Book Review: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Pages: 519

Genre: YA Realistic Fiction

Pub. Date:  May 3, 2016

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: Amy & Roger's Epic Detour,

Second Chance Summer, and Since You've Been Gone

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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?"

Andie Walker is the daughter of a Connecticut congressman and is used to having it all planned out.  That is until her father is involved in political scandal and instead of spending all of his time in Washington D.C., he moves back home for the summer.  This doesn't sound like a big deal, but Andie isn't used to having her dad around; she is accustomed to being on her own, especially after her mother died.  Andie had her summer all planned out. She was going to intern at John Hopkins, but after her father's scandal, she lost her place in the internship.  This throws Andie's perfectly planned world upside down.  Instead of having a prestigious job or internship for the summer, she finds work as a dog walker, which at first is a major step outside of her comfort zone.  But as time marches on, she realizes how much she loves it. Plus, she meets Clark (she walks his dog!) and has feelings for him. So perhaps this summer isn't a bust after all? The Unexpected Everything is an adorable summertime read that I thoroughly enjoyed and I highly recommend it for fans of YA contemporary fiction.

Andie isn't necessarily someone I could relate to, but I enjoyed her journey nonetheless. She's rather Type A and likes to control everything, so her unplanned summer throws her for a tailspin. What I enjoyed the most about Andie was her friendships. Andie has a group of close friends and they are constantly text messaging, discussing details at the diner, heading to the beach, and generally just being there for one another. I absolutely loved Matson's portrayal of this group of friends. It felt genuine and real. I also loved how The Unexpected Everything also focused on Andie's fractured relationship with her father. This summer isn't just about a possible first love, but it's also about repairing things with her dad and enjoyed that aspect of the novel.

Clark is such a great character in The Unexpected Everything. He's nerdy, but he's a hot nerd and I loved that about him.  Matson does such a great job creating memorable leading men and she hits it out of the ballpark with Clark.  I loved his summer romance with Andie and even though there were some bumps in the road, I was rooting for them all along.

My only issue with The Unexpected Everything was the length. The middle of the story dragged on a bit as it's a rather long book, but thankfully, the second half of the novel really picked up.  I was dying to know how things were going to end up for Andie and the end really tugged on my heartstrings.

If you are a fan of contemporary fiction as well as Morgan Matson, you won't be disappointed by The Unexpected Everything. Make sure you add it to your summer TBR pile and take it with you on vacation!