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A review by charspages
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
2.0
If I could live in the Simonverse, I would. Within a heartbeat. Bye-bye, Germany, hello, Creekwood!
Don't get confused by the two stars: they're two shining, glitzy gold stars, each and every one well-deserved. I am in awe of Becky Albertalli, and Upside has reaffirmed my love for her stories by the hundreds.
What ultimately let me down about this book were my own expectations.
I was told by so many people that I was just bound to love this book, that I'd love it even more than Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (which is, honestly, my favorite book.) Needless to say, my expectations were all set at this will be the best book ever. I didn't consider for even a single second that I wouldn't enjoy this book half as much as I enjoyed Simon.
While I enjoyed it - I think Becky Albertalli could publish her grocery lists from the past seven years and I'd enjoy it- it was nowhere near Simon.Part of the blame goes to my impossibly high expectations for this book - I assumed it would be my new favorite without ever having read the blurb - but the other half just lies in the book itself. And, I’m not going to lie, I’m a little sad I didn’t like Upside as much as I wanted to.
PLOT: 1 / 5
My biggest problem with TUOU was this: I couldn't tell you what happened even if I tried. Trying to summarize this book's plot proves difficult because there wasn't one.
Don't get me wrong, I love little every-day-scenarios that show characters just being themselves at home, with friends, just a boat load of cutesy domestic happiness, but to me it felt like this story consisted only of those ordinary moments. The storyline is essentially: Molly's twin gets a girlfriend, Molly wants to have a boyfriend, Molly crushes on two boys, Molly gets a boyfriend. Simple.
While the story in itself was cute and relatable, I found its plot disappointing. There were no high stakes, no catalyst, no real goals except for getting a boyfriend. After reading Simon, this was a little disappointing, because I expected more difficulties and obstacles to occur (like, you know, being blackmailed. Or having an impossibly cute online boyfriend whose identity you don't know.)
For large stretches, I even found my mind wandering, mildly disinterested in a plot that was about as gripping as a Sunday-afternoon walk with your grandparents.
CHARACTERS: 3 / 5
Becky Albertalli is a master at creating believable, realistic, and likable characters. From her protagonist Molly Peskin-Suso down to the very last secondary character, they're all quirky, life-like people.
For some reason, though, these characters did not make a space for themselves in my heart as much as Simon, Bram, Abby, and Co., did. I enjoyed Molly's narrative voice, I found her likable and, most of the time, I could relate to her — but I wouldn't defend her with my life (like I would Bram Greenfeld.)
It also took me a while to get into the book because there is an unusual amount of characters. At first, I kept getting confused - Cassie and Olivia and Mina and Will and Reid - because most of the side-characters seemed to have the same level of importance, which made it a little difficult to distinguish between them. I also would have loved more distinct voices for the secondary characters, such as Will. I couldn't tell you what he likes or what his character traits are for the life of me.
WORLD BUILDING: 4 / 5
Becky Albertalli understands the perfect balance between description and action, peppering her scenes with little descriptive markers here and there. As usual in contemporary fiction, the setting itself didn't play an essential role in the story, but contrary to other books in this genre that I've read, I could imagine myself in the places. Whether it was the Peskin-Suso house or Bissl, the shop where Molly works, I had no problem picturing myself next to her.
I admire Albertalli's ability to convey such sense of atmosphere and setting with very little, but poignant descriptions.
DIVERSITY: 5 / 5
Becky's forte are, undoubtedly, books that are more diverse than your average YA-novel - which is wonderful. Seriously, every time I read one of her novels and I see how effortlessly she represents marginalized groups I just want to hug her. The world needs more authors like Becky Albertalli, in this regard especially.
As in Simon, she did not limit herself to including LGBTQ+ characters, though there were quite a few in The Upside of Unrequited as well.
Patty and Nadine Peskin-Suso, Molly's moms, are a lesbian couple, for example, and Molly's twin sister Cassie is in a relationship with a pansexual girl. On top of that, there are also characters of color, such as Cassie's girlfriend Mina, who is South Korean, or Molly's and Cassie's mom Nadine, who is African-American.
Like the little cherry on top of a perfect representation-cake, many of the major characters are also Jewish, like Molly and her family, or her co-worker Reid.
Albertalli knows how to be inclusive and wonderful without making it seem try-hard or like she’s only bargaining for diversity-cookie points.
