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Attachments

Rainbow Rowell (Goodreads Author)

3.92 · Rating details · 146,982 ratings · 18,278 reviews

"Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you..."

Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder know that somebody is monitoring their work e-mail. (Everybody in the newsroom knows. It's company policy.) But they can't quite bring themselves to take it seriously. They go on sending each other endless and endlessly hilarious e-mails, discussing every aspect of the ...more

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Hardcover, 323 pages

Published April 14th 2011 by Dutton

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3.92 ·

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· 146,982 ratings · 18,278 reviews

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Jul 22, 2016 Zoë rated it it was amazing

I had attempted to read this book a couple of weeks ago, but I wasn't feeling it and gave up after 40 pages. Man, am I happy that I gave it a second chance! This was so dang cute and surprisingly not cheesy despite the plot sounding like a total cheese-fest. I love how this wasn't just an adorable slow-building romance, but it also follows Lincoln and his difficulties with growing up and moving on. Definitely read this if you are a fan of Rainbow Rowell's other novels or romantic comedies!

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Dec 27, 2012 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: addictive, favorites, fiction, nostalgia, five-stars-isn-t-enough, wishlist, audiobooks, romantical

December 2015: I love you, book.

(Sidenote: After my first re-read, this may not be my favorite Rainbow Rowell book anymore? I still love it beyond reason, but I think she's just matured so much as an author, Carry On or Fangirl might overtake it when I get to them. I guess we'll see!)

February 2013: Falling in love with a book is exactly like falling in love with a person. In both cases, most of the time you just can’t help yourself, and what happens during the falling is almost entirely out of December 2015: I love you, book.

(Sidenote: After my first re-read, this may not be my favorite Rainbow Rowell book anymore? I still love it beyond reason, but I think she's just matured so much as an author, Carry On or Fangirl might overtake it when I get to them. I guess we'll see!)

February 2013: Falling in love with a book is exactly like falling in love with a person. In both cases, most of the time you just can’t help yourself, and what happens during the falling is almost entirely out of your control. This is an especially appropriate metaphor to be making when talking about Rainbow Rowell’s delightful little book, Attachments, which is about a man falling in love in a very inappropriate way. This is what I wrote on Goodreads approximately one minute and thirty-one seconds after finishing the last page at 2 AM on Saturday night:

“FUCKING HELL, MAN. Why is this so . . . GUH . . . and it’s the middle of the night and I’M SO ALONE.”

I believe that sentence and my five star rating should speak for itself, but I would like to elaborate anyway because when you fall in love with something you want to tell everybody about it as loudly and in as many ways as possible.

Attachments takes place in 1999, just before the turn of the millennium and all the madness of Y2K (remember Y2K? It was like practice for the Mayan apocalypse!). Twenty-eight year old perpetual student Lincoln is fresh off his latest graduate degree and is stuck in a rut in basically every area of his life: he lives with his mother, he has no foreseeable career objectives (he can’t even figure out what it is that he might be good at), he has no social life to speak of excepting Saturday night games of D&D with his lifelong friends, and he hasn’t even attempted a romantic relationship since his heart was smashed into pieces eight years before by the girl he thought he’d be with forever.

As the novel opens, Lincoln has just taken a job in a Nebraska newspaper’s IT department where he is in charge of the newly developed email security program that monitors employee’s email accounts for inappropriate usage. It’s a bit of a creepy job reading other people’s emails and sending them warnings, not to mention tedious and boring, but it’s at least a job. He spends most of his time reading books and doing other non work-related activities. That is, until he accidentally becomes wrapped up in the correspondence of two employees, film critic Beth and copyeditor Jennifer, who are smart and funny and who little by little begin treating their work email accounts as a personal chat service. After about the fourth or fifth flagged conversation, Lincoln realizes it’s too late to send them a warning and with not a little guilt begins looking forward to each flagged email, especially when it becomes clear to him that not only is he developing feelings for Beth, but she has a little crush on him as well. The only problem is, if he wants to be with her, how can he do so knowing that he’s just spent a ridiculous amount of time violating her personal privacy?

The novel is a mix between Lincoln’s 3rd person POV and a delightful modern epistolary confection consisting of Jennifer and Beth’s increasingly personal emails to one another. Jennifer and Beth are immediately very likeable. Their conversations with one another are funny and warm and occasionally sort of surprisingly heart-rending. That they were so likeable is key, because the novel wouldn’t have worked if we as readers were not able to overcome the basic creepiness of Lincoln’s actions. We want Lincoln to keep reading about Jennifer and Beth because WE want to keep reading about Jennifer and Beth. His actions as Rowell writes them, while a bit icky, are also completely understandable. There’s also the fact that Lincoln himself is a wonderful character, and I quickly found myself wishing he was real because I have been looking for him all my life. But it’s not only that he’s likeable. His struggles as an aimless and confused young adult unsure of what he wanted to do with himself was one I could relate to in very specific ways. The sharp wit of Rowell’s dialogue and prose doesn’t hurt, either. This was also the perfect time period to set this book. The transition from tradition to technology at the newspaper echoes Lincoln’s own stumbling transition to adulthood.

