Name: Wes Michaud's review of The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Item: The Upside of Unrequited
Rating: 5
Author: Wes Michaud

Becky Albertalli

The Upside of Unrequited

Nikas

I don’t entirely understand how anyone gets a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. 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.

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. 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.

The upside of unrequited

vinny<3

I hate hating my body. Actually, I don't even hate my body. I just worry everyone else might.

Because chubby girls don't get boyfriends, and they definitely don't have sex. Not in movies—not really—unless it's supposed to be a joke. And I don't want to be a joke.

kari <33

I look up, smiling guiltily – and I catch a sudden glimpse of myself in the mirror across the room. 

It’s the weirdest thing. My hair is unbrushed. I’m wearing what may actually be one of Nadine’s maternity shirts. And pajama pants. And there’s a spot of toothpaste  in the corner of my mouth. 

But for the first time in maybe ever. I feel really beautiful. 

“Because when you spend so much time just intensely wanting something, and then you actually get the thing? It’s magic.” 

All of a sudden, I feel like crying. In a good way. It’s butterflies and haziness and heart eyes, but underneath all that, there’s this bass line of 

I can’t believe this. I can’t believe this is me.

I can’t quite articulate the sweetness of that feeling. 

It’s finding out the door you were banging on is finally unlocked. Maybe it was unlocked the whole time. 

Lara Wieland

Wes Michaud

Yet another Becky Albertalli book I loved I love this book so much I thought I already had a review for it and was surprised I didn’t. This book was so fun and such a fun read it warmed my heart and I love the little glimpse into what Simon and the gang were up to

kelsey

Nabila Azahra

chloe rae

Well, this book is just DELIGHTFUL. That was such a fun and sweet read! I've been in a weird reading place lately; nothing is really grabbing my attention. I think that might be a reason this isn't 5 stars. I absolutely ADORED the book, but it was just a tad too slow for me? I knew what the endgame was but it just felt like it took a long time to get there? And I feel like the plot was a little mushy? I don't know if this is just me being in a slight reading slump but that's honestly the only thing I didn't LOVE about this book.
Because, I really freaking LOVED this book. You want to know what I loved about it?
Literally EVERYTHING else.
The friendships, the family relationships, the representation, the romance, the growth we see in the characters, the WRITING. God, Becky is just so damn hilarious.
The main character of this book is fat and I can't tell you how many times I felt like Becky was legit reading my mind. The main character, Molly, was just so relatable and real. I feel like I understood her more on a body-image level than I maybe have with any other characters EVER. Really. Becky just nailed what it's like to be fat; the thoughts that come along with it, how it affects your life. It wasn't even this super huge focus or anything, it was just a part of Molly's life. It was refreshing.
Damn, it was just so good.
And not only is this book important, it's necessary. Highly recommend!

Deepika Ramesh

I approached The Upside of Unrequited with some expectations because I enjoyed Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. (I devour YA, Middle Grade, Picture Books, and Children’s Literature. In a conversation with a friend, it occurred to me that maybe I am making up for all the time I missed as I started reading only from 2015.) I digress. Sorry.

Molly has had 26 crushes. While her twin Cassie is all that Molly can’t be, Molly wonders what does ‘falling in love’ mean, how does one feel while kissing, and worries about other cute ‘existential’ questions. :) Their parents are moms, their brother is 16 years younger than them, Cassie’s girlfriend is pansexual, and there are other endearing things in the set up. Molly is also dragged down by the perception that she is fat. If not for the generous diversity in the book, it could have been our regular, saccharine YA. But diversity is all that matters in The Upside of Unrequited. Becky Albertalli explores body-image issues, homophobia, racism, the usual teenage angst, and offers a story that is meaningful and adorable. 

…when you spend so much time just intensely wanting something, and then you actually get the things? It’s magic.

So cute.

