Synopsis: 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.
When Mallory’s boyfriend cheats on her online, she swears off technology and decides to live like they did in the 1960s. Inspired by a list found in her grandmother’s diary from 1962, Mallory decides to make her life simpler. But of course, little goes according to plan, and going vintage makes everything more complicated.
This book was a quick, adorable read. At first, I thought it was a little too simple: Mallory thinks she can fix all things by returning to a “simpler” decade. But she forgets to factor in things like using the internet for research at school, and an ex-boyfriend who doesn’t understand what he did wrong. Going back to the 60s is supposed to be a quick-fix.
Which of course is absurd. The History major in me is screaming injustice. But as Mallory learns, teenagers in every decade had their share of problems, and we’re not just talking fashion.
What I really loved about this book were the side-characters. Mallory’s younger sister was my favorite, and it’s so refreshing to read about a modern pair of sisters who are best friends. Mallory’s parents were also pretty great in the parents-are-always-crazy kind of way. And of course, the drama/romance with the ex-boyfriend’s cousin, Oliver (what a great name!), was adorable.
In the end, while the premise may seem kind of simple, the book definitely redeemed itself with a great cast of characters and much deeper meaning.
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About Emily: Emily Ritter found her dream job working in the marketing department of a children's publisher. When she's not reading books, she's watching sports and eating ice cream. She blogs about YA books at yay-books.blogspot.com and general NFL shenanigans at aeryssports.com/aerys-offsides. One time she married a trophy!
