#Inspired50 Fast Facts:
Book: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
Genre/Audience: Fiction, teen drama/love/friendship
Rating: 8/10
Worth the read?: Definitely!
The Unexpected Everything was aptly named, as this book was surprisingly wonderful.
Having previously read and reviewed Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson, I was a little worried that this book would disappoint in the same ways: repetitive narration, countless information dumps, and an annoying protagonist. Thankfully, this book was notably missing these things—although there is the dreaded “protagonist looks into mirror and describes appearance” moment that left me cringing. It still surprises me that such a thing exists in this story, considering the author has an MFA in writing. But we all have our weaknesses (I can’t seem to write time transitions to save my life, personally…).
Unexpectedly, I was drawn into Andie’s story from page one. The fiction is realistic, for the most part: Andie is a soon-to-be high school senior with a politician father, strong friend group, and unexpected problems compounded by unaddressed grief. A recipe for white, upper-middle class teenage disaster, really. The book is also well-named for the plot, as everything Andie had planned for her near future is essentially thrown out the window through no fault of her own.
The book is really long—519 pages—and I don’t honestly remember what fills up all the space, though I was never bored reading. The best part of the novel? Dogs. There are so. many. dogs!!!!
la la la love
Okay, so the love story part is pretty endearing, too. Andie meets and falls for an awkward writer (relatable) in town for the summer, and he quickly becomes an integral part of her friend group.
In addition to being precious and sweet, Clark has lived a vastly different life than Andie has, and their differences bring to light the pieces of themselves they have never shared with another person before. Major brownie points to Matson, too, for the way she writes about sex—that is, honestly, but without being overly graphic.
honest authorship
Matson also works well with a large cast of characters, and she writes the thought processes of teenagers really well. During the book’s climactic moments, I was ready to scream at Andie’s crazy concept of constructive problem solving. Honestly, the teenage horror.
But this isn’t just a story about teenage angst, although the supply of emotional tension and frustration is certainly high. Throughout the course of the novel, Andie faces a slew of challenges, upsets, and heartbreak, but she also learns and grows in an incredibly satisfying way for the reader. By the end, Andie has matured significantly in every area of life—her relationships with her father and friends, the grieving process, and even her career aspirations. Also, there are dogs.
Do you have any favorite summertime reads you think I should read for the #Inspired50 challenge? There’s no better time to read a book set in summer than when the weather is cold and depressing! Leave me a comment below or send me a message with your book recommendations—I look so forward to hearing from you. While you’re at it, don’t forget to follow along on social media and use #Inspired50 when you post about your 2019 reads.
Happy reading!
Nikki
I haven’t read a teenage romance in a good long while because I’m afraid they’re going to annoy me with their formulaic plots. . . but this one sounds cute and endearing. I’ll have to look into it! As far as summer reads go, you should try We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. It’s fairly short but extremely twisty and interesting!
This one really did not read as formulaic at all, and honestly the previous Matson book I read didn’t feel formulated, either. Thanks for the recommendation, friend!! I’ll add it to my TBR 😉