I love reading books with diverse characters. Love how the characters deals with sexuality, body image, society, and life as an awkward cool teenagers. I cant stop comparing it to the author's first book and Simon's was one of my top reads of 2015. This book was okay compared to it but still quite a read.

debre

i cried, i laughed, i felt everything Molly was feeling and this book is so precious and a definitely must read.

The journey of a sixteen year old girl dealing with unrequited crushes, with her family and friends, with self acceptance and with truly falling in love for the first time - in a requited way!

—  This book is such a delightful comfort read! 

It's light but still very touching and explores the themes of body image issues and body positivity so beautifully. I'm always looking for fat representation and fat positivity in books, making this read even more perfect.

Familiar and platonic love are also very beautifully portraited!

It's one of my favourite books and one I always recommend. Molly is a wonderful main character, being both lovable and relatable to us fat and hopeless romantic girls everywhere. Also Reid! The loveliest boy!

The journey of a sixteen year old girl dealing with unrequited crushes, with her family and friends, with self acceptance and with truly falling in love for the first time - in a requited way!

—  This book is such a delightful comfort read! 

It's light but still very touching and explores the themes of body image issues and body positivity so beautifully. I'm always looking for fat representation and fat positivity in books, making this read even more perfect.

Familiar and platonic love are also very beautifully portraited!

It's one of my favourite books and one I always recommend. Molly is a wonderful main character, being both lovable and relatable to us fat and hopeless romantic girls everywhere. Also Reid! The loveliest boy!

<3


alexandra

"Reading The Upside of Unrequited was like eating a jelly doughnut: sweet, satisfying, and bursting with everything you could ever dream. With its honest plot, I don't think Becky Albertalli could have shared a more accurate representation of our modern age and the everyday teen's struggles." ❤

becky albertalli strikes again with the amazing, amazing novel filled with all the great things. i couldn't stop smiling while reading this because it was just SO HONEST. all the interactions were real and it stopped feeling like a ~book~ with words on pages. this is when i say the words floated off the page and i was watching the events unfold. there was amazing representation for PoC, LGBTQ+, body-image, teenagers as a whole, and just... everything! 

the one minor (minor!) complaint i have is about the pacing. sometimes the book would feel dragged while other times it would be rushed. it might've been because there isn't much going on with the plot and it's more about the characters. i like the main character's development, but she could be – i don't want to say "annoying" but it was kinda annoying – at times. :// but i LOVE the way becky voiced her insecurities and how she grew over and accepted it. the romance was also super cute, as expected! <33

i thoroughly enjoyed this book. although i still like SIMON VS better, UPSIDE was still really amazing. (in UPSIDE's defense, SIMON VS holds a special place in my heart that is very very hard to replace.)

Megan O’Connod

Spoiler free RTC on my blog which I shall leave below

Lacy W

Find this review and others like it at aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

tw: fat shaming (challenged), slut shaming, sexist remarks (challenged), racism (challenged), underage drinking, swearing

I am just going to dive right into this review because I have a lot of things to say. I’m not saying I didn’t like the book because I did but there’s a lot to unpack in this book and I have a lot of feelings about this book. So hold on because what I have to say might be a tad on the unpopular side but I wouldn’t be a good reviewer if I didn’t say exactly how I felt about a book. 

Alright. So let’s just start with the main character, Molly. There were good and bad things about her. Let’s start with the good. Molly has anxiety and takes meds for it. I love that. Not that she has anxiety but how accurate the anxiety rep was. There were racing thoughts and the obsession about certain things. It was just really well done. Not to mention, the normalization of taking medication to help with the anxiety. It was just so casual and there was no medication shaming. There needs to be more of that in YA books. Overall, in terms of anxiety rep, I loved it.

However, that was the only good that I enjoyed about Molly. She was incredibly fixated on boys, kissing, sex and her body. It got to be very annoying very quickly. I get it. She’s 17 years old and when you’re 17 all those things mentioned are a pretty big deal but Molly based her entire self worth on it. That isn't the kind of message young and impressionable girls should be seeing. I know that if I had read this book when I was that young, it would have affected me quite a bit. 

