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bryw4nk's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
nickyvlxx's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
congressbaby143's review against another edition
3.0
It was enjoyable but it wasn't something that's really amazing. It's very light-hearted and a very quick read.
It reads like a Tumblr post threaded together and somehow something about it made it feel not genuine. Which is kind of also an unfair statement to make because there were viewpoints of certain characters that I know were made by a friend in real life. 20% of this is basically her life story, probably. Anyway there are just people whose lives dwarf in the grand scheme of things and it does not mean that it's not a life worth living it's just it might not be something interesting for me to read. In the same way that there are people we're interested in and ones that we're not. This book was the latter.
It reads like a Tumblr post threaded together and somehow something about it made it feel not genuine. Which is kind of also an unfair statement to make because there were viewpoints of certain characters that I know were made by a friend in real life. 20% of this is basically her life story, probably. Anyway there are just people whose lives dwarf in the grand scheme of things and it does not mean that it's not a life worth living it's just it might not be something interesting for me to read. In the same way that there are people we're interested in and ones that we're not. This book was the latter.
femke_elzingaa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
trin's review against another edition
4.0
Becky Albertalli is just the best -- THE BEST -- at writing authentic teenage voices. I think it's because she understands technology, and how it intersects with modern life, better than pretty much any other YA author. Also she's hilarious.
The Upside of Unrequited was slightly -- like, the tiniest fractional amount -- less enjoyable for me than the superlative [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|Becky Albertalli|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579], but I am about 99.9% sure that's because the subject matter was so much closer to me: close enough to be painful at times. Molly is insecure and feels unloveable; I'm still struggling with some of her issues now, as a supposed adult! (We're even on the same anti-depressant! High five, Molly!) But Albertalli writes her emotional ups and downs with such subtlety and skill: this book feels real, but never too heavy; it's not an unrelenting angstfest. Molly's story is a little bit of a fantasy, but an utterly relatable one -- I would say that it verges on inspirational. (I should just ask out the boy I like!!!) That sounds treacly, though, and this book is anything but. It's pretty much the platonic ideal of contemporary YA.
Love the casual diversity that still acknowledges differences and difficulties. Love the preponderance of happy queer endings. Love the cameos from Simon, Abby, and Nick. Requited or unrequited, just: love.
The Upside of Unrequited was slightly -- like, the tiniest fractional amount -- less enjoyable for me than the superlative [b:Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|19547856|Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda|Becky Albertalli|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1402915678s/19547856.jpg|27679579], but I am about 99.9% sure that's because the subject matter was so much closer to me: close enough to be painful at times. Molly is insecure and feels unloveable; I'm still struggling with some of her issues now, as a supposed adult! (We're even on the same anti-depressant! High five, Molly!) But Albertalli writes her emotional ups and downs with such subtlety and skill: this book feels real, but never too heavy; it's not an unrelenting angstfest. Molly's story is a little bit of a fantasy, but an utterly relatable one -- I would say that it verges on inspirational. (I should just ask out the boy I like!!!) That sounds treacly, though, and this book is anything but. It's pretty much the platonic ideal of contemporary YA.
Love the casual diversity that still acknowledges differences and difficulties. Love the preponderance of happy queer endings. Love the cameos from Simon, Abby, and Nick. Requited or unrequited, just: love.
noeliacew's review against another edition
4.0
Is this book about me?
I mean... it's amazing how much I can relate to Molly.
She's like a less mature version of me and because of that there were some parts that really hit me.
This books mentions some really important things like how hetero-based the concept of virginity is and there is lots of diversity which I love.
The only flaw I can find is that in Becky's books people fall in love super fast and I am all about that slow burning love but it is a standalone so we can't ask for much if we want to see other kind of development except for the love part.
I mean... it's amazing how much I can relate to Molly.
She's like a less mature version of me and because of that there were some parts that really hit me.
This books mentions some really important things like how hetero-based the concept of virginity is and there is lots of diversity which I love.
The only flaw I can find is that in Becky's books people fall in love super fast and I am all about that slow burning love but it is a standalone so we can't ask for much if we want to see other kind of development except for the love part.
princzukos's review against another edition
4.0
ACTUAL RATING: 4.5 / 5
"But the point is, I can't talk to boys I like. Not really. My body completely betrays me. And it's a little different with every guy, so it's kind of hard to generalize - but if I had to describe a feeling of a crush, I'd say this: you just finished running a mile, you have to throw up, and you're starving, but no food seems appealing, and your brain becomes fog, and you also have to pee. It's this close to intolerable. But I like it.
More than like it. I crave it" (56).
If I could, I would give Becky Albertalli a big hug for blessing us with great LGBT+ representation.
I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda over two years ago and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! So, of course I'll get pumped up when I find out that Albertalli is releasing a new novel featuring more LGBT+ characters, along with more PoC characters! From the summary in the front cover, we can assume that this is a story about a heterosexual female character (Molly) who's twin sister (Cassie) is a lesbian, and also happens get a girlfriend, who has a hot friend that should totally hook up with Molly, but Molly might also have feelings for her coworker named Reid. And that is the base of the plot, however the relationship between the twins and their friends, and the relatable and awkward teenage drama just make this story a whole lot more better than the cliche love story is seems it might be.
The reason why I didn't give this book a 5/5 was because I felt that some of the minor characters were rushed. I might've not liked all of them, but I would have loved it if they played a bigger role in the plot.
Overall, this is a wonderful and adorable book. If you haven't read it yet, then what are you waiting for?
"But the point is, I can't talk to boys I like. Not really. My body completely betrays me. And it's a little different with every guy, so it's kind of hard to generalize - but if I had to describe a feeling of a crush, I'd say this: you just finished running a mile, you have to throw up, and you're starving, but no food seems appealing, and your brain becomes fog, and you also have to pee. It's this close to intolerable. But I like it.
More than like it. I crave it" (56).
If I could, I would give Becky Albertalli a big hug for blessing us with great LGBT+ representation.
I read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda over two years ago and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! So, of course I'll get pumped up when I find out that Albertalli is releasing a new novel featuring more LGBT+ characters, along with more PoC characters! From the summary in the front cover, we can assume that this is a story about a heterosexual female character (Molly) who's twin sister (Cassie) is a lesbian, and also happens get a girlfriend, who has a hot friend that should totally hook up with Molly, but Molly might also have feelings for her coworker named Reid. And that is the base of the plot, however the relationship between the twins and their friends, and the relatable and awkward teenage drama just make this story a whole lot more better than the cliche love story is seems it might be.
The reason why I didn't give this book a 5/5 was because I felt that some of the minor characters were rushed. I might've not liked all of them, but I would have loved it if they played a bigger role in the plot.
Overall, this is a wonderful and adorable book. If you haven't read it yet, then what are you waiting for?
flopsiful's review
3.0
Normally don’t stick it out with a 3* but my kobo was broken for a minute and I couldn’t download any new books 😂
brisingr's review
3.0
I think I outgrew the target audience for this book, and I would have certainly loved it more if I were younger. At this point, it just saddened me to see our protagonist's thoughts regarding her fatness and I will keep pushing my agenda of happy fat characters from the start of a book. Still, Becky Albertalli is still Becky Albertalli and I really loved the last 50 pages of the book, when things fall together really nicely, and some lines still managed to hit me. I loved the family dynamics, wish I'd seen more - bc yet again, I feel like they came too late to really save me from the bitter-sweet view regarding this novel.
3.5
3.5