The Upside of Unrequited: A Funny YA Romance About Twin Sisters, LGBTQ Love, and Body Positivity

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. This was a fantastic book that I am never going to read again. Reading it was like having to sit and watch the painful awkwardness my high school self. OMG. I was Molly. I was Molly to the point that it is humiliating to contemplate and uncomfortable to read about. Maybe I am not past that high school self and her insecurities because reading this book was painful. I cried at least three times. Once at three in the morning when I got up to read again because I NEEDED to finish the book. Of course, this book is going to be compared to Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. I know that my expectations were unreasonably high because of it. This book read completely differently to me. For lack of a better word, I found The Upside of Unrequited less cute. The tone was just as warm, and there were as many funny and touching moments, but I didn't smile the whole way through this book the way that I did with Simon. I loved the characters. This is much more of a character book than a plot book. Things happen of course, and I was invested but not as invested as I was simply in learning about who the characters are and whom they are becoming. I loved that Molly could fight with Cass without either of them being melodramatic or turning into a cartoonish villain. All the characters are beautifully subtle and real. They all seem to exist beyond the story. Yay for diversity! I loved how casual it all was. Being gay, or bi, pan, or straight is an important part of people's lives but never takes over. It isn't a tragedy waiting to happen. There is no sentence of inherent guilt or unhappiness that comes along with being gay. All the yes. The characters are from many different races, religions, and walks of life. The cast felt vibrant, and none of them seemed to have been added as a token. Moar of this, please. Molly is fat. There is so much about being fat that no one ever talks about. The whole world tells you that your body has to be this way to be acceptable. Especially when you are young. And when you are young you absorb that idea. Unless I look like the other girls, no one will ever find me worthy. No one will ever want me. I will never be loved. I wish high school me had had a chance to read this book. So much of what I was feeling is acknowledged and validated. Molly's grandmother has a way of making her feel self-conscious about her weight in a way that I related to so much. I live in China (you may know) and one of the most common ways that people greet you here is by commenting on your weight. I still react almost the same way that Molly does by shutting down and having to try not to cry. I am going to need to get over this. There is a moment near the end of the book where one of Molly's moms Nadine is talking to her about wanting a boyfriend and holy shit I needed to have that conversation with someone in high school. Becky Albertelli articulates those things that we hold back and isolate ourselves with so well. I lost track of the times that I found myself wanting to yell into the book, "Other people feel that way, too?!!" This is also a story about vulnerability. How opening yourself up to other people can be the scariest thing that you learn how to do. It is also the story of finding the balance between new parts of your life while keeping ahold of the valuable parts of your life that you already have, such as your sister, your community, and your stability. This book left me feeling a bit hollowed out. It was an unexpectedly emotional read. I didn't leave it with the same warm and fuzzy feelings that I left Simon with. But, after reading this book, I feel as if I know myself, or at least my past self, just that little bit better. That's not a bad feat for a book.

