Author: Morgan Matson
Synopsis: Andie Walker has everything in her life planned out, until one event throws her entire summer schedule out the window. With a group of loyal friends, more than a few dogs, and a shy writer, Andie starts to learn that sometimes it's better to go with the flow, but at the end of the summer will she go back to her old ways?
Rating: 4 stars.
As always, Morgan Matson delivers a sunny summer contemporary perfect for long lazy days reading! Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I did have some problems with it, especially as I enjoyed Since You've Been Gone and Amy & Roger's Epic Detour so much. This review may have little spoilers in them, but I've tried to make it as spoiler-free as possible!
Andie's character development in this is something I really enjoyed reading about, and for the most part I liked her as our protagonist. However there was a DECISION - those of you who have read this will know what I'm talking about! - she made that infuriated me, and I didn't connect with her as much as I wanted to. One of my favourite aspects of this novel was the friendship. I loved the texting conversations that were included as they felt like a real conversation a group of friends would have! Palmer, Andie, Toby and Bri really were close, and Morgan Matson has captured all of the little details of friendship very well.
And then there's Clark...oh how I love Clark! He has T-shirts with TV show references on them (I only got one!), a bonkers dog, and he writes! I like how he helped Andie relax and their relationship was so so cute. The sections from his books were another great addition.
Andie's relationship with her father was something that really sets this book apart. I like how they were working together to improve things, and the gradual change throughout summer was really sweet to read.
HOWEVER! I did have problems with this book. For one thing, I felt it was too long and in the beginning I felt myself get a bit distracted. As well as this, I was not a fan of the plot twist as it didn't feel very realistic to me and went against the values of friendship that ran throughout the rest of the book.
All in all, The Unexpected Everything was a good summery read, but I would recommend Morgan Matson's other books if you've never read any of hers before. Especially Amy & Roger's Epic Detour - that is one of my favourite contemporary books!
Let me know what you thought of The Unexpected Everything in the comments!
Thanks for reading(:
