Alex, Approximately | Review

Summary

Classic movie buff Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online by “Alex.” Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new arch-nemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever-it-is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.

Title: Alex, Approximately
Author: Jenn Bennett
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: YA Romance, Contemporary

Review

Another Jenn Bennett book to check off my list! I’m so happy I got to read this one especially since it was a “retelling” of You’ve Got Mail.

The book started off at a decent pace. I wouldn’t have minded if it was a little quicker, but I was still interested enough to keep reading. I was happy we met all the main characters so quickly. We even for to know them pretty well right off the bat.

In true Bennett fashion, there were tons of witty and off-handed remarks all throughout the book. Even though the main character, Bailey, was more on the reserved side, her thoughts were still very sharp and funny.

I really liked getting to know Bailey’s dad, as weird as that sounds. He was just so caring and easygoing, but strict and parent-y when he needed to be.

Also, similar to some of Bennett’s other books, there’s more than just a cutesy romance to this book. Both Bailey and Porter have some trauma they’ve lived through that they both slowly reveal throughout the book. As well, there are some issues that aren’t quite resolved by the end, but we’re still left with hope for the future.

I really don’t have much to say about this book. I enjoyed it enough to read in one sitting, but there’s something holding me back from giving it five-stars. I’m not sure what it is, but I’ll let you know if I figure it out.

Overall, it wasn’t my favorite Bennett book, but it was definitely worth a read. A decent internet lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers book.

Rating

To check out my other reviews, click here. Or to check out more books by Jenn Bennett, go to her GoodReads profile or her website. Want to buy this book? Click here for Amazon or here for Bookshop.