Publication: March 27th 2012 by Plume
Source: Purchased
Goodreads Summary: "Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you . . . " From the award-winning author of Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, and Landline comes a hilarious and heartfelt novel about love in the workplace.
Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of their personal lives.
Meanwhile, Lincoln O'Neill can't believe this is his job now- reading other people's e-mail. When he applied to be "internet security officer," he pictured himself building firewalls and crushing hackers- not writing up a report every time a sports reporter forwards a dirty joke.
When Lincoln comes across Beth's and Jennifer's messages, he knows he should turn them in. But he can't help being entertained-and captivated-by their stories.
By the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late to introduce himself.
What would he say . . . ?
Goodreads Page
My Thoughts:
| I loved it. I loved it so much. This is the second Rainbow Rowell book I've read and I really didn't think it would top Eleanor & Park for me. But it did. This book was so much fun to read. From the setting to the characters to the way the book unfolded, it was all incredibly enjoyable for me. I love that Rowell has written a few books that take place in the not-so-distant past. The majority of historical fiction (I'm not sure if this qualifies, I'm not the greatest at genres) that I've seen and read take place much, much earlier than the 1990s. Attachments takes place in 1999, right in the midst of the Y2K scare. Since our main character works in computers, this is something we get to experience with him which was really fun for me, especially since I was born in 1992 and only seven years old at the time. I don't have many memories specifically regarding Y2K, mostly because neither of my parents thought the world was going to melt because of it like other people believed. It's ironically amusing to read how worried everybody was when living in our time period knowing that everything was all just a scare. With our world practically revolving around technology, it's so interesting to read about the first computers and how people implemented them and their limitations at the time. Attachments is set in such an important turning-of-an-age period which just adds to the sweet story that we get along the way. If you're enamored with the '90s, you'll love this. You get everything from the huge, boxy computers, to the jean jackets and high-waisted strawberry corduroys. The characters were so likeable and relatable. Although I don't think a large portion of teens would enjoy this, for the older teens and young adults, this would probably hit them right where they are right now. Our story is told from Lincoln's third person point of view. Although Lincoln is 28 years old, he's recently (re)graduated from college and has moved back home with his mother. He's done what you're supposed to do then: he has a job. But he hates it. (And actually since it's never said what exactly all he majored in, is he even using his college degrees for this job?) Even though he's older, Lincoln is going through what nearly every college graduate goes through: trying to figure out what he wants in life long-term. And he's still thinking about the girlfriend who dumped him his freshman year of college (and his only girlfriend as well). But then Beth and Jennifer enter Lincoln's life and he starts to see that his life may not be as limited as he thought before. Beth and Jennifer were both such amazing and relatable characters to me. Their senses of humor and banter are exactly the kind of conversations I would have with my best friend if we worked together and e-mailed each other. Beth is feeling similar to the way Lincoln is about his life but Jennifer is worried about whether or not she should have a baby, which again would hit some women right where they are right now. I love that Rowell keeps her characters so realistic from their outward appearances to their language and interactions. Her characters aren't the perfect standard woman that many authors feature who is small and slender and delicate, but instead hers are tall with broad shoulders or women who have an extra bit of weight on them. Although I must say the men who are pictured in the book are a bit stereotypical: a rocker, a large farmboy type, another large brawny man. But, I mean, we ARE talking about chick-lit here. Regardless, Rowell's characters are incredibly deep and detailed and Beth and Jennifer were so amazingly developed through Lincoln's limited interactions. It's exactly the type of book that leaves me thinking: how did she make this work?? The plot ran slowly for me in the beginning. For the first third of the book I was left wondering why so many adored it. And then the twist happens and my jaw literally dropped and I felt this huge surge of happiness and I knew that I had become attached to the plot and the characters and that it was too late for me. I couldn't put it down after that. I loved the uniqueness we get with Lincoln knowing what Beth's thinking and getting to read Lincoln's point of view at the same time. It added so much fun to this book and it's just so unique. When does a character ever get to know what another character thinks of them instead of just the reader knowing? (Apart from Twilight I suppose haha). Immediately after finishing it, I wanted to re-read it already just to experience it again. Although it seems like a strange read full of a slight-creepy-stalker element, Rowell makes it work so well between the characters. I was left with happy butterflies in my chest. Likes: Um, hello, everything! The setting, Beth's and Jennifer's interactions, Beth's humor, characters are so relatable and detailed, Lincoln is such a sweet guy. And Rowell wrote about basset hounds and I have one and I just can't not talk about it in my review because NO ONE writes about basset hounds. Dislikes: Plot ran slowly in the beginning. Some grammar errors. Overall: Recommend? YES!!! |
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