The Upside of Unrequited

From the award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda comes a funny, authentic novel about sisterhood, love, and identity.

"Heart-fluttering, honest, and hilarious. I can’t stop hugging this book." (Stephanie Perkins, New York Times bestselling author of Anna and the French Kiss)

"I have such a crush on this book! Not only is this one a must read, but it's a must re-read." (Julie Murphy, New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin')

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness - except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back.

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him.

Right?

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368 pages

Average rating: 7.62

29 RATINGS

7 REVIEWS

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Mrs. Awake Taco

Nov 13, 2024

8/10 stars

I enjoyed this book because it was kind of sweet and simple. Sure, there was a little drama, but nothing horrendous or unforgivable (nobody got an incurable diseases at the last second and had to bucket-list their way to the end of the novel or anything else cheesy and cliched like that). It was refreshing to just kind of be about a girl who struggles with self-esteem and flirting with guys, is working on her relationship with her sister, and who is relatively normal, all things considered. I did think it was a little cheesy how it tied in to Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda but c'est la vie. There were a couple of really meta moments, too, that sometimes made me laugh and sometimes made me cringe. Like, they referenced The Fault in Our Stars. I guess it can be hard to write a book that sort of naturally has to include pop culture without getting too close to home, but some of the references felt too in-jokey. It was a nice little book and I whipped right through it. I would recommend!

LMahoney

Jun 07, 2024

6/10 stars

This book is a quick easy read. I loved the diversity of skin color, sexuality, religion, weights of characters. I also enjoyed the growth of the sisters and understanding that things may change but their love for each other will not. A couple issues. 1: I will Molly learned to love herself BEFORE she got a boyfriend. It felt like everything was about her getting a bf (totally fine), but I wanted her to realize she was wonderful herself before Reid and she got together. 2. I wanted some more depth to Molly beyond being boy crazy.

Anonymous

Apr 20, 2024

4/10 stars

на удивление бесцветная книга с на удивление бесцветной героиней. совершенно непонятно, что там усмотрели издатели (кроме имени авторки). несколько раз проскакивала мысль, что вот это, наверное, и есть реальные подростки и их реальные потоки мыслей, но если так, то я по-прежнему предпочитаю выдуманных подростков, которые летают на драконах и отвоевывают королевства

trinabean724

Mar 19, 2024

7/10 stars

I give the extra 4th star for a YA novel. I think the author did a really wonderful job with Molly’s depression and how she handles herself. I definitely would have benefited hugely from this book as an adolescent.

As an adult reader, 3 stars. The story wasn’t overly exciting. I really like that emotional maturity shown when Molly and friends work out their disagreements in the end.

Anonymous

May 23, 2023

10/10 stars

This book was absolutely unreal. I loved it!