Review: Going Vintage by Lindsey 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 in 1962, 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.

Last year I learned about author Lindsey Leavitt when I read her book Sean Griswold's Head. I was reading a lot of YA at the time (getting through two YA finalist categories for the 2011 Whitney Awards), and Sean Griswold's Head really stood out among the finalists. It was such a good book-clean and very entertaining, so I was quite excited when I heard that Leavitt was coming out with another book.

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to download a review copy of Going Vintage. Sadly, I had built up the book (or author) so much for a clean read, that when there was a lot of making out and some swearing right off, I was disappointed and I put the book down for a few months.

I thought about Going Vintage several times after I put it down, and I decided to give it another try when I finished most of the other books on my "to-review" list.

Going Vintage is entertaining. It's not as good as Sean Griswold's Head, and definitely not as clean (I actually wouldn't call it clean. There's no sex, but I consider more than that when I label a book clean).

Mallory was an interesting character to follow. Her decision to de-modernize and her determination to complete the items on her grandmother's list from 1962 made for a unique story. Her relationship with her sister, Ginnie, was great. Ginnie was supportive of Mallory's somewhat crazy idea, and there for her when Jeremy tried to get back in the picture. I also really liked Oliver.

Once I got into the story, I found it to be a fast read. The idea of a social experiment is intriguing, and there are some sweet moments.

*Content: several make-out scenes, profanity, and some crude references.