Bailey Rydell, also known as “Mink” has been chatting online with fellow film geek “Alex” for months. Because they live on opposite US coasts, they haven’t had the chance to meet. But that changes when Bailey moves to California to live with her father… who happens to live in the same town that Alex does. Nervous at the idea of meeting her online crush in person, Bailey decides that she wants to try to figure out who Alex is on her own before setting up an actual meeting. As the summer flies by and she settles into her new home, Bailey’s search for Alex becomes just one among the many things that she has happening – including new friends, a job at a kitschy museum and a frustrating but attractive co-worker named Porter.
I don’t know who decided that this would be the year of YA contemporaries inspired by You’ve Got Mail, but I am all for it if it will produce gems like Alex, Approximately. I’m thrilled to have enjoyed another novel by Jenn Bennett! (If you didn’t know, she’s also the author of The Anatomical Shape of a Heart.) It has a premise straight out of a rom-com: a girl crushes on a guy she’s talking to online, circumstances put them in the same town and she tries to figure out his identity before revealing herself to him. But this isn’t just a love story. It is also the story of a girl who is coming to terms with her history and her future, as well as one of complex familial and friendly and romantic relationships. And Bennett writes this story so well.
The only reason that this didn’t garner a full five-star rating from me is because it took me longer than I would’ve liked to connect with main character Bailey. But when that clicked into place, the novel became an even more fun read for me. I enjoyed the way Bennett told Bailey’s story! It left me feeling warm and fuzzy, with a huge smile on my face when I finished. I’d recommend picking up your very own copy to add to your summer reading pile!
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Publisher: Simon Pulse | Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Source: ARC received from the publisher (Thanks!)
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