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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I really liked The Upside Of Unrequited! It's a really cute romance, and I really liked Molly. I wasn't the biggest fan of her sister, Cassie, who I thought was rude and irritating and she totally treated Molly like dirt. And Molly let her. But Molly was really cool otherwise, and so I'm glad the book was narrated by her. Better her than Cassie, because I don't think I could take it if the book were about Cassie instead.
Molly was really easy to relate to, and she was so easy to relate to. I can't relate to how many crushes she's had, and while I will fangirl over certain pairings in the books I read, I'm not the hopeless romantic she is. But the fact that she felt like everyone around her was growing up and that she wasn't? That was very easy to relate to. She's just at a different point in her life, and she's not less of a person just because she wasn't experiencing things at the same time that her sister and her friends were experiencing them.
Molly did seem shy and anxious but it wasn't seen as a bad thing. And while her sister seemed to believe that Molly needed to put herself out there, her shyness never seemed to be shamed. Putting yourself out there can be hard, especially if your shy and anxious, but again, everyone does that at different points in their life. Just because Cassie does it, doesn't mean Molly has to do it at the exact same time.
Still, she seemed really uncomfortable with the idea of kissing or actually talking a guy or basically anything relating to relationships. And yet, there seems to be this determination for her to be kissed and to have a boyfriend. If that's what she wants, that's totally cool, but she just seemed really uncomfortable with it all. I kind of got the sense that it was to say she had done it, and so that she felt like she was experiencing what everyone else was.
It wasn't quite as funny or nerdy as Simon, of course, and I didn't like it quite as much, though I still liked it. Apparently not as much as other people seemed to like The Upside Of Unrequited.
I did like it as an audio book, and Arielle DeLisle was a good choice as narrator. I could definitely picture Molly sounding like her.
My Rating: 3 stars. I liked it, but not a lot.
Molly was really easy to relate to, and she was so easy to relate to. I can't relate to how many crushes she's had, and while I will fangirl over certain pairings in the books I read, I'm not the hopeless romantic she is. But the fact that she felt like everyone around her was growing up and that she wasn't? That was very easy to relate to. She's just at a different point in her life, and she's not less of a person just because she wasn't experiencing things at the same time that her sister and her friends were experiencing them.
Molly did seem shy and anxious but it wasn't seen as a bad thing. And while her sister seemed to believe that Molly needed to put herself out there, her shyness never seemed to be shamed. Putting yourself out there can be hard, especially if your shy and anxious, but again, everyone does that at different points in their life. Just because Cassie does it, doesn't mean Molly has to do it at the exact same time.
Still, she seemed really uncomfortable with the idea of kissing or actually talking a guy or basically anything relating to relationships. And yet, there seems to be this determination for her to be kissed and to have a boyfriend. If that's what she wants, that's totally cool, but she just seemed really uncomfortable with it all. I kind of got the sense that it was to say she had done it, and so that she felt like she was experiencing what everyone else was.
It wasn't quite as funny or nerdy as Simon, of course, and I didn't like it quite as much, though I still liked it. Apparently not as much as other people seemed to like The Upside Of Unrequited.
I did like it as an audio book, and Arielle DeLisle was a good choice as narrator. I could definitely picture Molly sounding like her.
My Rating: 3 stars. I liked it, but not a lot.
Love love love love infinitely most definitely love. 😍❤️❤️❤️
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
I'd have made this a three under normal circumstances. The writing is decent enough, but it has that je-ne-sais-quoi of an older adult author who has painstakingly done a ton of research on writing convincing teenagers, but fell a little short by virtue of not actually living the experience. Case in point, clearly she doesn't know what it actually means to troll a blog at midnight on the internet. The sheer amount of references is staggering, like Albertalli was trying to say, "Look! Molly watches the same shows as you do! I'm hip!" while at the same time representing every possible minority on a massive checklist.
Honestly, the representation was nice, though, not gonna lie. They mentioned asexuality and made one of Molly's crushes a trans guy. Molly's straight. Good going. It seemed a little bit hand-holdy sometimes, but I've certainly read worse books that attempt to describe the QUILTBAG and end up reading like a Very Special Episode, so I'm glad this one at least leans on the more casual side of Representation Matters reading.
But the thing that really got me with this one is that the main relationship wasn't between Molly and Crush #Whatever. It was between Molly and her twin sister Cassie, and revolved around the weirdness and possibility of Cassie ditching Molly for her girlfriend. I've never had a crush, but I've certainly felt that sense of foreboding before, especially when I was much younger. Making the awkward sibling relationship the conflict that felt the most primary, rather than the task of getting Molly a boyfriend, was exactly the representation I needed in my life. We don't know if the third wheel thing was necessarily solved by Molly getting the boyfriend (which isn't so much a spoiler as it is a foregone conclusion prescribed by the tenets of authoring YA literature), but the fact that it isn't outright makes this worth a read. Albertelli even kind of sets up a love triangle twice, and I didn't hate it because it didn't feel like a love triangle, it just felt right for the plot. The ultimate resolution to the triangle is fine. Obvious, but fine, and somehow the author even got me rooting for it a little.
