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A review by looseleafellie
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
3.0
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
Having loved Simon Vs, I have to say that this book somewhat disappointed me. Don't get me wrong -- it's got all the wit, great writing, and thoughtfulness you'd expect from Becky Albertalli, but I felt like it kind of perpetuated the idea that once you get a boyfriend, everything gets fixed.
I get the feeling that this wasn't the intention. One side character says that she's not interested in dating at the moment (though she did just go through a messy breakup), and one of Molly's moms says that she didn't date at all during high school. Furthermore, it's mentioned that Cassie's girlfriend had never dated anyone before Cassie. But I feel like the state of being single isn't normalized ENOUGH, and towards the end Molly says things like, "I can't believe I went this long without kissing anyone, because it's AMAZING! I should have done this way sooner!" (I'm paraphrasing).
Oh, and need I mention that Molly suddenly gains a sense of self-esteem when someone likes her back?
Yes, I get that this is supposed to be a romance sort of story. But I'm getting sick and tired of stories where a teenager has never been kissed/never dated, and thinks they need to get a boyfriend/girlfriend, and then when they do it fixes everything. We need books that show it's perfectly normal to have never dated at ages 17, 18, or even 19 and beyond.
Having loved Simon Vs, I have to say that this book somewhat disappointed me. Don't get me wrong -- it's got all the wit, great writing, and thoughtfulness you'd expect from Becky Albertalli, but I felt like it kind of perpetuated the idea that once you get a boyfriend, everything gets fixed.
I get the feeling that this wasn't the intention. One side character says that she's not interested in dating at the moment (though she did just go through a messy breakup), and one of Molly's moms says that she didn't date at all during high school. Furthermore, it's mentioned that Cassie's girlfriend had never dated anyone before Cassie. But I feel like the state of being single isn't normalized ENOUGH, and towards the end Molly says things like, "I can't believe I went this long without kissing anyone, because it's AMAZING! I should have done this way sooner!" (I'm paraphrasing).
Oh, and need I mention that Molly suddenly gains a sense of self-esteem when someone likes her back?
Yes, I get that this is supposed to be a romance sort of story. But I'm getting sick and tired of stories where a teenager has never been kissed/never dated, and thinks they need to get a boyfriend/girlfriend, and then when they do it fixes everything. We need books that show it's perfectly normal to have never dated at ages 17, 18, or even 19 and beyond.