Last year, Carrie Firestone’s The Loose Ends List was definitely on my top books of 2016 list. It was uproariously unrepentant and unprecedented in its premise. So I was on the edge of my seat going into The Unlikelies. I didn’t read the blurb before I started so I went into blind, and I would highly recommend that because it was SO. MUCH. FUN. to dive in and discover all the twists and turns without any expectations. Right from the start it grabbed me and I didn’t let go. Seriously, I’m going to be talking about this one for a looooooooooooong long time.
There are so many reasons to love this book.
Vigilante Do-Gooders Fight Evil with Candy. If that sentence made little to no sense to you but definitely piqued your interest, I think you and I could be best friends. I mean, who doesn’t love candy and vigilantes all in the same sentence? And what a great idea… I’m pretty convinced that sugar could probably save the world if only we thought to use it more often. “Oh, you want to drop a nuke on another country… here’s a kit kat because you could use a break… and, while you’re at it, let’s give that country a break too and sign a nonaggression pact.” “Oh, you didn’t get the international attention you were looking forward to and now you want to go to war? Here’s a twix because we all know you aren’t yourself if you’re hangry.” What I’m trying to say is, I’m pretty sure that recess pieces are the missing piece of world peace (See what I unapologetically did there?). I may have gotten a teensy bit off topic, but seriously, Sadie and her friends are totally BA and they know how important it is to make others feel awesome by spreading the love via delicious treats. I loved EVERYTHING about this band of friends, and Carrie Firestone does such an incredible job of fleshing them each out as individuals, in addition to building them up as a whole. Their friendship works, and it felt real, which is sometimes hard to pull off, but I felt I knew each of them and I wanted to be in their inner circle because that inner circle is one hell of an awesome place to be.
There may or may not be some major blood money involved. I don’t want to give away the entire plot which is making it really hard to review this book, but I’m just saying… there is some dirty money in this book that has a sordid past and is put to very good use… The Unlikelies is basically a spy movie meets The Breakfast Club meets summery contemporary romance all rolled up together into a spicy burrito with more than a little sass on the side. I loved every single bite, because it is one of the most unique things I’ve ever read, and I tend to like that in my books.
If you also like reading laugh-out-loud, romantic-but-not-too-romantic, adorkable books about summer that will blow your mind with originality than this is definitely a book that should already be on your TBR. If it’s not, add it now, or better yet run to your local bookstore and pick it up. It was such a flippin’ fantastic read for me, and it’s going to be on this year’s best list for sure. I hope it delights you too.
Rating: 5+/5 stars