The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson - OPTIONAL

Matson, Morgan The Unexpected Everything,  519 pages. Simon and Schustser BFYR, 2016. $17.99.  Mature Content: R (implied sex, underage drinking); Violence: G;  Language: PG (3 swears, O “f”).

Andie Walker, 17, has always kept up the perfect public persona as a congressman’s daughter.  Her mother’s death four years ago led to her father throwing himself into his work, and Andie has had to fend for herself through high school.  A scandal suddenly puts her dad out of work and cancels Andie’s plans for a pre-med summer program away from home.  Stuck at home with a newly un-busy dad whom she no longer knows, Andie decides to accept a low-status summer job as a dog walker, and a medical emergency with a mysterious client‘s dog leads to new possibilities in Andie’s relationship with her father, a new boy, and her tight group of friends.

This book was slow to warm up to.  It ended up being an entertaining (if rosy-lensed) read, even though some of the plot was really obvious.   Despite being another book based on white privileged teens, I liked the characters.  Most everything gets wrapped up in a sappy sweet solution but the author does a good job of making the reader want the good stuff for these people.

HS – OPTIONAL.  Reviewed by JA, High School Librarian