The Upside of Unrequited

I’ve seen people on the internet RAVING about this book. I’ve seen the hype surrounding its predecessor, both the book and movie version. My closest friend read this book and described it as a book that changed her life and made her fall in love with it. So when a lovely manager at Penguin India said this book would be coming my way, I FREAKED OUT. I was VERY EXCITED, to say the least. I finished reading this book on a long distance car ride just yesterday, and while it wasn’t Earth shatteringly good, this book was one of the cutest and most accepting books I’d read in a while. ALSO, IT MADE ME WANT TO JUMP INSIDE AND EAT MOLLY'S COOKIE DOUGH. Who could even resist? Let me explain it in further detail: MY THOUGHTS: 1. WHY DO WE NOT SEE MORE FAT GIRLS IN YA BOOKS? Fat girls, like me, exist, and I’m SLOWLY (Very slowly) coming to terms with my body. Why is every protagonist out there “thin with legs for days” and “skinny and lanky?” I love the fact that Molly was a fat girl. I love that I SAW WHAT I FEEL ABOUT BOYS AND MY BODY REPRESENTED IN MOLLY. I love that I saw the insecurities, the comparison to other, thinner girls, the ever present shame that nobody could like because of your body. It summed up what fat girls feel like in a world where people are scrambling towards size zero and it did it perfectly. 2. Another thing I loved was how accepted everyone was in this book. There was no coming out or acceptance curve that books are usually about, the instead, things just were. Gay? Anywhere on the LGBT Spectrum? Good for you. Life your life. Love who you want to love. WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT and it created such an open, comforting environment. (Side Note: HOW DO WE MAKE THE ENTIRE WORLD LIKE THIS?) 3. I LOVED REID. I also loved Reid and Molly together. They were two smol adorable humans made of cookie dough and nerdiness and well, they were perfect together. 4. One of my biggest drawbacks in the book was Cassie, Molly’s sister. This surprised even me because when I started reading, she was my FAVOURITE Character. She was bold and fearless until that turned into her bring pushy, annoying and expecting everyone to bend around her will. She said things like: “Like, you know she’s my girlfriend, right?” and “You need a boyfriend to understand, Molly” and IT PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH. 5. I wish there was more parental supervision. I’m all for liberal parents, but these girls were SIXTEEN? Or seventeen? I’m not really sure but they were mostly allowed to do whatever they wanted which has never been my experience with parents. I LOVED THEIR PARENTS, I just wish they were more involved in the plot rather than the occasional dinner and good morning. And that’s it. I read my first Becky Albertalli book. FINALLY. The Upside of Unrequited is an adorable, diverse book filled with unconditional love, sisterhood and cookie dough. A MUST read.

I found this book tedious and confusing at best; indoctrination in disguise and sickening at worst. The characters were not relatable at all, nor were they particularly endearing. Cassie comes off as a priviledged b!tc# and Molly is a whiney oh-poor-me type, who gets everything handed to her in the end. As someone wo has struggled with my weight all my life, this is offensive and NOT an accurate representation of the struggle. Overall bad writing, questionable grammar and $#!tty characters. Pass on this piece of garbage.

“Sometimes, I’m a confusing person to be “ Molly Peskin-Susko is growing up, and she doesn’t understand why she seems to not be as good at it as her twin Cassie is. She feels as if she should be further along. And she’s sad, and she’s 17, and she’s on medication to help her with that. She and Cassie might be twins but that relationship is changing with Cassie’s new relationship... and her best friend moving...and now her mothers are getting married... and there’s this guy who’s about to become crush #25(?)… This is the summer of rebellion, and, if you take it as it comes, it may not be as bad as it starts out to be. After reading Albertalli’s “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda”, I quickly found this book, and as much as I adored Simon I wanted to hug Molly and tell her that it will get better. If I could, I’d give this book TEN stars. One of the best reads of 2018 so far. 5/5

The Upside of Unrequited is an amazing character-driven story about reaching outside of your comfort zone. The topics discussed in this book are natural and non-judgemental. The characters are strong. They make me laugh, cry, and feel angry when everything is going wrong. I need more of Becky Albertalli’s writing in my future!

