Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

* * * 1/2 

When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn't cheat on you online). She sets out to complete grandma's list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy's cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, she'll get it done. Somehow. Lindsey Leavitt perfectly pairs heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.

Review:

When Mallory disrupts one of her make out sessions with Jeremy by asking him to make her a snack she opens his computer to get started on a school assignment.  She never expected to open his computer and find  that her boyfriend was having an emotional affair with a girl on Friendspace.  What does she do?  Well, she does what any girl would do and calls him out on his own Friendspace page and then leaves.  She spends the rest of the weekend helping her dad clean out her grandma’s house and avoiding all texts and internet usage.  When she finds a list her grandma made when she was Mallory’s age, Mallory decides that life back then was considerably simpler and in turn better than it is now.  Mallory is determined if she does everything on her grandmother’s list  as well as give up modern conveniences like the internet and cell phones, her life will be better.    What she learns is that things are not always as they seem and sometimes a little old fashioned communication can gain some wonderful new friends.  

This was a cute story.  I think a lot of people will identify with Mallory’s character.  Her insecurities and her lack of focus seemed so, dare I say it, normal.  Her ex-boyfriend, Jeremy, is aptly labeled a tool.  But his cousin and classmate Oliver is the kind of boy that I would have admired from afar.  You know.  The boy you are really fascinated with but feel like you have nothing in common with so you just kind of check him out in the hallway but never say a word?    Yeah, that boy.  And then there was Mallory’s sister and rock, Ginny.  It was a blessing these two sisters had each other because their parents were nice but also a little bit nutty.  

All in all, this was a very sweet read.  The best part of this story is that it is appropriate for a lot of ages.   I would probably recommend it to most teens and pre-teens because it is just one of those stories that everyone can relate to in one way or another.  

Going Vintage will be released March 26, 2013

Nat