The Upside of Unrequited

 

The Upside of Unrequited is by Becky Albetalli.

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because 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. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And 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 an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

The Breakdown:
1.  This book was adorably wonderful.  I loved most everything about it.  The story, the characters, and even the setting. This book made me both laugh and cry.  It really does it me right in the feels sometimes, but I loved every minute of it.

2. Molly was wonderful.  She was awkward and funny, and little shy, especially around boys.  She was a character I could totally relate with.   I love seeing her interact with both her family and her friends. Plus her inter-monologue at times is especially hilarious.   My favorite was her inter stress over having to buy condoms one day and all that could possibly go wrong.

3.  I enjoyed the family dynamic in this book.  I liked that is was realistic, the family loved each other but they also had their fights.  Plus Molly's moms, yes moms as in a lesbian couple, were funny and sassy.  Then the grandmother who does not filter herself at all is amazing.  When I am old, I want to be that way.

4. I adored Reid.  Being a geek myself, I definitely have a soft spot for geeky love interests.   Plus the way he and Molly awkward dance around each other is cute, and so terribly realistic especially in high school.

To Read or Not to Read:
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