The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

This story involves the family of Abby, the character from the previous book "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda". She has twin sisters Molly and Cassie as her cousins. The two sisters can be both similar and different at the same time such as looking for a soulmate that is destined to be with them. Cassie is a lesbian who has dated so many females and possibly has other desires on what to do with them. Molly on the other hand is a straight female who has had approximately twenty-six crushes and never gotten a boyfriend yet. Cassie's goal is to help her sister get the right soulmate for her with the help of her best friend Olivia. Will Cassie be able to accomplish her goals? Or will staying single just be the case?

Reading the book didn't really attract me. The plot just sounded really weird and ironic for a sequel. The cover looks really cool though, with having blue, black, and a splash of red to it just like the first book. What I thought of was maybe the author could've made the sequel something like the first book. Examples would include using the exact same characters or adding an exclusive scene to it. The book also contained sexual gestures that isn't appropriate for preteens. In my opinion, I think this book should be age-appropriate for teens 16 years of age or older in order to read this because if I were to read this to someone who is way younger than me, they may not be able to get the main idea of the story.

Reviewed by Hannah Rachel, Grade 10
Glendale Central Library