Going Vintage by Lindseey Leavitt

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.

Isn’t that cover cute? Although, I don’t think the dress on the cover would really come from the early 60’s, it would have been fun if she was dressed to match the story. Anyway, I thought this was a cute story. Mallory discovers her longtime boyfriend has been cheating on her with a cyber-girl. Although they’ve never met in person, he shares things with her than he doesn’t with Mallory. Mallory is understandably hurt and decides to give up all technology in an attempt to get over him. She finds an old list of her grandmas and thinks life in the early 60s was better without the modern technology. So, I liked that aspect of the story, going back to the basics and cutting out technology. Although, she does get a little extreme, but I guess that’s the point. I thought the romance was okay, the “hero” seemed like a nice guy and was genuinely interested in Mallory. The side stories with the family added some depth to the story, but I kind of prefer straight romance with my YA contemporaries. At times I thought it was a little wordy or overly descriptive, but overall I thought it was a cute story.  

 Content: Clean.