The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Synopsis:
Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because 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.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?
(Synopsis from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:
I have mixed feelings on Becky Albertalli's book. I loved Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, and really didn't like Leah on the Offbeat. I want to give her books another chance because I loved Simon so much. Therefore, I figured I would pick up The Upside of Unrequited. I had tried to read it a few times on my Kindle, and just couldn't get into it. I finally got the audiobook copy from library, and was able to finish it. I found it to just be okay.

I don't know if it's because I had started The Upside of Unrequited in ebook and then switched to audiobook, but I felt a deep disconnection with the characters. I didn't really care for any of the side characters, which is sad because it was a very character driven novel. I thought Will was a pompous jerk. I didn't care for the way Cassie, Molly's twin, treated Molly for a good portion of the book. I did like Molly, although some of her actions in dealing with the two guys she was interested in drove me crazy. Other than that, I thought she was a quirky, fun character.

That being said, there are a few things I did like about The Upside of Unrequited. I really loved the LGBTQ+ representation that the book provided. Not only was it accurate, but it opened the door for some great conversations about sexuality. I liked one of the specific conversations in the book about bisexuality. It's something I wish everyone realized. I also greatly enjoyed the fact that there was so much body positivity. The main character, Molly, is a plus size girl. She deals with a couple of insecurities thanks to her grandmother, but for the most part she loves her body how it is, and isn't affected by others saying mean things around her. I loved that about her. Lastly, I liked the snarky sarcastic humor that Reid and Molly shared. There were several times where their dialogue had me cracking up laughing.

The Upside of Unrequited was just an okay book for me, which was sad because I had hoped to love it. Don't get me wrong, there were a few parts that I loved, but there were also a lot of parts that I hated. I will continue to read Becky Albertalli's future releases though because I hope to recapture the magic that I felt while reading Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. I do own What If It's Us, and I've liked Adam Silvera's books, so I think that will be my next Becky Albertalli book that I pick up. I hope that I will like it more than this one.  

I give The Upside of Unrequited: 3.5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: https://beckyalbertalli.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckyalbertalli
Twitter: https://twitter.com/beckyalbertalli
Tumblr: https://beckyalbertalli.tumblr.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckyalbertalli/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7579036.Becky_Albertalli

I received this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.