The town's local heroes all come together and begin an awesome friendship. As a group, they seek to fight against bullying and nastiness.

I truly enjoyed this novel! I want to live inside this book and hang out with these characters. This is a movement I can get behind and wish was happening in the real world.

In The Unlikelies Sadie is brutally attacked while trying to save a baby in the back seat of her drunk father's car. A video of the rescue goes viral and Sadie becomes an unlikely hero. At a local luncheon recognizing her and other local teens' heroics, she meets a new group of do-gooder friends. They decide to begin a movement attacking "internet trolls and bullies" and championing their targets. Things get more serious when they go after a heroin dealer in the hopes of helping an addicted friend. The diverse group of homegrown heroes (Haitian, Salvadoran, white and mixed race teens) will charm readers and inspire them to attempt to make the world a better place, as well as help them confront their own issues with prejudice, loyalty and friendship.

A 5-Star-Must-READ! This book has it all and bared it all! The "Unlikelies" are a group of mavericks with the simple goal of bringing kindness to the forefront of every day life and their unique kinship is born after each teen is honored for an extraordinary act of kindness in their hometown. The five teens simply begin by trolling websites for rude and nasty comments, replacing them with kindness and then asking others to join them. The summer escalates from there as the author delves deep into the lives of the diverse set of characters and their issues; drug-use, victims of violence and natural disaster, ugly rumors, and misplaced judgements. The author doesn't shy away from the ugliness of humanity, yet wields hope and kindness throughout the story like a ninja. YA readers will appreciate the realistic lens of bullying via social media and the techie way these teens disperse the online trolls. A must purchase for all YA collections and a perfect way to broach these sensitive and important topics!

Meg Oppelt, Librarian & Professional Reader

This book was not what I expected – in the best way possible! I was picturing a group of teens trying to be superheroes and fight crime. While there were some elements like that, this story was more about “do-gooding” and trying to improve the troubles in their Hamptons towns. They left care packages for people, wrote positive comments and compliments on blogs and slam pages, and helped the community in other ways too. The whole premise gave me a bunch of warm fuzzies. I hope there are really great teenagers like them out there.

There were definitely some unrealistic elements to the plot, but I think that made it even more fun. I loved that each character had quirky traits and diverse backgrounds. Jean-Pierre was a Haitian immigrant who was awesome at art. Gordie was the class valedictorian and helped people with developmental issues. Val was Hispanic and had a major school supply drive to assist the less fortunate members of her community. Alice was majorly into dogs and had a best friend with a heroin addiction (which was definitely central to the plot of the novel). And finally, the main character and narrator, Sadie – she was recognized for helping a baby escape her abusive, drunk father that kidnapped her. She had a lot of issues she was suppressing and I don’t think all of them got completely resolved. I didn’t expect them to by the end of the book, but I can tell that the therapy angle was a good start for her. I absolutely loved the dynamic of this group. Reading their group texts and witty dialogue was a lot of fun. I would totally read this as a companion series where each book focused on one member of the group and they continue their good samaritan work around their towns. (It’s not really set up that way, but just saying!)

I love the cover of the book even though it doesn’t necessarily relate to the book. If anything, there should be one more ice cream to have the whole group be represented! One “complaint” I have is that I kept forgetting this was set in the Hamptons. I’ve never been, but I love books set in beach towns or islands like that (Cape Cod, Nantucket, etc.). I wish there were even more beachy feels because it felt like it could have taken place anywhere.

Overall, this book was really a light beach read with some important, darker elements mixed in. I won’t get into the whole deeper crime-fighting premise, but the story is absolutely worth reading. I couldn’t put it down.

After saying goodbye to all her graduating friends, Sadie expects her pre-senior summer to be long and lonely. Then, she is catapulted to a new status, when she performs a heroic act, and is honored for her actions. At the recognition luncheon, Sadie forms an unlikely friendship with four of the other "homegrown heroes". Together these five teens embark on a revolution of kindness, trying to covertly right some wrongs.

This book was in the right place at the right time, because I really needed some kindness warriors to erase some of the week's events for me. This may be a work of fiction, but I hope it inspires the use of social media for good instead of evil. I was totally in love with all the positive messages, and because of that, I was able to forgive other things that were not perfect in this book.

I really liked getting to know all the characters in this book. The cast was very diverse with some quality that set them apart, but each also had a personal issue they were dealing with. Firestone painted an overall positive picture of these teens, but she did give them flaws, which I thought made them more real.

Sadie had an Irish ex-cop dad and a Muslim Iranian mother. She was recovering from a traumatic event, and also feeling the loss of her best friend.
Jean was an immigrant and gifted artist, who dedicated his time to teaching young artists, while he was recovering from the horrors he witnessed following the earthquake in Haiti.
Val an immigrant from El Salvador, who collected school supplies for the children of migrant workers. She had a boyfriends with Lupus, who was often unkind and controlling.
Alice used her gift for photography to help get homeless animals adopted. She also was trying to save her best friend from her spiral into heroine addiction.
Gordie dedicated his time to assisting at a center for developmentally disabled adults.
Their bond formed quickly, but because it was based on mutual respect and a common cause, it was strong. Watching their friendships develop and change was quite wonderful. When one was in trouble, they came to their aid. When one had a mission, they were there to support them. That's the most you can ask for in a friend. Firestone did not make it all ice cream and rainbows, there were bumps in the road, and many apologies had to be made, but they worked through their problems, showed grace, and forgave each other.

