Written By: Alley Red
Some books are a bit too similar to Hallmark movies. Too predictable, too much cheesy romance, and happy endings that just… aren’t fulfilling. Of course, some people like these books, and that’s why they’re written. Some like the comfort of knowing that the main couple will end up together. They enjoy the drama and the little flaws the characters have. And sometimes you want a bit more, nothing too angsty, but just a couple tears, ya know to make sure the ducts are still working. If you’re still interested, then I suggest you check out the author Morgan Matson. With six beautiful YA novels under her belt, she shows you the various sides of the fictional town of Stanwhich, with characters going around and planning weddings, going to the beach, and walking dogs, there must be at least one book you like from her.
While I could talk all day about her various books, today I wanna focus on The Unexpected Everything. My all-time favorite book. It revolves around a 17-year-old girl named Andie, her father is a congressman who is now under investigation after losing a large sum of money. With this negative light painted on her father, her spot at a pre-med summer program is removed, and she suddenly has a lot more time on her hands than she thought she would. She ends up becoming a dog walker after taking an offer on a mysterious poster she found on a bulletin board at her local diner. That is how she meets Clark, the young novelist who has a big white fluffy dog named Bertie.
With their first date being a rocky start, the rest of their relationship is so cute. Clark is a caring and lovable nerd, willing to help Andie out in whichever way he can. Well… except for telling her the plot of his latest book, that’s the one thing he can’t do.
Andie herself isn’t necessarily the most lovable character, she’s fairly normal in the grand scheme of things, but it’s everyone in her life that you fall in love with. Like her father who is finally home for the first time in months. He is determined to get to know his daughter again and they develop a good relationship. Full of weekends watching John Wayne movies, late-night cheesecake, and accompanying Andie on some of her walks.
Another thing to love is Andie’s group of friends, with the main pair being Brie and Toby, then Palmer and her boyfriend Tom. They have their funny inside jokes and ritual diner visits. It’s funny how real they are to me, especially cause they have that trope of their being the two friends who are the main pair since that’s pretty accurate to real life. I don’t know about you, but I always wanted one of those really tight-knit group of friends, a found family. So it was nice to live vicariously through Andie, even if it was only for a little bit.
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