Take a photo of a barcode or cover
readingwithrae 's review for:
The Upside of Unrequited
by Becky Albertalli
"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.