Book: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

★★★¹⁄₂/★★★★★

“If this were a Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie,” Lincoln said, “I'd just kiss you, probably in the middle of a sentence. That would fix everything.”

I really think this book is cute. It's my third Rainbow Rowell book and like the first two (Fangirl and Eleanor & Park), I enjoyed it. Even before picking this book up, I'd been hearing a lot of buzz about it from my online friends and having it recommended to me several times, I decided to finally give it a go. It was just right that I did because I was totally entertained by this book. And honestly, I like Rowell's writing style and Eleanor & Park was surely a good read for me.

So, Attachments is about Lincoln who works at The Courier, a newspaper company that pays him to monitor its employees' e-mail accounts for inappropriate usage. In short, he's being paid to read the employees' e-mails. Lincoln doesn't really like it, he feels guilty for reading the e-mails but a job is a job. And if only he knew that 'internet security officer' really meant 'reading other people's e-mails' then he shouldn't have accepted the job in the first place. But there he is, reading and flagging everyone who writes rude, dirty or what-not contents to each other. He's close to finding a new job but when Beth and Jennifer start to entertain him with their bizarre e-mail exchange, he suddenly looks forward to doing his work every night. He also knew he has to flag them but since they seem nice and their conversations are harmless, he doesn't. And soon, Lincoln finds himself falling for Beth.

Have I told you that this book is cute? It is! I loved Beth and Jennifer's e-mail exchange and Lincoln is a charming one! Throughout the book we get to see Lincoln's life, working as the IT guy, having no social life except playing Dungeons & Dragons on Saturdays with a bunch of guys he knew ever since, having no girlfriend since Sam (which was years years ago!) and having to live with his mother which his sister, Eve, thinks is ridiculous. I know it sounds like Lincoln is a loser but he's more than that. Maybe he's a little lost, not knowing what he really wants to do in life, but he's trying and making small steps one at a time. And I loved that he gets to finally move on from his first love Sam after so many years because Sam didn't really deserve him. And he deserved someone better! Like Beth?

Beth and Jennifer are both fun characters. We get to know them through their exchange of e-mails, talking about everything under the sun. They're lively, quirky and they don't care whether they get flagged or not for writing some not-work-related stuff in their e-mails! They talk about their work, Beth's boyfriend, Jennifer's husband, movies, cute guys, their families and at some point about their personal problems. It actually reminds me of the e-mails/chats I send with my friends and makes me realize how embarrassing it must be if someone other than us reads them! Because we all talk about some stuff with our friends, right? :D

From: Beth Fremont
To: Jennifer Scribner-Snyder
Sent: Wed, 09/22/1999 2:38PM
Subject: Roo-ah-rooo-ahhh.
Roo-ah-rooo-ahhh.

{{Jennifer to Beth}} What's that?

{{Beth to Jennifer}} It's the Cute Guy Alarm.

{{Jennifer to Beth}} It sounds like a bird.

{{Beth to Jennifer}} There's a cute guy working here.

{{Jennifer to Beth}} No, there isn't. 

{{Beth to Jennifer}} I know, that was my first response, too. I thought he must have come in from the outside, a repairman, perhaps, or a consultant. That's why I waited for two confirmed sightings before sounding the Cute Guy Alarm.

 Aside from the cute stories of our characters, I also love the mention of some 90's movies and that Beth is actually a film critic! The movie references are so cute that it suddenly made me miss watching good 90's romantic movies! The family aspect is also present in this book and it was nice to see that Lincoln and his mother somehow get to work out their relationship in the end. And, there are a bunch of good secondary characters in this book. Eve, Lincoln's sister, is one of my favorites and also Justin! I don't know what, but there's just something about Justin that I really like! Lol. Doris is also a sweet heart. She works at The Courier with Lincoln and somehow she and Lincoln become friends. They share foods with each other spend breaks together. 

Well, other than that, this book is a fun read! And if you like light, fun, and lovely stories, this one is for you! Not at all cheesy but really cute! :)

From: Beth Fremont
To: Jennifer Scribner-Snyder
Sent: Thurs, 09/30/1999 3:42 PM
Subject: If you were Superman …

…and you could choose any alter ego you wanted, why the hell would you choose to spend your Clark Kent hours—which already suck because you have to wear glasses and you can’t fly—at a newspaper?

Why not pose as a wealthy playboy like Batman? Or the leader of a small but important nation like Black Panther?

Why would you choose to spend your days on deadline, making crap money, dealing with terminally crabby editors?

 

{{Jennifer to Beth}} I thought we agreed not to swear in e-mails.

{{Beth to Jennifer}} We agreed that it would probably be a good idea to stop swearing in e-mails.

{{Jennifer to Beth}} Still thinking about Lois Lane?

{{Beth to Jennifer}} Sort of. I mean, I get why Lois Lane went to journalism school. I know her type. Wants to make a difference, wants to uncover great truths. Nosy. But Clark Kent …why not Clark Kent, sexy TV weatherman? Or Clark Kent, mayor of Cincinnati?

{{Jennifer to Beth}} Aren’t you missing the point? Clark Kent doesn’t want to be famous. He doesn’t want people to look at him. If they really look at him, they’d see that he’s just Superman with glasses.

Plus, he needs to be someplace like a newsroom, where he’s the first to hear big news. He can’t afford to read “Joker attacks moon” the next day in the newspaper.

{{Beth to Jennifer}} You make an excellent point. Especially for someone who doesn’t know that Superman never fights the Joker.