I would just love a book where a MC is fat and proud. I am sure there are some books out there that have this message. I know that I need to look further into it. It’s just frustrating that Molly only thought she was beautiful once she got a boy. Ladies, y'all are beautiful no matter what a guy says. Don’t base your entire self worth upon the opinion of a dude (or a girl). Because in the end, you are responsible for your own happiness. A significant other should enhance the happiness, not just be happy. I wish that could have been the message.

Moving on from Molly, one thing this book does well is capture the messy and complicated relationship that is sisterhood. As you all might know, I have a sister. She is my very best friend and my mini me. But our relationship isn’t always smooth. Sometimes, there are fights and cattiness but in the end, I know I can rely on her. This book captures that dynamic well and it was my favorite part of this book. 

The amount of diversity, especially LBGTQIA+, was incredible. Molly herself was straight but her sister was gay. They have two moms, one being bi. There was another character who was pansexual as well. It was very refreshing to see this and it made me very happy. 

One last point before I wrap this up. While this book has many positives and negatives, the thing that bothered me was how slightly unrealistic this book was. I don’t want to sound awful but everything was so chill. There weren't any real world problems besides one family member that was homophobic. Everything was just happy go lucky. Which, don’t get me wrong, is always nice to read but it didn’t quite work with the story.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. It had great diversity, accurate anxiety rep and more. While the MC was a bit much for me, I think a lot of ladies can relate to her as long as they don't retain the message that you are only viable when someone wants you. Overall, I’m happy I read this book.

Jamieson

“I don’t entirely understand how anyone gets a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. 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.”


3.5 stars!

I, like Molly, am a Chronic Crusher. Maybe not 26 crushes, but a few - blonde ben, biker conor, buswalk alex, supermarket kalen, dimples melanie, tutorial girl, tutorial boy Tom (current). probably more from high school I can't remember. 

So straight away this premise held a kind of familiarity to me. There are things Molly talks about and deals with that I think many people can relate to - alienation, ostracisation and a kind of weird sense of shame when you're not as experienced sexually as some of your friends, or you're not in a relationship. There were events and scenes that I have literally experienced myself - not at 17 like Molly but definitely in my earlier years of highschool, that made this book completely relatable to me. 

There was a popular review criticising the book for it's representation of a character who really, really wants a boyfriend and the implication of that desire. 
I don't usually address other reviews, because staying in your lane is a thing but --- I just wanna make one point: 

I think this book does make a point in saying it's insane the amount of societal pressure there is on people to have relationships. Think of all the movies and stories we hear - the "I had my first kiss in year 1" trope, the "highschool sweetheart" - so much media we consume shoves the idea of romance and relationships at us, and alientates those who don't have that relationship story. People who've never dated by adulthood are shamed and ostracised all the time - and I think this book tries to address how ridiculous and crazy that is.

I think the linked review is very, very true though. I think that the point that no one should be shamed for being late to get in a relationship was kind of missed. Which was unfortunate, because I think it would have been a good message to send. 

But this book does make some really important commentary regardless. One theme that literally made my heart sing was the discussion about sex and womanhood. 


  “Yeah, that's pretty fucking problematic... the implication that becoming a woman has anything to do with whether or not you've had sex. And you know what, I'm pretty much done with this construct of 'virginity' " Cassie does airquotes. ... "I mean, I think people have this mentality that sex is only real if it involves a penis.” 
 

I thought lots of the discussions about lgbt+ people and sexuality were soo important and well done. Like, seriously, I think this is the first book that explicitly talks about sex between two girls and how it's just as valid even if it's not "penetrative". I think it's so important these discussions are in YA book, I wish I'd had them when I was 15/16 and really needed them. 

Just in general the diversity was amazing, and the representation of so many different kinds of people was such a big plus of this book. Molly is fat and has diagnosed, medicated anxiety. Cassie is gay, Mina is Korean-American and pansexual. Molly and Cassie are sperm donor babies, with two Mums one of whom is a poc. If you love representation and diversity in books like I do, Upside of Unrequited will definitely have something for you. 

