Light, Funny Break-up Tale Vintage Leavitt

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Mallory Bradshaw's boyfriend of thirteen months cheats on her with some cyber chick he's never even met, the 16-year-old is livid.  She's so upset, she decides to swear off boys forever.  Then, she discovers an old list of goals her grandmother wrote in 1962.  The quaintness of it (run for pep club secretary; sew my own homecoming dress; host a dinner party, etc.) strikes a chord in Mallory's wounded soul.  Her grandma obviously lived in a softer, more innocent time, an era when boys didn't cyber-cheat on girls they claimed to love.  Mallory vows, right then and there, to bring back those simpler days.  Ditching her cell phone, computer, iPod and anything else that didn't exist in her grandma's teenage years, Mallory embarks on a quest to check off every item on the goal list.  So what if she can't sew on a button to save her life?  Who cares if her school hasn't had a pep club in 50 years?  Mallory's going to do everything on her grandma's list, even if it kills her.  Which it just might.

As Mallory attempts to follow in her grandma's footsteps, she finds the path back to the good ole days to be a little rockier than she imagined.  Her friends think her attempt to "go vintage" is crazy, and Mallory's starting to agree.  When she seeks inspiration from her grandma (who doesn't know about her granddaughter's attempt to step back in time), the older woman seems distant and unwilling to reminisce about the past.  Is it possible that her teenage years weren't as easy-breezy as they seem?  Undaunted, Mallory continues her journey which, really, has always been about one thing:  finding her own identity.  As she struggles to complete the list, Mallory learns some important lessons—about finishing what she's started, about her grandma and, ultimately, about herself.  

Vintage is a good way to describe this novel because it's everything you'd expect from the always upbeat, always funny Lindsey Leavitt.  With its warm, peppy tone; its quirky, relatable characters; and its pointed, but not preachy moral, Going Vintage is vintage Leavitt.  Which is what makes the book so fun.  Is it the most original story I've ever read?  Nope.  The most impactful?  Nuh uh.  Still, it's a light, enjoyable tale that's perfect for the lazy days of summer, which are coming all too soon ...

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Going Vintage from the generous folks at Bloomsbury via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!