Before executing my plan to do The Hunger Games reread (wish me luck!), I was feeling like immunizing myself with something light and sweet first, and so my choice fell on The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. Following the story of a seventeen-year-old girl named Molly Peskin-Suso who has never been kissed her entire life, this book starts with her unexpected encounter with Mina, the girl that will soon make her twin sister Cassie head over heels in love. Luckily for Molly, Mina befriends a cute hipster boy called Will who seems to have an interest in her (or so Cassie, Mina, and Olivia think).
As a girl with a certain weight, Molly has always been careful. With both Cassie and Mina unsubtly pushing her to Will's orbit, for the first time in forever, Molly is trying to be more than just her usual self. She wants to be brave and win him over. But somehow, Molly can't seem to stop thinking about her awkward co-worker Reid with his passion for Tolkien and his stupidly electric-white sneakers.
One thing was for sure about this book: I had picked the perfect material. The Upside of Unrequited was such a cute, heartwarming book about crushes, friendship, and sisterhood with so many great reps. I liked that this book didn't force the characters to become something they weren't but instead highlighted the importance of accepting who they truly were. Molly was the kind of character that would eventually sway you to her team. I bet you, too, would genuinely root for her to be happy.
With that kind of rooting came an inevitable sense of solidarity though. Being invested in Molly's well-being had thrown me into a few moments of second-hand embarrassment every time she did something I thought she shouldn't. "No, Molly, don't..." I wanted to scream, but I knew there was no point. It kinda felt like when you are watching a rom-com movie and you know that the main character is about to experience the most embarrassing thing ever in front of the most important people and her crush. You would be internally screaming too, wouldn't you?
In conclusion, The Upside of Unrequited was such a fun book. While I couldn't really feel the chemistry between the couples in this book and I thought that except for Molly the other characters didn't exactly stand out, I would still recommend this book if you are thinking about picking up something light and pretty sweet. It might be predictable, but I bet you still want to finish it regardless.
Actual rating: 3.5★