I also really loved how there were discussions about the impact of boyfriends/girlfriends on friendships and other platonic relationships. I think everyone has struggled with losing a friend when they've moved onto a boyfriend/girlfriend and I liked that this book addressed how hard and crippling that can be. 

It was unfortunate there were a few things that let this book down because it could have been great? It was kind of boring, and I think it totally missed the mark when talking about feminism. There is one bit when Molly says it's "not feminist" to want a boyfriend! So totally not true, feminists aren't anti-romance ? It's sad thats that the movement is being equated to. 

Cassie and Molly were so problematic, and even if some things did get resolved, the way Cassie used Molly as a prop was so gross. It was countered by Cassie defending Molly in other areas, such as against her grandmother when Molly's weight came up - but it didn't make up for stuff before. I do think it was a good representation of the complexity of sibling relationships, but I just wish they'd TALKED more about their issues 

Ultimately,  what really put me off this book was that none of it allowed any self-validation. Molly ultimately finder her validation and self-worth not through herself, but through acquiring a boyfriend. I really want books to stop saying a relationship is a perfect fix for every little insecurity we have - I would have LOVED to see Molly assert herself, claim her own agency and body rather then waiting for her boyfriend to "make her feel beautiful". 

I do think this book totally fell down in some areas, but was so on-point and original in others. But honestly,? I really really hope more books like this come out. I really want to see characters talking about how their sexuality is valid, and talking about how their non-traditional family units are valid. I want the subversion of the nuclear family and the positive representation of ALL body types and teenagers dealing with more and more complex issues. 
I've read many, many contemporaries and I think this one dealt with some of the most pervasive issues teenagers and myself deal with - and some of the ones that go the most unnoticed. It is incredibly heartwarming to see two girls relationship written so nicely, and to see so many didn't types of people represented with agency and complexity and not be reduced to overdone tropes.

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** spoiler alert **
           Not to be Dramatique™ (yes, purposeful misspelling). But uh, this book? Would take a bullet for it, honestly. It was cute, it was fun, it was........... let's just say that I am emotionally drained. It's actually the first book of its kind that I've ever read, in the sense that for the first time probably ever (except for Nina Zenik from Six of Crows) that I've read about a character who is fat. Is canonically fat, and is not used as comedic relief. And as a fat kid who honestly low-key (HIGH-KEY) ~struggles~ with my own fatness and insecurities about fatness, this hit home. But enough about me (I'm boring).

I found this book to be pretty simply written, and I DON'T mean that in a negative sense. I mean it in a it was really easy to follow way. I also appreciate the fact that it was written in first person, because... I don't know, it just feels like a 'first person' kind of book, yanno? It helped me connect more with Molly, too, and being able to see and think her thoughts 'alongside' her added I think, a different side to the book, especially when Molly is such... a mess of a person (but uh, big mood).

I didn't put this book down. I borrowed it from my school library, got home, started it, and finished a bit after dinner. It was kind of a weird feeling, reading this book. I didn't feel like an outsider looking in. I felt like I was reading a book that had parts of a non-existent, deeply personal diary of mine. There was so much stuff in this book where I was like: "Holy hoot, this is a ~thing~, not just me being a dramatic, fat, twat." And like !! That's a kind of cool feeling.

I really enjoyed (for the most part) the dynamics between Molly and her twin, Cassie. It seemed like one of the most accurate sibling portrayals I've read, and I was glad to read something that wasn't just full sister-hate, because screw that. Their relationship went through a fair amount of strain, and they did have a fair amount of fights, but just their understanding of: 'that's my sister, she's pissing me tf off and it's not fair but I still love her and miss our closeness' was really cute to read, and I was just constantly rooting for them to be besties most of the time (other times I wanted to jump into their world and strangle the hoot out of the both of them). 

