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Lumos (380 KP) rated The Upside of Unrequited in Books
Jan 9, 2018 (Updated Jan 9, 2018)
Relatable!
I absolutely could not put this book down! The creative writing of Albertalli was well done and brought me along on a journey with her very real characters. Though slightly predictable at times, this book was everything I wanted it to be.
The main character, Molly, is a twin. Throughout this novel, we see Molly struggle with identity and the coming of age process that comes with discovering who you are through a long series of crushed until she finds one that "clicks". Molly's twin sister (Cassie) and her new girlfriend (Mina) are determined to set Molly up with Mina's best friend Will. The pair believe this will be the perfect match as then the twin set will not be separated by love. Unfortunately, things don't work out as planned and we, as readers, are suddenly caught in the whirlwind of teen romance and self-discovery.
The main character, Molly, is a twin. Throughout this novel, we see Molly struggle with identity and the coming of age process that comes with discovering who you are through a long series of crushed until she finds one that "clicks". Molly's twin sister (Cassie) and her new girlfriend (Mina) are determined to set Molly up with Mina's best friend Will. The pair believe this will be the perfect match as then the twin set will not be separated by love. Unfortunately, things don't work out as planned and we, as readers, are suddenly caught in the whirlwind of teen romance and self-discovery.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Molly's Game (2017) in Movies
Nov 30, 2017
My local cinema held a secret screening last night, and Molly's Game was the surprise movie they showed. Beforehand, I'd probably only seen the name of the movie along with the accompanying poster and I had literally no idea what it was about. If I'd seen the trailer, and knew a bit more about the plot movie, I don't think I'd have gone to watch it, but it actually turned out to be a pretty enjoyable movie. Despite the fact that there were about 10 other movies I was secretly hoping they'd screen instead, I wasn't disappointed by this. That's the gamble you take with a secret screening I guess.
Molly's Game is based on a true story, and the accompanying book written by Molly Bloom. It's written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, writer of, among other things, The West Wing and The Newsroom, so you get a pretty good idea of the quick-witted snappy dialogue that you're in for. Jessica Chastain plays Molly, and she is just absolutely incredible in this movie. Not knowing the basic story it was based on, the opening scenes changed direction so many times that I was left wondering what the movie was actually going to be about and which direction it was headed. Narrated by Molly, we're initially introduced to her life as an Olympic class skier. She describes her younger life training with her stern father (Kevin Costner), the spinal surgery which put her out of action for a while, her fight back to the top and the tragic accident which then put her out of action once more. Then we jump forward 12 years, where Molly is suddenly woken one morning by a phone call. It's the FBI, and they want her to come out of her room within the next few minutes or they're going to break down the door. When she does come out, she is cuffed and arrested for running high-stakes poker games. We then see her in the office of Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), a top (and expensive) lawyer who Molly would like to represent her. The remainder of the movie then switches between Molly narrating and filling us in on the events of the last decade or so leading up to now, and Molly and Charlie as they bicker and work together in piecing together her defence.
The first half of the movie is enjoyable as we follow Molly, working her way up from bored secretary to running hugely expensive poker games for the rich, famous and weird in Los Angeles and then New York. As mentioned earlier, Jessica Chastain is simply amazing, given a superb performance as we follow Molly from troubled child to shrewd, intelligent business woman and 'poker princess'. At the height of her game she was legally raking in thousands of dollars each night, and even getting on the wrong side of the Russian mob. However, after a while it all starts to drag a little and I feel the movie could have benefited from a much tighter run time (it's 160 minutes long). Things pick up again towards the end though, and Costner and Elba get their chance to shine. Well worth watching.
Molly's Game is based on a true story, and the accompanying book written by Molly Bloom. It's written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, writer of, among other things, The West Wing and The Newsroom, so you get a pretty good idea of the quick-witted snappy dialogue that you're in for. Jessica Chastain plays Molly, and she is just absolutely incredible in this movie. Not knowing the basic story it was based on, the opening scenes changed direction so many times that I was left wondering what the movie was actually going to be about and which direction it was headed. Narrated by Molly, we're initially introduced to her life as an Olympic class skier. She describes her younger life training with her stern father (Kevin Costner), the spinal surgery which put her out of action for a while, her fight back to the top and the tragic accident which then put her out of action once more. Then we jump forward 12 years, where Molly is suddenly woken one morning by a phone call. It's the FBI, and they want her to come out of her room within the next few minutes or they're going to break down the door. When she does come out, she is cuffed and arrested for running high-stakes poker games. We then see her in the office of Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), a top (and expensive) lawyer who Molly would like to represent her. The remainder of the movie then switches between Molly narrating and filling us in on the events of the last decade or so leading up to now, and Molly and Charlie as they bicker and work together in piecing together her defence.
