Book Review: 'The Upside of Unrequited' by Becky Albertalli

My friend sent me a Snapchat of this book a couple of weeks ago and recommended it, so when I was in Waterstones last week (naughtily allowing myself to buy books I definitely did not need) and saw that this one was on their 'Buy one get one half price' offer, I was sold (or rather, it was sold, to me...)!

It was in the YA section, and as soon as I opened it up I knew it was probably going to be quite 'easy' to read, in the sense that it is the kind of book I was able to start a couple of days ago and now be finished, despite having been at work almost all weekend. This is not, however, a criticism at all. In fact, I loved to have a book in my hands that I could completely devour. That I was so caught up in I didn't want to put down. I also really appreciated the short chapters, I really do like when I can read an entire chapter of a book when I only have a short time.

Brief Summary: Molly and Cassie are 17 year old twin sisters who live in Maryland with their half brother (on the side of their shared sperm donor) and 2 Moms. Cassie is also attracted to girls and, while she frequently brags of random hook-ups, is a little overwhelmed when faced with the prospect of her first real girlfriend. Molly, who narrates the book, is straight but has never had any experience with a guy, despite numerous crushes. The book follows the pair, but particularly Molly as she deals with body image, opening herself up to the possibility of heartbreak, and the notion that guys might like her back!

From early on, Albertalli's writing style reminded me very much of Rainbow Rowell's, and the plot reminded me of her book 'Fangirl', which I also really enjoyed when I read it last year (you can read my review here). I actually learnt a lot about writing style from this book - Albetalli was very good at setting up relationships between characters and giving them background. I thought the book was very cleverly written and I picked up on a couple of wee techniques I will certainly be bearing in mind. For example, characters referring to each other using nicknames, or associating something random with a character that then keeps reoccurring throughout the book (like Reid's obsession with Mini Eggs) which as a reader you never forget, and helps to give them a sense of being tangible, 3D people!

The less confident, with regard to all things romance in particular, nature of Molly in comparison to her sister and friends was certainly an appealing and relatable characteristic for me, and I found this book to be very honest, for example opening up questions of how do we learn things we are never explicitly told about? What is the code of conduct for certain situations and how do people just seem to know what to do all the time? As well as the constant inner doubt many young people experience regarding attraction and how he/she could possibly fancy you back!

I think there were a lot of characters involved in order to make the story seem relatable, so that the reader could feel like they were part of the girls lives and knew all about the people who surrounded them. However, there were almost too many characters introduced for what was actually quite a minimalistic plot. Not a lot actually happens, as the story is more about how the girls begin their first relationships while holding onto the closeness they share, and so it kind of felt like some of the characters (Olivia, Max, Mina, Abby, Simon, Nick and more...) could have their own stories, where we actually get to know more about their own lives and purposes. As a reader, you get snippets of these background people that are intriguing, but never really followed up because they're pretty irrelevant to the book's main purpose, and would just overcomplicate a rather straightforward concept! I'd also just like to note, despite its relative irrelevance, how much I like the names Cassie and Molly! Have done for years... coincidence, or what?

Following on from this point, it was something which only really occurred to me as I was finishing the book, because to be honest this book ended rather suddenly! I don't know where I thought it was heading but I was kind of surprised it was over, and only then did I start to think that maybe its plot was a little simpler than the number of characters had previously suggested, if that makes sense?

That however, is not a criticism as I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something quite light, which is quick to read and is "cute" as my friend described it - it really does make you believe that happiness and happy endings are out there for us all if we have the courage to actively seek them out.

While I did really enjoy it, I possibly wasn't in a massive rush to read Albertalli's other work straight away, however then I realised that her first book actually includes some of the characters from this book, just like I suggested would be great earlier, and now I'm quite intrigued, so we'll just have to wait and see what my book-buying fetish decides on! But I reckon its just a matter of time...

Reading Challenge: 6/21