This book was easy to read, down to earth, and just overall a great read! I love that Molly is heavier, I related to her a lot. She experiences the same self consciousness that I've experienced my whole life. This is definitely a book I would recommend. The story was very well written and easily relatable.

U don't really do reviews, but it won't let me rate it if not. Anyway, I did really like this book, like a lot. You should buy it. It has a good happy feel with minor sad parts, so it's sure to be a good pick me up if you're in a bad mood. So buy it, it's worth it.

This is a lighthearted contemporary young adult novel about your average teenage girl (Molly) and her life. Like most teens her age, all Molly really wants to do is get a boyfriend. Except not really. She has lots of other interests but when even her twin sister has her first relationship, Molly feels left out. This is a light read and fun. Molly is absolutely adorable. And why wouldn't hipster boy like her? Who wouldn't? She might not be a skinny mini but she's wonderful. Although for me - a nerdy boy who is a huge Tolkien fan ... well, I was rooting for Reid the whole time. Have a read and see if Molly ends up with a boyfriend or just new friends by the end of the story. Albertalli has a gift for capturing the true teen voice. Molly is real and the reader can't help empathizing with her situation. A wonderful mix of humour, drama, and adventure - check it out!

It all starts out like Molly can't handle life and then it all slowly bit by bit comes together and she gets what she wants. A boyfriend and a good life!?? Totally lovesick over this book!!

So, the only reason why I picked this book in the first place was since I was absolutely in love with Becky Albertalli’s first book. My expectations were rather high, as her books are normally filled with cute fluff, romance and nearly everything is relatable. The Upside of Unrequited definitely met my standards, despite how painful it was to read (Too many ships! Confusion!). Molly Peskin-Suso, the main character, has a great fear and worry over being rejected and because of this she’s never asked out any of her twenty-six crushes. On the other hand, her twin sister, Cassie, has no issue with asking out crushes; she’s never had as many as Molly though. When a cute girl comes into play, Cassie falls head over heels for her, and she attempts to pull Molly into a relationship with a boy which was ‘that cute girl’s’ sidekick. Of course, there’s more to the plot, but we can’t spoil too much. I assure you, you probably won’t be able to put it down when you reach the suspense point. Molly’s somewhat relatable dilemma. Personally, I don’t see too many issues in this book. Perhaps the constant swearing and other R-rated things, but then again, I don’t really care about that. It’s just… very, very frustrating to read. Every little detail is so hard to read, you just want to see these two characters get together already and for Molly to make up her mind. Ms. Albertalli is a very humorous writer, really getting into the mind of an insecure teenage girl that doesn’t think anyone could love her romantically. The way she writes out Molly, you can just hear Molly’s voice in your head as you read. Her character is on point throughout the whole story, never really straying from her personality. The others are like this as well, keeping to their personality’s as Albertalli slowly reveals their flaws and worries. Nearly all of the characters are impossible to hate, you end up loving every single one by the end. And that wraps up my review on The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. A humorous, relatable, realistic-fiction, young adult story. I do hope you decide to read it now.

Becky Albertalli is fast becoming synonymous with sweet, light-hearted YA that retains its substance without losing its sense of humor. At least for me. :) THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED is about first love and learning to be "less careful" with relationships, as Molly puts it, but it's also about coming into your own even when that means growing apart from your siblings, self-acceptance, and making choices in your own best interest. I related so much to Molly's struggle to support her friends' and family members' relationships, even when it feels like she might never have that kind of connection with anyone herself. And her anxiety-ridden over-analysis of every interaction she had with her crush gave me massive flashbacks to being sixteen and desperately trying to make sense of boy-girl relationships. The dialogue was so perfectly accurate and the friendships were perfect, and I freaking loved that Molly has two moms in an interracial relationship, and that the legalization of gay marriage in the US played such a major role in the story. I loved the wedding planning, and how diverse the cast of characters was--as well as how natural that diversity felt--as well as Molly's connection to her twin sister and her flirtation with Reid. THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED was a fun read from start to finish, and I loved that too.