The first half of the movie is enjoyable as we follow Molly, working her way up from bored secretary to running hugely expensive poker games for the rich, famous and weird in Los Angeles and then New York. As mentioned earlier, Jessica Chastain is simply amazing, given a superb performance as we follow Molly from troubled child to shrewd, intelligent business woman and 'poker princess'. At the height of her game she was legally raking in thousands of dollars each night, and even getting on the wrong side of the Russian mob. However, after a while it all starts to drag a little and I feel the movie could have benefited from a much tighter run time (it's 160 minutes long). Things pick up again towards the end though, and Costner and Elba get their chance to shine. Well worth watching.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated A Dastardly Plot in Books
Oct 16, 2018
Plenty of Peril to Keep the Pages Turning
New York City is gearing up for the 1883 World's Fair, and Molly Pepper is hoping her mother, Cassandra, will be able to snag a spot in the inventor's hall to show case some of her amazing inventions. However, when the spot is given to a man - again - Molly and Cassandra devise a plan to break into the Inventory's Guild. That's where Molly stumbles upon the plans to sabotage the opening ceremonies. Who is the villain? Can Molly stop them?
The book starts out a little slowly, some of which is introducing us to the new characters and new series. Once the plot got going, the pacing certainly improved, and we got some fun twists that kept the pages turning. The climax introduced some new threads, and I can't wait to find out what happens next as the series continues. The characters are strong, and the real and fictional rubbed shoulders with ease. I did feel the book stopped at times to lecture us on equality - an important topic to be sure - but it felt like it slowed things down briefly when it came up. This new series has a slight Steampunk element to it, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I also enjoyed the pages at the end that told us about some of the same real people and events that underpinned this fictional world.
The book starts out a little slowly, some of which is introducing us to the new characters and new series. Once the plot got going, the pacing certainly improved, and we got some fun twists that kept the pages turning. The climax introduced some new threads, and I can't wait to find out what happens next as the series continues. The characters are strong, and the real and fictional rubbed shoulders with ease. I did feel the book stopped at times to lecture us on equality - an important topic to be sure - but it felt like it slowed things down briefly when it came up. This new series has a slight Steampunk element to it, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I also enjoyed the pages at the end that told us about some of the same real people and events that underpinned this fictional world.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated All That is Hidden in Books
Mar 16, 2023
Politics Turns Molly’s World Upside Down
Molly is shocked when her husband, Daniel, announces that he has quit his job with the New York City police department to run for New York Sheriff on the Tammany Hall ticket. Knowing how much Daniel hates bribes, she can’t believe it, but he tells her to trust him. Along with this change, they are moving into a house of Fifth Avenue, which also doesn’t make Molly happy. As she tries to adjust to her new life, she finds that something is going on beneath the surface. Then a murder takes place. Can Molly figure out what is going on?
It's always a delight to visit Molly in 1900’s New York City. The time and place come expertly to life as we watch her try to figure out exactly what is happening. As is often the case in this series, it takes a little while for the story to truly begin, but once it does, we are treated to an interesting mystery. One part of the ending was a little abrupt, but that’s a minor complaint. I’m happy to say I liked Daniel here overall, which isn’t always the case, and the rest of the regulars were their charming selves. I also liked most of the suspects, which made solving the murder that much more interesting. Fans old and new will lose themselves in Molly’s latest case.
It's always a delight to visit Molly in 1900’s New York City. The time and place come expertly to life as we watch her try to figure out exactly what is happening. As is often the case in this series, it takes a little while for the story to truly begin, but once it does, we are treated to an interesting mystery. One part of the ending was a little abrupt, but that’s a minor complaint. I’m happy to say I liked Daniel here overall, which isn’t always the case, and the rest of the regulars were their charming selves. I also liked most of the suspects, which made solving the murder that much more interesting. Fans old and new will lose themselves in Molly’s latest case.
Mandi S (1 KP) rated The Upside of Unrequited in Books
Jan 23, 2018
After absolutely loving the audiobook version of Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, I knew I wanted to listen to Becky Albertalli's next book, The Upside of Unrequited, rather than just read it. Not sure what she has done to get such a great cast of narrators for her books, but I loved this one as well! Sometimes audiobook narrators can be terrible and completely ruin what would have otherwise been a great story, but once again this audiobook knocked it out of the park.
