(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Lincoln O'Neil takes a job in security at an Omaha newspaper, he never dreams it will involve reading his co-workers' personal emails.  Everyone at the paper knows their messages are being monitored, but still—snooping around that way just feels too intrusive, too wrong.  And yet, Lincoln can't afford to quit.  He's making good money for doing relatively little.  So what if he works his voyeuristic job at night, all by himself ... if he can stick with it, the 28-year-old might be able to save up enough cash to move out of his mother's house once and for all.  

The one perk to Lincoln's otherwise deplorable job is the exchanges he reads between Beth Fremont, The Courier's movie reviewer, and her best friend, copy editor Jennifer Scribner-Snyder.  Lonely Lincoln envies the warm, supportive friendship the women share.  The more he eavesdrops on their conversations, sharing their triumphs and struggles, the closer he feels to them both.  In fact,  he's pretty sure he's in love with funny, kind-hearted Beth.  Even when he thinks their might be some interest on her end, Lincoln knows he can't introduce himself to her.  How can he?  What would he say?  "Hello, I know everything about you from stalking your emails and by the way, I love you?"  Not going to happen.  

The longer Lincoln works at the paper, the more uncomfortable he grows with his shady work duties.  What's an awkward, gun-shy IT guy to do?  Quit an easy, high-paying job?  Confess his love to a woman he's never even laid eyes on?  Break his mother's heart by moving out?  Does he dare risk it all for a journalist who'll probably be appalled by all he knows about her?  

As much as I enjoyed Fan Girl, Rainbow Rowell's third novel, I think I like her debut, Attachments, even better.  Like the former, the latter is filled to the brim with likable characters, crackling dialogue and lots of heart.  Even though it's a straight-up contemporary romance (it's set in 1999, but whatever), it feels different, more original than others I've read.  Maybe that's because it's so upbeat, clever and fun.  Whatever the reason, I love this quirky love story—it's just so painfully (and entertaining-ly) authentic!

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

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language and sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Attachments from the generous folks at Penguin.  Thank you!

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, sexual content and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Killing Woods from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Ever Davies knows she's fat.  The 15-year-old weighs over 300 pounds, so it's not like she's surprised when someone calls her an elephant or a whale or a freak or whatever.  Not that the words don't wound—of course they do—but she's so used to hearing the labels that she hardly notices anymore.  Besides, if real people aren't calling Ever names, she's got Skinny—the constant, nagging voice in her head—reminding her that she's an out-of-control blob who will never be loved.  Ever's so used to living (if you can call it that) this way, she's almost given up trying to change things.  What's the point?  As Skinny is so quick to note, Ever is too pathetic and helpless to do anything right.  

After a humiliating experience at school, Ever's finally had enough.  Determined to gain some control over her life, she embarks on a risky journey to slim down, get healthy and prove to the world that she's someone worth noticing.  And yet, even as the pounds melt off, Ever can't stop hearing Skinny's snarky criticism.  Is it possible that Skinny's been right all along?  Is Ever destined for failure, no matter how hard she works?  Is she really too worthless to bother with—or can Ever find something inside herself that's worth saving, even celebrating?  Most importantly, what will happen when she reaches her weight loss goal?  Will Ever Davies finally be happy? 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I wanted to read more books about obesity, especially about teens who struggle with the issue.  An author friend of mine mentioned that she'd heard good things about Skinny, a debut novel by Donna Cooner.  Cooner, who's written picture books, textbooks and children's television shows, is also a former gastric bypass patient—obviously, weight loss is something with which she's intimately familiar.  That insider's view makes Ever's fight for control over her body an authentic and poignant one.  Cooner's personal experience with bariatric surgery also makes for a story peppered with interesting details about the process.  All of that kept me interested.  What annoyed me about Skinny, though, is its lack of a well-defined central conflict.  Ever's goal is to lose weight, yes, but since the pounds are "magically" disappearing via surgery, she achieves what she wants a little too easily for my tastes.  I want to see a hero or heroine really struggle to attain the story goal, and Ever really doesn't that much.  Yes, she still has to banish the voice in her head (which, really, is the point of the story), but still ... the central conflict didn't feel like that big of a conflict, in my *humble* opinion.  In the end, while I appreciated Cooner's realistic look at a teen undergoing weight loss surgery, Skinny just didn't quite satisfy me. 

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Butter by Erin Jade Lange and 45 Pounds [More or Less] by K.A. Barson)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of Skinny from the generous folks at Scholastic.  Thank you!