Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can't seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period.

When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he'd be sifting through other people's inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can't quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can't help but be entertained-and captivated- by their stories.

But by the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? "Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you." After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it's time to muster the courage to follow his heart . . . even if he can't see exactly where it's leading him.

Written with whip-smart precision and charm, Attachments is a strikingly clever and deeply romantic debut about falling in love with the person who makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Even if it's someone you've never met.

Review:

Sometimes all I want is a sweet and cozy read to slip into for a few hours, and with Rainbow Rowell’s debut novel Attachments, that is just what I received.

Attachments tells the story of Beth, Jennifer, and Lincoln, employees at The Courier. Beth and Jennifer have been best friends for ages, telling the other of their romantic woes with a certain musician boyfriend in Beth’s case, or in Jennifer’s case, her conflicted fillings over starting a family with her husband. Lincoln, on the other hand, is a new worker. Hired at The Courier as an Internet Security Officer, Lincoln never thought he would be reading and moderating people’s emails- especially the emails interactions between Beth and Jennifer. While he should of reprimand Beth and Jennifer for misusing company emails long ago, he quickly found himself captivated not only by their emails but also by Beth. However, what is a man to do when he falls for someone he has never seen before in person? How will ever be anything besides the creepy person who reads people’s emails? More importantly, will Lincoln ever get the girl? Only time and more pages will tell in this charming book of love, missed singles, and happy endings.

One of the many high points in this novel would have to be the characters. Well developed and full of wit as well as charm, I adored nearly every single one of them. Lincoln was the typical nerdy yet sweet guy you cannot help but adore, while Beth and Jennifer were hilarious as well as relatable due to their realistic characteristics. Better yet, I loved the friendship between the two of them!

Due to the nature in which this was told (a combination of emails between Beth and Jennifer as well as Lincoln’s narration) this novel moved in a smooth and fast paced with plenty of twists and turns to keep nearly any reader committed. However, what I loved the most that while this novel was predictable, it still managed to not only fell fresh and new but also through a surprise or two in everyone once a while.

Rainbow Rowell’s writing was also decent. She created the characters in a way that they jumped of the page and came to life with each sentence and word spoken. More importantly, I loved how she had the perfect balance of light and seriousness in this.

The only aspect about this novel I was a little iffy about was Beth and Lincoln’s relationship. I always thought Lincoln’s infatuation was her was a bit odd due to the fact he barely knew her, but by the end, I truly didn’t care for a variety of reasons which I won't get into here as I don't want to spoil the book for anyone.

Adorable and full of many laugh-out-loud moments, Attachments manages to shine repeatedly thanks to its lively main characters and airtight writing. I can only hope Rowell’s next novel will be as great.

Grade: A-

Attachments is now out!

Source: Publicist at Penguin- thanks Liza!