That fresh breeze of diversity you're feeling? It's Becky Albertalli's The Upside of Unrequited. This book is honest, adorable, and so effortlessly inclusive. There is body-image, POC, LGBTQIA+ representation and it's exactly how it should be. The Upside of Unrequited celebrates being different, loving who you want to love, and just overall accepting who are you are and being appreciated for it. I loved this book so much that I immediately needed to read Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda right after! Now I will forever be on the hunt for everything Becky Albertalli writes. Make sure you guys get your hands on this book as soon as possible because it's so moving and incredibly sweet that no words will ever be able to express the amazingness of it.

The Upside of Unrequited was the perfect YA contemporary novel. It has two adorable love stories, twin drama, and absolutely wonderful parents. Molly and Cassie are fraternal twins with lesbian moms and a little brother. All three kids have the same donor father, but the girls were carried by one mom, and their brother was carried by the other. Both girls are falling in love for the first time, but it isn’t going exactly as planned. Molly, the narrator of the story, has had a bunch of unrequited crushes, but she’s never had an actual relationship. When Cassie starts dating a new girl (whose name I cannot remember!), they decide to hook Molly up with her friend, Will. Will is a pretty boy who Molly thinks is too cool for her because she considers herself fat…who knows if she actually is…but she’s willing to go for it anyway. Meanwhile, Molly has a new job working at a cutsie – think Etsy in 3-D – where she meets the owners’ son, Reid. I loved Reid. He wears nerdy t-shirts and he’s super sweet. This love triangle is oh so predictable, but I loved it anyway. Molly’s feelings about Cassie and her new relationship were so spot on. The twin parts of this story were probably my favorite. Gay marriage has just been ruled legal in all 50 states after the supreme court case, so Cassie and Molly’s moms are finally getting married. Molly is using her Pinterest-y skills to make the decorations. I loved this aspect of the plot. I loved that the parents were present, and that this book handled LGBT relationships without making them weird at all or preachy. The diversity in this book was done so well. I could go on all day, but basically this book was great. If you love YA contemporary reads, you should read this book ASAP. http://opinionatedbooklover.com/review-the-upside-of-unrequited-by-becky-albertalli/

Fantastic book by Becky Albertalli, after reading Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda I became her fan, her writing just goes directly into my heart, the way she is able to make us care for her characters to the level she does is outstanding, and I think is because her stories seem real and her characters also seem real and vulnerable that is easy to find some kind of connection with them. It has been a long time since I could fully connect with a character the way I connected with Molly, many times I found myself thinking about how often I used to say the things she was saying in the book or feeling the way she was feeling in the book, it was so refreshing to see a character like her, not perfect or trying to be, just real, taking it one day at a time and trying to find connections with people but at the same time being afraid of the world and what life has in store for us. The relationship between Molly and her twin sister was my favorite and I think that its because that has happened to me in the past, you grow up with someone are best friends but life sometimes pulls you a part or maybe you don’t feel as close but you are there for each other no matter what because every relationship has its ups and downs and you have to roll with the punches but also be really aware if the relationship is worth working on or not. The romantic aspect of the book was super cute! The interactions between them made me smile every time, the flirting was so dorky and the only way I can describe it is with smiley faces and heart emojis. We also have some cool connection with Simon vs, and a little cameo with Simon himself, maybe it’s just me that didn’t know about this already but I always freaking happy when I made the connection. To sum up, I LOVED this book and I can’t even begin to imagine how amazing her next book is going to be.

