A review by rayne_1906
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

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

3.75

Audiobook 5 hours 36 minutes - I enjoyed listening to this book quite a lot. I liked all the characters, and I didn't find the plot overly unrealistic, which is quite rare for contemporary YA books - they usually contain huge, unrealistic coincidences that the reader is forced to just accept, but this book felt like it could just happen in real life for the most part. I absolutely loved that the characters tied in from Albertalli's other books - I didn't expect it and I was so excited when I realised that the Abby in this book is the same Abby as in Simon vs. the Homosapien's Agenda, and Leah on the Offbeat. One issue I did have with this book however, was sometimes, the same problems were just talked about too much, with too much time until they got resolved, which made it slightly boring in parts. Also, sometimes the language the author used was simply just cringy, and while I realise it is an attempt at humour, just felt more like second-hand embarrassment. All in all though, this was a good book about teenage relationships of all kinds, and I did enjoy it.
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