mrs_mander_reads
Written on Jul 6, 2017
Love, Victor is now a major TV series on Dinsey+, set in the world of the hit film Love, Simon
I don't entirely understand how anyone gets a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. It just seems like the most impossible odds. A perfect alignment of feelings and circumstances . . .
Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly is always careful. Better to be careful than be hurt.
But when Cassie gets a new girlfriend who comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick, everything changes. Will is funny, flirtatious and basically the perfect first boyfriend.
There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid: the awkward Tolkien superfan she could never fall for . . . right?
A heartwarming and hilarious story about growing up and learning to be comfortable in your own skin.
Praise for Becky Albertalli:
'The love child of John Green and Rainbow Rowell' Teen Vogue
'I love you, Simon. I love you! And I love this fresh, funny, live-out-loud book.' Jennifer Niven, New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places
'A remarkable gift of a novel.' Andrew Smith, author of Grasshopper Jungle
'Both hilarious and heartbreaking . . . Readers will fall madly in love with Simon' Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'A brilliant beacon of optimism and cuteness for LGBTQA+ youth in a genre often bogged down with tragedy and heartbreak. Books like SIMON do change people's lives' Waterstones Darlington Bookseller
'A wonderfully charismatic story about coming-of-age and coming out'. Bookseller
'Funny, moving and emotionally wise' Kirkus Reviews (starred)
'It made me laugh, cry and all the fifty shades of emotions I can think of right now. There is literally no adjectives that would be suffice to describe how brilliant this book is' Goodreads (5 star review)
'I think I just felt my heart explode in my chest' Goodreads (5 star review)
'One of the most electric, authentic characters I've ever read. . . I LOVE this book. LOVE it. Five freaking stars.' Goodreads (5 Stars)
Becky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed novels Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda and The Upside of Unrequited. She is a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with children and teens. Becky now lives with her family in Atlanta, where she spends her days writing fiction for young adults.
- ISBN10 0141356111
- ISBN13 9780141356112
- Publish Date 11 April 2017
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
Linda
Written on Mar 11, 2017
The Upside of Unrequited is pretty much a perfect book. I have not a single complaint, I loved everything from the writing to the characters to the story to the beautiful and extremely strong feels!
I was practically enchanted by The Upside of Unrequited - and I think one of the reasons was because I just understood Molly so very well. How she was a serial crusher, but never dared to completely put herself out there and try to see if the guy liked her back. From the safety of distance, she could crush and feel the butterflies, but make sure she'd never get hurt. And while I didn't think of it that way when I was her age, now, I think that may very well have been what I was doing, too. I was crushing on guys for various reasons, but I never went any further than finding out what their name was.
All the different relationships were so realistically depicted, and The Upside of Unrequited showed that a good YA can have parents present, and that two moms can be more awesome than a more traditional family. That twins can be similar in some ways and extremely different in others. There were strong friendships, strong family relationships, and new and old friends who got to meet as well. The vibe of getting to know oneself is one that Molly, especially, shared throughout the story, and I really loved to be with her for that self discovery.
Questioning change, understanding the necessity of it, while also seeing how tragic it can be is another very strong theme of The Upside of Unrequited. When we're on the cusp of adulthood, there are many changes, and some of them are really good while others are really scary. Both Molly and Cassie felt and tasted those changes, and they reacted to them differently. But they also reacted to them in quite similar ways. They both saw their own point of view first, then, with some help, they managed to take a step back an see things from the other's perspective as well.
The story is from Molly's point of view, and it's written mostly in first person perspective, past tense. There are a lot of dialogues, and text messages with emojis, too, to make everything more realistic. All the characters are well fleshed out, and I just feel both so happy and a bit nostalgic and sad at the same time now. The Upside of Unrequited is definitely a must-read, an amazing YA novel that can truly appeal to all ages. Open your mind, and let this fabulous family take you on a small journey of self-discovery, which might also be a trip down memory-lane.