The romances in this book were nice! I say 'nice', because I honestly didn't really care that much about Cassie and Mina, and from the introduction of Reid I immediately gave Will the flick. Reid. Reid. Reid. Reid. Reid. He's such a good dude, he's such a softie, he's such a cutie. Like honestly, Will could NEVER. I don't even know what to say. I just adored Reid's character, and I wish I could just read more about him. 

Now, whilst I did pretty much like almost all of the characters, I did feel like some of them were slightly empty shells. Max, I think was the emptiest of all, but he was a pretty minor character so I really don't care that much about that. Will was also a slightly hollow character. It felt like he was just introduced to kind of add an aspect of: "Oh WoW Now tHEre's two Boys ThaT shE liKeS WhOEveR wiLl SHe ChoOSE??!?!?!?" And I didn't give a solitary hoot about him generally, and when he was gone, believe me, I did not care.

Thought that Cassie was a bit of an... ass a lot of the times, but I'm not faulting her entirely, because she's a teenager, and by virtue we are the worst. The absolute worst.

Another huge thing that I loved in this book was the diversity and representation. For starters, Molly is fat (it's pretty rare to see fat protagonists that aren't comedic relief, so hurrah!), and she and her sister are sperm-donor babies, they are from a mixed-race family, with two mums, and as a cherry on the top, they're Jewish (so is Reid and his family!). Cassie is queer, and in a relationship with a half-Korean half-Caucasian girl called Mina. 

THAT being said, on the topic of Mina, I rolled my eyes during her introduction as soon as it said 'her hair is a dark shade of purple'. Because honestly, every female East-Asian character in books that I've read have streaks in their hair, and it's almost always purple, and it's annoying to say the least. But at this point, I'm nitpicking (maybe).

All in all, I really loved reading this book. It was cute, and heartfelt, and sad, and yeah I wouldn't categorise myself as a 'crier' but I definitely wept. Also, I would lay my life down for Reid. So there's that. Also the fact that Molly and Reid are characters that I'm not just going to stop caring about once I close the book. I'm probably going to think of them every time I see edible cookie dough, or pinterest-y weddings, and I'm gonna wonder how they'er going. Which is stupid, because they aren't real, but also I love them them. And have I mentioned that I would lay my life down for Reid? Because I would lay my life down for Reid. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

tina

3.5 stars

aww this was so cute and fun to read and sort of relatable to be honest (very relevant to me at this moment since i was recently questioning my self worth bc nobody’s ever shown any romantic interest in me ahah),, anyway rtc

Izza

Jude Moon

Molly hasn't been as great as i thought she would be bt in general i really enjoyed hearing from her perspective and seeing her growth throughout the book. All of the scenes with Reid had me dropping all of my uwus and I have bsclly adopt them bc they're THE CUTEST. Molly's family were also a great addition to the story, i now want a family like that for me. 8/10

Rachel Evans

(3.75/5) Audiobook 5 hours 36 minutes - I enjoyed listening to this book quite a lot. I liked all the characters, and I didn't find the plot overly unrealistic, which is quite rare for contemporary YA books - they usually contain huge, unrealistic coincidences that the reader is forced to just accept, but this book felt like it could just happen in real life for the most part. I absolutely loved that the characters tied in from Albertalli's other books - I didn't expect it and I was so excited when I realised that the Abby in this book is the same Abby as in Simon vs. the Homosapien's Agenda, and Leah on the Offbeat. One issue I did have with this book however, was sometimes, the same problems were just talked about too much, with too much time until they got resolved, which made it slightly boring in parts. Also, sometimes the language the author used was simply just cringy, and while I realise it is an attempt at humour, just felt more like second-hand embarrassment. All in all though, this was a good book about teenage relationships of all kinds, and I did enjoy it.