This is probably not a book many other readers will give five stars to, but it hit all of my personal buttons in all the right ways. Like, to the point where I was all, Rainbow Rowell, either get out of my head or be my best friend. But even if you don’t fall crazy in love and over-identify with it like I did, it’s still worth checking out as the perfect example of this kind of romancey, character-driven novel. It’s well-written, funny, has great characters, and is overall a super-fun read. If you like good romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally and Love, Actually, just imagine that this is like a book version of that and you’ll have a pretty good idea. I am now eagerly anticipating the two (!) books Rainbow Rowell is publishing later this year. ...more

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Jul 25, 2013 Lilyan rated it it was ok

Shelves: pathetic-characters, chick-lit, laughed-out-loud, light-read, fast-paced

CONTAINS SPOILERS

This book would have been sooo much better if not for the pathetic characters.

Meet Lincoln:

A 29 year old nerd who has multiple degrees, lives with his mom, plays dungeons and dragons on the weekend, is cripplingly awkward and hasn't been able to get over his high school sweetheart breakup for the past NINE years.... BUT WAIT! LINCOLN ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE THIS:

Ya.... I don't get it either.

Lincoln works as an internet cop. He snoops through people's emails and web histories, ...more

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Dec 28, 2014 Kassidy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, favorites

Brilliant! I loved everything about it, definitely a new favorite. <3

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Jun 15, 2011 Noelle rated it really liked it

Recommended to Noelle by: Maggie

Shelves: it-s-so-fluffy-i-m-gonna-die, 2011-favorites, on-my-literal-bookshelf

My office’s IT support guy has a blonde ponytail and once serenaded me with an Enrique Iglesias song while I was stuck at the copy machine waiting for a fax to go through. He was INTO IT. He was acting like it was some deep, deep rock anthem that TOUCHED HIS SOUL. Air acoustic guitar was involved. I did what any normal person would do: studiously avoided eye contact and went directly back to my desk to email my work best friend about it.

Actual email excerpt:

Me: I just got "I will be your hero,

Me: I just got "I will be your hero, baby"-ed by tech support.
Friend: I'm pretty sure HR frowns on that.
Me: I'm pretty sure they frown on any mention of trembling.
Friend: But do they know what it feels like loving someone that's in a rush to throw them away?
Me: Do they know? Do they know? Do they know? Do they?

And then we watched this video ten times and laughed until we forgot how much our jobs suck.

Ahem. ANYWAYS. As you might guess, I thought this book was so freaking charming! It's based in the late 90s and told from the perspective of Lincoln, who starts off the book leading a pretty pathetic, lonely existence. He has no social interaction that doesn't involve his mother or Dungeons and Dragons. He left a majority of his self-esteem sprinkled across the countryside on the long just-been-dumped-by-the-love-of-his-life bus ride home from college. He works the IT security night shift at the local newspaper, has no social skills and basically walks around in a beige, directionless haze.

But then, Beth and Jennifer's email chains get flagged in his security filters and Lincoln is immediately drawn to their infectious personalities. They are lively and funny and Lincoln is charmed. Instead of sending them a warning letter as dictated by company policy, Lincoln continues to read the emails and quickly becomes invested in their lives, unable to resist the bright spot they create in his otherwise tedious, mind-numbingly boring job. Things get even more complicated when he finds himself falling for Beth. Of course this is a huge invasion of privacy, but never underestimate the potential for trouble-making and bad decisions with hours of bored free time in an unfulfilling job.

Just scrolling through my sent box in my email I see subject lines of: "My Cubicle is Draining My Life Force", "Data Entry: Totally Worth All of That Student Loan Debt!", "Is Liking Three Songs in a Row on the Lite Rock Less Talk Station a Sign of Stockholm Syndrome?" so I definitely empathized with some of Lincoln's life and job frustrations. But my favorite part of this book by far (besides the swoonage of course) was Beth and Jennifer's relationship. I couldn't blame Lincoln for being so charmed---I was charmed! They were awesome and a perfect representation of the wonderfulness of BFFs. I loved them. Oh, and I realized if I had a mysteriously hot guy in my office that unbeknownst to me could read my emails, he'd have enough for a restraining order within the week. I admire Beth and Jennifer's restraint.

In closing: this book is so cute. It gave me a happy buzz the whole way through. Thank you Maggie for steering me to it! (And for always emailing me back! :D)

...more

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Aug 17, 2013 Jesse (JesseTheReader) rated it it was amazing

This was such a good book! It's one of those books that just makes you feel ridiculously happy. I'm glad that booksplosion chose it as the book of the month for May!

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Jul 29, 2014 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-ive-reread, favorites

Reread 6/13/18: Welp I still completely adore this book. It definitely features some iffy stereotypes at times, but I still can’t help but to get the warmest of fuzzies every single time I read this book. Lincoln is the cutest and I just die every time 😍

Reread 11/3/17: Re-read this for TBT this month and I mean is anyone at all surprised that I still adored this? Look out for my TBT video going up next week to hear more in depth thoughts!