Initial thoughts: Quirky, witty and adorable. Becky Albertalli made me nostalgic for first loves and growing up. While I didn’t love it quite as much as Simon, I still absolutely recommend this touching YA coming of age story. As the synopsis states, Molly Peskin-Suso is familiar with unrequited love (or crushes, really- but aren’t all teenagers overly dramatic?). She has had many, many crushes and has never really acted on them. She is awkward, unsure about herself and often feels like she is comparing herself to her more confident twin sister, Cassie. When Cassie gets a hip, cute girlfriend Molly feels like she is being left even further behind. “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.” Honestly, for the first 40% or so of this book, I was a bit skeptical. I wasn’t in love with Molly. I can’t exactly say why- she just annoyed and frustrated me more than I usually want in a main character. But then I realized that maybe that was part of the book. Molly is a seventeen-year-old teenager. She’s emotional, insecure, growing up and her relationship with her twin sister is rapidly changing. Everything is a big deal. And you know what? It is a big deal. Change is scary and unknown and Albertalli handles it beautifully. This book is obviously about more than unrequited love, its about growing up and self-acceptance and I really appreciated the message. There were aspects of Molly’s character that I absolutely related to. The carefulness, uncertainty and anxiety. I love how Molly constantly had these internal conversations with herself, always thinking about the worst possible outcome. So, if this is a story about self-love and acceptance, why is the ending so neatly packaged with a nice love story? At first I didn’t want it end with a cutesy relationship but after thinking about it, I was happy with it. Why? Because first crushes, first kisses and first loves are such an influential part of growing up. The first time I fell in love and subsequently had my heart broken I learned so much about myself and I learned to love and feel confident in myself. Seeing Molly experience that with Reid for the first time made me so happy and I was smiling throughout all of their interactions. They were so cute! Another aspect of this story I really enjoyed is that it took place in Simon-verse. Molly is Abby Suso’s cousin from Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. I was so happy to see that Simon is alive and well in this book! Even though its a brief cameo, I love when authors have overlap between their characters. It makes it all seem more real (Colleen Hoover and Kasie West do it as well!) This book, which I’m sure you have seen though all of the reviews, is wonderfully inclusive. It includes so many characters of different races, cultures and sexual orientations. I will admit, sometimes the diversity aspect felt a bit forced (a bit like a laundry list of everything needed in a diverse book) but in the end, I’m not complaining because we need more books like this in the YA community. This was another great book by Becky Albertalli! She is a talented author with a very relatable writing style. She does a wonderful job of capturing those very real feelings growing up- the first loves but also the many awkward moments and insecurity. I hope you all get a chance to read this book soon!

This is the book I wish my fat heart had at 16 years old because it's fantastic. Molly is the best fat girl represent I've read maybe ever and I connected to her so dadgum much, you've no idea. At 26 years old I still struggle with some of the things she talks about in the book. I'm in a happy relationship but I question how people see it, and how he sees me. 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. Now I'm not saying skinny women don't go through this either but I only know it from the bigger girl experience, my whole life I've been rounder than most around me. Now I had boyfriends but I connected so much to Molly's feelings. Also how her grandmother treats her is literally like a page out of my life. 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. 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. I loved it, very heartfelt and beautifully written and I cried. One mom is Patty, a Jewish women and I absolutely loved her at the ending. Nadine is black and her family situation made me sad because I understand homophobes do exist. It was a good teaching lesson. Simon makes small appearances too! Cassie is Mollys twin sister and she's the skinny girl who also loves girls, her love interest is a Korean American girl named Mina. I can't speak to Mina but she claims to be pansexual in the book and their relationship was fun to read. Also they have a brother named Xavier who they described as the cutest baby in the world and I'd believe it. I loved Reid, he was adorable, I loved he was a nerdy and himself no matter what. So many people need to learn how to be who they want to be despite what the world thinks about them, just learn to love yourself. That was the main premise of this book honestly, love and accept yourself for who you are. I found myself crying in random places because I felt so closely to the main character she is me, I am her, all big women have some of the same experiences and we need to embrace ourselves. Overall I'm in love with this book, I can't wait to reread it. It has my heart.

