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.

Book: Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

★★★★/★★★★★

“She wasn't exactly sure when it happened. Or even when it started. All she knew for sure was that right here and now, she was falling hard and she could only pray that he was feeling the same way.”

 My third Nicholas Sparks book and like the first two, I loved it. I've actually watched the movie before but that didn't make me less excited on reading the book. In fact, finishing the book made me love it even more. And I don't think Sparks can write a book I wouldn't like.

When I hear of Nicholas Sparks, the first thing that comes to mind is a romantic story. And then heartbreaking moments and life lessons and cheesy love quotes. But Safe Haven also has a touch of mystery and suspense which made it more engrossing.

The story tells the story of Katie who is running away from her abusive husband, Kevin. Katie and Kevin started off with a good marriage but as time went on, Kevin began to hit her. It went on for years until Katie started planning her escape. She wanted to leave him, she wanted it to stop, so when an opportunity presented itself, she grabbed it. Now she's in Southport, North Carolina trying to live a new life as a waitress. She works to earn money in case she needs to run away again. Enter Alex, a local store owner, and his two kids, Kristen and Josh. Katie regularly visits the store for her needs and after a while finds herself warming up with Kristen and Josh, and eventually to Alex. From there they form a beautiful friendship that soon blossoms into something more. On the other hand, Kevin hasn't given up on finding Katie, or more exactly, Erin, after she left him. He's a mess without Erin so when a new information that is helpful on finding Erin appears before him, he decided he'll take Erin back no matter what.

 I loved that Katie is a strong character. She endured Kevin for so long, hiding all the pain inside. I can't imagine how hard it must be for her but good thing she found a way out. She's brave and kind and I liked that she found Alex. At first she doesn't let her guard down, keeping her distance from others but with Alex and his kids, she finds comfort, she finds a safe haven in them. Then at one point she realizes that she's staring to live and be happy again and though she's still scared that Kevin could find her anytime, she decided to take a risk, to stay and start a new life with Alex, Kristen and Josh.

“‎When she looked up at him, it was suddenly easy for her to imagine that her fears were pointless. That he would love her no matter what she told him, and that he was the kind of man who loved her already and would love her forever.”

Alex, for me, is the perfect husband/father. I mean, he's kind and responsible and sweet and everything! He's actually too good to be true but I want to believe that somewhere, somehow, there are really men like him. He makes Katie feel safe, he makes Josh and Kristen feel safe. He takes care of everyone he loves and I think I want to marry him. Lol. And Josh Duhamel portraying his character in the movie just made him a hundred times more perfect! Josh and Kristen are also sweethearts. And Jo, she's an angel. I mean, she guides and makes sure Katie ends up with Alex. Katie found a friend in her and I'm sure I would've cried a lot reading about Jo if I ever didn't see the movie. Because the twist in her part is unpredictable.

“I truly believe that while love can hurt, love can also heal…”

Kevin is the only thing I hated in this book. He is abusive and crazy and a monster. I was also actually reading This Savage Song and A Monster Calls the time I was reading this and given that TSS and AMC had actual monsters in them, I believe that in this book Kevin is the monster.

The plot, the writing and the characters are all perfect. There are also a lot of twists in this book and though I already knew what happened next, I still can't help but get thrilled. Overall it was a good romantic suspense. A fast-paced story that will surely get you emotionally attached.

Book: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

★★★¹⁄₂/★★★★★

 

“The world sees you one way

And they listen to all you say

You crave their attention

To feed your addiction

You have to sides

Two faces

You're trying to hide 

In two places.”

[Warning: This review contains spoilers!]

Kasie West sure knows how to write cute contemporaries. A bit cheesy, sometimes cliché but books like this are always a fun read. I've read three of her books—The Distance Between Us was a so-so, The Fill-In Boyfriend was so far my favorite and this book was entertaining. And with Lily exchanging letters with a mysterious guy and the scene where Sasha reads Lily's notebook in front of the whole school, it actually reminded me a lot of the movie A Cinderella Story which I really really loved!

But while I liked that this book was light and cute, I also think it was too cliché. It was too mainstream that Lily is your typical unpopular-weird-looking-self-conscious girl who lacks confidence and Cade is your typical popular-arrogant-athletic-hot guy who everybody either loves or fears. But, but! That isn't exactly a bad thing because despite that, Kasie West has a way of keeping you read until the end. She makes it okay with her cheesy lines and swoon-worthy guys.

“So you think I'm hot?” 
“Doesn't every girl?”
 It surprised me when his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. I wasn't sure why that embarrassed him in any way. I was positive he already knew it. He ran one hand through his hair. Then he said, almost too quiet for me to hear, “You're not every girl.”

The story focuses on Lily Abbott who always spaces out during her Chemistry class because it's so boring. To make it bearable, she pretends to write down class notes in her special notebook when in fact she's writing song lyrics or just her thoughts. One day she gets caught not paying attention to class so her teacher warns and tells her to keep the notebook away and now she's only allowed to bring a piece of paper to class, no notebook to be seen with her. She agrees but now she has no space to write her song lyrics on which sucks. But no problem since she has her whole desk to write on. She then begins writing her favorite lyrics on her desk and the next day she's surprised to see that someone has continued it for her. Next thing she knew, she's exchanging letters with this someone and soon it makes her look forward to attend her Chemistry class since it's only then that she gets to read and reply to the letter.

It's a really cute story and though the concept isn't new to me, it was still entertaining. Lily isn't the best character either but you can relate with her in many ways. She loves music but she's not confident enough to let anyone read or hear her lyrics. She's not popular at school and she had her fair share of having hard times in the hands of popular ones and her quirkiness doesn't really help. She has a huge crush on Lucas who she thinks will never notice her and she has the best friend in the world, Isabel (I like her!) who is her biggest supporter. She also has this big-not-so-normal family and I can very well relate with her on this part because I also have a big family and you can't really say we are the normal type too. And then she has this conflicted feelings toward this pen pal of hers who later on turns out to be someone she knew and is so different when writing his letters and in real life. Anyway, Lily is a likeable character and I liked that she's weird.

Now let's get to Cade. He's Lily's archenemy, Isabel's ex-boyfriend, the one Lily will always hate. But of course he's also hot and athletic and every girl falls for him. Well, maybe all except Lily. The moment Cade was mentioned I knew. But it didn't stop me from reading because like I said, West has a way of making you read until the end. At first I was so intrigued with Cade and I somehow hated him for how jerk he is towards Lily but towards the end his image changes and well, you know, I kinda fell for him. Haha. 

“P.S.” He brushed a piece of hair off of my cheek. “I like you. A lot.”

Lily's family might be my favorite in this book. Jonah and Wyatt are so adorable and Ashley, as a big sister, isn't that bad at all. Lily's parents are actually cool and let's not forget Bugs Rabbit! I wouldn't mind a weird family like theirs because really, mine is the same. Lily writing song lyrics is also one I really loved. I love writing poems and lyrics myself so I like that there's a touch of that in this book.

It might be predictable and cliché but this book managed to make me giggle and sometimes roll my eyes for how cheesy it is which I didn't mind. Overall, P.S. I Like You is really adorable and sweet, just the kind I needed after a heavy novel that is A Monster Calls. A light, fun read which will surely entertain you.