Reread 9/26/16: Re-read this and I definitely still love t ...more

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Feb 11, 2017 Emily (Books with Emily Fox) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1-star-plz-make-it-stop

This romance contemporary was creepy. Not cute. It felt like I was reading YA, not Adult and it was literally one step away from You by Caroline Kepnes.

The main character is basically described as a “loser”. He's 28, plays D&D, has no social skills, lives with his mom and has never gotten over his high school sweetheart... BUT WAIT he’s actually tall, muscular, hot and has multiple degrees!!!! Right.

I honestly don’t understand the hype.
With a few changes it could have easily been a thrille ...more

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Jun 27, 2013 Regan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-owned-read

I AM GUSHING FROM THE CUTENESS

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Mar 20, 2018 rin rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2018, borefest, eng, frustrating, hashtag-ruined, m-f, standalone, the-worst, worse-than-expected

i am looking at all the positive ratings and reviews people gave this book and only have one thought which is what the fuck.
this is the creepiest and the most disturbing book i've read in years.

there is the main character (Lincoln) who falls in love w/ this woman (Beth) while reading her e-mails to her bestfriend. yes, it's his job, e-mails get flagged by the filter and he's supposed to send a warning to the person who wrote something that didn't pass the filter. except he doesn't send the warn ...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Katrina Passick Lumsden rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: pleasantly-surprised, allthefeels, amazing, favorites, favorite-contemporary-romance

Finally! Twenty days and seventeen books into 2012 and I've finally, finally found something I can honestly say I loved. I knew it was going to be good from the very first chapter (which I promptly read to my mother while we both laughed). Giving it five stars might be a bit much, but I can't help it. This was funny, engaging, sweet, and, more importantly, smart. None of the characters were perfect, but they were written so realistically that their flaws added to their appeal. It felt like readi Finally! Twenty days and seventeen books into 2012 and I've finally, finally found something I can honestly say I loved. I knew it was going to be good from the very first chapter (which I promptly read to my mother while we both laughed). Giving it five stars might be a bit much, but I can't help it. This was funny, engaging, sweet, and, more importantly, smart. None of the characters were perfect, but they were written so realistically that their flaws added to their appeal. It felt like reading about real people, not the cliche's of people one normally gets in a piece of modern fiction.

The premise is pretty basic; Lincoln is a shy and socially awkward individual who never quite got over the heartbreak caused by his high school sweetheart. Having recently moved back to his hometown (and back into his overindulgent mother's house), he gets an IT security job at the local paper. His job involves reading through flagged email and sending out warnings to anyone in the office who breaks company rules regarding internet use. When he starts getting flagged emails between Beth and Jennifer, he knows he should send them a warning and move on, but he can't seem to bring himself to do it. Before he knows it, he's read so many of their conversations that he feels like a total creep, but he still can't bring himself to stop. It's when he begins to fall for Beth, however, that Lincoln's torture truly begins.

Told from a third-person perspective with Lincoln at center stage, we only get to know Beth and Jennifer through their emails to each other. While this is often a difficult method for an author to use to truly portray a character (especially since people only project a certain amount of themselves to others, especially through emails), Rainbow Rowell managed to really make it work. I felt like I really got to know Beth and Jennifer through their emails, and for the first time in too long, I can actually understand why the male protagonist fell in love with the female. Beth and Jennifer are genuinely good people, devoted friends, and beautifully flawed individuals. We see Jennifer's fears about becoming a mother are caused by her rocky relationship with her own mother. We see Beth's ignorance regarding the myriad ways love can manifest and exist. We see Lincoln's insecurities unfold as he attempts to struggle out from beneath his mother's apron and live his own life. While the underlying theme is romance, the story also focuses on family, friends, and personal growth.

I know this makes Attachments sound paralyzingly dull, so you'll just have to trust me when I say it's really quite funny. It's probably the funniest book I've read in the last few years. I understand it's probably not for everyone. The pop culture quotes and nerdly references to things like Dungeons & Dragons and The Lord of the Rings might put some readers off, but they were right up my alley. I read the entire book in one sitting, neither needing nor wanting a break. I can't wait to read more from Rainbow Rowell. ...more

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Feb 06, 2016 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Aj the Ravenous Reader by: Jenny

Shelves: lol, love-love-love, physically-owned-books

Buddyread with my big sister Rachel (who thought this was going to be boring-look who's laughing now. bahaha).

I don’t know who is more pathetic: characters leading pathetic lives or the reader who loved reading about these characters. I’m pretty sure it’s the latter although I could care less about what this says of me because I just inexplicably adore this novel. Many may disagree but I think the premise of this novel is completely original and IMO, the most creative plot yet in the four book ...more

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Mar 20, 2015 emma rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-ya, chick-lit, auto-buy-authors, reread, i-love-these-characters, funny, library, reviewed, 2-and-a-half-stars, unpopular-opinion

I’m genuinely sad right now. I wish I was made up of enough faith and romanticism and cotton candy and rainbows to buy into this book, or at least suspend my own version of reality for long enough to enjoy it fully. But alas, I’m a cynic with a 3.1 average rating. Swoony romance is just not how I roll.

https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...

