My Rating: 3.5 hearts
Thoughts on the Novel: Morgan Matson’s novels always have a nice blend
of family, friendship, and romance, which is why I enjoy them. However,
her latest book, The Unexpected Everything, was my least favourite of
her novels.
Since my thoughts for The Unexpected Everything were kind of all over
the place, I figured the best way to review this book would be to write a pros
and cons list.
Pros:
Cons: - Despite the fact that she didn’t make the best decisions, I
still found Andie to be a likeable character.
- Clark was an adorable love interest.
- I loved seeing the change in Andie’s relationship with her father. I would have liked The Unexpected Everything to have spent a little more time exploring that relationship in greater detail and a little less time on the drama between Andie’s friends.
- At just over 500 pages, I think this book was a little too long. Had it been shorter, the plot wouldn’t have dragged at times.
- I found the character of Topher – and by extension, Andie’s relationship with him – to be totally unnecessary.
- Although I understood how important Andie’s friends were to her, I still didn’t care about the drama between Bri and Toby.
Comments About the Cover: It makes the book look like a great beach read, which I could easily imagine The Unexpected Everything being.
In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Simon and Schuster Canada) for free.
I don't think I've ever read a contemp with over 500 pages! But this sounds kinda cute and there are so many dogs on the cover so I think I'll check this one out.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Matson tends to write door stoppers. I think I would love to see a bit more exploration into her relationship with her dad, as well. I felt sorry for them because they only have each other and they shouldn't have let things go as bad as it was.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read this one for awhile just because there are dogs on the cover xD But hot dang, 500 pages is a little crazy for a contemporary.
ReplyDeleteThe length was a bit intimidating to me too, particularly for a contemporary YA, but I've heard such good things about Clark! I must meet him:)
ReplyDeleteWow, this is a long one! Thanks for your honest thoughts. Sorry this wasn't a favorite for you. I've only read Amy & Roger, which I loved, but I want to read more. I guess I'll focus more on her other releases first though.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
Wow, this one (like everyone is saying! *laughs*) sure is long! I thought it was only 250 pages, but it's double that! I definitely think it's got to be one of the longest contemporary novels I've ever heard of, but it;s a shame it ended up being a dissapointment in the fact it was *too* long. That would have been frustrating, and I don't really understand why there wouldn't have been that extra relationship build up when there was that amount to fit it into!
ReplyDeleteI've got to say, though, that all the covers I've seen for this book are kinda adorable! I don't think they'd make me pick up the book in a store, but the little doggies are so sweet! I hadn't seen this one before, but it's the same dogs and I think the same model, too, as the Australian cover. That would have been such a fun, hectic photoshoot! *laughs*
I hope your next Matson is much better! When you really love an author's work and find one that isn't as great as the others it's always a huge let down, so I really hope that this is the only one you have issues with! x
Weird, I would have thought the book spent more time with the main character and her father's relationship which is what I assumed from the book's description. I haven't read any Matson's books before, but I don't think I will start with this one. I can't handle unnecessary drama.
ReplyDeleteA book about relationships? With a political background. This sounds a little bit like The Wrong Side of Right, which I liked. I might give this a try but I'm a bit hesitant about the length of the book since it's contemporary.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I was really looking forward to reading this one. I read my first Matson novel this year and loved it. I think I'll still give this one a go, but maybe not soon.
ReplyDelete