Book Review: Going Vintage

Title: Going Vintage                         

Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Genre: Contemporary YA
Rating: 3.5/5

The Cover

I really like this cover, it's very different from other YA books out there. It looks cute but not corny and it really fits the title of the novel. I like the colors, the retro look of it and even the fonts are nicely done.

The Story

Mallory finds out that her boyfriend Jeremy is cheating on her, cyber cheating to be more precise, so she decides to not care about boys anymore but more than that, she decides to go vintage and not use any modern devices anymore. Having been burned once, she feels like it's better to say safe and not even use the computer anymore. On top of not using any modern technology anymore, Mallory finds a list of goals her grandmother once made in the 60s and she decides to try and do everything her grandmother put on that list. Things on that list are: becoming a pep club secretary (except Mallory has no idea yet what a pep club actually is), organizing a dinner party, do something dangerous, find a steady and sew her own homecoming dress. Her sister and her Jeremy's cousin end up helping her, and so does her grandmother but as she finds out, completing the list is not as easy as it looks like.

My thoughts

As fun as the cover makes the book out to be, and it is a fun and easy read, there's more behind the story. It's a really heartwarming tale of family and friendship and it makes you wonder if we all really need all this modern technology. Yes, we can all agree that it makes our lives easier and we all love the internet for various reasons (and let's face it, I doubt anybody would still want to live without it) but sometimes electronic devices to get in the way of actually living or spending time with people. It's fun to see how Mallory deals with this, going from having a hard time without using her cell phone or computer but realizing that life can be good without them as well.

There is of course also a romantic storyline in the book, it is definitely well done and it develops rather slowly, which is always a good thing. I enjoyed most of the other characters in the novel too, especially Mallory's sister Ginny is quite hilarious, and her grandmother is adorable. Another thing I really liked is every chapter starts with a list Mallory made and it sort of introduces you to what will happen in the chapter. There are some small things that either don't really make sense or are weird additions to the story but I won't get into those because it would ruin some plot lines for those that would like to read this book.

All in all, if you're looking for a fun and fluffy read that has a bit more substance and originality to offer than a lot of other novels out there I'd definitely recommend Going Vintage.