You have to concede to some big-ass, brand-name concepts if you wanna enjoy this book. Chief among them? True love and love at first sight. The Big Two, as I ...more

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Apr 23, 2016 Yulitza Moncada rated it really liked it · review of another edition

La trama de este libro me ENCANTO, la forma en que Rainbow Rowell nos introdujo a este libro fue maravillosa, nos dio una historia realista, divertida, tierna, con una escritura ligera que no te aburres en ningún momento, con unas referencias que te harán sonreír y claramente con unos personajes MARAVILLOSOS Y CARISMÁTICOS que te van a hacer reír desde el primer capítulo.

Este libro fue mas de lo que esperaba, fue algo diferente, algo mas fresco, entretenido, con una historia tan real que sentía La trama de este libro me ENCANTO, la forma en que Rainbow Rowell nos introdujo a este libro fue maravillosa, nos dio una historia realista, divertida, tierna, con una escritura ligera que no te aburres en ningún momento, con unas referencias que te harán sonreír y claramente con unos personajes MARAVILLOSOS Y CARISMÁTICOS que te van a hacer reír desde el primer capítulo.

Este libro fue mas de lo que esperaba, fue algo diferente, algo mas fresco, entretenido, con una historia tan real que sentías que estabas en ese lugar con los personajes, Beth y Jennifer son unas chicas estupendas, con unas personalidad tan únicas, sus conversaciones me hacían reir demasiado, las referencias con las que hablaban de películas, libros, actores, me fascinaban y mucho, y algo que ME ENCANTO DEMASIADO fue la amistad entre estas chicas, la forma en cómo se contaban todo, en como hablaban la una con la otra, se me hizo algo muy gratificante, LincoIn fue sin duda alguna mi personaje favorito, me sentí identificada con el con su forma de comportarse, de ver como su sentimiento hacia estas chicas y sobre todo hacia Beth fue creciendo, la forma en cómo el se divertía y cambiaba mediante transcurrían las conversaciones entre Jennifer y Beth, LincoIn fue un personaje carismático un poco soso, pero nunca dejo de ser divertido y de sacarme en una sonrisa con sus ocurrencias.

Algo que tengo que resaltar mucho fue la forma en cómo Rainbow unió a estos personajes sin ni siquiera ellos conocerse o hablarse, la autora supo desarrollar esta historia, y supo unirlos para darnos un final que para mí fue bueno, pero siento que le falto un poco más para que fuera MEMORABLE, aun así disfrute mucho de este libro, de su trama, de sus personajes, de esos momentos divertidos y los pocos momentos románticos que tuvimos estuvieron PERFECTOS que literal estaba saltando de la emoción.

En conclusión Attachments es un libro maravilloso con una trama realista, con unos personajes que te van a encantar, con una escritura ligera que no te va a hacer aburrir en su lectura, van a ver unos momentos en los que te rías hasta no poder mas y otros que te van a hacer suspirar, en fin, espero y se den una oportunidad de leer este libro, ya que de verdad Rainbow Rowell supo hacerlo de nuevo, hacer que te maravilles con otra de sus historias encantadoras. ...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Greg Allan Holcomb rated it it was amazing

Shelves: first-reads, books-i-own

As the only dude to win this book from Goodreads' First-Reads I feel a bit o' pressure.

I liked this book a lot. It's not Chick-lit. It's not Lad-lit. I'm putting this down as a Plane book. Go read it on a airplane.

Plot- Lincoln's the guy who monitors email at his work. He's supposed to report Beth and Jennifer, but he finds their emails entertaining. And he falls for Beth.

It's easy to see why he does. Over the course of the book we learn: Beth has a Sandman poster, She quotes Field of Dreams ...more

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Mar 18, 2015 Theresa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favorite-books-of-2016, my-favorite-books

Rainbow Rowell has a gift for writing beautiful and unconventional love stories. Her characters always feel vibrant, energetic, quirky, and rich in emotion. "Attachments" follows a shy, socially-awkward, (he loves playing Dungeon & Dragons) deeply insecure 28 year-old named Lincoln. Lincoln still loves at home with his mom, and works at a job he absolutely despises (his job is to read/filter his co-workers emails). Without giving away too much of the plot, I will say that Lincoln grows treme ...more

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Oct 26, 2015 Justin rated it really liked it

**Rainbow to Justin** Hi, Justin. I'm Rainbow Rowell. You may recognize my name because it shows up on your Goodreads update feed on, like, every other line or so. I've written popular novels for young adults and regular adults as well like Eleanor and Park, Fangirl....

**Justin to Rainbow** ...Landline, Carry On, yeah yeah yeah. People love your books, but I don't know if they're really my thing. I mean, aren't they like Nicholas Sparks books that have more wit and biting humor? Are guys even su **Rainbow to Justin** Hi, Justin. I'm Rainbow Rowell. You may recognize my name because it shows up on your Goodreads update feed on, like, every other line or so. I've written popular novels for young adults and regular adults as well like Eleanor and Park, Fangirl....

**Justin to Rainbow** ...Landline, Carry On, yeah yeah yeah. People love your books, but I don't know if they're really my thing. I mean, aren't they like Nicholas Sparks books that have more wit and biting humor? Are guys even supposed to be reading this stuff?