I'm on the toilet at the 9:30 Club, and I'm wondering how mermaids pee. This isn't random. There's a mermaid Barbie attached to the door of the bathroom here. Which is a pretty odd choice for a bathroom mascot. If that's even a thing. Bathroom mascots.
"Perfect! You guys are the same age. I bet you have a lot in common."
Classic adult logic. Reid and I are vaguely the same age, so of course we're basically soul mates. It's like horoscopes. Somehow I'm supposed to believe that I'm similar in some meaningful way to every single person born on my birthday. Or every single Sagittarius. I mean, I barely have anything in common with Cassie, and we were born six minutes apart.
I can't seem to shake this perpetual awareness of being Molly.
Here's what I would never, ever admit out loud: a part of me always thought it was some kind of secret compliment when someone got called a slut. It meant you were having sex. Which meant people wanted to have sex with you. Being a slut just meant you were normal. But I think maybe I'm wrong about that.
shannonmiz
Written on Mar 10, 2017
This. Book. Oh my goodness, I am so in love with this book! I mean,how much can a person flail about a book before it becomes annoying? Because I might be testing your limits with this one.
But seriously, this book was relatable in ways I didn't think were possible. The thing is, it made me feel so... validated as an insecure human. In the sense that other people might actually be feeling these things I was feeling, the things that I figured no one else on earth was thinking. And if it can do that for me, I cannot even imagine how helpful it would be for a girl Molly's age going through the same thing.
There was tons of diversity, but it felt very authentic. The way the author weaved all the stories, every character was important. No one was there to just "check a box", every character was fleshed out and had a great role in the story. Molly's moms were so fabulous too. They cared about their kids and seemed just like real, authentic parents. Hell, they reminded me of me. And there were just so many positive messages in the book: it spoke openly and positively about medication for mental health, about sex, about body image. Oh, and the romance? Yeah, I adored it from the first minute it was a possibility.
Bottom Line: I wish I had this book when I was in high school. I am beyond grateful to have it now. It's an absolute must-read.
Sam@WLABB
Written on Feb 13, 2017
HEY, LIFE: STOP BEING SO AWKWARD.
I was so excited to get my hands on this book. Albertalli touched my heart with Simon, and I was eager to read more of her work. Well, I was not disappointed, as Unrequited was chock-full of all that warmth and adorableness that won me over in Simon.
It just seems like the most impossible odds. You have to have a crush on the exact right person at the exact right moment. And they have to like you back. A perfect alignment of feelings and circumstances. It's almost unfathomable that it happens as often as it does.
I have to believe, that most people can relate to having unrequited crushes, and feeling as though you are the LAST single person on the face of the earth. I know I identified in a big way with Molly. She was so stressed because she was not the movie-perfect teen, she didn't have the perfect body, she was a little awkward. I suffered from all those things for a long, long time. Those feelings on inadequacy and believing that I didn't deserve to have the type of attention and love that most people yearn for. These feelings radiated from Molly, and I wanted to give her hugs and affirmations. I wanted her to see the girl I saw while reading this. She was kind, loving, generous, talented, smart, witty, and wonderful. She had so many wonderful qualities, and I think that is why I was cheering her on for the entire book.
Except...sometimes I feel like I'm the last alone person. Like maybe there aren't seven and a half billion people in the world. Maybe there are seven and a half billion and one. I'm the one.
A HUGE theme in this book is "Love is Love". In fact, the story takes place as the Marriage Equality Act is enacted, and features many characters who fall under the LGBT umbrella. There are lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, and heterosexual characters. So, there is that idea of "Love is Love", but there is also the idea of loving yourself and loving who you are. There is the idea of loving a boy, who does not fit the physical or social standards. I felt that these ideas were really important, and I loved the way Albertalli integrated them into the story.
We like who we like. Who cares if someone else doesn't get it.
Molly and Reid were so sweet and adorable and funny and real. I had a huge grin on my face almost every time they interacted in the story. Albertalli did such a wonderful job depicting first love here. I found myself with shiny eyes and a wistful heart. It really took me back a long ways, and it was fun to visit those feelings again.
