Friday, June 28, 2019

REVIEW: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

The Unexpected Everything

Andie had it all planned out. When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future. Important internship? Check. Amazing friends? Check. Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).
But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life. Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. And where’s the fun in that?



MY THOUGHTS
I was looking for a feel-good read and thought that Morgan Matson would be a great choice and this is one that I hadn't yet reread. It also has puppers, a character who writes, and it takes place in the summer, so it really felt like a perfect book to reread! Rereading this book I realized that there were so many details I still retained but I still immensely enjoyed reading it! Some things were different than I remember, but it's still a great Morgan Matson book. 

Andie's plans include an all-important internship at a med school. Not only will it help her future and look good on a resume, but it lets her out of the house after her dad (a congressman) got involved with a scandal. But when said scandal causes Andie to get pulled from an internship, she doesn't know what to do. All of the other internships and jobs are already taken and she can't have a gap in her resume. She has to find something to do and sure it wasn't walking dogs, but maybe she can find greatness in this summer after all. 

This indeed has a lot of feel-good to it (the puppers help). One of the reasons why I love Morgan Matson's books is that while her books can sometimes be predictable, her books are incredibly realistic because there is complexity to them. Yes, this book has a romance in it, but it's not just about romance. There is a lot about trying to figure out what you are doing when the unexpected happens (which is definitely relatable) and trying new things. There are themes are sticking with your friends and fixing relationships. There is even Andie still dealing with her mother's death years later and the father that is so caught up in work that he has no time for her. Speaking of Andie, there was just so much growth in her character in the book and even growth in the characters surrounding her as the book progressed. 

The characters in this book are just fantastic! I loved seeing the group texts between Andie's friends! I also loved that Andie's dad was a part of the book and we see their relationship change from a nonexistent relationship to a close relationship. I honestly just loved seeing everyone react around each other. Again, it goes back to the complexity that Morgan Matson includes in her books. Each character is dynamic with their own unique personalities. They all feel like real people which made all of the emotions feel real. Let's not forget the dogs! I love love love dogs. If you asked me what my favorite animal was it would be, no question, dogs! So that was a big part of why I wanted to reread this book. Even the dogs get their personalities showcased! The main dog we see is Bertie who is a Great Pyrenees and I am just full of happiness just thinking about him! I volunteered walking dogs in the past and I kept getting reminded two Great Pyrenees, a brother and sister that the shelter was trying to get adopted together. They were just sweet furballs and I adored them. Thankfully they are now in a happy home!

Okay, I'll stop talking about dogs (even though I don't want to) and get to what disappointed me during my reread. My first time reading I gave this 5 stars, this time it gets 4 stars. This is mainly is due to the last part of the book, which I completely forgot about. Near the end, there is a large portion where the feel-good drops and we get a lot of conflict. I don't have a problem with the fact that there is conflict, because in real life there is conflict, I have a problem with the reasons why there was a conflict. A lot of it seemed stupid, avoidable, and it took up a lot of space in the book (this isn't a short book) [highlight to view spoiler] My main gripe is that there is conflict over the fact that one friend has a crush on a boy and it turns out that boy has a crush on another friend (and they strike up a relationship). Andie finds out about it and there is DRAMA. It was just so stupid. I'm not on either side, but WHY WOULD YOU LET A GUY RUIN A FRIENDSHIP! Because this actually ends a lifelong friendship, over a guy who was not worth it! WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS?! Ugh. Frankly, it was also a bit cliche. [end of spoiler] It really just made me frustrated.

IN CONCLUSION

Overall, I did enjoy rereading this book! Part of the later part frustrated me, but I just loved all the characters and the friendships and the puppers! This is a really great summertime read and I'm glad that I gave it another read!



I hereby give this book
4 Stars!
Meaning: I really liked this book!

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