It was inevitable that I would enjoy this book having loved Simon, Becky's debut novel and this book did a fantastic job at satisfying my book-lover needs. Molly Peskin-Suso has had twenty-six crushes but has never been kissed. This has come easily for her twin sister, Cassie who has had girlfriends like it was not a problem. Molly learns about growing apart from her sister and finding herself. Everything changes this summer for Molly when she starts working at Bissel, a shop in town and meets a nerdy boy, Reid. You might find your next OTP! Reid and Molly quickly became my new OTP. I was their biggest cheerleader, they had me laughing out loud! Reid is a funny guy who is obsessed with Game of Thrones and Cadbury Mini Eggs (same to the mini eggs). Reid has a great sense of humor and so much sarcasm. Their story is so cute and pure and realistic. Molly and Reid are both characters with underrepresented body types, they compliment each other and have an adorable romance. Their romance shows that two people despite body shape can be together. This book has so much diversity within the character's (race, sexual orientation, religion, mental health and size). Molly and Cassie are sperm-donor children and have two mothers, Patty and Nadine; they're laid-back and very supportive. Their family is Jewish and interracial, we see Jewish traditions implemented or just talk of Jewish culture (Reid is Jewish too ;) ). Mina, Cassie's girlfriend is a pansexual Korean American and we see some of her culture as well. This is such a great coming of age novel about a seventeen year-old girl wishing for her first kiss. Molly's story is so real, sweet and raw. I definitely related to Molly in many ways. She has a hard time interacting, she's shy and experiences anxiety. She feels like the friend that isn't being looked at. But, she also is a Pinterest queen and I envy her. I made some edible cookie dough that she made and it was delicious. If you liked Simon, you are going to love this novel especially because we get to see more of Abby, who is Molly's cousin. As well as glimpses of Simon and Nick. Disclaimer: This book is like Mini Eggs, you're sad when they are all gone. Truly, I didn't want it to end.

I wanted to be as completely enamored with this story as so many in the book community....and I did very much enjoy it. It was so very heartwarming and sweet. But there were so many problems with the story in my opinion, that I just could not give this book a high rating In fact, the only reason I gave this book the rating that I did was because I absolutely loved the relationships within the story and I was compelled to continue to see what happens. Let's start with the positive: 1. Molly is perhaps one of the most relateable characters I have ever had the privilege to read about. She is pretty much me at 17. Overweight. Insecure. Innocent. Boy crazy with no boy experience. The fat girl with the gorgeous friend/relative who always receives the attention. She is me. And She accurately expresses the thoughts that frequently pass through the minds of girls like us. As we are constantly bombarded with images that "define" the standard of beauty and make us feel unworthy and ugly, Molly naturally falls victim to these thoughts and feelings 2. I really appreciated Albertalli's writing style. She had the ability to write in a style that replicates how we tend to speak and think in today's times. I found the writing easy, fun, and quick. 3.The relationships in this book were amazing from Cassie and Molly to Molly and Reid, to Cassie and Mina, and Molly and Abby, there were a great deal of important pairings and I enjoyed the individual dynamics immensely. They truly made the story. 4. There was obviously a lot of great representation here........but.... And here is where the negative begins... Albertalli tried so desperately hard to make this book as modern as she absolutely could (terms like "vag-blocking" were used frequently as well as numerous pop-culture references) and include about every type of representation that she could, that there was very little character development outside of Molly, Albertalli manages to do the opposite of what she intends to with her expansive representation and seems to define each character by what marginalizes them. Also, can we talk about this quote: "I spend a lot of time thinking about love, kissing, boyfriends, and all of the other things that feminists aren't supposed to care about." Screeching halt here. I do not identify myself as a feminist,but I do believe in the empowerment and abilities of women. And I am pretty sure that the message of any pro-woman group is not something as superficial as "don't think about boys." If you truly are a proponent of women's equality, you know that a woman can be just as empowered and independent with a man as she can without. You don't need a man, but it's okay to want want. And finally, this book seems to be promoting the idea that you cannot be happy without a boyfriend. Albertalli does briefly insert dialogue that suggests her awareness that it is not necessary to have a boyfriend to be happy, but this entire book is about Molly wanting a boyfriend. That is legitimately the entire plot here for the most part. To me that seems to be a pretty big signifier of the importance the author placed on a boyfriend equating to happiness. Molly doesn't seem to find her own worth until she is with Reid which, I can understand in some ways, but overall, that is not a very positive message for bigger girls. I thought this story was insanely cute and I just loved Reid and Molly together, but I was not nearly as impressed as everyone else seems to be.

