Vintage is the New Couture

"If I can keep the emotion out of my voice,

maybe I can keep it out of my heart."

--Lindsey Leavitt, Going Vintage

Genre: YA Contemporary

Publisher: Bloomsbury, 320 pages

Publication Date: March 26th, 2013

Source: eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley

Goodreads

Goodreads Description

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.

My Thoughts

Fun. That's what this book was. After the INTENSITY that is The Sea of Tranquility, I so was in need of a fun read. I got exactly what I wanted. The story is very fun, very funny, and very heartfelt. After breaking up with her TOOL of a boyfriend and finding a list her grandmother made at Mallory's same age, she finds herself yearning for a simpler time...specifically? 1962. All thanks for Granny's list. Thus begins Mallory's journey into self-discovery.

Mallory. Fantastic character. Her humor is brilliant and her internal thoughts were just so funny! Girlfriend knows what's up. She is very strong in the face of a heartbreaking event and her rationalization walking through tough decisions is right on. I found her characterization very true to a real-life teenager. She wasn't sprouting out philosophical soliloquies but she wasn't stupid either. She was rational and level-headed when caving and going back to what is easy would have been the choice of lesser girls. She stuck to her guns for the most part. Her relationship with her sister Ginnie was the BEST! SO funny. SO adorable. They reminded me of myself and my sisters. They are just so close and nobody gets you like your own flesh and blood sisters. My favorite line went something like Mallory saying 'I hate you' to Ginnie and her response? 'You're welcome.' If that isn't the perfect representation of sisters. Seriously.

I love the ode to vintage and the feel of trying to live like it's 1962. I felt like I was directly in the middle of the pros and cons discussion of 1962 between Ginnie and Mallory. On one hand, I am all independent woman, no man will ever tell me what to do if I don't already want to do it...but another part of me totally embraces traditional values; the man is the head of the household and I would love to be a stay at home mom one day (by choice, mind you). I don't know, I just really liked reading about both sides to the argument. 

The emotional issues that Mallory were going through felt very real. She is heartbroken and she is really just trying to make it through. I loved that she comments on the fact that her problems are not worth national news, but they were big news to her. I felt that the writing was perfect in capturing the mind frame of a normal teenage girl who had her heart broken and finding a way to cope. The book also had a few peripheral storylines that didn't add a whole lot to the story, they could have been cut out really, but did add a little mystery to the plot. 

This book was a super fun read. I loved reading about the entire idea of going vintage (pun intended :) ) and finding a unique way to cope in the face of heartbreak. Mallory is a smart and funny character that you really root for the entire time. Best part for me? Day dreaming about saddle shoes, poodle skirts, and finding my own steady :)...PS why don't we use that word anymore?! I love vintage slang...I'm bringing that back...watch out for it.