The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson is a 2016 YA Rom Com that I’m revisiting as part of my Author Spotlight on Morgan Matson AND reading her brand new 2024 book, The Ballad of Darcy and Russell. Is this (and Matson’s other books) one of the Books to Read After YA? Let’s Discuss!
overview of the unexpected everything by Morgan Matson
Published on May 3, 2016 by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
519 pages
This review was originally posted by me on Goodreads in May 2016
Jen’s Quick Summary of The Unexpected Everything
The teen daughter of a prominent widowed politician who was whrecently embroiled in a scandal meets cute with a shy guy keeping a big secret of his own.
my Analysis of The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson
First off, I’m never not going to like a Morgan Matson book. I’ve been a fan of hers since Amy and Roger in 2010.
Don’t get me wrong. The Unexpected Everything was a cute YA Rom Com. In the moment, I did enjoy reading it.
But as I reflect back on my overall reading experience, it seems that in 519 pages (which seems VERY long for a YA contemporary rom com) this story should have had more — more plot and more developed themes and relationships.
Here’s a list of the things that I would have liked to see treated in greater depth:
a) Andie’s father’s scandal. This aspect of the story initially fascinated me – how does the teenage child of a politician handle being forced into the spotlight? How does she then deal with a parent’s sudden notoriety? I was disappointed that this aspect of the story ended up being a plot device to keep Andie stuck at home for the summer. There’s a press conference, she’s collateral damage in a political scandal as gets stabbed in the back by the mysterious Dr. Rizzoli (for something that wasn’t her fault) and then she’s just like “okay, whatevs. I’ll go walk some dogs…”
b) Andie’s relationship with her dad. Again, this was potentially good stuff that felt underdeveloped. Andie’s father has been a distant/busy figure in her life and then suddenly he’s around and starts acting like a parent. There’s one great scene where she explains their relationship from her point of view, he grounds her once, and then everything’s awesome.
c) Andie and Clark. I thought their relationship and Clark’s secret identity brought up themes that nicely paralleled Andie’s dad’s issues – anonymity vs. a public life – but that never really got explored. The Andie-Clark romance wasn’t really very memorable when I thought back on it. There’s the meet cute, they get off on the wrong foot, there’s a bonding experience over dogs, he pushes her away, then she makes the Big Romantic Gesture.
d) The friend drama. I’m not a fan of characters who just stand around and play no real role in the story. If I have to learn who a character is and remember his/her name and personal characteristics, I want that character to serve a purpose. Andie had a lot of friends, all of whom seemed mostly there to stir up a peripheral love triangle. I thought that conflict between Toby and Bri was way more dramatic than the main plotline and only served to emphasize how little plot there was in this long of a book.
Overall:
The Unexpected Everything is a book you CAN judge by its cover: a light, fluffy summer read that’s long on cute guys and dogs (and page length). It does dance around some serious issues, but not enough to tax your brain on a hot summer day.
More Books by Morgan Matson
To see ALL Matson’s books, including the ones she wrote under her other author alter ego, go check out my Author Spotlight on Morgan Matson right now!