Reading the summary of this book, I bet you think that it is about a girl trying to get her first boyfriend, right? Well, not so fast, That may happen in the book, but that's not what the book is about. A cynical person might call this a bait and switch, but I see it as a delightful surprise. So what is this book actually about? It's a beautiful story of how our relationships change as we grow up. Yes, there are Young Adult Relationships here, but the real relationship is between Molly and Cassie. As twins, they've always been close but they are at a turning point as they start to differentiate from each other and find their own ways. It's bittersweet and authentic, and something with which everyone, even non-twins, can sympathize. Molly is a complex but realistic character. She isn't wholly likable, but what seventeen year old is? She struggles with her circumstances, her emotions, and her anxiety and it is all painfully true. But she also grows as the story progresses, and does so in a way that makes sense. At no point did I ever feel like her transformation skipped a step or went a direction it shouldn't. The romance feature of this book is well-done and satisfying. Albertalli expertly captures Molly's angst, not only with her desire to be in a relationship, but also watching her twin sister forge ahead with her own relationship. I'm not sure how accurate the depiction of modern teen life is (because I'm old, um, older) but I didn't feel as though I needed to question it. Another feature that I loved about this book is that it is set during the summer of 2015, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. While it was heartwarming to read of Molly's moms finally being able to get married, what really got me was that feeling of a world where things were more optimistic and inclusive. I call this the Obama-feels and this book had it spades....and I really need that right now. This book was such a delight that I feel like I should buy a bunch of copies just to hand out to everyone. I hadn't heard of Becky Albertalli before this, but I will definitely be reading her books in the future.

Albertalli basically owns my life now. Her books suck me in, rendering me unable to put them down until I finish them. Her style of writing is so captivating, yet so simple. Her books make you feel like you’re talking to a friend. First, let’s talk about the representation. Our protagonist, Molly, is fat. And that’s perfectly fine. She’s fat, and she’s beautiful. Her moms--that’s right, she has two moms--are a biracial same-sex couple with three kids; Molly, her twin sister Cassie, and a loveable one year old named Xavier. Molly’s straight, but her sister is into girls, and ends up dating a pansexual Korean-American girl. Did I also mention Molly’s family is Jewish? They’re Jewish. This group of characters is incredibly diverse, but they aren’t just thrown in there for fun. They’re great, loveable characters with depth, and they’ll have you laughing and crying right along with them. Molly has had exactly twenty-six crushes, all of which have been unrequited. She hasn’t exactly put herself out there, either, so she hasn’t technically been rejected. When Cassie’s new “dream girl” Mina conspires with her to set Molly up with her friend, Will, Molly’s launched into a mission to get her first boyfriend. And Will is incredibly cute, but Molly can’t stop thinking about her new nerdy coworker Reid and his too-white sneakers and fandom shirts. In the midst of trying to get her first boyfriend, as well as her first kiss, gay marriage has been legalized across the nation, leading to her moms getting engaged and recruiting Molly to plan the wedding. If you’ve read Albertalli’s first book, Simon Vs. The Homo-Sapien’s Agenda, you’ll be happy to see some familiar faces show up, since Molly is Abby’s cousin. Abby, as well as Nick and Simon, make appearances in this novel, and while you don’t need to read Simon Vs. to understand this book, I’d recommend reading that one first to avoid any spoilers. All in all, this is an excellent read, and I found it to be pretty relatable, which I consider an essential quality for any young adult fiction to have. I definitely give this novel 5/5 stars. Keep up the great work, Becky!

THE UPSIDE OF UNREQUITED is an uplifting YA novel that made me smile while I was reading it. I can't believe it took me this long to read it, but I'm glad I finally did. It's wonderfully diverse and a true feel-good gem. I really related to Molly. When I was a pre-teen and teen, I was always falling in and out of crushes. I wanted a boyfriend. I was concerned about my body since I've always been overweight and thought I was nothing special. Hearing Molly's voice echoing my childhood made me tear up a few times.Aside from that, she's also loving and has a dry sense of humor. Okay, so she's pretty much me in a nutshell. The book doesn't really have a concrete plot, but is tied together with the marriage of her moms. Molly lives with her twin sister Cassie, baby brother Xavier, and their moms in Maryland, and on the day same sex marriage becomes legal, wedding plans are in order. The family dynamic is supportive yet brutally honest. I loved them all, even Molly's grandmother, who has her own issues but remains a steadfast matron in their family. I liked Molly and Cassie's relationship. They're there for each other, but when Cassie falls hard for a girl she met and starts to spend all her time with Mina, Molly feels left out. Add to that the strong push for Molly and one of Mina's friends to get together, topped with Molly's blossoming friendship with her new co-worker Reid,and things get complicated. Cassie can be mean, but Molly's not a saint either. In the end, their bond is rock solid. I love these sisters. And Reid...what a dreamboat of nerd and a boy staying true to himself. I want more well-written romantic leads like Reid. This is a definite favorite of the year and should be read by many people.

