The Unlikelies
Rising high school senior Sadie is bracing herself for a long, lonely, and boring summer. But things take an unexpected turn when she steps in to help rescue a baby in distress and a video of her good deed goes viral.
Suddenly internet-famous, Sadie’s summer changes for the better when she’s introduced to other “hometown heroes.” These five very different teens form an unlikely alliance to secretly right local wrongs, but when they try to help a heroin-using friend, they get in over their heads and discover that there might be truth in the saying “no good deed goes unpunished.” Can Sadie and her new friends make it through the summer with their friendships–and anonymity–intact?
With romance, humor, and wisdom, this rich and thought-provoking novel showcases timely issues and timeless experiences.
Recent Reviews
The Unlikelies by Carrie Firestone caught me by surprise. A coming of age story that avoids the band of underdogs against the cool kid clique clinche, it's refreshing that the teens are just average kids that wouldn't have met if it wasn't for the good deeds that they all individually did. Their main goal is just to do small pockets of good in their communities while enjoying their summer before senior year. But when a prominent old man dies and leaves one of them a treasure, things get a little more confusing than expected. After the first three chapters, I was no longer reading about the Unlikelies, I was one of them. A short read, it's readable in about a day. - Ten Minute Book Reviews
Kindness is an underrated virtue in Young Adult fiction. It's wonderful to have a book about teens who try to right the wrongs in their community both on and offline. I especially enjoyed how the kids shut down trolls by posting positive comments. The subplot about trying to save an addict was a bit of a stretch, but it was a useful plot device to bring their deeds to a wider audience. It was a nice change to see ethnic characters acting as saviors instead of victims. The teen voices sounded genuine and there was a sweet romance. If this book encourages more kindness in the world, it will be a success. Teens need role models like these diverse kids. I would also recommend Firestone's debut, The Loose Ends List, which is one of my favorite YA novels, with more humor and irreverence. - Mainer
What can I say about this one? Well, it did a wonderful job pulling me into the story with an OMG event that happened early on. I didn't see it coming and I was like WTH!!! Not many books start off with such an event. After that, the book had many ups and downs. It had a great pace and was fast where it needed to be fast and slow where it needed more time to get through something. The story was one that was both dark and uplifting it didn't shy away from things like sex, drugs, and other topics of its kind. This is one I could see in high schools. It had a great message about bullies and the only issue I had with it was the cover. I think the cover would have worked out better if it really would have been tied into the story. The cover with Ice cream really doesn't have anything to do with the book. I think a combo of canaries and cranes or masks would have worked out a lot better as those items were in the book and integral to the storyline. - Crossroad Reviews
The main thing I loved about this book is the positive message it sends. That it's important to be kind. Doing something small can change someones day. Another thing that I really enjoyed was the subtle humor. This helped to lighten the mood of the book. The diversity was well done in 'The Unlikelies'. Jean is Haitian, Val is Hispanic, and Sadie is half Persian. This really added another dimension to the story. The fact that all the kids came from different backgrounds but came together to 'do good deeds' really underscored the positive tone of the book. - The Book Return Blog