In particular, Molly and Cassie's mothers feel very comfortably and vividly rendered. Overall I'm in love with this book, I can't wait to reread it. It’s definitely one of my fave reads of 2017, and I completely agree with all of your comments Molly is so relatable, I’ve never actually felt that way about a character before! Balzer + Bray Bookstore She is an editor at Goblin Fruit, and can be found discussing folklore and pop culture on the Fakelore Podcast. “But I spend a lot of time thinking about love and kissing and boyfriends and all the other stuff feminists aren’t supposed to care about. Now other representation in the story was her mothers, she has 2 lesbian mothers and it was written during the time that gay marriage was approved so it had an adorable wedding at the end. The Upside of Unrequited is heartfelt and heartwarming, making you feel as loved and welcome and comfortable as a pair or well-worn sweatpants and your favorite band t-shirt. How? Prime members enjoy FREE Delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, TV shows, original audio series, and Kindle books. Publication: April 11th 2017 by Balzer + Bray Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2018. ‘The Upside of Unrequited’ book review. I savored this book as if it's cookie dough that Molly makes! . Her style of writing is so captivating, yet so simple. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. I cried, I swooned, and most importantly, I fell in love with this amazing book. ( Log Out / Will Molly be able to take the risk? Individual The characters are diverse , of course, well thought out but were too perfect that they are kinda unrelatable, except maybe for Molly. Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2017. More like in the way you feel when someone gives you a perfect present—something you’d been wanting, but thought you couldn’t ask for. Throughout the book, these characters and their relationships are displayed are developed beautifully, and never called into question – something which is very important in YA literature. Molly Peskin Suso is the endgame. Becky Albertalli is the author of the acclaimed novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Enter your email address to follow Bookish and Awesome and receive notifications of new posts by email. There is something to be said about how great narratives aren’t always solely about the lead and that is true for Upside too. Since the release of this book, I have heard so many amazing things, particularly to do with the outstanding representation in this book. Author: Becky Albertalli Disabling it will result in some disabled or missing features. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back. • So she’s careful. Not even a kiss. Have I convinced you to? The only thing, in my opinion, that could have improved it would have been if Molly’s low body confidence had been addressed more. Please make sure that you are posting in the form of a question. Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. Her books suck me in, rendering me unable to put them down until I finish them. This was amazing, and another reason why this book is awesome! I'm really surprised to see so many positive reviews of The Upside of Unrequited from GR members who thought Holding Up the Universe was problematic. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Speaking of relationships, the ones in this book were wonderful! You can also stalk follow me elsewhere! Each character is fleshed out, so much so that the reader can easily see the other characters’ stories unfolding outside the curtains. ( Log Out / That it was perfect and wonderful and so so cute? Find BookPage, About BookPage “Zombies are relaxed.””. Simon vs is one of my favourite books of all time, I loved it so much. The Upside of Unrequited is the story of seventeen-year-old serial crusher Molly who has to start finding her way on her own as her twin sister, Cass, gets a girlfriend for the first time. Thank you, Analee! Her books make you feel like you’re talking to a friend. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli Review “Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. ❤ Thank you! “Just relax!” Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2017. She’s just never felt ready to put herself out there. Maybe more than crush material. Heck, she’s even had more action than me and that’s, well, tragic. Molly and Cassie had their ups and downs, but in the end they had a great understanding of one another and I loved their bond as sisters. Have you read Becky’s debut, Simon vs? Though the novel was not one I would whole-heartedly recommend, it did do its job of taking the reader back to high school, embarking on the journey from heartache to first love, and teaching valuable lessons about romance. I don’t think I’m unlovable. ( Log Out / I can't speak to Mina but she claims to be pansexual in the book and their relationship was fun to read. I thought she had a really great character arc, and I loved seeing her confidence grow throughout the book. This novel made me laugh, cry and everything in between! I’m a prolific crusher but haven’t actually kissed anyone—at least not kiss kiss. Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Contact Us Title: The Upside of Unrequited This was very true of Molly, and I think gives out a message that I see rarely in YA. On Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Goodreads, and Bloglovin. ( Log Out / The novel also touches on positive representations of body image—it’s central to how Molly views the world and herself, even if often self-deprecating—and intresectional diversity. I know, I know. The fat and anxiety rep were great. Her voice made me remember that feeling of longing so deeply for love and then being vastly uncertain once it came along. ( Log Out / The Upside of Unrequited is my favorite read of 2017 so far. • I thought Molly and Reid had an adorable relationship, and I was glad that Molly wasn’t in denial too long before realising she had feelings for him; their progression from friends to something more seemed very natural, and I really rooted for them the entire way through. “And suddenly, I feel like crying, but not in a bad way. There’s effortless draw and almost inevitability in the progress of their relationship; it’s warm and fuzzy and at times nauseating. Molly is the best fat girl represent I've read maybe ever and I connected to her so dadgum much, you've no idea. This makes me incredibly happy! Fat girls always have to be careful. I will not stop shouting about this book it was great on so many levels. Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, has a knack for capturing the all-encompassing emotions of adolescence, and her talents are on full display in The Upside of Unrequited. Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2017. There is no way a teenager would pick this up and not see himself somewhere in the pages. It has my heart. This is mainly because I was a little disappointed with her debut novel, Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Plus, without the aid of a spoiler, I like that the author could’ve conveniently gone one way with Molly and This Other Character but didn’t. So you can be all Simon Spier with my judgement and “take [this] with about a million fucking grains of salt.” I mean. It was a good teaching lesson. At the start of the book especially, Molly seemed to blame her lack of a love life on her size, however this just seems to fall away once she starts receiving male attention. Albertalli basically owns my life now. That was the main premise of this book honestly, love and accept yourself for who you are. Simon makes small appearances too! Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. Published by: Puffin You walk in and she'll tell you how much prettier you'd look if you'd just loose some wait and then tell you to eat something because it's the south it's who they are. She crushes hard and … Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. How everything feels like it’s either the end of the world or the beginning of it; the elations and heartbreaks of first love; the innate, underlying fear of not mattering. I’ll go ahead and tell you that Becky and I are friends. This is a wonderful new addition to YA, which definitely deserves the hype surrounding it, and I can’t wait to see what Becky Albertalli does next! Because all the crushing, all the wanting, all the unrequited-loving, and suddenly here is an author affirming emotions I’ve been trying to make sense of all these years, and boy was that unraveling. We shall fanboy about this together when we see each other again! YA Shot Blog Tour: Interview With Orlagh Collins. Like the author’s debut, The Upside of Unrequited captures the immediacy of and renders articulately the teenage experience. I have! I’m careful. Also how her grandmother treats her is literally like a page out of my life. Publication date: 11th April 2017 From the very first line, it's impossible not to fall completely in love with Molly Peskin-Suso and root for her throughout the whole of the novel. But I don’t know. In The Upside of Unrequited, Molly has, by all accounts, an amazing life: two loving moms who adore each other and their three children; a fierce twin sister; a cute baby brother; lifelong friends who have her back; a cool multicultural neighborhood; and a fun summer job. Oh I love this review!! Except there’s also Molly’s coworker Reid—awkward, geeky, Cadbury-mini-egg-loving Reid—who maybe likes her. It's taken me quite a while to read The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli, despite thinking it sounded really good. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Maybe more than crush material. I KNOW RIGHT?!? Caitlyn Paxson is a writer and performer. He's the rare kind of person who truly doesn't care what other people think, which is a revelation for Molly, who cares way too much. As well as reading, I also love tea, listening to music and watching too many TV shows on Netflix. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook. Oh, Miel. It was sweet that Molly found herself after falling in love with a boy (and not having to change herself or her appearance for him) but it could leave a bad taste in young girls minds when they read this novel and get these same ideas. There was just something about her that I feel a lot of people can relate to, and yes, SO telling of the author’s talent. But it's difficult to really commit to the crush when Molly is spending so much time with Reid, her dorky co-worker. I'm so happy but anxiety about who we look, women especially is forced into us at an young age and it effects how we see ourselves and how we feel other people see us. ❤. Have you read this one? Change ). Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2017. In a moment when Molly is feeling particularly low, her mother notes that being 17 feels like both the end and the beginning of the world. Oh, JM, YOU SPOIL ME! She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. I’m seventeen, and I just want to know what it feels like to kiss someone. I totally saw myself in her too and ahhhh it was so incredible!!