{"id":33253,"date":"2017-09-08T17:07:01","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T21:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33253"},"modified":"2017-09-08T17:07:01","modified_gmt":"2017-09-08T21:07:01","slug":"review-of-the-upside-of-unrequited-by-becky-albertalli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=33253","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Upside of Unrequited, by Becky Albertalli"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Upside of Unrequited<\/em><\/p>\n

by Becky Albertalli<\/p>\n

Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins), 2017. 340 pages.<\/p>\n

This is a nice solid contemporary teen romance \u2013 or teen not-romance. I related to Molly, the protagonist, because I was all about unrequited crushes when I was 17.<\/p>\n

Okay, maybe I didn\u2019t have as many as Molly, who\u2019s had crushes on 26 different guys. But I know the feeling of watching seemingly everyone else pair up, and wondering if it will ever be your turn.<\/p>\n

The book starts out when Molly meets Mina, of all places, in the restroom at a club. Mina is exactly the type of girl who Molly\u2019s twin sister Cassie falls for.<\/p>\n

Sure enough, Cassie and Mina hit it off. But though Cassie has plenty of experience, she\u2019s never had an actual girlfriend before. When it happens, Molly starts feeling left out.<\/p>\n

And Cassie decides she\u2019s going to get Molly a boyfriend. And she\u2019s chosen Mina\u2019s good friend Will, who is admittedly hot. But meanwhile, there\u2019s this sweet geeky guy working at Molly\u2019s new summer job. Cassie points out that while Molly has never been kissed, she\u2019s also never been rejected. Maybe she needs to put herself out there? Cassie will make sure it happens!<\/p>\n

This is all set during the summer of 2015, when the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal \u2013 and so Molly\u2019s and Cassie\u2019s two moms decide to get married. The family has a wedding to plan!<\/p>\n

Like I said, I related to the plight of unrequited love. You don\u2019t see it often enough in young adult books! Though my heart went out to Molly \u2013 because all of her friends were talking about sex \u2013 who had it and what it\u2019s like, guys and girls both \u2013 just emphasizing that she seems to be the only one with no opportunity. It felt realistic for a modern teen \u2013 but I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t have to deal with that. So Dear Reader, be warned \u2013 this is a sweet teen romance, but there is a lot of talk about sex.<\/p>\n

But this is indeed a sweet story. I loved the characters. I loved the joy of the girls\u2019 moms when they could get married. (Living in Maryland, they drove past the White House to see it lit up with rainbow lights.) The twins had some other close friendships and I enjoyed the way those were portrayed, besides the pressure when everybody seems to have their own idea of who Molly should fall for.<\/p>\n

And I do like the look at this question \u2013 Can anyone possibly fall for a girl whose own grandma calls her fat? Aren\u2019t unrequited crushes much simpler?<\/p>\n

beckyalbertalli.com<\/a>
\nepicreads.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Teens\/upside_of_unrequited.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a>