Don’t you just love those reliable sorts of authors where you know what to expect when you go into their books? I love it when I know I’m just going to gobble up every single book an author writes and go to myself ‘well that was pleasant’ after reading. Lindsey Leavitt is totally one of those authors for me. I know that her books are going to be adorable, compulsively readable, have strong family ties AND quirky characters. Thankfully, I was not disappointed in Going Vintage and ended up reading about 50% on my phone and then finishing the rest at home while working out on the bike. Y’all, it’s nice to have a solid and fun contemporary read to bike to.
Mallory has been dating Jeremy for over a year. She’s set her limits with him, but that doesn’t mean they don’t engage in hot and heavy make out sessions. She thinks the relationship is going great. UNTIL. Y’all, there’s always an ‘UNTIL’. Upon helping Jeremy with a philosophy paper, Mallory opens up his internet browser to discover that he has some Second Life-esque game up. Curious she sees that he is married, upon more digging Mallory discovers tons of messages from some BubbleYum girl in Jeremy’s inbox. Y’all, turns out he has been emotionally cheating on Mallory. While I don’t think it’s ever okay to go through your partner’s personal things — phone, email, Facebook messages, whatever — it totally sucks that he was talking to this other girl on the low. So, Mallory reacts by cutting all technology out of her life and decides she needs to accomplish everything on this list of her grandma’s that she found while cleaning through her house. The result? Fun vintage outfits, new clubs and YAY! a new potential love interest in the form of Jeremy’s cousin Oliver Kimball. And that’s basically Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt in a nutshell.
Mallory should be one of those characters who annoys me because she’s very self involved, but I liked her. She reminded me a lot of myself when I was her age. You see, she loses herself in her relationship and thus uses the time she is single to truly discover her self. I really could have used a book like this as a teenager, especially because it doesn’t beat you over the head like an ‘Afterschool Special’ with it’s awesome message. I love that Mallory comes to find she does have some ‘pep’. I love that Mallory has a witty sense of humor and you know that she finds weird things funny — because I am like that too! I especially loved the relationship between Mallory and her sister Ginnie.
Y’all, the sibling relationship in Going Vintage reminded me a lot of my younger sister. Ginnie is super cool. She’s also younger than Mallory but really has her shit together. Sort of like how my younger sister really has herself together, ha ha. Anyways, Ginnie and Mallory are close and they really get along. You can see that Mallory really cares about Ginnie and doesn’t see her as the annoying younger sibling. That’s really wonderful to me, and I wish more books showed the sibling relationship because hey, if you’re a teen and you have siblings close to your age group, chances are that’s something you can relate to. So yah, Ginnie is totally a bonus feature in Leavitt’s awesome book.
Beyond Ginnie, I really liked how Lindsey Leavitt chose to show Mallory’s disconnection from technology and modern life as a way to get past her anger and hurt over Jeremy’s actions. I am an old and did not really grow up with the internet at home — we didn’t get it until I was in 10th grade. I did have a cellphone in 9th grade, but that was only to call my parents to pick me up for cheerleading — and lol was for that year only because my phone went through the wash and my parents never replaced it. After that, I did not have a cellphone until college. SO, I kind of know what life is like without modern technology and yes, when I was in high school none of my friends really had cellphones, so we’d converse over the actual house phone and over AOL Instant Messenger. And you know, thinking back to those days I totally get the appeal of disconnecting. It’s nice not to know what everyone is doing 24/7. It’s nice to not worry about being tagged in unflattering pictures. I also liked how Going Vintage doesn’t exactly show going without technology through rose tinted lenses. We also get to see that it’s kind of a pain in the ass — especially when it comes to doing homework. So, good on Leavitt for making it realistic.
I mentioned above that I like how Leavitt includes family in her books. Going Vintage is no different in that respect. Mallory really cares a lot about her parents who are very present in her life. Sure, they get on her nerves from time to time, but she still loves them. ALSO! There’s appearances of Mallory’s grandma who is freakin awesome – she can sew like a boss and was a total radical in the 70s. I basically loved her grandma. And yeah, of course you know my feelings about Ginnie.
The romance in Going Vintage is fairly chaste. Like, this is one of those books where there isn’t sex and where boundaries are discussed and maintained. So, it could definitely be appropriate for those kids who like reading about romance and love but maybe aren’t ready to read about sex. Speaking of which, I love the connection between Mallory and Oliver. Oliver likes Mallory because she’s funny and interesting — not because he thinks he can get into her pants. It’s super adorable. It’s also adorable how Oliver is totally his own person and doesn’t really care what other people think about him. So swoon worthy my friends, I love confidence.
Going Vintage is a fast read that provided me with a nice breather between heavier sorts of books. It’s what I like in a lighter contemporary: humor, kissing, and quirks. If you’re looking for a pleasant books before you dive into a super serious tome, definitely check out Leavitt’s Going Vintage.
