Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Publication Date: March 2013
Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Synopsis can be found here.
NetGalley review.
Review:
Mallory finds her boyfriend of over a year Jeremy is cheating on her with an online girlfriend and does what any awesome teenager would do. She swears off modern technology. After finding a list her grandmother made when she was a teenager, Mallory swears to live vintage, without cell phone, computer, Internet and texts. She sets out to complete her grandmother's list, and finds things she never thought she would along the way.
I am a huge fan of Leavitt's first book Sean Griswold's Head, so I jumped at the chance to review this book. And it did not disappoint.
Mallory is a great character. She's smart but heartbroken and is just another teenager trying to navigate her world. I especially loved her relationship to her sister, who is completing the list with her. The family moments were full of love and laughter between them, a nice contradiction between Mallory's relationship with her mother. I have to say it- I do not like Mallory's mom. I'm sorry. I know she means well, I know she's a complicated woman. Leavitt does a fantastic job making Mallory's mom both loving and suffocating. I wanted to slap the woman numerous times, which can only tell you how Mallory must have been feeling during these scenes. A well rounded and realistic depiction of a loving and realistic family.
In fact, Leavitt excels at that. She takes characters and make you love them, hate them and love them some more. All of her characters are carefully constructed and flawed, allowing you to picture them outside the book. They're your best friend, your sister, your cheating boyfriend. Even Jeremy is more than the cheating boyfriend cookie cutout.
I liked the organic nature of Oliver and Mallory's friendship, slowly turning into something more. And the secondary story of Grandma is heartwarming and sweet. I can't begin to imagine going vintage, but I was sucked in and enjoyed Mallory's ride.
Not to be missed guys. And if you haven't read Sean Grisowld's Head, I suggest you do. I can't wait till Leavitt writes more.
Rating 8 Cookie Worthy
Delightful review, mine will post next week? Let's just say it's scheduled sometime this month and I felt the same way you did :)
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome Kim! Can't wait to read your review! Leavitt is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine. I can't wait to see what she writes next!
DeleteI have this one coming up soon. Great review. I can't wait to read it.
ReplyDelete