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A review by laurenbookishtwins
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
5.0
Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.
Oh my gosh, this book is FREAKING ADORABLE. The Upside of Unrequited is a fun, body positive, romantic (& absolutely adorable), sex-positive, diverse and an #ownvoices (for fat rep and Jewish rep) book.
Molly Peskin-Suso has had 26 crushes. All unreciprocated. None ending in a kiss. But she's never really given them a chance, fearing rejection. Her twin sister Cassie tells her to just "go for it", but Molly doesn't find it that easy, because while Cassie is extroverted, fearless, and slim, Molly is introverted and what her grandmother calls zaftig. And when Cassie starts to fall in love with a girl called Mina, Molly feels herself drifting from Cassie. But Cassie and Mina are determined to find Molly a boyfriend in Mina's best friend Will - he's charming, flirty, and seems to like Molly back. All is going well, but Molly is also falling for her cute, nerdy co-worker Reid, and she has to figure out her own feelings and whether to follow her sister and her friends advice, or follow her own heart.
If you haven't heard of this book already, then you must have been living under a rock. The Upside of Unrequited has everything a contemporary romance lover wants: great family dynamics, an adorable romance, a witty main character, and a fun summer vibe.
Molly has such a fresh, distinct, and fun voice. She's fun, sweet, witty and so utterly charming. She's so easy to read about, and it's a voice so rare in YA. Albertalli has a GIFT. Molly is a gem. I love her. She's probably one of my all-time favourite protagonist.
“Even if he likes me, I’m not sure he’d like me naked. I hate that I’m even thinking that. I hate hating my body. Actually, I don’t even hate my body. I just worry everyone else might. Because chubby girls don’t get boyfriends, and they definitely don’t have sex. Not in movies—not really—unless it’s supposed to be a joke. And I don’t want to be a joke.”
And the ROMANCE. GAH! It's soul-crushingly cute. I don't really want to spoil who she ends up with (& you don't really have to worry about the love triangle, because I think it's done fantastically), but I ADORE the romance. Definitely a highlight.
Another thing I loved about The Upside of Unrequited is the sisterly relationship and family dynamics. Molly's mums are <3333. It's such a loving and supportive family. But what I really loved was Molly and Cassie's relationship (I'm a twin myself) and I thought it was very well done, and I loved the exploration of their relationship and the inevitable drifting apart as they find their own significant others.
I just love this book. It has a special place in my heart. Whilst there are certain people hating on this book for it being a "diversity checklist", they are WRONG. It's real life. How they can continue to praise straight and white books for their realism, but can shit on a diverse book with a fat and Jewish M/C with anxiety is the epitome of privilege.
I would highly and enthusiastically recommend this book to ALL contemporary lovers out there.
Oh my gosh, this book is FREAKING ADORABLE. The Upside of Unrequited is a fun, body positive, romantic (& absolutely adorable), sex-positive, diverse and an #ownvoices (for fat rep and Jewish rep) book.
Molly Peskin-Suso has had 26 crushes. All unreciprocated. None ending in a kiss. But she's never really given them a chance, fearing rejection. Her twin sister Cassie tells her to just "go for it", but Molly doesn't find it that easy, because while Cassie is extroverted, fearless, and slim, Molly is introverted and what her grandmother calls zaftig. And when Cassie starts to fall in love with a girl called Mina, Molly feels herself drifting from Cassie. But Cassie and Mina are determined to find Molly a boyfriend in Mina's best friend Will - he's charming, flirty, and seems to like Molly back. All is going well, but Molly is also falling for her cute, nerdy co-worker Reid, and she has to figure out her own feelings and whether to follow her sister and her friends advice, or follow her own heart.
If you haven't heard of this book already, then you must have been living under a rock. The Upside of Unrequited has everything a contemporary romance lover wants: great family dynamics, an adorable romance, a witty main character, and a fun summer vibe.
Molly has such a fresh, distinct, and fun voice. She's fun, sweet, witty and so utterly charming. She's so easy to read about, and it's a voice so rare in YA. Albertalli has a GIFT. Molly is a gem. I love her. She's probably one of my all-time favourite protagonist.
“Even if he likes me, I’m not sure he’d like me naked. I hate that I’m even thinking that. I hate hating my body. Actually, I don’t even hate my body. I just worry everyone else might. Because chubby girls don’t get boyfriends, and they definitely don’t have sex. Not in movies—not really—unless it’s supposed to be a joke. And I don’t want to be a joke.”
And the ROMANCE. GAH! It's soul-crushingly cute. I don't really want to spoil who she ends up with (& you don't really have to worry about the love triangle, because I think it's done fantastically), but I ADORE the romance. Definitely a highlight.
Another thing I loved about The Upside of Unrequited is the sisterly relationship and family dynamics. Molly's mums are <3333. It's such a loving and supportive family. But what I really loved was Molly and Cassie's relationship (I'm a twin myself) and I thought it was very well done, and I loved the exploration of their relationship and the inevitable drifting apart as they find their own significant others.
I just love this book. It has a special place in my heart. Whilst there are certain people hating on this book for it being a "diversity checklist", they are WRONG. It's real life. How they can continue to praise straight and white books for their realism, but can shit on a diverse book with a fat and Jewish M/C with anxiety is the epitome of privilege.
I would highly and enthusiastically recommend this book to ALL contemporary lovers out there.