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A review by alliewithbooks
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
5.0
There is just so much that I want to say about this book, and surprisingly all of it is positive. Ever since I began reviewing books for not only Goodreads and Amazon, but also for my blog, I have been reading books much more critically than I am used to. But reading this book was like taking in a deep breath of fresh air. I was going through a really tough reading slump before jumping into this book, and both surprisingly and unsurprisingly I was able to read this book in under two days. I had been struggling to find a book to read for almost two weeks and suddenly I just zoomed through this contemporary book.
I could really relate to Molly as a main character. She is awkward and fat and a hopeless romantic. She falls in love with people, but doesn't have the confidence to tell them just how she feels. She appreciates the tiny details in things and has a strong personality. I could really see myself when I was reading from her point of view. I could relate to her insecurities with her weight, but they didn't define her in the way that most fat characters allow. Her insecurities weren't central to who she was as a character which was extremely refreshing to read. However, I could also relate to the feeling of inadequacy and the way she felt as though no one could possibly ever like her back. Just like Molly, I have had many unrequited crushes that have all ended with me keeping my feelings to myself and never giving the other person a chance to either accept or reject me.
* Here is an amendment that I wrote on my blog about non-fat people questioning how Molly could have so many unrequited crushes and why she never tells people she likes them: https://alliembooks.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/being-fat-having-crushes-an-amendment-to-my-review-of-the-upside-of-unrequited-by-becky-albertalli/ *
Usually in my reviews I try to keep the amount of spoilers to a very, very small minimum and I will try to do the same in this review. I will say that there is a sort of "love triangle", but I only put that in quotes because it's not exactly a traditional kind of love triangle. It was definitely interesting to read and didn't feel contrived or trope-y. It felt really realistic, which might sound surprising or strange to those of you who are not the type for love triangles, but trust me. It's really good.
There was also a lot of really good, interesting representation within the novel. Molly is a donor-baby, her parents being two mothers. She is a twin with a little brother much younger than she is. She was also raised Jewish and identifies as Jewish. Her sister identifies as a lesbian, I believe, though don't quote me on that! I just think I read in the text that she was a lesbian, but I will come back to this review and edit if I'm wrong. Her sister's love interest is pansexual and I believe one of Molly's moms is a lesbian and the other is bisexual. Molly is fat and I believe that one of her love interests is also fat. I also believe that Molly's sister's love interest is also Korean, but I may be wrong about that. (I don't have the book right in front of me, so I can't fact-check this stuff. C'mon Allie!)
What really stuck out to me besides the representation was the writing. There were lines that were just so beautiful and raw and relatable that I just started crying. It was incredible. I could really, truly relate to this book and it just struck such a chord inside of me. But, truly, the writing was incredibly beautiful. I was very impressed by this book and the way that Becky Albertalli was able to make me feel.
Overall, this is absolutely a book that I would recommend to anyone. I have read some really amazing contemporaries this year, and they just keep getting better and better. If you can, please pick up this book and read it immediately! (I also really need to read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda!)
I could really relate to Molly as a main character. She is awkward and fat and a hopeless romantic. She falls in love with people, but doesn't have the confidence to tell them just how she feels. She appreciates the tiny details in things and has a strong personality. I could really see myself when I was reading from her point of view. I could relate to her insecurities with her weight, but they didn't define her in the way that most fat characters allow. Her insecurities weren't central to who she was as a character which was extremely refreshing to read. However, I could also relate to the feeling of inadequacy and the way she felt as though no one could possibly ever like her back. Just like Molly, I have had many unrequited crushes that have all ended with me keeping my feelings to myself and never giving the other person a chance to either accept or reject me.
* Here is an amendment that I wrote on my blog about non-fat people questioning how Molly could have so many unrequited crushes and why she never tells people she likes them: https://alliembooks.wordpress.com/2018/02/27/being-fat-having-crushes-an-amendment-to-my-review-of-the-upside-of-unrequited-by-becky-albertalli/ *
Usually in my reviews I try to keep the amount of spoilers to a very, very small minimum and I will try to do the same in this review. I will say that there is a sort of "love triangle", but I only put that in quotes because it's not exactly a traditional kind of love triangle. It was definitely interesting to read and didn't feel contrived or trope-y. It felt really realistic, which might sound surprising or strange to those of you who are not the type for love triangles, but trust me. It's really good.
There was also a lot of really good, interesting representation within the novel. Molly is a donor-baby, her parents being two mothers. She is a twin with a little brother much younger than she is. She was also raised Jewish and identifies as Jewish. Her sister identifies as a lesbian, I believe, though don't quote me on that! I just think I read in the text that she was a lesbian, but I will come back to this review and edit if I'm wrong. Her sister's love interest is pansexual and I believe one of Molly's moms is a lesbian and the other is bisexual. Molly is fat and I believe that one of her love interests is also fat. I also believe that Molly's sister's love interest is also Korean, but I may be wrong about that. (I don't have the book right in front of me, so I can't fact-check this stuff. C'mon Allie!)
What really stuck out to me besides the representation was the writing. There were lines that were just so beautiful and raw and relatable that I just started crying. It was incredible. I could really, truly relate to this book and it just struck such a chord inside of me. But, truly, the writing was incredibly beautiful. I was very impressed by this book and the way that Becky Albertalli was able to make me feel.
Overall, this is absolutely a book that I would recommend to anyone. I have read some really amazing contemporaries this year, and they just keep getting better and better. If you can, please pick up this book and read it immediately! (I also really need to read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda!)