The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

One of my favorite books is The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson. The main character, Andie, is a high schooler who is interested in STEM. She was expecting to go to a summer internship for aspiring doctors; however, her father who is a politician ends up in a scandal which affects Andie. As a result, she ends up walking dogs during the summer.

I really enjoyed how one of the major themes in the novels was relationships. There was tension between Andie and her father since they both did not get along. Her mother had passed away five years ago due to cancer. The beginning of the novel described how Andie and her father has a distanced relationship. Throughout the novel they began to grow closer and she got to bond with her father. A quote that stood out to me was “one thing I’ve realized is that just because you have children, you don’t necessarily automatically have a relationship with them.” (Matson 98). I thought that this can actually imply in a real-life situation. Since Andie is mature enough, she interpreted this differently than before when she got upset about what her father said of their relationship. It is a significant moment which she begins to gain a new understanding of her father.

I also enjoyed how Matson had written about the relationship between Andie and her friend group, Bri, Toby and Palmer despite the situations which led them apart. I thought it was quite interesting because Matson did not end Bri and Toby’s friendship well, indicating how not all friendships will be successful. Also, Andie’s love interest, Clark, who is an author is a significant character because they both open up and learn from each other.