**Rainbow to Justin** Justin, everyone is supposed to read my books, and everyone IS reading my books except you. You are seriously the last person left on the planet who confidently refers to himself as a quote unquote reader who hasn't read anything I've written. When are you going to get off of your high horse and join the rest of the world? What makes you so special?

**Justin to Rainbow** You know, I was just scrolling through my Overdrive app and your first book is available right now. I'll read that one. I'll read it. Fine. But, I'll be honest, just by reading the synopsis I can tell where this is going. You're so predictable, Rainbow Rowell.

**Rainbow to Justin** That's my first book, Attachments. That's not even my best one. I've gotten so much better as a writer since 2011, but I guess you gotta start somewhere. It's also written from a male perspective so that should help since you're a male. You already have one thing in common with my protagonist, Lincoln.

............................................

**Justin to Rainbow** Sorry I've been away for a few days. I, uh... I couldn't put your book down. I just kept reading and reading because all of the chapters were so short and the story sucked me in with its Catcher in the Rye meets every John Green book meets.... yeah, the end was a little smushy. Is smushy a word? It means too rom-com, a little too unbelievable-but-works-out-perfectly, you know? And can we talk about Lincoln for a second? Rainbow, come on.... he works night shift reading emails, lives at home, can't get over his high school girlfriend, but he's... gorgeous? That's your cute guy? That kind of stuff bugged me at times, but I didn't really get caught up in the details as much because of the story. You did a nice job creating vibrant characters with a fantastic 1990s setting. Blockbuster? Sega Genesis? Hahahaha... Oh man, that stuff took me back. You crafted a very fun story even if it wasn't the best ending in the world. I guess you can say I'm now....

**Rainbow to Justin** A Rainbow Rowell fan? I've already got your copy of Eleanor and Park in the mail.

**Justin to Rainbow** Gee, thanks Rainbow. You're the best! ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Kai rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, to-buy

“I’d know you in the dark. From a thousand miles away. There’s nothing you could become that I haven’t already fallen in love with.”

It's always fun reading Rainbow Rowell's books. It's not, that her novels are extraordinary or incredibly good (apart from Fangirl that is), but Rowell always makes me feel comfortable and cozy. That's the reason I love her books so much.

Attachments remined me a lot of Landline . The setting, the characters, the character's jobs and this communication through e ...more

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May 25, 2014 Ariel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This really solidified for me that Rainbow Rowell is one of my favourite writers! She's phenomenal! For me, it comes to one key point: she builds real people. Her characters don't feel like characters, they don't feel fake or made up. They're really people with unique quirks and imperfections and beauty and it's so easy to be sucked into reading her books because I feel like I actually know these people!

This book, particularly, was cute and lovely. I thought the mails back and forth were hilario ...more

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Mar 02, 2015 Whitney Atkinson rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2015, unhauled

If I hadn't listened to this on audiobook, there's no way I would have been able to finish it. Horribly boring. I literally fell asleep twice while listening to this and missed about 5 chapters, but I couldn't be bothered to rewind and listen to what I missed. The entire premise is creepy and voyeuristic, and I didn't agree with their relationship. I love Rainbow's writing, but this one was my least favorite of hers. It definitely doesn't compare to her newer releases. Overall, I did not enjoy t ...more

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Nov 08, 2014 BookLover rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio, tpl, fiction, favorites, reviews, paperback, rs

Re-read in 2017 - sigh, nothing new to add here, except, this book gets better and better with each read

Re-read in 2016 - this book, an all-time favourite, was just what I needed this week!!! Loved it just as much this time around. Every word was perfection. sigh!

**Original review 04/24/15**
Oh, my poor heart, how I loved this book. How is it possible that Rainbow Rowell, no matter who the character is, no matter what the storyline, can get inside and make me feel every minute of her stories? Wha Re-read in 2017 - sigh, nothing new to add here, except, this book gets better and better with each read

Re-read in 2016 - this book, an all-time favourite, was just what I needed this week!!! Loved it just as much this time around. Every word was perfection. sigh!

**Original review 04/24/15**
Oh, my poor heart, how I loved this book. How is it possible that Rainbow Rowell, no matter who the character is, no matter what the storyline, can get inside and make me feel every minute of her stories? What a fantastic storyteller!

This was such a unique story, told in a unique way. Throughout the story, we get to read email correspondence between best friends Beth and Jennifer as well as read all about Lincoln, the IT guy hired to read company emails flagged for inappropriate use.

It was set in 1999/2000, which totally brought me back to that time in my life. I, too, was working for a newspaper around that time and email was a relatively new thing in the workplace. I think I would have died of embarrassment if anyone had been reading any of the emails send back and forth between my friends and I during that time. How naive we were back then with no concept of big brother and the digital trail left behind with our correspondence.

This was a sweet story with great characters.

I was able to get a real picture of who Beth and Jennifer were through their emails. Their friendship was funny and heartwarming.

“Beth to Jennifer - My Cute Guy has a kid.
Can you believe it? A kid! And probably a wife, too. How could he do this to me?
Jennifer to Beth- ???
Beth to Jennifer- My thoughts exactly.
Jennifer to Beth- What I meant by that was: give me the information that you have and I don't--that is making you talk like a crazy person.”

