I want to know what it feels like to have crushes that could conceivably maybe one day turn into boyfriends

4.5 stars

Sixteen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso has had a crush on twenty-six different guys (number twenty-six is Lin-Manuel Miranda, and I share your infatuation, girl!), but these crushes have never really developed into anything and she’s never kissed anyone. Molly’s twin sister Cassie is very encouraging and tries to get her to just “go for it”, but Cassie has had flings with a number of girls, and is a lot more outgoing and confident than Molly. While they are twins, the sisters have vastly different body types. Cassie is tall and svelte and graceful, Molly is introverted, quiet and what their tactless grandmother refers to as “zaftig”. Being awkward, constantly infatuated and terminally unkissed was bad enough before, now Cassie has her first proper girlfriend, whom she is absolutely gaga about, and Molly feels more alone than ever.

When gay marriage is made legal, Cassie and Molly’s mothers resolve to finally get married. Molly throws herself into the wedding planning with gusto, but it doesn’t exactly make her want someone of her own to love. Mina, Cassie’s new girlfriend, is nothing if not supportive of Cassie’s plans to get Molly a boyfriend. Mina’s cute hipster friend Will seems like a very likely prospect, especially because then Molly and Cassie could double date with Mina and her bestie. Molly may have a different candidate for crush number twenty-seven. however. Reid, her lanky, fantasy-loving co-worker, makes Molly feel tongue-tied like no other. Two cute boys – will one of them finally be the one to give Molly her first kiss?

Last summer, I read Becky Albertalli’s debut novel, Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda. There were so many things to like about it, but I was uncomfortable about the aspect where (SPOILER) the protagonist, Simon, is outed on social media by a classmate, and it ruined some of my happy when reading it. In this book, there wasn’t anything of the sort and the teens in this book (Molly and Cassie are cousin’s with Abby, one of Simon’s best friends – there are tiny cameos from the first book in the latter half of this one) are just as delightful to read about as the ones in Albertalli’s first book.

Full review here.