I am not going to lie, there were some plot points that were unrealistic, but this was a work of fiction, and when we talk about a means to an end, I forgive the OTT plot lines, because the overall message was so positive and made me feel good. But at the same time, Firestone made an effort to keep it real. She showed the upside and the downside to dispensing random acts of kindness. She showed how good it could feel, when things go exactly as intended, but also how disheartening it could be when things do not go according to plan.

You know if there is romance in a book, I will find it, latch onto it, and hold it tight. This book did have a bit of romance. It was quite sweet and adorable, and I had no problem shipping these two. I liked that they had some history, and there was something there prior to becoming the Unlikelies.

This book was amusing, dramatic, even inspiring. It was a lovely story of friendship and the power of kindness, and a story I enjoyed reading.

This was a fun read. Great for anyone who likes YA.

When Sadie leaps to the rescue of a toddler in a hot car driven by an obviously intoxicated man, she becomes a very unlikely hero. She is also invited to attend a special event for such heroes hosted by her local Rotary Club. There, she and the other "Hometown Heroes" bond and their adventure begins. After the horror of rescuing the toddler and being attacked by a drunken and angry man, Sadie is sick of the meanness, backbiting, and general trolling she sees her classmates and others involved in. From slamming someone's lip gloss choice to writing highly inappropriate comments on a student's pet project blog, her peers are just plain mean and so are many others she and her new friends encounter. This sets them off to do good, replace the ugly with goodness and hope, and maybe get some of the trolls to come over to the brighter side of life. This determination to do good sometimes fails horribly and sometimes puts the high schoolers in real danger, but through it all they know they have each other and are determined to see their project through. This is a wonderful novel that gives teen readers a great alternative to dystopias, failed romance, and the other typically YA genres out there. It could even be called "the feel good book of the summer" in this librarian's opinion. But make no mistakes, there is some dark material here, and some for-older-teens topics too, but this book was a refreshing read and I'm so glad NetGally and the publisher shared it with me. Kudos to Carrie Firestone. Advisory: There is some cursing, sexual behaviors, and drug use/abuse.

As much as I disliked Perennials, I really really enjoyed The Unlikelies. It was offbeat and creative and moving and it felt very real and honest. The characters were just quirky enough to feel interesting and just nice enough to feel trustworthy with my attention. I liked the richer backstories each character possessed and which continued even along with and because of the overarching plot. And I loved the setting.

My only thought would be that the money is too convenient a thing, but I suppose there has to be some of that if I am gonna love the Hapmtons as the setting.

Five teens spend the summer between their junior and senior year confronting bullies and shutting down drug rings....what could be more awesome. The book has been compared to The Breakfast Club, but I don't find that a fair comparison because not one of these five characters is a stereotype--not even from the beginning. The narrator, Sadie Sullivan (who is half Iranian, half Irish, all American), begins her summer recovering from injuries attained taking down a baby kidnapper. For that feat, she is honored at the "Hometown Heroes" reception by the local Rotary Club, where she meets the five other honorees: Alice photographs rescued dogs, helping them get adopted; Val collects and distributes school supplies to local migrant workers' children; Jean runs an art camp for kids, and Gordie volunteers at the Turtle Trail Recreation Center for developmentally disabled adults. The "do-gooders" get together shortly after the banquet, and out of boredom execute their first good deed--slamming down trolls on the website of one of Sadie's less popular classmates. Their success spawns subsequent projects and a name for their anonymous group, "the Unlikelies." Each of the characters has their own demons to battle, and their crusade for kindness and goodness doesn't always go as planned, but their bravery and effort definitely lead to results. Firestone's funny and dramatic story is inspirational without ever feeling preachy or didactic. Give this to adults who don't think much of today's teens, to teens who could use a little inspiration and motivation, and to anyone who enjoys a good story.

This is a really good read for high schoolers. Seeing Sadie take courage and do what she felt was the right thing to do was impactful. That action lead to her being nominated for the Homegrown Hero Award. The HHA luncheon led her to 4 other teens being given the same award, all for vastly different volunteer reasons. I really liked how they were able to bond and form an amazing friend group, the Unlikelies, especially when they had almost nothing in common to begin with other than helping people and maybe going to the same school. Sadie has a "mission" of sorts to work through and Alice has a friend she is trying to help through some pretty big issues but as a group Val, Jean, Alice, Sadie and Gordie help eachother and grow closer in the process. This story is a great example of how friends don't have to be just like eachother and that differences can enhance the bonds of friendship.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

What an unlikely hit. I thoroughly enjoyed this positive story with strong characters all dealing with various concerns and issues as they make their way to their senior year, especially since most of Sadie's friends were older. But she finds a group of friends after attending a Hometown Hero luncheon after a horrific tragedy in which Sadie, working at the farm stand, saved a baby from being kidnapped by the baby girl's drunken father who tried to beat Sadie off. Together they decide to combat trolls and haters and start with a boy at their school who built an awesome Mayan website and was trolled. They start by spreading positive messages on his page and their group is born. Feeling good about themselves by making others feel good.

