Scan barcode
A review by journeythroughthechapters
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Thoughts
If you’re in the mood for something light hearted, fun, bit teenage dramary then I would highly recommend this.
There was so much to like about this book. It was one of those I didn’t have to think too hard about which is exactly what I needed.
Things I loved
- The characters: Molly our main character I felt was very relatable. While I can’t personally speak to the fat, I feel the author did a wonderful job at portraying scenarios that may happen in real life and though this included fat shaming it was definitely challenged. The love interests were also distinguishable and had their own personalities which I appreciated as they weren’t carbon copies of each other with different appearances.
- The relationships: the friendship and family dynamics in this were really sweet. This book had a blended family that worked so well together and were fully accepting of each other. I love books with close family bonds it makes me wish my family were closer.
- The romance: if I didn’t like the romance that would be very concerning as 80% of the book is romance in one way or another. This was very much a slow burn which I absolutely love. I love the building of tension. I makes me more invested in the relationship.
Things I didn’t love
There nothing I particularly hated. I think there were some unnecessary chapters but that’s about it.
Overall I loved it. It’s not quite a 5 star but contemporaries rarely get 5 stars
Representation
Plus Size and Anxiety (main character), Lesbian (side character), Pansexual and Asian (side character), POC (side character), Bisexual (side character)
Content Warning
Underage drinking, fat shaming, homophobic comments
If you’re in the mood for something light hearted, fun, bit teenage dramary then I would highly recommend this.
There was so much to like about this book. It was one of those I didn’t have to think too hard about which is exactly what I needed.
Things I loved
- The characters: Molly our main character I felt was very relatable. While I can’t personally speak to the fat, I feel the author did a wonderful job at portraying scenarios that may happen in real life and though this included fat shaming it was definitely challenged. The love interests were also distinguishable and had their own personalities which I appreciated as they weren’t carbon copies of each other with different appearances.
- The relationships: the friendship and family dynamics in this were really sweet. This book had a blended family that worked so well together and were fully accepting of each other. I love books with close family bonds it makes me wish my family were closer.
- The romance: if I didn’t like the romance that would be very concerning as 80% of the book is romance in one way or another. This was very much a slow burn which I absolutely love. I love the building of tension. I makes me more invested in the relationship.
Things I didn’t love
There nothing I particularly hated. I think there were some unnecessary chapters but that’s about it.
Overall I loved it. It’s not quite a 5 star but contemporaries rarely get 5 stars
Representation
Plus Size and Anxiety (main character), Lesbian (side character), Pansexual and Asian (side character), POC (side character), Bisexual (side character)
Content Warning
Underage drinking, fat shaming, homophobic comments
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia