Summer Readin' Pick #1: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

© On Books!

The best way to beat the heat: curling up with a laid back summer read! My picks for the summer are usually cutesy and a little predictable but this year I also got to catch up with some really wholesome and entertaining books that have been in my to-read list since forever! I figured I'd do a separate post for each of the books I loved reading this summer and that's where my new feature, Summer Readin'! comes in.

Publication date: 14th April 2011

Publisher: Dutton Adult

Links: Amazon, Goodreads,
The Book Depository

Stars: 5/5

Source: Bought

My first pick: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell which I read after Eleanor & Park by the same author. Given that Attachments is centered around a whole different demographic and had the whole rom-com movie vibe, it couldn't be more different from Eleanor & Park. I didn't think it would be possible but here's the thing- I loved it even more than E&P. 

The protagonist, Lincoln, has way too many college degrees but hasn't really gotten anywhere with it. He's still living with his mom, nursing a heartbreak and hasn't a real clue about how to move forward. And what more, he gets a job in a newspaper office where he gets paid to monitor people's work email and in the process, falls for Beth whom he hasn't even seen before. All he knows about her are from the emails he reads that land in his security filter; banter between Beth and her best friend Jennifer that's far from work-related. 

Set when the whole Y2K speculation was happening with the cutest movie and pop culture references, I adored this book. I loved that Beth was a movie reviewer by profession and was someone you'd want to be friends with. I could see why Lincoln was instantly attracted to her- just by reading her email. She's the kind of witty entertaining character with real quirks that's usually the fun sidekick, so I really really liked that she was the girl Lincoln fell for! There's even this part when she says she sounds soo much better on paper than in person and I could totally relate to that!

As for Lincoln, he was a steadfast, solid person I would've rooted for right in the beginning. We were privy of almost every aspect of his world- from his mom who means well but is probably too overprotective, his sister and his Dungeons and Dragons friends. When he wrangled with the ethics and dilemma he faced over reading someone else's email (even if that was his job), it was completely realistic. What I loved most was that we also got to see him through Beth's eyes in her emails! And it's funny how a fresh perspective can really bring out characteristics that you take for granted in someone.

Another thing about the book that had me positively squealing was that it handled the concept of love BEFORE first sight in the most believable and breathtaking way! Even the most unromantic person is bound to be taken in by the heart stopping sweetness of the way they fall for each other. 

Attachments was fresh, funny, smart and incredibly gripping! I adored this book from start to finish. I loved how it was wholesome yet light at the same time and grounded yet swoony! It had the elements that are present in practically every rom-com movie I'm crazy about. And at the end of it, I think that's what Attachments felt like to me: a rom-com with the depth and breadth of a book!