Disclosure: Received for review via Netgalley
Other reviews of Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt:
Chick Loves Lit – “I really, really love Mallory’s voice.”
Quinn’s Book Nook – “I definitely thought Going Vintagewas a fun book, but I can’t say that it blew me away or anything”
Rather Be Reading – “Maybe, like Mallory, if we minimized our lives, we’d grow and be challenged, too.”
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I didn’t realize this book was so cute! I had no idea what it was about. Your noting that Mallory disconnecting with modern technology is what helps her get over Jeremy makes me wonder how much technology or social media affects our–real people’s–abilities to get over past relationships. Hmmmmmmm… *gears squealing*
It’s super adorable.
I think that it’s fascinating how social media plays into actual relationships. I mean, how much harder does Facebook make getting over a break up when the temptation to look at your ex’s profile is there and to see just how much fun he or she is having or whatever.
I love Lindsey Leavitt. Seriously. I fangirl over her fantastic books and GOING VINTAGE was no exception. Loved the family dynamic, loved the vintageness, loved Mallory…love-love-love. It’s a solid addition to the contemporary genre!
She’s so great — definitely worth fangirling over.
OMG after reading about all the vintage, I immediately felt the need to browse Modcloth hahaha. 50$ later….
YES! I agree. Solid, indeed.
Great review! I really liked this fun, lighthearted novel. I LOVED Ginnie –she was my favorite character. Mallory’s grandmother was awesome, too. You are right–this is the perfect book to read between some longer and heavier books.
Thank you!
Ginnie was so great — I love when there is a level headed character to balance the main character out.
Agree, her grandma was legit.
Thank you!
Ginnie was definitely my favorite character in Going Vintage. Although, I did like Oliver quite a bit, too. And the grandmother. I’ve heard really good things about Leavitt’s Sean Griswold’s Head and I definitely want to check that one out.
I loved Oliver — he was so fabulous.
Dude you definitely need to read Sean Griswold’s Head — it’s cute and wonderful and funny.
First off, I’d like to say HOORAY for positive family relationships! I don’t think we see that enough in YA books and we definitely need to. While it sucks what Mallory had to go through to get to that point of change, I do think her reaction was a bit extreme to be believable (for today’s youth, but then again, maybe I’m wrong). Even so, it’s admirable and I do remember a time when technology wasn’t so readily accessible for the every day teen/individual. It’s amazing how much more simple things become, how much more self aware and focused we are, so there’s definitely something to be said for the point that Leavitt was trying to make here. While I think this book skews a bit too youthful for my liking, I think it’s SUPER appropriate for a teenage audience. They need to see these happy relationships, less sex and more positive self worth. Fabulous review and I’m so happy you enjoyed the book!
I really love it when family relationships are showed as being positive — and in fact Going Vintage also shows when it gets strained like when parents fight. It’s realistic without being dysfunctional.
Yeah I agree that it was quite extreme.
I love what you said about things being more simple and how we become more aware and focused when we unplug. I agree with that, my attention is all over the place with the internet and my phone and twitter. I am sure technology contributes to that.
Going Vintage definitely hits the younger end of the YA spectrum, but like you said it’s great for a teenage audience.
Thank you so much!
While 1) I love this review 2) I love Lindsey Leavitt and 3) I was planning on reading this books, “strong family ties AND quirky characters” pretty much made me want to get this books NOW.
Hahahaha, I laughed when you talked about Mallory and Ginnie because I have an older sister and I do like to think I have my shit together. Lol. But I LOVE that there is a great representation of not only family but siblings too! Many teens I know have siblings in some form (step, half, own) so it’s important to show that relationship!
I think I’m going to like the romantic relationship because while I am all for sex positive in YA, sometimes a couple isn’t ready for it or that the book doesn’t need to have sex in it to make it a worthwhile romance!
Great review April!
I love Leavitt’s writing so much-so reliable to me! Ginnie is one of my favorite characters so far this year and I was very happy to read a great sister relationship. Definitely agree that this book is sort of a breather between heavier reads.
This sounds like a fun and light book. If I read/listened to books while I exercised, I could totally see myself reading this. Maybe I will and this can be one of the first books I pick. I really do think there’s a huge over reliance on technology these days, with kids and teens getting so involved with it at such a young age. It’s good that there are books that can address those problems, albeit from a fun and not totally serious way.
This one looks sooo cute! I really can’t wait to read it. I also think it would look lovely on my bookshelves! It might be an auto-buy for me. I do love a good YA contemporary. 🙂
Great review!
I’ve definitely been on the lookout for lighter contemporary reads, and I totally wasn’t going to consider this one because I thought it sounded boring. I mean, I’m addicted to technology and grew up with all of this stuff so a life without it sounds absolutely awful. Butttt this sounds like a really fun book! And her relationship with Oliver sounds cute.
This book sounds pretty cute! I love the idea of “going vintage”, as I pretty much grew up without all the technological advancements that exist today. It’s a pretty interesting idea, and I’d love to see how it’s taken on in this book!