It almost became a I Am the Messenger but was pulled back after Mr. Upton, who nominated her for the award, gave her directions upon his death to find a Raggedy Andy doll that happened to have canary diamonds in it to "spread good", though that was a weak link and really became a humorous, feel-good story about ways to spend time positively with friends though tragic things happen. Alice's best friend is suffering from a heroin addiction. Sadie's love interest and fellow Unlikely is Gordie, who everyone thinks is gay. But Sadie discovers that kindness really is infectious. Spread kindness.

I loved this one so much. It will definitely find a spot in our library!

The Unlikelies starts out really strong and then ends up just ok. Sadie was a likable character, and the rest of the gang was too. I think a teen would enjoy this, but as an adult I wanted to shake them for the dangerous situations they put themselves in.

As an adult, I was immediately transported back to the summer between my junior and senior years of high school. I'd started a new job and spent most of my days with kids from all other schools, and not only was it fun - it was really formative for the person I'd be heading into college. I hadn't thought about those days until I read this book, and it made me quite nostalgic.

The Unlikelies is perfect for summer read for teens and adults alike. It is charming and hopeful and just what readers need right now. Highly recommended for fans of Stephanie Perkins and Rainbow Rowell and anybody who enjoys a touching, realistic story.

This is a sweet contemporary fiction about doing the right thing, even when it's hard or unappreciated. I loved the diverse cast, a sliver of highlight on the disabled community, and the gentle but swoon-y romance. At the same time, it reveals ugly drug-usage, physical and mental trauma, swearing, drinking, and casually banging, and the effects of each...all of which I also enjoyed. All in all, it's a positive message for today's world wrapped in a trauma-drama that may keep interest high. Or it might just be too "nice" for kids to like it. I guess time will out.

Clever dialogue, well developed characters, Firestone doesn't disappoint with her new book, The Unlikelies. The social issues are varied in this book ranging from bullying to drugs that is not only entertaining but shares important messages too.

This book sure had a message, but it was so embedded in the stories of these unlikely high school heroes. I hope this book fins a wide audience.

I received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.
This book is in between three and four stars. It was a good book, and I liked the characters, but it moved too slow in some spots and too fast in others. A lot was going on, and there were many different social issues discussed including a sick teen, drugs, various cultural backgrounds, and financial status. I appreciate that the author found a way to wrap up the many things that teen deal with every day. While it is slow in some spots, it's worth sticking with it to get to the end. I already have teens in mind who I will share.

Dear Carrie Firestone,
We need The Unlikelies right now. We need them to bring their positivity into this negative world of social media, news coverage, hate crimes, and the anger people show to one another. I hope this starts a real Unlikelies group. I am purchasing this title for our library and recommending it to other librarians and teachers.

Review:
This is Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - if they stayed home for summer - and had boys mixed in - and did good for others. Okay so it's nothing like SotTP, but it has that friendship feel to it. But I really, really enjoyed the fact that this motley crew worked together to do good. This book comes at the perfect time we are living in. There are so many internet trolls out there, someone needs to fight the negativity. Actually, we all need to fight negativity.
This book brings friendship, romance, humor, tragedy...everything to make an interesting story. It was a quick read, and the story flowed nicely. I love that they are secret superheroes in their hometown. The characters are well developed, and it's interesting from beginning to end.

Sadie is a high school junior who hung out with the seniors, as her own class was full of losers. The summer after she said goodbye to them all, including her bestie, she goes to work at a local fruit and veg stand--at least, she starts the summer doing that. Then comes the Incident. Which changes everything.

Sadie is our narrator, fiercely observant, full of big questions, full of heart. She ends up at a community lunch where she meets some other local teens. The group of them get together, and then decide to form a secret organization that does random acts of kindness.

The story involves them all--goals, setbacks, motivations, promises. Problems, such as one girl's horrible descent into heroin addiction. Misunderstandings. Along the way, parents slowly become human beings, with pasts and problems of their own.

It's a fast-paced, vivid book full of typical teen humor, passion, grim things and good things. A dash of wish fulfillment, but in the best way. I found the book nearly impossible to put down.

I think teens and up would enjoy it, though parents who are on the watch for such things should know that there are some f-bombs here and there, and under-eighteens having casual sex. But I hope that those elements won't turn away possible readers: such a book, encountering various differing points of view and problems head on, and dealing with the consequences, has the potential to get parents and kids talking together about their own life choices. Communication, as illustrated here so well (sometimes heartbreakingly well), is so vital.