Becky Albertalli is officially not a one-hit wonder. I feel I also must note that if this book had been around when I was a teenager, I would have been 1000% obsessed with it. Like Molly, I was that girl with the hundred unrequited crushes and no idea what to do about them, and even though her body-image issues were not mine, I felt I could also relate that she had them. (Adolescence is a terrible time. I’m sure you all agree.) And just like […]
Am I getting to old for this shit?
As I tiptoe closer to my 30s I am constantly reminded that I am not a Young Adult. This isn’t to say The Upside of Unrequited isn’t a wonderful fine YA novel, I’m just old. I just struggle to connect to today’s teen stories although I wish YA had been this diverse when I was an actual young adult. Also, I had to google to difference between pansexual and bisexual (used in Being Jazz and Upside) which made me feel old and out of touch. “I mean, here’s the thing I don’t […]
A lovely, heartwarming story about first loves. And an amazing opening sentence about peeing mermaids.
I’m joining in with the praise for Becky Albertalli’s follow-up to the great Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. And I’m adding Becky Albertalli to the YA Mount Rushmore, along with Rainbow, Andrew, and AS. She writes teens that seem like actual human beings, who talk like regular kids, and who make realistic mistakes. These kids are full of self-doubt and have families that embarrass them, but are also hopeful and fiercely loyal to those aforementioned embarrassing families. These kids could be living next door to me. […]
I want to know what it feels like to have crushes that could conceivably maybe one day turn into boyfriends
4.5 stars Sixteen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso has had a crush on twenty-six different guys (number twenty-six is Lin-Manuel Miranda, and I share your infatuation, girl!), but these crushes have never really developed into anything and she’s never kissed anyone. Molly’s twin sister Cassie is very encouraging and tries to get her to just “go for it”, but Cassie has had flings with a number of girls, and is a lot more outgoing and confident than Molly. While they are twins, the sisters have vastly different body […]