Becky Albertalli has to be hands down one of my favourite authors. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda was one of the best books I read a few years back, and The Upside of Unrequited, one of my most anticipated books this year, is more than on a par with it.

I don't really have words for how much I loved this book. I adored almost everything about it. Becky Albertalli's writing style, as usual, was great, and sounded so realistically like the voice of a teenager. I don't think I've read another author that writes such a realistic teenage voice.

Then there were the characters themselves. Even if I didn't like every single one of them, they were so well-written, and they formed a diverse cast too. The only characters I wasn't a huge fan of, were Cassie, on occasion - if only because she insisted in interfering, and also then got annoyed at Molly being reasonably angry at something she'd done - and Mina - I may never forgive her that comment about Reid. I would have liked to see to some extent, Mina get called out for the comment she made - Molly did mention it in her POV but I feel like it might have been better to have her confront Mina with that opinion. Because Mina never appears to change that view (though she only expresses it once), and I'd have liked to have seen that.

Besides that, for me, this book was near on perfect. And it's definitely one I'll be recommending to everyone.

I feel as though, if you read a basic plot synopsis for The Upside of Unrequited without any context or background information on the characters, it could seem like your typical girl-meets-boy YA contemporary. The thing is, it couldn't be further from typical.

Our main character Molly is a fat, Jewish girl with mental health issues and a wonderfully quirky sense of humour; she's a girl with an lgbt+ twin, two mums, and her and both of her siblings are surrogates. I didn't realise how much I needed a book with Molly Peskin-Suso as the main character until I read this. I absolutely devoured the entire book within a couple of hours, it was that enthralling, funny, and at times painfully true to life. Molly is a character you will connect with straight away - she's so likeable and easy to relate to, and I genuinely felt her anger on the rare occasions that she got mad.

As a girl who would be called overweight by a BMI calculator, Molly was a breath of fresh air for me. Finding a book with an overweight main character, especially a YA book, is such a rare occurrence - I actually can't think of any others that have one. Although Molly's life doesn't revolve around her weight (which was such a positive thing to reinforce!!!) she mentions issues that all of us slightly larger girls deal with - the chub-rub, the "you're pretty - for a fat girl" comments, the constant mental comparisons to skinnier girls - it's all dealt with in this book.

Anyway, although I really loved Molly (if you can't tell that already from my insane amount of gushing) I did also love other things in this book! Cassie perhaps wasn't the best sister at times, but I loved how she always called out things that were wrong, and she was always prepared to stand up for Molly, even to her Grandma. I loved her personality and I adored her and Mina. I wish we could have seen more of Mina though - I have to admit that I fell in love with her just a little bit. Nadine and Patty, Molly and Cassie's parents, were absolutely perfect, plus this is a YA novel where the parents were actually present in their kids lives! They were such a down to earth couple and definitely family goals. Reid and Molly were also so cute together, and again, it was a breath of fresh air to read a YA contemporary that didn't resort to instalove. I loved watching their friendship grow and the way that they bonded over a love of mini eggs and cookie dough - food based friendships are the best kind, and everyone knows it.

One of my pet peeves with many YA contemporaries is the attempt to include social media without actually naming any modern day companies or websites. I find that often authors will say the main character "logged into a chatroom" etc, and you just feel instantly disconnected and transported back to the 90's. I really appreciated that the characters in this used up to date websites and apps that we all actually use - they're always checking Facebook and Instagram, and Molly is a complete Pinterest addict. Although this is just a small thing, I do really think it helps a modern day audience to connect to the characters (I mean, who even uses chatrooms anymore? Do they still even exist?!)

Overall, The Upside of Unrequited is such a diverse, modern, and generally relatable book. I love a good contemporary, but I am so tired of reading something that tries to portray the real world, but it couldn't be further from it. Becky Albertalli's world in Upside - with a range of diverse characters, strong but complicated family ties, different religions, and hey, characters who aren't all a perfect size eight with a flat stomach - this is the real world, and it was absolutely perfect.