Lincoln, true to Rainbow's typical writing style, is a perfect hero. I loved him. I loved his desire to find a place in this world, his friendship with Doris, his relationship with his D&D friends (which I found endlessly amusing) and his ability to surprise me in his quest to fit in.

“Troy has been dragging your unconscious dwarf on an earth sled, just to keep you in the campaign. You're a constant drain on his magic.”

“He brought the house down during 1999 charades with a two-minute, completely silent reenactment of The Sixth Sense. "When you mimed the ring falling on the ground," Chuck said, applauding, "I forgot that I already knew you were dead.”

I really liked the interaction between Lincoln and his sister Eve.

“So, what if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things. One at a time. Just let your pile of good things grow."
"This is investment advice, isn't it? You're personal-banking me."

I have to specially call out to a secondary character in the book, Justin (Lincoln's friend), who stole every scene he was in with his foul language and over the top attitude:

"He forgot to take the price tag off, so Justin called him "Minnie-fucking-Pearl" and "XXLT" all night"

“Well, all right. Let me change into something I can afford for Dena to puke on, and then we'll get this motherfucker started.”

“LINCOLN! DUDE! YOU'RE alive!"
"Justin, hey."
"Sorry to call you at work, but I've been calling your house so much, your mom probably thinks I'm trying to get into her pants. I feel like I haven't seen you since the sixth grade.”

I am predicting this book will fall into my list of favourites that I reread every year. It's such a feel-good book!! ...more

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Dec 29, 2014 Mohamed Al rated it it was amazing

Shelves: روايات

بهذه الرواية الجميلة (والمراجعة) أودع عام ٢٠١٤

عندما تخرجت من الجامعة وحصلت على أول وظيفة، كنت أستغل ساعة البريك في قراءة الكتب الإلكترونية، ولأنني كنت في فترة ما مهووسًا بالرافعي، كنت أبحث عن كتبه ومقالاته التي سبق لي قراءتها وأعيد قراءتها. في كتابه "على السفود" الذي يرد فيه على العقاد أذكر أنه عنون أحد الفصول ب"عضلات من شراميط" ولا أعرف ماذا كان يدور في ذهني وأنا أكتب في قوقل "شراميط" باحثًا عن هذا المقال باستخدام كمبيوتر العمل، فقد ظهرت لي صفحة نتائج البحث بروابط لمواقع إباحية ومنتديات يسرد في بهذه الرواية الجميلة (والمراجعة) أودع عام ٢٠١٤

عندما تخرجت من الجامعة وحصلت على أول وظيفة، كنت أستغل ساعة البريك في قراءة الكتب الإلكترونية، ولأنني كنت في فترة ما مهووسًا بالرافعي، كنت أبحث عن كتبه ومقالاته التي سبق لي قراءتها وأعيد قراءتها. في كتابه "على السفود" الذي يرد فيه على العقاد أذكر أنه عنون أحد الفصول ب"عضلات من شراميط" ولا أعرف ماذا كان يدور في ذهني وأنا أكتب في قوقل "شراميط" باحثًا عن هذا المقال باستخدام كمبيوتر العمل، فقد ظهرت لي صفحة نتائج البحث بروابط لمواقع إباحية ومنتديات يسرد فيها أعضاؤها تجاربهم مع "الشراميط". من فرط المفاجأة نزعت الكابل الكهربائي بدلاً من إغلاق المتصفح على أمل ألا يتمكن الشخص المسؤول في قسم تقنية المعلومات من معرفة ما كنت أبحث عنه!

عشت يوما كاملا من الخوف، وتخيلت سيناريوهات مختلفة نتيجة العمل الأحمق الذي قمت به، كأن أفصل من العمل بسبب استخدام الكمبيوتر المخصص للعمل في البحث عن المواقع الإباحية، أو أن يهز المدير العام رأسه شفقة وإزدراء وهو يسلمني ورقة فصلي من العمل وهو يردد خيبت ظني فيك، فهو بالتأكيد لن يعرف ولن يقتنع إن أخبرته بأن شراكيط لا تعني سوى الأسمال أو مزق الملابس التي تستخدم للتنظيف!

لحسن الحظ لم يحدث شيء من هذا، وإن كنت تعلمت من هذه التجربة ألا أكرر البحث عن حماقات باستخدام كمبيوتر العمل!

لذلك عندما وقعت في يدي هذه الرواية التي يقوم بطلها، بحكم وظيفته، بالتجسس على إيميلات الموظفين للتأكد من عدم خرقهم لقوانين وأخلاقيات العمل سارعت يشرائها وقراءتها في يوم واحد!

لن أجد أفضل من هذه الرواية الممتعة جدًا لأنهي بها عام ٢٠١٤!

كل عام وأنتم بخير يا أصدقاء وسنة سعيدة عليكم وعلى من تحبون! ...more

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Jan 21, 2018 ☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ ⚡ϟ⚡ϟ⚡⛈ ✺❂❤❣ rated it it was amazing

I really loved how tenderly the author weaned Lincoln from his self-imposed isolation. A much more profound novel than expected. An insightful, well thought out one. It's insanely engrossing, and I haven't the slightest idea why it's so immensely comforting.

