Title: Alex, Approximately
Publication Date: April 4th, 2017
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Author: Jenn Bennett
Rating: 5/5 Stars
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Summary: The one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.
Classic movie fan Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online as Alex. Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.
Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new archnemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever it is she’s starting to feel for Porter.
And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.
My Thoughts:
Ship: Bailey & Porter
Fave Cinnamon Rolls: Grace, Porter
Needed BROTP: Bailey & Grace
Actual Review: “The odd thing about this form of communication is that you’re more likely to talk about nothing than something. But I just want to say that all this nothing has meant more to me than so many somethings.” – Kathleen Kelly, You’ve Got Mail.
Alex, Approximately is my hearts desire of wanting a book version of YOu’ve Got Mail combined with a love of YA Contemporaries all rolled into one. Of course with the 20 year difference between this beloved movie & it’s inspiration, The Shop Around the Corner, times have changed as has technology. No longer is it the AOL tones of You’ve Got Mail , now it’s private chat messages through a Film Website.
We have Bailey & Porter, who are some of the most real characters that also fit my beauitul YGM story. Bailey is so real, between her anxiety & “Artful Dodger” side/wall that she knows she retreats behind. She has such a great character arc throughout the story that you just love it.Her anxiety is believable as are her walls and her slowly letting them down for Grace & Porter.
Porter is everything you want in a sassy but caring Main Beau. Plus he’s a surfer,so you already know he’s in shape and probably Too Hot Hot Damn, which he knows because he even owns a ‘Hot Stuff’ Jacket.
Their love of movies is great, but it would have been over the moon if the inspiration had been referenced at all in the story. You see them grow and become closer even besides their love of movies.
Alex, Approximately is the perfect summer movie for those who love YA Contemporaries. IT has such a great story that is believable and is just up my alley. I would recommend this story to anyone who loves either The Shop Around the Corner or You’ve Got Mail, or surfers, or old timey movies.
Booksofkings Reviews 