Review : The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Title : The Unexpected Everything
Author : Morgan Matson
Genre : YA contemporary
Release Date : May 3rd, 2016
Publisher : Simon & Schuster

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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?

It's not a secret that Morgan Matson is one of my favorite contemporary authors. Both Since You've Been Gone and Second Chance Summer got high rating for me, so naturally I have high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, I didn't love it as much as I love her previous books. It doesn't mean that The Unexpected Everything was bad, it's just something was off for me.

The thing is, The Unexpected Everything starts off great. Really great, even. I love the characters (Clark, especially. He's just so adorable), the friendship between Andie and her friends, and the hint of family relationship's growth. But after 200-ish pages, the story became flat and unnecessary. It really just consist of what Andie and her friends doing all summer, and it's boring to me. I know its purpose is probably to show how close Andie and her friends are, but still. I kept checking the percentage every few minutes to see how far I've progressed. It wasn't until things went downhill for them that the plot starts to pick up again. Sadly, due to that middle part, I can't enjoy the ending as much as I'd hoped for.

I could say the same with the characters. I love all the characters at first--there's Andie and her best friends, Toby, Bri, and Palmer. There's also Andie's dad, who is a Congressman, and of course there's Clark, the love interest. I actually like Andie at first. She reminds me a bit of myself--a planner and a bit of perfectionist. But toward the end, I start to dislike her due to how he treat Clark. I can't say how she treat Clark without giving away spoilers, but it's another reasons why I can't enjoy the book. Clark, on the other hand, is so adorable! He's a little awkward at first, but once you get to know him, he's basically everything you want in a boyfriend. And he have dimples! Bonus point for that 😉

The only thing I truly love from beginning to end is the family relationship's growth between Andie and her dad. Andie used to be close to her dad, but ever since he became a Congressman, she barely spoke to him. Andie can't even being alone with her dad without it being awkward. But throughout the book, they learn to know each other again. I've always love how Matson handle family problems in Second Chance Summer, and this book is no different. Honestly it's the reason why I still gave it 3 stars.

Overall, The Unexpected Everything might not be what I'd expected, but I still enjoy some of it, especially the family aspects. If you want to read book with great family relationship's growth, this might be for you.