The Upside of Unrequited follows Molly and her twin sister Cassie, two girls raised by lesbian moms, who also happen to be a mixed-race couple. Cassie is also a lesbian. Molly considers herself to be the more unattractive twin, being uncomfortable with her weight and never having kissed a boy, while Cassie is gorgeous and can have almost any girl she wants. Throughout the story, Molly struggles with Cassie getting her first serious girlfriend and losing that closeness with her sister, while trying to find herself and work on romantic relationships of her own. Oh, and plan a wedding for her moms.
I loved everything about this story. I really identified with Molly and her struggles with self image, and having family members beat her up over a "weight problem" since that has also happened to me. I loved the amount of diversity in this book, and that it was a big focus but not so much that it distracted from other elements of the story. There was a point however where I almost stopped reading because I felt SO BAD for Molly. I just couldn't bear to keep reading about the terrible way that others treated her and what I thought was going to happen next in the story, but I pushed myself through and I'm glad I did! I am so happy with the way this story ended!
I also kind of hate myself for taking so long to realize that Molly and Cassie's cousin Abby is the same Abby from Simon! I know they're making a movie from Simon, but I really hope they make a movie about this one too! I also can't wait to get my hands on Becky Albertalli's newest book, Leah on the Offbeat!
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
The Upside of Unrequited follows Molly and her twin sister Cassie, two girls raised by lesbian moms, who also happen to be a mixed-race couple. Cassie is also a lesbian. Molly considers herself to be the more unattractive twin, being uncomfortable with her weight and never having kissed a boy, while Cassie is gorgeous and can have almost any girl she wants. Throughout the story, Molly struggles with Cassie getting her first serious girlfriend and losing that closeness with her sister, while trying to find herself and work on romantic relationships of her own. Oh, and plan a wedding for her moms.
I loved everything about this story. I really identified with Molly and her struggles with self image, and having family members beat her up over a "weight problem" since that has also happened to me. I loved the amount of diversity in this book, and that it was a big focus but not so much that it distracted from other elements of the story. There was a point however where I almost stopped reading because I felt SO BAD for Molly. I just couldn't bear to keep reading about the terrible way that others treated her and what I thought was going to happen next in the story, but I pushed myself through and I'm glad I did! I am so happy with the way this story ended!
I also kind of hate myself for taking so long to realize that Molly and Cassie's cousin Abby is the same Abby from Simon! I know they're making a movie from Simon, but I really hope they make a movie about this one too! I also can't wait to get my hands on Becky Albertalli's newest book, Leah on the Offbeat!
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Debbie (52 KP) rated Hooks Can Be Deceiving in Books
Nov 10, 2018
Hooks Can Be Deceiving By: Betty Hechtman
Published By Crooked Lane Books Published Date 11 December 2018
Mystery and Thriller 320 Pages
#HooksCanBeDeceiving #NetGalley
<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/9a41056d7201c045d3f9e5c161f9569494687ae1"; width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>
I just love her books. I have read a few of her books and enjoy them. At the end of the book she always has a pattern or two for you try and also recipes. These recipes and pattern are mentioned in the book.
The main character in this book is Molly Pink. She works in a book store which has a yarn area to do projects. Within the first couple of chapters in these books there is always a murder. Molly usually gets herself involved with trying to solve them.
I won't go into too much detail because it is a mystery novel and I don't want to give too much away. The story is about a fellow crocheter who is killed. They want to put it as an accidental death but there are too many discrepancies. Molly gets involves because a friend asks her to do some quite investigating. Molly finds out some things and more questions come and a lot of other people need to be questioned by the police.
This was one of her better books because it had me guessing all the way to the end and I was surprised by who the murderer was.
I highly recommend this book when it comes out. I gave it 5 stars.
Published By Crooked Lane Books Published Date 11 December 2018
Mystery and Thriller 320 Pages
#HooksCanBeDeceiving #NetGalley
<img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/9a41056d7201c045d3f9e5c161f9569494687ae1"; width="80" height="80" alt="Professional Reader" title="Professional Reader"/>
I just love her books. I have read a few of her books and enjoy them. At the end of the book she always has a pattern or two for you try and also recipes. These recipes and pattern are mentioned in the book.
The main character in this book is Molly Pink. She works in a book store which has a yarn area to do projects. Within the first couple of chapters in these books there is always a murder. Molly usually gets herself involved with trying to solve them.
