Review & Giveaway: Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication date: March 26th 2013
My rating:  3.5 stars 

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 presient–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

Going Vintage was cute, funny and sweet.  It was an easy read one you could get through fairly quickly. 

When Mallory finds out her boyfriend of over a year has been cyber cheating on her, she feels betrayed not only by her boyfriend, but by technology.  If there were no such things as “Friendspace” or “Authentic Life” her boyfriend wouldn’t have been betraying her with a girl named “BubbleYum” his cyber wife.  When Mallory finds a list her Grandma made back in 1962, when she was sixteen, she decides to ditch modern: cell phones, computers, internet, and go vintage.  Mallory decides to fulfill the goals spelled out on the list.  She wants to get back to a simpler life where girls only had to worry about sewing their homecoming dress or starting a pep club. Sticking to authentic 1962 proves to be more difficult than Mallory imagined, but she’s determined to get her life focused on the more important things in life. 

“Find a steady,” number four on the list may not be a hard acquisition since Oliver, Jeremy’s cousin has stepped in to join her pep club.  Oliver gets Mallory more than Jeremy ever did.  Should Mallory move on when she’s so recently out of a long-term relationship?  Often times these things are not our choice.

He pauses. “You’re not going to homecoming?”

“I am. But not with Jeremy.”

“That’s the thing. It shouldn’t matter. Nothing you do should matter to me. Not like it does.”  Oliver holds out his hand and yanks me off the float with surprising force.  His grip is possessively tight…..*

I’ll let your imagination fill in the rest.

This was a cute and funny novel dealing with heartbreak and moving on.  There’s a sweet romance that’s slow to develop, as well.  Ms. Leavitt did a wonderful job with the wisecracking and witty humor.  Although, I must say that best lines and jokes were delivered by Ginny, Mallory’s younger sister.  She got to say things like this:

“Did you find pictures of Grandma's hidden lover, Eduardo?  And if so, is he atop a horse?  How many buttons are undone on his shirt?” *

She was pure spunk and fun.  While I liked Mallory, she was a little distant to me and some of her decisions I couldn’t quite relate to.  I wish she spoke up for herself a little more or maybe we saw a little more character growth.  Also, Mallory’s mother left a bad taste in my mouth and I felt she got off way too easy in the end.  Still, this story and the supporting characters made for a fun and easy novel to read.

When reading this I was struck by how reliant we are on technology.  If I forget my cell phone at home when going to work, I just about have a panic attack and feel so naked without it.  It’s a wonder that we all got by without one.  Remembering the information I was limited to for school reports was brought back to mind when Mallory had to write a school report on the Industrial Revolution just by going to the library.  We are so spoiled by immediate access to vast amounts of research and information at the tip of our fingers.  Yet, we still managed.  Do all parts of technology better our lives?  It’s something to think about.  Face to face interaction is becoming more of a rarity nowadays, with online communication becoming the norm.  

*Quotes are taken from an uncorrected proof and may change in the final copy.

All in all, Going Vintage was a fast and fun read that had me laughing throughout. 

I’ve decided to give away my ARC copy of Going Vintage. Fill out the rafflcopter below for a chance to win.  The giveaway is INTERNATIONAL with the only requirement being that you follow the blog.  Good luck and thanks for stopping by! 

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