Here we observe some loner IT guy and learn how he got that way. We observe him reading certain letters and obtaining from this practice almost therapeutic experience.

We see how some parents go to become overprotective, ruining their childr ...more

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Mar 02, 2014 Elisabeth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites-of-2015, 2015-reads, adult-misc

4.25 stars
I really enjoyed it! It's not my favorite of Rainbow Rowell's books but it had her same flair and addicting story.
I loved Lincoln! He's definitely on my list of favorite male protagonists.
The only problem I had with it was the pacing. The middle dragged quite a bit, but by the time I got to the end I felt things were wrapped up very well.
Overall, I definitely recommend checking out this book. Especially, if you love any of Rainbow's other books. :)

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Jun 24, 2015 Amy | shoutame rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, adult

What a fantastic read! Straight into my favourites for the year :)

- So this is one of Rainbow Rowell's adult novels - before this one I had read Eleanor and Park (5*) and Fangirl (4*). I would now say that Attachments has taken the top spot for my favourite Rowell novel - I enjoyed it immensely and have since recommended it to many of my friends.

- So this story follows a guy named Lincoln who works in IT - Lincoln's job is to monitor the emails of all of the employees at his workplace (he also w What a fantastic read! Straight into my favourites for the year :)

- So this is one of Rainbow Rowell's adult novels - before this one I had read Eleanor and Park (5*) and Fangirl (4*). I would now say that Attachments has taken the top spot for my favourite Rowell novel - I enjoyed it immensely and have since recommended it to many of my friends.

- So this story follows a guy named Lincoln who works in IT - Lincoln's job is to monitor the emails of all of the employees at his workplace (he also works at night - ha). Not long into the job the emails of two women in particular keep getting flagged by the system, so when an email gets flagged it is Lincoln's job to read it and send a warning (employees are not meant to use their work emails for personal conversations). But a problem arises when Lincoln not only neglects to send a warning - he inherently seeks out the emails of these women and reads them most nights. He becomes wrapped up in their lives and feels like he knows them - that sounds really creepy but it's actually quite sweet! Completely to Lincoln's surprise he begins to have feelings for one of the women - although he has never actually met her!

- This was such an adorable story. When I read the blurb I thought it was going to be some weirdly creepy story of some guy stalking women via their emails BUT it's so much more that than (and only a wee bit creepy ha). This book had me in stiches - it was so incredibly funny and just my type of humour. When Lincoln is reading the emails of the two women we actually have the emails set out on the page which made for a very enjoyable reading experience. I found myself rooting for Lincoln and hoping everything turned out okay. I have not laughed this much at a book in a very long time! The quick wit in the emails of the women reminded me so much of the way I speak with my girl friends - so I could really envisage the events of this book happening.

- 5 out of 5 stars and into my favourites for the year! Definitely at the top of my Rainbow Rowell collection now - I have just got my hands on Landline so I look forward to sharing my thoughts once I have read it. ...more

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May 05, 2013 Stacee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: snark-fest, read-in-2013, i-want-to-hang-out-with-them, all-of-the-stars, will-forever-reread, read-in-2017, reading-rewind

2017: Yep, still perfection. I love it more than I could say.

This was just perfection. I adored the premise and the format it was written in was phenomenal. I LOVED that we got into Lincoln's head and only knew Beth and Jennifer in the same way Lincoln did.

Beth is the sort of friend I want to have. I want to hang out and get drunk and probably arrested with her. She's smart as hell, quick with a comeback and hilarious.

Lincoln is sweet and every descriptive word that Beth and Jennifer use for h ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Eryn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, 3-stars, very-good-but-not-great, fiction, cute-and-or-easy-reads, romance, reviewed

Actual rating: 3.5/5

Having already read Eleanor and Park and Fangirl, I expected to enjoy this - and I did (obviously). However, it wasn’t as good as the other two, which is fine I guess. Either way, it was still a good “Valentine’s Day” read and I’m glad Rainbow Rowell didn’t disappoint, once again.

The beginning was sort of difficult to get into. For me, I tend to have trouble getting into male perspectives - I prefer reading through a females eyes because I can usually connect, for obvious rea Actual rating: 3.5/5

Having already read Eleanor and Park and Fangirl, I expected to enjoy this - and I did (obviously). However, it wasn’t as good as the other two, which is fine I guess. Either way, it was still a good “Valentine’s Day” read and I’m glad Rainbow Rowell didn’t disappoint, once again.

The beginning was sort of difficult to get into. For me, I tend to have trouble getting into male perspectives - I prefer reading through a females eyes because I can usually connect, for obvious reasons. But, surprisingly, this one wasn’t too bad (once I'd read a few more chapters). I could connect to Lincoln and his painful introverted-ness. I used to be like him in high school, so reading this brought me back to those years where I preferred to stay home and read alone. Now, I still read, but I don’t mind going out to a cafe or a library to read around people. After all, people watching is so much fun.

