the upside of unrequited by becky albertalli

Like I’m some hazily lit dream girl from a movie. It’s this totally new way of seeing myself. If I had such a giant ego, why would I have such a hard time believing Reid actually likes me?Įxcept, if I’m totally honest, I do believe it. Molly's inner narrative went in tiring circles as she thought about herself, kissing boys, and back again: Beyond this, the story and characters were extremely lacking for me. Diversity is just a necessity, not something a book should win an award for. I will say that the book has a lot of diversity - skin color, sexuality, gender identity, religion, body size, mental health - but you don't get brownie points or a pat on the back for this anymore. I actually really fucking like him, and none of the other stuff should matter. It’s that little twinge of shame you feel when someone thinks he’s not cute. It’s everyone knowing you’re attracted to a guy who wears electric-white sneakers. Is this a good message? Because, honestly, it makes me cringe. The story arc follows her journey to gaining self-confidence, which here occurs when her latest crush reciprocates her feelings. The protagonist - Molly - is a self-proclaimed 'fat girl' who always has crushes but never dates and/or kisses guys because she fears rejection.

I don’t know if this kind of book is supposed to be empowering for bigger girls, but it felt insulting. She finally finds her worth when it turns out that a boy likes her. Everyone else around her is “cute” or “hot” and she feels inadequate. In fact, it's the same old story I have never liked: an insecure (plain/overweight) virgin longs to finally be kissed by a boy. Who is Molly? What are her passions and interests? What does she care about aside from obsessing over her crushes and the fact she hasn't been kissed? I couldn't tell you.

Molly is the most well-developed character and even that is not saying much. It seemed like the author put a lot of effort into creating a diverse cast, which is great, and yet she forgot to develop their personality, charms and quirks, so that they became defined by their marginalization. To summarize why I didn't like this book in two points:ġ) I felt absolutely no connection to any of the characters. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, but these characters contained none of the charm that Simon & Co. This might be the author who brought us the wonderful and hilarious Simon vs. I'm really surprised to see so many positive reviews of The Upside of Unrequited from GR members who thought Holding Up the Universe was problematic. I can’t decide if this is funny or sad, but I’ve spent so much time wanting a boyfriend that I can’t imagine not wanting one.

The upside of unrequited by becky albertalli