Review: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

Title: The Unexpected Everything
Author: Morgan Matson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Hardcover, 519 Pages
Published May 2016

Summary: 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? 

I read this book while on vacation this summer, and I was looking forward to it because I’ve always been a huge fan of Morgan Matson’s work. Her stories always have a way of resonating with you and being a nice, relaxing read when you need one. The Unexpected Everything was no different.

The story follows Andie, a teenage girl whose father is a popular political figure and whose life has always been planned out for her. When some things go down that cause her father to temporarily lose his job and also which cause her summer college program plan to fail, she’s forced to think quickly and find something new to do.

With no other options, Andie takes up dog walking, a summer job that’s she pretty sure she’s going to hate. However, it turns out to be one of the best things that happens to her, because through that job she meets Clark, and her summer gets all the better.

I really, really liked this story. It was a nice, easy read, and there was plenty of romance and drama and family bonding and friendship to go around. I also was a really big fan of Andie’s relationship with her best friends – I wish I had a group that I was that close to 24/7 like that. (For the record: I have plenty of very close friends, just not a group in a small town that is constantly together the way these girls are.)

The one thing that I wasn’t crazy about with this story was the insta-love factor. It’s what kept me from giving it five stars. (And if you’re a frequent visitor of The Book Bratz, you’ll understand just how much I really hate insta-love. It’s my biggest pet peeve in a book.) Clark and Andie basically hit it off from the moment they meet, and even though they go through some rocky times at points, things as a whole go perfectly for them. From practically the moment they meet. It bothered me a little bit, because it made the story seem a bit too fake in a way.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this story. It was interesting to see Andie’s adventures as she took her totally “ruined” summer and turned it into one of the best times of her life, making new friends, finding new love, and even finding a new passion for a hobby she never would have picked up otherwise.

If you’re looking for a nice, light read, I definitely recommend giving The Unexpected Everything a try – you won’t be disappointed! :-)