The Upside of Unrequited (book review)

Released: April 11th, 2017
Pages: 338

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Goodreads

Ahhhhhhhhh, I'm so excited I got to read this book right away! Spoiler alert: I loved it. I got to read another 2017 book for my goal of the year to read more new releases, and seriously, 2017 hasn't disappointed me yet. And my parents got me the beautiful hardcover for me because it was published on my birthday! Happy birthday to me indeed.

Let's talk about the book.

My heart. You guys. This was so darn cute. I just want to curl up between the pages of the book and take a nap in the sun. It's the perfect summer beach read. Throughout the day, I'd find myself thinking about the book and how I couldn't wait to get back to it because every time I picked it up, I immediately relaxed and lost myself in the story again.

Molly's voice was so addictive and conversational. It was nothing fancy, but it was honest and funny and relatable. I felt like I was settled directly inside her brain with her every thought. She was part of the reason why the book was so compelling. Plus, she's obsessed with Pinterest and has a massive crush on Lin-Manuel Miranda, so what's not to love about her?

And the food. It's a good thing I read this right around Easter time, because I was craving Cadbury mini eggs pretty much the entire time. (Thanks to my little brother for letting me steal a handful of his.) I also want cookie dough in a mason jar, but that craving hasn't been remedied. Yet.

Guess what this book also had that YA readers everywhere have been begging for since forever? Family dynamics! Siblings! PARENTS WHO ARE ALIVE AND HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR CHILDREN. Molly and her twin sister Cassie interacted like realistic siblings. They protective of each other, they bicker, they love each other, they drive each other crazy, etc. And I LOVED seeing a healthy, non-sexualized, loving, committed, normal relationship between two women (who were awesome moms, no less!). So refreshing. Nadine and Patty made me giggle more than once. They're super cool and are friends with their kids, but they also don't pull any punches when Cassie and Molly misbehave.


OH. OH. AND. Guess what Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda fans?! Simon makes a cameo! And Abby, who is Molly's cousin! It was so fun to see them again and hear about Simon's absolute love for Harry Potter, even if it was only for a second.


Okay, but there was one little itty bitty thing I had a teeny tiny problem with.

But it wasn't a huge deal! When I heard that there was a love triangle in Upside, I have to admit, I was suspicious. And with good reason, because, as it's to be expected when it comes to 99% of all love triangles, it fell flat. I liked the nerd, Reid, go figure, because he's into the Ren Faire and Lord of the Rings and sends weird texts to his best friends and helLO THAT'S ME. The other guy, "hipster Will," didn't work for me, but I won't tell you what happens! Just go read it already!

I'm pretty sure you can guess what I rated this book.

Shocking, right?
 
Have you read The Upside of Unrequited? What did you think? What are your favorite books with lovable families? Leave a comment!