Alice Myles

BECKY ALBERTALLI IS A GENIUS literally I will buy any book she puts out I love her so much, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I enjoyed Simon but I don't think I'll ever enjoy anything as much as I enjoyed Simon but that's just life isn't it (the best parts of this book were the parts with Simon just saying) All in all I enjoyed this a lot and I'm in love with Reid (view spoiler)[I'm so glad Molly ended up with him (hide spoiler)] and I found I related to Molly in a lot of different things, unrequited love is my life.

my main criticisms are that it did take me almost 200 pages before I was super invested and I felt that although the representation was strong it was all just added in a little unnecessarily and was used just for the sake of having representation rather than being pivotal to the plot.

Anyway that said I'm SOOOO excited for Leah on the offbeat to come out like I'm so hyped.

Emelie

Second Read; 21-22/8-18: i still Love this book! 

First Read; 22-25/5-17:

4,5owls!

This was so cute! I can't even! Only reason Im not giving it 5 it's because I liked Simon vs the Homo sapiens agenda a little bit more! And it was a little too much fluff with romance in this! 

But even if it was a lot fluff, I LOVED the relationships in the book. Couldn't be more happier with THREE lgbtq+ relationships in the book.. Lovely!

Tia Malt 

Maybe a 3.75. Because, well, the plot is nothing I haven't seen before. But the relate-ability and realness of the protagonist was something I don't usually find in contemporary novels, hence I rarely pick them up. Molly's emotions were raw and painful but also sweet and character development was powerful and so damn relatable to girls growing up. 

But really my favourite thing about this book wasn't the plot or the romance or even Molly's insight, but the diversity of the characters. Molly, the protagonist, is a Jewish sperm donor twin, with 2 mothers, one of whom is black and the other is bisexual. Additionally, her twin is a lesbian who *spoiler alert* is dating a pansexual. WHAT OTHER CONTEMPORARY YA NOVEL HAVE YOU SEEN WITH THAT MUCH DIVERSITY aka not just a straight white girl with a straight white family and straight white friends. Fantastic

Maya Elize

really quick and easy read !! so cute and uplifting and i love the main character

Dee B. 

This book was beautiful, honest and real. It was also not what I was expecting, but in the best way possible. 

As I picked up this book, I told myself that I would be broken into pieces, and I prepared myself for that trip to the abyss. Instead, I fell in love. I fell in love with the author's writing, I fell in love with Molly and I fell in love with each of Molly's crushes. 

Get comfortable, have refreshments nearby and maybe a tissue or two, because you are in for a ride my friends. Molly is going to take you back to that time when crushes left you more flustered than confident. Her relationship with Cassie will leave you smarting, but that in itself is a part of growing up, so it's a hurt you understand. But, most importantly, you will read the last words of this book and feel hopeful.

I'm really glad I picked this one.

jess

I wasn't expecting to like The Upside of Unrequited as uch as I did. I loved Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and I love Becky Albertalli, but the premise didn't stand out to me as much - so I was surprised. While I wouldn't say that it's particularly unique in its plot, The Upside of Unrequited was exceptionally well-written and had the same adorable tone as Simon did. Also, for a story starring a straight character, it was surprisingly gay, which - bonus. 

What really stood out to me was Molly, whom I LOVED. She was such a hilarious and relatable character and so very real. While her voice did match Simon in some areas, it was more in style, so she was quite different from Simon. I think I could relate to her more as well, because she's more of a wallflower. I wasn't expecting to really care about the romance, but I was screaming at Molly to get her head on and get with Reid for like half the book. Becky Albertalli is GOOD at writing romance, guys. 

All the supporting characters were lovely, especially Molly's family. I love their dynamics, especially the exploration of sisterhood with Cassie and Molly, which was written incredibly well. I was surprised to see that it was such a big party of the book, but it was probably one of my favourites to read about. And of course, Nadine and Patty were great and their relationship and plotline had me grinning ear to ear on a crowded train. The way that more serious issues were discussed, like Molly's anxiety and how she faced fatphobia, was also done really well. 

While I would't say that The Upside of Unrequited is as good as Simon, it's still a very good successor, and people who liked Simon will definitely like a lot of things about Molly and her story. 

This review and more can be found on my blog.

Lara Wieland &
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

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