I cried nine times reading this book because I related so much to Molly's story. Perfection.

5 stars / 5 stars! This was my first Becky Albertali book, and I'm so, so glad I picked this gem of a book up :) it's just such a cute novel, that I'm currently grinning from ear to ear even thinking about it. 😁🙈 The lead protagonist, Molly, was such a relatable and hilarious character; I'd give this book a whole damn galaxy of stars if I could, for the diversity of contained in it, & mainly for how well it handled the whole scenario of melange! This book not only gives you all the feels when your feelings went unrequited (yeah, we've all been there 😂💔), but it adds up a whole new level of plot to it by focusing on not just Molly's love life, but also the family aspect, which I feel is widely ignored in the YA genre lately. The Upside of Unrequited will make you swoon, laugh, cry and cuddle, all in the span of 300 pages; the author's narrative is really impreßive as to how real the characters feel. Can't WAIT to read her future literary works! Loads of love for this book! 💙

Albertalli's newest release The Upside of Unrequited is, in my opinion, even cuter than Simon vs. the Homo sapiens Agenda while being equally as diverse and quirky. I especially loved the family dynamics and the depiction of Molly's relationship with her sister. I LOVED that this YA Contemporary had a plethora of queer characters without being the typical coming-out kind of story. I must say I loved Reid he is just such a nice, loving and funny guy and was super glad that a character like him was included in the story. The main character Molly has and underrepresented body type and has to learn to come to terms with her own body and mind. Her struggle in different groups of friends, with peer pressure, and love were depicted so refreshingly realistically and relatable. Overall, highly recommendable to anyone looking for a unique, cute, and fluffy contemporary with quite a bit of substance.

The Upside Of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli | “I'm on the toilet at the 9:30 Club and I'm wondering how mermaids pee.” | I’m a huge fan of Becky Albertalli because when I finished reading her first book, Simon VS. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, I was so happy that I felt like I needed to hug the book. This means that I went into this book looking for a cute and happy read as Simon VS. was, and with really high expectations; and let me tell you that Becky Albertalli is the Queen Of Heartwarming Books!!📚 One of the aspects that I enjoy the most of Albertalli’s books is the role the families play in her stories, unlike so many other YA books where families are completely invisible in her books they are always so supportive, funny and involved. And a plus on the family aspect of The Upside Of Unrequited is the fact that the author portrays and normalizes an unusual family type in the current YA literature. I’m not going to summarize what this book is about, because I went into it blind, and I ended up loving it! The only thing I knew before reading TUOU was who had written it and that it was surely going to be adorable, filled with wonderful friendships, quirky jokes and delicious food! If you are looking for a light and fresh read with relatable characters that will make you smile Becky’s books are a safe bet!

The book is amazing. I loved it from the beginning. Becky surprised me agin with this book. I already loved Simon and now Molly has a place in my heart. Becky makes characters that speak with us. They are just human. Molly makes mistakes, she’s jealous, she thinks bad things, she has struggles, lots of mixed emotions, just like everyone. It gives you a warm feeling to read something so real, beautiful and well written. And there’s a thing Becky does that makes me really happy. She writes all kinds of love. She shows us that we can love anyone we want to love e that’s wonderful. If you want to read something beautiful that makes you feel things, don’t think twice, The upside of unrequited is amazing.