Review: Going Vintage

Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Release Date: March 26, 2013 
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Pages: 320
Source: NetGalley
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Summary:  When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars).

The List:

1. Run for pep club secretary

2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree

3. Sew a dress for Homecoming

4. Find a steady

5. Do something dangerous

But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

My Favorite Lines:
".... He has three hula girls on the dash, three more in the back.  I wonder what they think behind those vacant smiles, their plastic shells.  These are women who will never wear a shirt, who must spend their existence dancing on demand."

"Adolescence is the same tragedy being performed again and again.  The only things that change are the stage props."

"And so Jeremy sends flowers to mark his territory.  Better than peeing in a circle around you."

Why I Loved It:  As many reviews will do, *I am sure* I shall do this in a list format of all the awesome things about the book as a tribute to the awesomeness of the book.

1.  Hysterical.  The book was incredibly endearing and laugh out loud kind of funny all throughout the book.  Moments that were kinda depressing always had a spot of comic relief.  I love funny and cute contemporary books, and this is definitely of that variety.

2.  Awesome MC.  Mallory could have been someone I went to school with.  She would be one of the stranger ones perhaps.  However, she had real issues and the whole swearing off technology thing and going strictly vintage 1960's?  Come on.  Many dramatic girls throughout time have pulled stunts as crazy.  I mean I probably would went down a similar path if my boyfriend had cheated on my via the world wide web.  Her best friend is her younger sister.  Considering that my bff is my little sister, I can totally relate to that relationship.  It's not something that is super existant in the world of YA.  It was a bit refreshing.

3.  Oliver.  He seemed to be pretty attractive in the book.  Though I am still not sure about it.  I mean he did some strange things.  But maybe that is part of his charm?  I am not sure, but he made the story better as most second halves of the romances do.

4.  Family.  Mallory's is dysfunctional.  And I did have some urges to yell at her mother at times.  But Mallory's relationship with her grandmother was a pretty awesome part of the story.  Mallory is constantly trying to explore what it meant to be a teenager in the 60's which means pestering her grandmother with questions that she didn't really want to answer.  That relationship leads to what really made what would be a "light and fluffy" read much less fluffy and much more substantial.

5.  1960's.  My favorite movies were made in those years considering I am an extreme Audrey Hepburn fan.  Of course some of my favorites were also the 50's and 70's, but you get the idea.  I loved the fashion of that time, but the book also hits on the not so great thing about the time period like gender inequality.  It's kind of important that the highs and lows are remembered.  And I thought the book covered both nicely.

Who Should Read It:  It's an awesome contemporary read.  I think it's a must for those contemporary fans.  Funny, intelligent, and a bit vintage.  Nothing a bit wrong with that.