The Upside of Unrequited follows the story of seventeen-year-old, Molly Peskin-Suso who knows all about the world of unrequited love after having a string of crushes but nothing in return. Her twin, Cassie, is her complete opposite and everything changes, including their close relationship, when Cassie meets and falls in love with Mina, a girl Molly meets in a girl's bathroom (yay for female friendships formed in the toilets!!) Faced with being alone, Cassie tries setting her up with Mina's best friend, Will and he's everything Molly would usually go for. That is until she gets a new job and meets the Tolkien/Game of Thrones fan (who wears seriously white trainers,) Reid. What follows is a journey of self-acceptance, love in all its forms and a story full of diverse and fantastically written characters.

* My highlights *

MOLLY PESKIN-SUSO! Now on my list of my all-time favourite fictional characters. Molly is Jewish, fat and a surrogate child of her and Cassie's parents, Nadine and Patty. In other words, we have nothing in common but she is just so relatable. She's funny, has mental health issues (and medication is actually mentioned!!) and is the nicest person you'll ever meet. You root for her from the very first page. She's an avid fan of Pinterest and can make anything look good and she can bake the best cookie dough. I just want her to be my friend. Her weight is never an issue to her, she worries more that other people will judge her and that fat girls never seem to 'get the guy', or have sex or fall in love. I can't wait for the world to meet her.

FEMALE CHARACTERS! Other than Reid, Will and baby Xavier, this book is packed full with amazing and diverse female characters. We have the main family consisting of Molly, Cassie, Nadine, and Patty (and little Xavier.) Cassie's pansexual girlfriend, Mina. Olivia and Abby (close friends of the twins) and even their grandmother who makes a very controversial introduction but ultimately has good intentions despite saying hurtful things. They are all amazing, they all interact with each other, there is no rivalry (other than silly arguments), there's trust and they all have their own voices.

NADINE & PATTY! Not only are they an interracial f/f couple (one being bisexual) whose cuteness destroyed me but they are parents that are PRESENT IN A YA NOVEL YES YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY! They are involved in Molly and Cassie's lives without interfering, they have grown-up conversations with them (safe sex!!) and they have their own lives outside our protagonist's storyline to the point that we even learn about their pasts and how they met. I can't even express how important this is in a YA novel so I am incredibly grateful to Becky Albertalli.

**

Overall, this book is just so positive. It deals with coming-of-age, body image and our insecurities. It is a book full of LGBTQIA characters, amazing representation and genuine conversations. There are mentions of medication, masturbation (I should have another 'M' here right?) and (safe) sex. It is a funny, upbeat and sweet novel. It is has something for everyone - friendships, family and relationships. Molly and her relationship with Reid is slow-burning but realistic and when they finally got together, they were just SO cute. I do believe there are little cameos from Becky's previous book Simon vs but I haven't read that book so I can't confirm this. Definitely put this book on your TBRs for 2017, share it with your friends and show your support because this book is important.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (Penguin Random House UK, Children’s
Penguin)

Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genres: Romance, Teen, Young Adult, Coming-of-Age

RATING: 4/5

The Story

Molly is on the cusp of womanhood, though she doesn’t feel like it. She’s never been to a house party, never had alcohol, and never kissed a boy. That’s not to say she hasn’t wanted to; in fact, she’s had 26 unrequited crushes in her 17 years. But no matter what advice her twin sister Cassie has for her, Molly never has the courage to speak to boys. In fact, the only one she can speak to is the nerdy guy at the store where she works, but she doesn’t crush on him so that doesn’t really count, right? When Cassie begins dating Mina, Molly is pushed into a circle of friends she’d never normally hang out with, and she makes a pact with herself to let go of control and be daring. Speak to the boys. Especially Will, who might be the coolest guy Molly’s ever been friends with.

The Upside of Unrequited is a delightful look at the trials and tribulations of an almost-adult. It’s never easy to find love, but that doesn’t mean it won’t find you, in the most unexpected of places.



The Review

What strikes me most about this novel is that it made me remember. I’m 25, which I admit is not very old, but 17 still feels like a lifetime ago. Molly’s story reminded me about that time in my life, where everything was more emotional, more dramatic, more important. When I look back on my memories I don’t know whether to laugh or cringe, but I expect both is in order. Becky Albertalli has managed to successfully inhabit the teenage voice without being patronising, minimising or childish. Molly was someone I could relate to, and I understood her struggles.

