Book Review: Going Vintage

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.  Quoted from Goodreads

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This book was plain, cute fun. It was a delightful mix of getting over a breakup/first love, journey of self discovery, and contemporary romance.  Seriously, everything was really well done, but with a light, funny veneer to keep it from being sad or depressing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

First there's Mallory.  She's sweet, funny, and an excellent main character. She really grows and discovers who she is through the course of the book, and it's not just because of her romance with her ex's cousin. I love her relationship with her sister.  They were both supportive and there for each other.  Actually, her sister is hilarious and I would love to read more about her. 

Some of her other relationships are a bit more complicated.   Her grandmother, who she admires so much she decided to "go vintage," wasn't quite what I expected, but in a great way.  Her relationship with her mother, well . . . that one was interesting.  It's kind of the loose end to the book, and I liked that. It makes the book more authentic. Everyone else's story plots got nicely tied up.  Oh, not unrealistically, but things were resolved. This one wasn't.  Sure, there was a bit more understanding, but there are still tons of problems there that need to be worked out.  

As for Jeremy, he was the perfect ex.  He's the kind of guy where he really did do something wrong, and he and Mallory did have some serious issues.  At the same time, you can see why she was with him for a year.  You understand, if not condone, where he was coming from and how he rationalized what he was doing.  I loved the dimension to his character, it contrasted beautifully with Oliver.

Ah, Oliver.  He really was excellent.  There was no insta-love here.  They grew closer by talking together, laughing at each other's jokes, and spending time with each other. He relationship served to highlight why Mallory and Jeremy would never have worked even if he hadn't been cheating. Plus, he's just quirky and cute.

As for the whole vintage thing, I love the way it was done.  It gave Mallory the time to step back and figure out who she really is outside of "Jeremy's girlfriend."  She was able to figure out her thing, and appreciate what she had now. Plus, it brought her closer to her grandmother, but again, no quite in the way I was expecting.

All in all, this is a great read.  It's fun, complicated, and sweet.  It's a perfect coming of age/post-breakup/romance, and you really should check it out. I'm giving it a wonderful 3.5 stars. It was well done from the writing and dialogue to the characters and development. Plus it's just plain fun.