I won't go into too much detail because it is a mystery novel and I don't want to give too much away. The story is about a fellow crocheter who is killed. They want to put it as an accidental death but there are too many discrepancies. Molly gets involves because a friend asks her to do some quite investigating. Molly finds out some things and more questions come and a lot of other people need to be questioned by the police.
This was one of her better books because it had me guessing all the way to the end and I was surprised by who the murderer was.
I highly recommend this book when it comes out. I gave it 5 stars.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Don't Look for Me in Books
Sep 16, 2020
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
Although I have Wendy Walker's novels on my "to-read list," I have not had the pleasure of reading any until now. Why have I waited so long to read any of her work?
I could not put down her latest novel, Don't Look for Me. Told from two points of view, Molly Harper and her daughter Nic, we discover a family broken by tragedy, an accident from years ago. Molly is wracked with guilt and struggling to keep her family together. Nic, broken by guilt and anger, lashes out at Molly. Later Molly's car is found abandoned on the side of the road. The police think she walked away from her life. Nic refuses to believe her mom would leave them when they are all still recovering from tragedy. If she did not just walk away, then what happened to Molly?
Walker's brilliant writing leaves you unable to put the book down. She creates hard-to-forget characters. Often when an author includes numerous characters, they are flat. Walker's are fully formed, and her writing style leads you to suspect many outcomes.
I am sorry I waited so long to read Walker, but I am going to make up for time lost.
This review was published on Philomathinphila.com, on 9/15/20.
Although I have Wendy Walker's novels on my "to-read list," I have not had the pleasure of reading any until now. Why have I waited so long to read any of her work?
I could not put down her latest novel, Don't Look for Me. Told from two points of view, Molly Harper and her daughter Nic, we discover a family broken by tragedy, an accident from years ago. Molly is wracked with guilt and struggling to keep her family together. Nic, broken by guilt and anger, lashes out at Molly. Later Molly's car is found abandoned on the side of the road. The police think she walked away from her life. Nic refuses to believe her mom would leave them when they are all still recovering from tragedy. If she did not just walk away, then what happened to Molly?
Walker's brilliant writing leaves you unable to put the book down. She creates hard-to-forget characters. Often when an author includes numerous characters, they are flat. Walker's are fully formed, and her writing style leads you to suspect many outcomes.
I am sorry I waited so long to read Walker, but I am going to make up for time lost.
This review was published on Philomathinphila.com, on 9/15/20.
Kyera (8 KP) rated The Upside of Unrequited in Books
Jan 31, 2018
The Upside of Unrequited follows Molly, a girl who has had 26 crushes (and counting). She’s never been brave enough to put herself out there, never told any of her crushes how she felt and has never been rejected. But will everything change with crush 27?
This book is great because it has diverse people represented and seems authentic to each of their individual personalities and struggles. It is nice to see such a well-developed collection of people introduced to readers because sometimes readers aren’t always able to find a character they can relate to in a book. I hope that this book is not one of them.
Although Molly thinks she might like two different boys at one time, this isn’t a book that revolves around a love triangle. Molly struggles with her changing relationship with her twin sister. Her sister explores her own romantic feelings. Her parents balance their lives with a new baby and a very happy occasion on the horizon.
This is a cute, quick read about crushes, first loves, family, friends, and life. Highly recommended to young adult/teen readers who enjoy happy contemporary books.
This book is great because it has diverse people represented and seems authentic to each of their individual personalities and struggles. It is nice to see such a well-developed collection of people introduced to readers because sometimes readers aren’t always able to find a character they can relate to in a book. I hope that this book is not one of them.
Although Molly thinks she might like two different boys at one time, this isn’t a book that revolves around a love triangle. Molly struggles with her changing relationship with her twin sister. Her sister explores her own romantic feelings. Her parents balance their lives with a new baby and a very happy occasion on the horizon.
This is a cute, quick read about crushes, first loves, family, friends, and life. Highly recommended to young adult/teen readers who enjoy happy contemporary books.
Melinda McGuire Abel (1 KP) rated Pretty in Pink (1986) in Movies
Mar 14, 2018
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated A Killer Collection (A Collectible Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
When an obnoxious collector dies at a kiln opening, art reporter Molly Appleby smells something fishy. The plot moves slowly, the characters were paper thin, and I hated the ending. Other then that, I loved it.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-killer-collection-by-j-b.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-killer-collection-by-j-b.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.