As well as being a great example of how to write for teenagers, about teenagers, The Upside of Unrequited also reads like a love-letter to nerds. Being a self-proclaimed nerd myself, it’s nice to see them win every once in a while. Pinterest lovers will enjoy the crafty side to Molly’s personality, whilst LOTR geeks like myself will also find nods to their particular brand of interests.

The novel centres around Molly’s quest for love, but it also has a strong vein running through it concerning sisterhood, and the problems which can arise between siblings during young adulthood. All siblings grow apart a little as they transition from teenager to adult, but with twins this experience can be even more difficult. Molly and Cassie clearly have a very close relationship, but they are also distinct characters with their own ideals and aspirations. Albertalli handles this with care and realism. I completely feel for Molly when she feels that Cassie is drifting away, but I also totally understand Cassie’s desire for more independence.

I’m very impressed with this novel. What could have been a by-the-numbers story of a teenager wanting to find love is actually a thoughtful and accurate portrayal of what it is to be a teenager in today’s society. I think The Upside of Unrequited can give hope to those who feel like they’re always going to feel alone and unloved. There’s someone out there for everyone. I’ve also got to add that I love the subtle way Albertalli promotes LGBT relationships in this novel. Because it is such an important issue, I think that sometimes authors can shove it in your face a little too much. With The Upside of Unrequited, all the LGBT relationships just seem right. There are no ‘token gays’. It’s just real life.

The Upside of Unrequited is released on 11th April 2017.

Becky Albertalli can be reached via her website, tumblr, instagram and twitter.

So this is a very cute book, like super cute.

Imagine a rom-com, with very little conflict and lots of teen drama, but so much better because not everyone is white and not everyone is straight.

The Upside of Unrequited was a very realistic and lovely insight into an alternative family lifestyle that's loving and just as normal as any other. It's also a very complicated look at the self-esteem of teenage girls and how new romance can be affected by that. I very much related to main character Molly now, more so than I would have when I was as a teenager (skinny and in a long term relationship), but I still find that appealing and it's what makes Molly so lovable.

It's great to read a book where LGBT people are happy and living a happy life. It's possible, but many LGBT books concern themselves with so much drama and death and suffering. While I understand there has to be some drama within a book to actually have a plot, I found it refreshing that it didn't ruin everything in it's wake.

Advanced copy received via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

This is the story of Molly (and her many crushes) on the path to finding a love life.

I really wanted to read this one because I was pretty sure I could empathise with the main character; because really who hasn’t ever had a crush or been subject to unrequited love in their time. And this didn’t disappoint. I could easily identify with many of the feelings Molly experienced during the course of her story.

Molly was a lovely character. She was inexperienced, a little shy and very body conscious as are lots of people, but had some great friends and family around to support her. Even a well-intentioned Grandma who I really liked! The only character I didn’t like all that much was Molly’s twin, Cassie. I thought she was selfish and didn’t consider Molly at all especially considering how close they were supposed to be. I don’t even care that Cassie was embarking on her own new relationship. Her actions were just wrong although sadly very reflective of real life.

As soon as I met Reid in his Middle-earth tee I knew I liked him. Then when we met him in his Game of Thrones tee I knew I loved him and that was the ship for me. Hipster Will was just never going to be my thing. Of course you’ll have to read it to see who wins out in the end.

One of my bugbears with reading contemporary is references to popular culture, I just feel it dates a book so quickly. And there were many references used in this story. I didn’t actually realise Facebook was still so popular, but apparently so. I should probably say I do have a severe (and very unfounded) dislike for all things Facebook so you should probably take that minor criticism lightly. Though seriously Cassie, that move with the status update was a really sh*tty thing to do which just reinforces my view.

I genuinely think this is a story for today. It could not be more diverse if it tried. There was an abundance of richly diverse characters that had depth and made the setting very realistic and believable. It all came across as natural and effortless, just how it is (mostly) in life today. This is a huge credit to Albertalli’s writing. After Simon Vs and now this, she clearly has her style on point for today’s YA contemporary market.