After reading Simon last year, I knew I was willing to read anything that Becky Albertalli wrote. And so when i heard she had another book coming out, I was super excited to see it what it was all about. "...that's the thing I'm most afraid of. Not mattering, Existing in a world that doesn't care who I am." pg. 38 Molly isn't scared to have a crush, but she IS scared of rejection. And as a self proclaimed fat girl, she has to make sure she stays away from being rejected. But one day, Molly find herself trying to choose between a really cute guy and a guy she shouldn't like at all. Right? "...if I had to describe the feeling of a crush, I'd say thi: you just finished running a mile, and you have to throw up, and you're starving, but no food seems appealing, and your brain becomes fog, and you also have to pee. It's this close to intolerable." pg. 56 After my last read being a bit of a downer, I needed a bit of a pick me up. And this one definitely did the trick. I wanted to read something that would have me laughing and this one did just that. Molly and all of the characters were absolutely hilarous and I loved reading about them. "Goal: Don't be weird and awkward." pg. 69 One of the main things I loved about this book tho was the familial aspect. I absolutely ADORED Molly's entire family. They all had their own dynamic and I LOVED that her moms were constantly there and actually acteed like moms. That's rare in YA and it was refreshing to see such a great family unit. "I'm not trying to over think things. I'm trying to be less careful. But you have to be your heart's own goalie." pg. 145 I also really liked the romance in the book. Every single part of the romance was completly adorable. And I mean EVERY character that was involved in something romantic was absolutely adorable. I don't normally care about anyone other than the main character falling for someone, so I knew I was in love with this book when I got the happy's for someone other than Molly. It was all auper adorable. "Maybe my company is even better than making out- which is pretty much my goal as a human being honestly." pg. 159 And last but not least, I loved how it was so 100% relateable. I too suffer with body image issues, not only back then as a teen, but also now. I also didn't think I deserved to be with someone else either. I also have anxiety and her spiraling and everything is definitely something that happens to me almost on a daily. In other words.... If I can see myself in this, I'm sure teens can. "We like who we like. Who cares if somene else doesn't get it? Thats a good thing. That's less competition." pg. 211 Everything I love about a book was included in this: Romance, times when I laughed out loud, and even being able to relate to the character. And because of that, I will sing it's praises from where ever I am. Albertalli has hit it out of the park again! I can't wait to read Leah on the Offbeat coming in 2018!

Just like Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda, I ended up reading through this in a single day. Becky Albertalli is amazing at creating "unconventional" characters and putting them at the forefront of her stories.

I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of that time in life when changes are happening so fast you feel like you can't breath. I liked all of the characters and the mushy relationship stuff. It was a good light read with some angst but nothing intense.

The Upside of Unrequited is the book I've always wanted but never thought I could have. Endlessly smart, earnest, and embarrassing, Molly's story is one we can all relate to, one we definitely need more of. Hands down the most meaningful, witty, and satisfying book I've read in the last year - a true new favorite. Do yourself a favor: buy it, clear your schedule, read, and rejoice, for Becky Albertalli's new book is even better than the last.

This book, like Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, was a story full of sweetness and smiles; of happiness and sadness; of sad rawness and happy reality. The Upside of Unrequited is another book written to make one smile, to bring a voice to marginilised communities. Its author, Becky Albteralli, does this very well. There is a realness to her books, a relatability to her characters, that make the stories so easy to read and follow along with; leaving you rooting for more. The Upside of Unrequited tells the story of Molly. A Jewish girl; an overweight girl, a girl who is losing touch with her twin sister and her best friend. Her sister, Cassie, gets into a relationship with another girl (Mina) and from that moment on, the two start drifting apart and Molly isn't sure she's happy with what is happening between her and Cassie. It is a story of romance, of siblings slowly drifting apart and of how someone can get lost in the negativity of their self-image. It's a novel that made me smile several times (the Lin Manuel Miranda reference had me literally almost squealing in the train and don't get me started on when Simon showed up). The novel made me sad a couple of times. In the end, I'm incredibly glad I read it. I would give the world to get more stories written by Becky Albertalli.

As soon as I saw Becky's name on the cover, I knew it was going to be something I would read, so I went into this not knowing anything about it. Love love loved Molly. She's smart and insecure and funny and unsure. I don't think I've ever identified with a MCs inner monologue as much as I did with her. Cassie and Mina and Reid and the rest of them were all fabulous, but this is 100% about Molly and Becky portrayed that perfectly. I'm a huge fan of positive and present parents and Nadine and Patty were some of the best. I enjoyed the family dynamic, even the crappy parts. Sure, there were parts that were wildly overdramatic, but there's also a line about being 17 and feeling like everything is either the end or beginning of the world. And that couldn't be more accurate. I say it's overdramatic because I'm an adult now. {SOBSOBSOB} Overall, it was sweet and heartbreaking and fluffy and such an amazing book. It's exactly what I wanted to read. **Huge thanks to Balzer+Bray and Edelweiss for providing the arc free of charge**