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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
"Because I have to admit: there's something really badass about truly, honestly not caring what people think about you."
Listen, I didn't hate this book, but I also didn't like it. If we're going for a word, I'd say my first reaction after finishing was 'meh' at best, and 'boring' at worst.
Let's break it down a bit. This book focuses on Molly, a girl who has had more crushes than one can keep track of. They are never requited, or so Molly thinks. She actually wouldn't know because she never acts on them due to her fear of rejection, and believes that because she's not "traditionally pretty" no guy will ever want her.
Enter Reid.
Reid is everything that Molly thinks is undesirable. A nerd who wears Lord of the Rings shirts, not traditionally attractive, and kinda a dork, he's not Molly's type at all. Instead, she's into guys like Will, a charming hipster who fits all of her checkpoints when it comes to developing a crush. In the first half of the book, Molly's sister and her girlfriend are determined to set Molly up with "Hipster Will" and live their lives in happy bliss. But as time goes on, Molly finds herself falling into an easy friendship with Reid, one that makes butterflies flutter in her gut and a blush appear on her cheeks. That's when Molly admits to the impossible: she has a crush on Reid and Will.
That's it. That's the plot, and there's nothing more to it than Molly weighing her options between Will and Reid. That is why I was so dissatisfied with this book, to be honest. If you're going to write a fluffy, rom-com YA novel, you still need to have a little bit of plot, in my opinion. This book didn't have one. I never felt myself itching to read more because there wasn't anything I desperately wanted to find out about. The only overarching event is the wedding between Molly's moms, and even that is barely focused on at the end of the book. It's 300 plus pages of teenage antics, which isn't a satisfying story for me personally.
Also, there is little exploration into the main characters themselves. What do we really know about Molly outside of her crushes? Nothing, really. Cassie? What is she outside of her girlfriend and Molly? The moms? We learn a little bit about their past, but not nearly enough. If anyone got explored the most, it was Reid and his love of nerdy games, but even that was barely talked about. It didn't leave me caring about anyone at the end of the day, which is a deal breaker when it comes to books I like.
But I will give credit where credit is due. The diversity in this story is top notch and doesn't feel cheap or tacked on for social justice points. Molly's moms are incredibly interesting, and honestly I would read a whole book about their backstory and how they met in college. Molly's twin sister, Cassie, is a lesbian who is in a relationship with Mina, a pansexual girl. And this is the first book I've seen the term 'asexual' used that wasn't a gross punchline.
I feel like this book could've been great, but due to lack of exploration with the main characters and a lack of plot, it was uninspiring.
Not bad, but I prefered Simon vs. THSA. Anyways, this one is nice, but I didn't quite like the main character and the plot felt a bit... meh. Too plain? I guess you could say that.
I do like one of the messages it conveys: relationships change over time, everything does, but maybe change is not a bad thing after all.
I do like one of the messages it conveys: relationships change over time, everything does, but maybe change is not a bad thing after all.
Jag tror jag aldrig har relaterat till en karaktär så mycket som jag relaterar till Molly. Albertalli fångar den exakta verkligheten av att vara en tjock tonårstjej. Eller i huvudet taget den tjocka upplevelsen. Det vill säga all skit man får vara med om från omgivning inklusive den närmaste familjen. Men boken har egentligen en lätt och rolig ton. Det är romantiskt, det är kul, det är karaktärsutveckling... Så himla perfekt. Läs läs läs!
This book was so unbelievably good! The main character was very easy to identify with. Great romance and coming of age story. Recommend to teens who like the show The Fosters.
I related to this main character on so many levels and watching the character evolve in a healthy and positive way was amazing. This was a great coming-of-age novel that I think many people can relate to and learn from. It was a nice light contemporary novel that was a quick read.
i didn't find this quite as charming as simon vs, it felt surprisingly light on plot. but i love the diversity in albertalli's work! molly was a ya heroine that you very rarely get to see which i so appreciated!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a cute light read! I liked the plot, and all of the characters felt like real people. The level of representation was nice: the mc is a Jewish, fat, mentally ill teenager whose twin sister is into girls. And they have two moms
I do wish I also wish that there wasn't the underlying message that girls need romantic partners to feel beautiful and/or validated, but I don't think that's the author's fault (it's society's). And as a former fat, mentally ill teenager who grew up in that society and also felt like the world was leaving her behind, this book quenched a thirst I didn't know I had.
Spoiler
who get married!I do wish
Spoiler
the conflict would have been more thoroughly resolved between Molly and Cassie, though.
On one hand, this book is very diverse.The lgbtq+ characters, the people of colour representation and the non normative body types represented in this novel made it better than the average cheesy 'shy girl who is about average falls in love with an unlikely guy'-trope type of books.
This is due to how natural it felt in this story, someone just happened to be trans (which I feel like never happens, it always has to be a huge deal and followed up with a super tragic backstory on why they are this way🙃), even the minor characters.
It also touched on topics related to the diverse cast of characters, like fatphobia, racism and homophobia, which felt ŕeal and an important part of the everyday lives of these people.
The story however, escpically the very love story, was not escpically inventive... It litterally reminded me of something I wrote when I was twelwe, it even had several main plotpoints in common, and I didn't know the first thing about writing at that time. Therefore I believe it would have appealed a great deal more to me had I been younger. So if you're in your mid-teens I certainly would recommend this to you as a story about growing up.
This is due to how natural it felt in this story, someone just happened to be trans (which I feel like never happens, it always has to be a huge deal and followed up with a super tragic backstory on why they are this way🙃), even the minor characters.
It also touched on topics related to the diverse cast of characters, like fatphobia, racism and homophobia, which felt ŕeal and an important part of the everyday lives of these people.
The story however, escpically the very love story, was not escpically inventive... It litterally reminded me of something I wrote when I was twelwe, it even had several main plotpoints in common, and I didn't know the first thing about writing at that time. Therefore I believe it would have appealed a great deal more to me had I been younger. So if you're in your mid-teens I certainly would recommend this to you as a story about growing up.
funny
lighthearted
relaxing