Saturday, March 11, 2017

Stuffed Animal Saturday: Alex, Approximately - Jenn Bennett

Stuffed Animal Saturday is a meme that we post here at We Live and Breathe Books to showcase the book we're currently reading with one of our favorite stuffed animals and discuss our stuffed animal's opinion (well, it's really our opinion, but that's besides the point). We hope you enjoy our quirky feature as much as we enjoy writing it!

We have been cleaning up around here lately in preparation for a move, and I found this box filled with these little amigurumi. I used to love to crochet these odd little dolls, but alas, my carpal tunnel has stolen that from me. Anyhow, piggy was one of my creations and this Saturday, piggy and I are reading Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett .


Blurb from Goodreads: 
In this delightfully charming teen spin on You’ve Got Mail, the one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.

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.






So far:

Bailey has been sharing her love of old films online with "Alex" for about a year, when he strongly encourages her to come West for a beach viewing of North by Northwest. This is not a wholly irrational request, as Bailey's dad lives in the same Cali town as her online "film-buff soul mate". As any intelligent person would, Bailey has kept some identifying details of her life secret from Alex. One big thing he doesn't know is that she moved across the country to live with her father, and is now residing in Alex's hometown. She is worried that Alex IRL is not the same as Alex online, so she is on a quest to find him before the North by Northwest viewing event.

I already love Bailey. There is just something about her personality and her voice that is perfect for me. There is also the whole evader thing that we share. I, too, abhor confrontation and love old films. Other things I like:

  • I like how every chapter wraps with part of an online chat between @mink (Bailey) and @alex. It's a little bit of a contrast to her real life persona, and can be quite revealing with respect to the story. 
  • Each chapter also ends with a film quote. So far, they have all been excellent choices. 
  • I am loving all the movie references in general. I love old films. AMC and TCM are two of my favorite cable stations, and if you have not seen any of the films mentioned, you may consider watching them, as they are excellent. 
I should finish this book today, and keep an eye out for my review closer to the book's April 4th release date. 



Are you and your stuffed 
animal reading anything interesting? 
Let us know in your own 
Stuffed Animal Saturday!

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