The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Pages: 519+

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Contemporary / Crime mystery

Notes for Parents: Contains mild language, underage drinking, and mature scenes.

The Back Cover

Andie had it all planned out. Important internship? Check. Amazing friends? Check. Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks.)

But that was before her dad’s political scandal. Before having to be in the same house with him. 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?

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2016)

What’s good?

Andie’s plans for the summer have suddenly changed and she has to adapt. She gets a job walking dogs and meets a mysterious boy with a very big dog. Her summer is suddenly filled with fun, friends, fur, and an unexpected romance. Meanwhile, she’s also forced to deal with her usually absent father who’s now home thanks to a political scandal. It’s a summer of growth for everyone. Themes of friendship, family, loss, love, and doing what makes you happy makes for a sweet story. The pace is steady and the characters develop well. There’s no perfect ending, but the ending is perfectly done.

Best Part: Toby’s attempt to only text using emojis. And the scavenger hunt was fun.

What isn’t good?

The story moved slowly and not a lot happens. It’s wordy and full of many pointless details. It’s over 500 pages, but the story could have been told just as well (if not better) in less than 300.

Worst part: Too long.

Recommendation ☺☺☺☻☻ (3/5)

This is a good summer beach read – a very long summer beach read.

Matson, Morgan. The Unexpected Everything. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2016.