My only negative comment about this story was how the downside of unrequited could have been explored a little more. I was never unsure about how the story would end so would have also liked to have been surprised maybe. But all in all it was a very sweet story.

This book made me so happy, I loved it from the first to the last page.

It's everything contemporary YA romance should be. The characters are relateable, Molly is unreal, I lost count of the amount of times I agreed with her and related to her so perfectly even though we have very different lives. I usually hate love triangles, but I felt like Molly knew what she wanted all along and was just a bit confused down to peer pressure more than anything- not the usual love-triangle-hell that I generally dislike in YA.

Cass and Mina are so adorable, as are Nadine and Patty.

Reid is perfection and is definitely going on the book boyfriend list.

The most important relationship of all is between Molly and Cass, I love reading about twin relationships and the incredible bond that they share. I love that there was a struggle between them here but ultimately they love each other too much for anything to get in the way. I really enjoyed the discussion about their lives going in different directions and how scary it was for both of the girls that wouldn't always be together for the rest of their lives. It was an incredibly well written relationship and I love them both very much.

This really is a character driven book, it's about how everybody is affected by everything in a family/friendship group and it's perfectly crafted. Becky Albertalli tells this beautiful coming of age story so well, with references to popular culture all over the place (who doesn't have a crush on Lin-Manuel Miranda?), as well as political discussions- mostly about the same sex marriage bill in the US & homophobia (with the awesome Grandma Betty) and the adorable fluff that comes with teen romance.

Also, I loved all the different layers of diversity that go on in this book. Different sexualities are explored perfectly and there's a genuinely wide range- bisexuality, homosexuality, heterosexuality, pansexuality and there is reference to a trans character too. I loved how casually all of this was dealt with, it didn't feel preachy at all. It was just normal, real life. Which of course it is- the way the diversity of love was written in this book was completely perfect.

I'm not convinced I've ever read a contemporary fiction book about a Jewish family and I loved that too. There are also characters of colour, who I feel were well represented too.

It's possibly the most diverse YA I've read and this only made the book even better.

I lost count of the number of times I hugged this book! Utterly heartfelt, sweet and funny, I defy anyone not to fall for Molly. This book is so needed and perfectly captures how it feels to be a teen who is still figuring out love. I loved it!

I loved this, so much. Molly is the most relatable character I think I've ever read about. This is up there with Dumplin'.

Also, I feel Known:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C31NJOQWMAAcz23.jpg:large

This book was hilarious and honest from page one. There is something so endearing about being 17 and the questions you have about life and love, and this novel conveyed this perfectly.

The story isn’t simply focused on romance, but so much more. It’s about growing up, family, sisterhood and equality. How growing up can sometimes mean growing apart but not always. The family unit Molly had were always strong and supporting and the fact that she has 2 moms is not a big deal to any of the characters in the book which is so great!

Molly was a great protagonist, she is realistic and definitely has a few flaws. Her low confidence really affects her but she has major positive character development throughout the plot.

The romance elements of this book were so sweet, I loved the slow burn romance but the sweetest has to be the relationship between Molly’s 2 moms. It is definitely a relationship you would want to settle down in.

One of the most surprising factors in this book was the mention of a couple of characters from Simon Vs the Homosapien agenda, it was really awesome to get a snap shot into their lives’ a couple months after that time line.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a different type of contemporary romance.

I enjoyed this book SO, SO MUCH.

Molly is a seventeen year old girl who's never been kissed. She has never been rejected, but she's never rejected anyone either. She's never given anyone the opportunity. And I think a lot of us have been there. But she decides she needs to be brave and this is the whirlwind story of what happens when she does.

This book is diverse and wonderful. It tackles a lot of self-doubt and self-confidence issues in an unapologetic way that feels honest and real and makes my heart squeeze. The way Molly untangles the relationships around her and realises they're a million different things all at once, unspooling threads, is beautiful and poignant and her acceptance of the way things WILL change - for better or worse - is a perfect culmination of the story.

Also: Molly's crush on Lin-Manuel Miranda. Join the club, babe.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Children's for providing me with an ARC of this book.