There was one big gripe I had, and I'm not docking any points for it because it isn't related to the story, but the cover design on this edition of the book doesn't suit Molly at all. If the book had been about Cassie, then yes, following the Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda pattern could have been more appropriate, but unless Albertelli has some major crossover planned for a future installment of the series I haven't read yet, I don't see why this should even be part of the Simon series except to boost sales by people judging books by their cover. If I wanted to make it obviously related to Simon, I'd have kept the color scheme but tried to make it more Pinterest-y.
I still liked this one better than Simon. I don't even have a Pinterest.
Honestly, the representation was nice, though, not gonna lie. They mentioned asexuality and made one of Molly's crushes a trans guy. Molly's straight. Good going. It seemed a little bit hand-holdy sometimes, but I've certainly read worse books that attempt to describe the QUILTBAG and end up reading like a Very Special Episode, so I'm glad this one at least leans on the more casual side of Representation Matters reading.
But the thing that really got me with this one is that the main relationship wasn't between Molly and Crush #Whatever. It was between Molly and her twin sister Cassie, and revolved around the weirdness and possibility of Cassie ditching Molly for her girlfriend. I've never had a crush, but I've certainly felt that sense of foreboding before, especially when I was much younger. Making the awkward sibling relationship the conflict that felt the most primary, rather than the task of getting Molly a boyfriend, was exactly the representation I needed in my life. We don't know if the third wheel thing was necessarily solved by Molly getting the boyfriend (which isn't so much a spoiler as it is a foregone conclusion prescribed by the tenets of authoring YA literature), but the fact that it isn't outright makes this worth a read. Albertelli even kind of sets up a love triangle twice, and I didn't hate it because it didn't feel like a love triangle, it just felt right for the plot. The ultimate resolution to the triangle is fine. Obvious, but fine, and somehow the author even got me rooting for it a little.
There was one big gripe I had, and I'm not docking any points for it because it isn't related to the story, but the cover design on this edition of the book doesn't suit Molly at all. If the book had been about Cassie, then yes, following the Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda pattern could have been more appropriate, but unless Albertelli has some major crossover planned for a future installment of the series I haven't read yet, I don't see why this should even be part of the Simon series except to boost sales by people judging books by their cover. If I wanted to make it obviously related to Simon, I'd have kept the color scheme but tried to make it more Pinterest-y.
I still liked this one better than Simon. I don't even have a Pinterest.
This was a quick listen, and I confess I didn't develop emotional attachment to any of the characters, despite having been a fat teenager myself and empathizing with the main character's insecurities. Living in the DC suburbs, I appreciated the local setting details, and I always appreciate having so many gay characters depicted in an everyday, positive light (lesbian & bisexual moms, an interracial relationship, various other gay characters). I just didn't detect any character development in the main character, aside from finally allowing herself to risk rejection in pursuit of a relationship. It was ok, but my engagement stayed barely at the surface level. Literally 10 minutes after finishing the audiobook, I can't remember a single character's name other than Molly, and I can't say I will miss them (which I usually do after any book ends when I have had emotional engagement with characters.)
I read a book this year!!
Fetched this book from the library over a year ago to read with my niece and only just got bored enough while camping to give reading another go.
Review: it was easy to read which is exactly what I needed. I kept wondering if teenage me would've enjoyed it and I think the answer is yes. Adult me kept giggling about the bingo card of DEI in the book: trans crush? check! biracial parents? check! adoption, homoxeuality, religion? check, check, check!
Fetched this book from the library over a year ago to read with my niece and only just got bored enough while camping to give reading another go.
Review: it was easy to read which is exactly what I needed. I kept wondering if teenage me would've enjoyed it and I think the answer is yes. Adult me kept giggling about the bingo card of DEI in the book: trans crush? check! biracial parents? check! adoption, homoxeuality, religion? check, check, check!
I loved the other books in this series but I can't say I see how this one connected. I really disliked Cassie and by the end I was honestly glad I was done with this one.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-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
I think the reason I’m giving this a 3 and not a 4 is because I’ve read too many YA romance rollercoasters lately and this felt like all the rest. Not bad, but nothing special.
A fun, positive, well-written ya novel by the author of "Simon Vs. The Homo-Sapiens Agenda." It's not quite as amazing as "Simon," but it is a pleasure, offering a refreshingly low-key take on a variety of aspects of family life (Molly and Cassie have two moms; Molly is straight and Cassie is not; Molly refers to herself as fat and has never had a boyfriend at 17. . . ). The plot isn't unusual, but the book as a whole is warm and affirming, with strong, interesting characters. Recommended.