When I realized that half of the novel was going to be in e-mail format, I got worried. Again, I never had good experiences with reading through a texting or email format, and I wasn’t expecting a good outcome from this one either. Thankfully, Rowell proved me wrong! I felt like I knew Beth and Jennifer, even though I was only learning about them through cyberspace. So this was great, because it made me believe that Lincoln actually fell in love with Beth, ‘cause she grew on me, too. Jennifer and Beth were just hilarious and oh-so real.

Overall, I like how once Beth found out Lincoln had been reading her e-mails (and had undoubtedly told Jennifer), and Jennifer had been super against it and had wanted to turn him in. That made this novel more realistic than it already was, because that would’ve been me - so I like how Rowell made her characters believable and didn’t make them all agree with one another. Even Jennifer with her whole fear of pregnancy is totally me.

Oh, oh, and I’m glad Lincoln never met up with Sam after they ran into one another. It showed how much he’d grown; that he’d finally gotten over her. ’Cause lets be honest, she wasn’t too nice of a person.

So yeah, it was a fun read. Good job, Rowell. I might just have to read all your other books! ...more

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Mar 27, 2017 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance

Kindle $1.99 sale, March 31, 2017.

I'd heard a lot about Rainbow Rowell's books but had never read one, so when this one went on a Kindle sale I snagged it. I wasn't really sure what to expect; I think I was expecting something a little more substantial, and this is pretty light. But it was a charming contemporary romance, managing to mix together little bits and pieces of You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, but with an original spin.

Beth, a movie critic, and her married friend Jennifer c Kindle $1.99 sale, March 31, 2017.

I'd heard a lot about Rainbow Rowell's books but had never read one, so when this one went on a Kindle sale I snagged it. I wasn't really sure what to expect; I think I was expecting something a little more substantial, and this is pretty light. But it was a charming contemporary romance, managing to mix together little bits and pieces of You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle, but with an original spin.

Beth, a movie critic, and her married friend Jennifer chat about their lives on email. Beth has beens been living with her hot but somewhat antisocial boyfriend Chris for years; Jennifer is married and worried about whether to start a family. Lincoln, who's been treading water socially and professionally, is the IT guy assigned to monitor company emails and read those that get flagged for using off-limits words (like anything sexual). Since Beth and Jennifer regularly use those kinds of words in their emails, he starts reading their exchanges. Instead of warning them to stop, like he's supposed to, he gets sucked into their lives and starts falling for Beth, even though he has no idea what she looks like.

About half of the book is done in email exchanges, like this:

Jennifer to Beth: Has Chris seen your shoulders?
Beth to Jennifer: He’s seen them. But he hasn’t seen them.
Jennifer to Beth: I get it, but I don’t get it.
Beth to Jennifer: No sleeveless negligees. No direct sunlight. Sometimes when I’m getting out of the shower, I shout, “Hey, look, a bobcat!”
Jennifer to Beth: I’ll bet he falls for that every time.
Beth to Jennifer: It’s Chris. So recreational drugs are a factor.

The dialogue and the characters are witty and flawed and feel real. Rainbow Rowell published it in 2011 but it's set in 1999-2000, I guess so that it would make sense that Jennifer and Beth were doing their electronic chatting via email rather than texting. The story dragged a little for me, especially in the first half, but I liked the way it all played out in the end. A heartwarming read about life and love.

Content advisory: Scattered F-bombs, long-term live-in relationship. The story skirts a little bit around the edges of cheating but avoids it (although there's cheating (view spoiler) in a flashback). No explicit sex. ...more

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Oct 07, 2014 Jonathan Ashleigh rated it liked it

While entertaining, this novel lacked a lot. It seemed too easy and even though the main character was believable as a good guy, he was not someone anybody would want to date or be friends with. I appreciated the reality that was felt when the emails printed but had a much better time with The Sorrows of Young Mike which printed instant messenger conversations between people who I liked. John Zelazny built an awesome take on modern epistolary fiction when he parodied The Sorrows of Young Werther ...more

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Sep 14, 2016 Ashwood (애쉬 우드). rated it really liked it

This book was awesome in a adorably sweet way. I found Lincoln and Beth really easy to like and really easy to dislike Chris and Sam those two have issues.

The main reason why I gave this 4 instead of 5 glorious stars is because of the fact that they didn't meet officially until like the second to last chapter of so! I did not like that but I loved the ending!

Really want to read more from this author. Awesome read, highly recommend :)

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What is your favourite book written by Rainbow Rowell?	25	138	Sep 15, 2018 08:16AM
Play Book Tag: Attachments by Rainbow Rowell 4 stars	4	22	Sep 22, 2017 11:35AM
The Milexy Universe: Spoiler-free Discussion ~ Love at/before First Sight?	2	21	Mar 09, 2017 10:22AM

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About Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell

122,142 followers

Rainbow Rowell writes books. Sometimes she writes about adults (ATTACHMENTS and LANDLINE). Sometimes she writes about teenagers (ELEANOR & PARK and FANGIRL). But she always writes about people who talk a lot. And people who feel like they're screwing up. And people who fall in love.

When she's not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing about things that ...more