He smiles at me, and I smile back, and it's like someone put the world on pause. Just for a moment.
I struggled a little when I was trying to shelve this book. Obviously, there's romance, but it was more than that. I decided to shelve it as coming-of-age, because this is about a girl who is growing into herself. Her world is shifting and changing, and it's becoming very apparent to her. She is beginning to widen her world with new people, new relationships, new experiences, and it's scary and exhilarating and amazing and a little sad.
Can I just say, I feel like an utter failure, because I did not realize that Abby, Nick, and Simon were Abby, Nick, and Simon from Simon. I love that Albertalli did that (even if I did not immediately notice).
Overall: A wonderful, funny, and touching coming-of-age story filled with diverse characters and beautiful messages of love.
**I would like to thank Edelweiss and HarperCollins for the advanced copy of this book
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KitsuneBae
Written on Jan 12, 2017
Albertalli is now getting promoted from my Author Watch list to my Favorite Authors List. Though I enjoyed The Homo Sapiens Agenda more (Simon and Blue FTW), The Upside of Unrequited has its own charm to draw in readers to its universe. The whole set up of the story was very enjoyable, realistic, and an eye opener. So the story is about a seventeen year old girl, Molly Peskin-Suso. She’s a food lover, is fat, very creative, and has lots of crushes but surprisingly, none of them got to be her boyfriend. Her parents are lesbian and bisexual. Molly and her fraternal twin sister, Cassie, are sperm donor babies so is their younger baby brother.
The main theme of The Upside of Unrequited is not really about romance nor about LGBT struggles. It’s really about Molly’s coming of age, about her navigating life and finding her place. Molly’s a very good narrator and my 17 year old self could really relate with her jealousy, anxieties, doubts, and shyness. The whole time I was reading the book, I was either laughing, crying or nodding in approval because every thought, every struggle that Molly has to experience was very relatable. Everything felt so realistic and I’m glad that Albertalli didn’t glorify the life of teenager or inserted some dramatic, dark, and horrible stuff somewhere in between. It is what it is.
So people, young or old, you better read this because we all have a Molly in us at some point of our lives.
layawaydragon
Written on Dec 14, 2016
FYI: Fatshaming & Racist Grandma, Homophobic Aunt,
I finally read a Becky Albertali book! I'm still waiting on my Simon Vs hold to come through. Not reading Simon first didn't have any negative effects and didn't spoil anything for Simon Vs at this point either.
There were really great moments that I love love love. Like the musings on fat geeks, slutiness, the birth control talk, Molly teling people to fuck off, the rain scene, and the ending with Grandma.
Yay for Zoloft! I'm currently on it and it's working for me. I wish I had read books talking positively about mental health medicine. Yay Pinterest crafting and Lin Manuel Miranda!
This was really cute and sweet and funny and dramatic and emotional.
I was totally swept up in this and loved every minute of it. I totally see why people love her books so much. Part of me felt really seen.
Notes Made While Reading:
lol bathroom scene
yay zoloft
why so hard on Reid?
Interesting convo about "sluttiness"
hyperbolic AF. "75% of his body weight is eyelash"
aww Lin Manuel Miranda!!
Max is a dick.
Day Supreme Court makes same sex marriage legal across America!
Damn Cassie that is fucked up...
"We talk about what we like, not what we are"
Stand up for Molly like you did Mina!
Fatshaming, racist Grandma
That fat geek convo is SO TRUE!
Aww the rain scene!!
Aww hit on by party dude!
OH FUCK NO! "beautiful for a big girl"
Good for you Molly!!!
No Olivia, back off!
Oh poor Molly.
Poor Molly.
Saw that coming with Will.
Aww the birth control talk!
Aww Reid! lol "Please don't get spayed"
"Love is worth wanting"
Aww the caterers!
Omg Aunt Karen.
Omg, Grandma! Awwww.