Another important (and underrepresented!) topic that Albertalli includes is fat-shaming, seeing as her protagonist, Molly, is plus-size. There is one particularly uncomfortable scene where Molly's grandmother comments on her weight, pestering her to lose a couple pounds. That moment broke my heart because it portrayed the micro-aggressions of body shaming so accurately and earnestly.
Overall, the story sends a positive message, though, because Molly realizes she's beautiful and is called beautiful by others without losing weight. She's fat, she's beautiful, and those two co-exist in this novel in a way that they usually don't in media.
In regards to diversity, Becky Albertalli has outdone herself again.
WRITING STYLE: 5 / 5
I LOVE Becky's style so much. Her phrases, her choice of words, it's all so on point.
She's capable of portraying teenagers perfectly, giving them a realistic voice, while simultaneously using beautiful phrases. Furthermore, her style is easy to read and just all-around enjoyable.
Out of the hundreds of books I've read in my lifetime, I've yet to encounter another author who comes even close to Becky's skill of capturing teenage thoughts without making them look shallow or stupid.
OVERALL RATING: 2 / 5
While I definitely enjoyed this book, I did feel a little disappointed. I went into Simon with super high expectations and came out loving it much more than I thought was possible. While I had similar expectations for Upside, those were, sadly, not quite met (read: not met at all.)
I liked the characters, but I didn't love them. (Except for those Abby, Nick, and Simon cameos? They honestly had me smiling so much I had to put the book down for a bit.)
I felt they were likable and relatable enough, but they didn't stick with me as much as I expected them to. I just didn’t care about them as deeply as I wanted to, and now, two months after finishing the novel, I've already forgotten half of them again.
The story was sweet, though I expected more from the plot; it lacked a distinctive story line for me, which is why Molly’s adventures just fell flat for me.
I loved the world building, and Becky's writing style and diverse cast were - as always - on point. But those factors couldn’t outweigh the less-than-exciting storyline or the deeply average characters.
Even if I didn't like this book as much as I had expected to, I can recommend it to anyone who loves cutesy contemporary stories with a happy end, and I can definitely say that I'm excited to read anything else Becky Albertalli brings to the table in the future.
Don't get confused by the two stars: they're two shining, glitzy gold stars, each and every one well-deserved. I am in awe of Becky Albertalli, and Upside has reaffirmed my love for her stories by the hundreds.
What ultimately let me down about this book were my own expectations.
I was told by so many people that I was just bound to love this book, that I'd love it even more than Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (which is, honestly, my favorite book.) Needless to say, my expectations were all set at this will be the best book ever. I didn't consider for even a single second that I wouldn't enjoy this book half as much as I enjoyed Simon.
While I enjoyed it - I think Becky Albertalli could publish her grocery lists from the past seven years and I'd enjoy it- it was nowhere near Simon.Part of the blame goes to my impossibly high expectations for this book - I assumed it would be my new favorite without ever having read the blurb - but the other half just lies in the book itself. And, I’m not going to lie, I’m a little sad I didn’t like Upside as much as I wanted to.
PLOT: 1 / 5
My biggest problem with TUOU was this: I couldn't tell you what happened even if I tried. Trying to summarize this book's plot proves difficult because there wasn't one.
Don't get me wrong, I love little every-day-scenarios that show characters just being themselves at home, with friends, just a boat load of cutesy domestic happiness, but to me it felt like this story consisted only of those ordinary moments. The storyline is essentially: Molly's twin gets a girlfriend, Molly wants to have a boyfriend, Molly crushes on two boys, Molly gets a boyfriend. Simple.
While the story in itself was cute and relatable, I found its plot disappointing. There were no high stakes, no catalyst, no real goals except for getting a boyfriend. After reading Simon, this was a little disappointing, because I expected more difficulties and obstacles to occur (like, you know, being blackmailed. Or having an impossibly cute online boyfriend whose identity you don't know.)
For large stretches, I even found my mind wandering, mildly disinterested in a plot that was about as gripping as a Sunday-afternoon walk with your grandparents.
CHARACTERS: 3 / 5
Becky Albertalli is a master at creating believable, realistic, and likable characters. From her protagonist Molly Peskin-Suso down to the very last secondary character, they're all quirky, life-like people.
