Attachments in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Oct 07, 2013 Shannon rated it really liked it

I love Rainbow Rowell. She writes in a style that is easy and light, yet true. She crafts characters who wear jean jackets from the 1980s because they felt cool when they wore one in 8th grade. She even manages to write a love story about an IT security guy screening e-mails and developing a crush on a fellow employee without it being too stalker-ish. In all honesty, this book was probably a 3 star instead of a 4 star. I liked it, but I didn't love it. What I did love was a little bit more time I love Rainbow Rowell. She writes in a style that is easy and light, yet true. She crafts characters who wear jean jackets from the 1980s because they felt cool when they wore one in 8th grade. She even manages to write a love story about an IT security guy screening e-mails and developing a crush on a fellow employee without it being too stalker-ish. In all honesty, this book was probably a 3 star instead of a 4 star. I liked it, but I didn't love it. What I did love was a little bit more time in a book written by Rowell.

Like Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, Attachments is populated by quirky, real characters: Lincoln who stayed in college for ten years (in part to avoid real life), Jennifer and Beth who swap sassy, heartfelt and snarky e-mails, copy editors who work nights, a widow with a more active social life than Lincoln and others. Just like in the previous books, I loved the characters. Rowell's mind is clearly populated with people I find likable, so I hope she'll write lots and lots of books.

Perhaps what I like best about Rowell's books is that she uses her light touch to write books that contain more depth than is apparent on the surface. Attachments makes you wonder about what attracts you to someone initially and whether relationships can be built and sustained in unusual circumstances. I empathized with Jennifer, who felt great ambivalence about what a pregnancy might do to her life. I wanted Beth to find a guy who would be present for her emotionally and physically - and wondered how many relationships I endured where I wasn't really valued. And alongside Lincoln, I pondered what his mother wanted and needed from him - and where the proper boundary should be.

I'm not the kind of reader who wants and needs deep books all of the time. After Salvage the Bones, I needed a lighter read - ideally something a bit escapist. Attachments fit the bill perfectly because it entertained me without asking me to check my brain at the door before proceeding. If you're in the mood for a quick, entertaining read, you can't do much better than any of Rainbow Rowell's offerings. ...more

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Mar 10, 2014 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014

I love the voices of Jennifer and Beth the most. Their friendship rings true in every word. I think I'm hooked on Rainbow Rowell. Her stories are precious in the most non-insulting, non-tweet sense of the word--they capture the fragile feelings of being young and confused and weird and alone and in love so well. Feelings you almost forgot about feeling until you read about them and then there they are, stirred up in your chest. Truth. ...more

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Oct 06, 2013 Lauren rated it liked it

Although Attachments pokes fun at other romantic comedies, it doesn't really stand apart or rise above them in any way. I wonder if the book would have been more meaningful if Lincoln had been less attractive?Lincoln and Beth are both likable and attractive, and the idea of falling in love with a stranger by way of reading her emails is intriguing... but it felt a little too contrived. ...more

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Jul 17, 2013 Christian rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, humorous, romantic

While I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it was not quite equal to Rowell's subsequent novel, Eleanor and Park. E&P, which was amazing, really set the bar quite high. The characters in this book were really well constructed and thoroughly engaging. My only gripe (and this is a minor one) is that the ending was a bit hastily wrapped up. A good ending, but (again) not nearly so awesome as with E&P. Don't get me wrong. This is an excellent book. It's just not made of the pure awesome that her later b ...more

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Dec 05, 2013 Danielle Ballard rated it liked it

I wish this was as good as Rowell's other books, but it just didn't do it for me. I loved the half of the book that was from Lincoln's perspective, but the epistolary sections with Jennifer's emails dragged on and made it difficult to connect with the character. ...more

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Jul 02, 2013 Amanda rated it it was amazing

I finished reading this in a supermarket cafeteria and started to cry. I almost never cry while reading. Don't let the fact that this is a romance deter you. It's really, really good. ...more

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Jun 30, 2014 Maegan rated it it was amazing

I loved this book. Without giving anything away, I related to what one of the characters went through, and Rowell dealt with it in a sensitive, evocative way.

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