent part in her life and seemed to hold some importance to her but he was just there to shed light to her feelings for author dude. That on it's own is fine, but when he starts talking about 'you actually love him' and 'what would of happened if we actually started dating the first time' I couldn't help but want to know more about him. And then all of a sudden he was done with. I don't know if that's an actual flaw cause it bring character to supporting characters which is nice but some of them (including the friends) felt like their was build up but no satisfying conclusion to their stories.
And basically part of me wanted to know a little bit more about what happened in other peoples lives.
In regards to the main romance, it was enjoyable. I LOVED them taking care of the dog and bonding after having had an awful date! I think that was cute and charming and a nice idea of second chances.
Overall I liked the book, and would recommend it for a mostly lighthearted romantic read.
votesforwomen's review against another edition
3.0
Here's another one that, like "Before I Fall", had a really good story but was sullied by the level of content.
Andie was a highly likeable protagonist with real-world struggles, a real-world mindset, and amazing friends. I enjoyed her greatly, although I really wish half the kissing scenes hadn't been quite so descriptive.
And I did love Clark, with his dog, his nerd personality, his homeschooler past (that didn't make him weird!!!!!!!!!!!!), and his being an author. Like! I relate hard, man, I relate.
But overall? Too much "meh" stuff and too many boring moments for me to enjoy entirely.
Andie was a highly likeable protagonist with real-world struggles, a real-world mindset, and amazing friends. I enjoyed her greatly, although I really wish half the kissing scenes hadn't been quite so descriptive.
And I did love Clark, with his dog, his nerd personality, his homeschooler past (that didn't make him weird!!!!!!!!!!!!), and his being an author. Like! I relate hard, man, I relate.
But overall? Too much "meh" stuff and too many boring moments for me to enjoy entirely.
reeyabeegale's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
It’s a light summer contemporary read, with funny and realistic characters. The plot was good, the writing and the atmosphere it created really made me feel as if I was experiencing summer — I loved being immersed into the story!
However, there were times that the plot dragged on — it was too slow for my liking, that I had to skip a couple of lines. Despite loving the plot, it was predictable, but that’s why it was a light read. There are no major twist and turns to blow a reader’s mind, it was direct to the point but had the tendency to be repetitive at times.
I loved Clark, he was so simple and uncomplicated, and genuine.
I’ve only ever read one other Morgan Matson book, Amy and Roger’s Epic Disaster but I didn’t like it. I prefer this one much more. If you see my rating/review for Amy and Roger’s on goodreads, please don’t mind it much because I made that when I was still not reviewing books the way I do now — it will not be fair to change reviews now because I haven’t reread that book.
It’s a light summer contemporary read, with funny and realistic characters. The plot was good, the writing and the atmosphere it created really made me feel as if I was experiencing summer — I loved being immersed into the story!
However, there were times that the plot dragged on — it was too slow for my liking, that I had to skip a couple of lines. Despite loving the plot, it was predictable, but that’s why it was a light read. There are no major twist and turns to blow a reader’s mind, it was direct to the point but had the tendency to be repetitive at times.
I loved Clark, he was so simple and uncomplicated, and genuine.
I’ve only ever read one other Morgan Matson book, Amy and Roger’s Epic Disaster but I didn’t like it. I prefer this one much more. If you see my rating/review for Amy and Roger’s on goodreads, please don’t mind it much because I made that when I was still not reviewing books the way I do now — it will not be fair to change reviews now because I haven’t reread that book.
joana_stormblessed's review against another edition
4.0
Cute summer contemporary romance. Amazing friendships. DOGS! Great father-daughter relationship development. Funny moments. Summer feelings. A tiny but predictable and a little annoying at one point but other than that another great book my Morgan Matson! Oh and other characters popping up :)
lourday's review against another edition
3.0
I get annoyed really easily with rich people in books, this was thankfully not like that. Andie is rich and didn't throw around the "feeling guilty about it" bullshit.
It's a good and happy book, BUT, there is a little drama by the end. The trope in which you keep a secret from your friend was brought up and I hate that trope. The texting with the situation afterwards was fun but still...
It was entertaining tho, I loved the scavenger hunt. I don't really wanna criticize the book too much. It's supposed to be fun, and it is. Many characters have flaws and it's cool, they all learn from it. Three stars c:
It's a good and happy book, BUT, there is a little drama by the end. The trope in which you keep a secret from your friend was brought up and I hate that trope. The texting with the situation afterwards was fun but still...
It was entertaining tho, I loved the scavenger hunt. I don't really wanna criticize the book too much. It's supposed to be fun, and it is. Many characters have flaws and it's cool, they all learn from it. Three stars c:
camib93's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of my favorite Morgan Matson books! I loved the complex relationships between Andie, her friends and family. Andie's fear of not being able to plan things out and things falling out of place was something that I understood so deeply because that is how I am. But life doesn't work that. It is important to cherish each moment and each person in your life, this book reminded me of that. It is sometimes so easy to get caught up in life or in what you want life to be that sometimes you forget how amazing the unexpected can be. I also enjoyed new aspects of Morgan Matson's writing (I.e Clark, A Murder Of Crows and The Drawing of the Twos) which I absolutely lost myself in. Clark is my favorite male character that I have read in a contemporary in a long time and I want to see more of him. Morgan Matson is one of those authors that is a hit every time. This book should be on everyone's tbr list for the summer.
jenreadalot's review against another edition
4.0
The book took many turns and twists, leaving me feeling hollow at times and joyous at others. Their friendship is goals and so amazing. Andie, the main character, makes a couple mistakes that I totally judged her on, but that's the point of books. To see another perspective and live as another person. So even though I didn't get why she did some things she did, it was explained enough so that I kinda got the type of person she was. Some of the characters names were too Boy-ish for me. Like Toby? Palmer? I'm pretty sure those are boys names but they're the characters nicknames so I let it go.
The ENDING THOUGH!!! Some parts I L-O-V-E-D and others I cried about. Clark is such a cutie, and every booknerds Dream boy. 4.8/5 stars. 100% recommend!!
The ENDING THOUGH!!! Some parts I L-O-V-E-D and others I cried about. Clark is such a cutie, and every booknerds Dream boy. 4.8/5 stars. 100% recommend!!
emkreads's review against another edition
5.0
Overall, I cried 3 times but I just wanna say I loved this book AND NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT HAD DOGS IN IT