For some reason, though, these characters did not make a space for themselves in my heart as much as Simon, Bram, Abby, and Co., did. I enjoyed Molly's narrative voice, I found her likable and, most of the time, I could relate to her — but I wouldn't defend her with my life (like I would Bram Greenfeld.)
It also took me a while to get into the book because there is an unusual amount of characters. At first, I kept getting confused - Cassie and Olivia and Mina and Will and Reid - because most of the side-characters seemed to have the same level of importance, which made it a little difficult to distinguish between them. I also would have loved more distinct voices for the secondary characters, such as Will. I couldn't tell you what he likes or what his character traits are for the life of me.
WORLD BUILDING: 4 / 5
Becky Albertalli understands the perfect balance between description and action, peppering her scenes with little descriptive markers here and there. As usual in contemporary fiction, the setting itself didn't play an essential role in the story, but contrary to other books in this genre that I've read, I could imagine myself in the places. Whether it was the Peskin-Suso house or Bissl, the shop where Molly works, I had no problem picturing myself next to her.
I admire Albertalli's ability to convey such sense of atmosphere and setting with very little, but poignant descriptions.
DIVERSITY: 5 / 5
Becky's forte are, undoubtedly, books that are more diverse than your average YA-novel - which is wonderful. Seriously, every time I read one of her novels and I see how effortlessly she represents marginalized groups I just want to hug her. The world needs more authors like Becky Albertalli, in this regard especially.
As in Simon, she did not limit herself to including LGBTQ+ characters, though there were quite a few in The Upside of Unrequited as well.
Patty and Nadine Peskin-Suso, Molly's moms, are a lesbian couple, for example, and Molly's twin sister Cassie is in a relationship with a pansexual girl. On top of that, there are also characters of color, such as Cassie's girlfriend Mina, who is South Korean, or Molly's and Cassie's mom Nadine, who is African-American.
Like the little cherry on top of a perfect representation-cake, many of the major characters are also Jewish, like Molly and her family, or her co-worker Reid.
Albertalli knows how to be inclusive and wonderful without making it seem try-hard or like she’s only bargaining for diversity-cookie points.
Another important (and underrepresented!) topic that Albertalli includes is fat-shaming, seeing as her protagonist, Molly, is plus-size. There is one particularly uncomfortable scene where Molly's grandmother comments on her weight, pestering her to lose a couple pounds. That moment broke my heart because it portrayed the micro-aggressions of body shaming so accurately and earnestly.
Overall, the story sends a positive message, though, because Molly realizes she's beautiful and is called beautiful by others without losing weight. She's fat, she's beautiful, and those two co-exist in this novel in a way that they usually don't in media.
In regards to diversity, Becky Albertalli has outdone herself again.
WRITING STYLE: 5 / 5
I LOVE Becky's style so much. Her phrases, her choice of words, it's all so on point.
She's capable of portraying teenagers perfectly, giving them a realistic voice, while simultaneously using beautiful phrases. Furthermore, her style is easy to read and just all-around enjoyable.
Out of the hundreds of books I've read in my lifetime, I've yet to encounter another author who comes even close to Becky's skill of capturing teenage thoughts without making them look shallow or stupid.
OVERALL RATING: 2 / 5
While I definitely enjoyed this book, I did feel a little disappointed. I went into Simon with super high expectations and came out loving it much more than I thought was possible. While I had similar expectations for Upside, those were, sadly, not quite met (read: not met at all.)
I liked the characters, but I didn't love them. (Except for those Abby, Nick, and Simon cameos? They honestly had me smiling so much I had to put the book down for a bit.)
I felt they were likable and relatable enough, but they didn't stick with me as much as I expected them to. I just didn’t care about them as deeply as I wanted to, and now, two months after finishing the novel, I've already forgotten half of them again.
The story was sweet, though I expected more from the plot; it lacked a distinctive story line for me, which is why Molly’s adventures just fell flat for me.
I loved the world building, and Becky's writing style and diverse cast were - as always - on point. But those factors couldn’t outweigh the less-than-exciting storyline or the deeply average characters.
Even if I didn't like this book as much as I had expected to, I can recommend it to anyone who loves cutesy contemporary stories with a happy end, and I can definitely say that I'm excited to read anything else Becky Albertalli brings to the table in the future.