The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

*Semi-important!* The Upside of Unrequited is the second book in the Simonverse, which I didn’t realize until I was about halfway through! 🤦‍♀️😂 There aren’t really any spoilers in this book, but I would recommend to read Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda first so that you are more familiar with some of the characters!

As soon as I read this quote, I was like, “YES! I need to read this book!”

“I’m on the toilet at the 9:30 Club and I’m wondering how mermaids pee”

(Albertalli 1).

Goodreads 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?

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Spoiler-free review: This book made me so happy! I didn’t read the synopsis before I started this book, so I originally thought that Molly would fall in love with Mina (“The cute girl that enters Cassie’s orbit!”), which is not what happens! Thank goodness! I don’t even know why I thought that! 😂

Anywho, Molly was the DEFINITION of relatable! Every time she said something, I could feel myself nodding along and saying, “YES!! Exactly!” It was like she was reading my mind! This quote was one fo my favorites: “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” (Albertalli 19). Or this one: “There’s just something terrifying about admitting you like someone. In a way, it’s actually easier when there’s no chance of anything happening. But there’s this threshold where things suddenly become possible. And then your cards are on the table. And there you are, wanting, right out in the open” (Albertalli 172). She’s a genius!!! 😄

So, as y’all can tell, I really enjoyed reading about Molly! She was a wonderful protagonist! The plot was so interesting, and I love the way Becky Albertalli writes! Also, this book reminded me of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell a lot! Molly and Cassie are twins, and Cath and Wren are too! Also, I feel like Molly and Cath had some similar personality traits! So if you liked that book, then you will probably like this book too!

However, something that I didn’t really like was the romance in this book! It wasn’t as magical as I would have liked it to have been, but it did make this book more realistic! I just don’t know if that’s always a good thing. 😕

Overall, I loved this book! From the characters, to the plot, to the writing! Yes, yes, and YES! Becky Albertalli’s books are the best! If you like LGBTQIA+ contemporary books or just romance books in general, then The Upside of Unrequited is for you!! 😄

Thank you so much for reading and I hope that you have a wonderful day! ❤️—Rishika

Citation for picture: Albertalli , Becky. “The Upside of Unrequited .” Goodreads , 2017, http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30653853-the-upside-of-unrequited.