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.
Again, this was a quick, uncomplicated read. I appreciated some surprises in the end and some of the overall messages of this book. Mallory used to idealize the early 1960s as that time seemed pure and sincere, not like now-in-days with all our cell phones, chat sessions, and Friendspace pages running amok. After talking with her grandmother and doing some research, Mallory finally sees that being a teen always sucked no matter the time period and that the early 1960s were not that wonderful. As her grandmother points out there were racism, segregation, communism, fear of a nuclear war, and social inequality especially against women. This is what I appreciated about the book. It was not some love letter to the 1960s that declared a return to a more conservative, simpler time. It was a book that stated, “Those teenage years are hard for everyone.” When the TV show Mad Men first aired, many fans claimed that the early 1960s was great with its fashion, culture, and style. It appeared that not many people realized that the 1960s had been over glamourized and that this time period may have looked vibrant and appealing to some, but for most people it was oppressing and just downright insufferable. Sure you can appreciate the fashion styles at the time, but we need to realize how far we have come in a short amount of time…and how far we have to go. Sorry, slight rant over for now while I go purchase some items from Mod Cloth.
For me, Mallory is
a most relatable character. Mallory is authentic and I applaud her development
throughout the events that take place. When she was dating Jeremy she had spent
most of the time making out with him and revolving her schedule around him. It
was nice to see post-breakup Mallory recognize that she needed to “find her
thing” before beginning another long term relationship with someone else, no
matter how much she liked that someone else. Also, her “Tool” post on Jeremy’s
Friendspace was the best.
In addition, I
thoroughly enjoyed the relationship Mallory has with her sister, Ginnie. Some
sibling relationships tend to focus on the annoying younger sibling like Ramona
Quimby or the Superfudge books, but
it was nice to see two sisters who genuinely cared for one another and were
practically best friends. The familial subplot was great to have, even though
at times the Mom and Dad seemed like stereotypical, not understanding parents. The
relationship between Mom and Dad recognized that couples argue, but that they
can also resolve issues through strong and stable communication.
All in all, a nice
summer read that will definitely keep teens engaged, though mainly teen girls. There
are of course some eye rolls here and there which comes with any YA read. Maybe
not a Must-Have, but I still recommend for any YA collection.
Any title ever by
Sarah Dessen
Angus, Thongs and
Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson by Louise Rennison
Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants
series by Ann Brashares
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
No comments:
Post a Comment