Pretty good YA contemp. Quick-moving, shippy & if the romantic conflict is just a bit superficial, I’m not mad at it. Bailey is a little slow on the uptake and sadly I didn’t looove the Davy storyline conclusion but I did enjoy this a lot.

One of my goals in 2020 is to get my NG under control.....and part of that is looking through the backlog that I've been ignoring and reading and reviewing older titles. Per goodreads, I read this book back in 2017 and I don't know why I never came over here to review it. I didn't leave a review on GR either because my past self is the worst. I did leave a few reactions, enough to know, that i adored this book. It was my first real Jenn Bennett and I then went back to read Anatomical Shape of the Heart (which I also loved). It was a dun story and quick read. A total swoon filled book.

DNF

I've tried to read this, 3 times, I think? Something about it just isn't clicking for me, so I'm setting it aside for the moment.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this book within the BlueFire reader 60 day limit due to prior college commitments, and cannot review this book! My apologies for any inconvenience caused.

When I first discovered Alex, Approximately, I knew it was a book that I would HAVE to read, especially since it's a spin on the movie You've Got Mail, which happens to be my most favorite movie ever. (Seriously, it's most favorite movie EVER.) I was super excited to get my hands on a review copy of the book, as I just couldn't wait to get started on it. Unfortunately my life did not let me read it right away, but once it hit the top of my TBR I dove right into it, and I loved every minute of it.

There are a lot of really great characters in the novel. I found the main character Bailey to be extremely relatable in so many ways, but mostly as an evader. Yep, that's me. Her dad is pretty awesome also, as is Grace, the new friend she meets in California. Then there's Porter. Ah, Porter... are you real? Because he's seriously a great guy, and I absolutely love the relationship and the romance between him and Bailey. Sigh. Also, he has a pretty great family as well.

The setting for the book was wonderfully described, and totally made me want to visit California. The beach. The fog. The surfers. Yes, please! I really enjoyed the storyline as well. It makes me want to watch movies in the backyard! And while it has its own spin to it, I could definitely see the influences from You've Got Mail, and that just made me like the book even more. I read the book in about 2 days time, and I would have finished it sooner had I not been so busy, but I really enjoyed it all.

As I mentioned above, I love that Bailey is such a movie buff. I, admittedly, am not... but it's something that I'm in the process of working on! There are a lot of great movies mentioned in the book, and I made as list as I was reading, and I'm hoping to watch them all soon! Is that the coolest idea ever, or what??

Overall; I really, really enjoyed Alex, Approximately, and it will definitely be a welcome addition to my bookshelf! This is a book that I will probably read and reread over and over again, just like I do the movie You've Got Mail. And, of course, I'm now even more curious to check out books by Jenn Bennett!!

I enjoyed the banter between Bailey and Porter, and more so the messages between her and her online friend Alex, whom she felt is her soulmate due to the way they loved movies. Still, I love the way the author made the romance between Bailey and Porter believable, the way they both, at a certain point, become conflicted about choosing who they wanted to develop a romantic relationship with: the friend they had online or the guy/girl they met in real life. That kind of conflict is very relatable, especially in this technological age.

Overall, a highly enjoyable read, as I zipped through the entire thing in two sittings. If you love epistolary reads, you shouldn't miss this!

Rating: 4 stars

Alex, Approximately is the most adorable YA retelling of You’ve Got Mail that I didn’t even know I needed in my life. I had heard people talking about it and getting excited for it, so I put it on my list, but I really didn’t know much about it. And I haven’t read Bennett’s other YA book, so even though I’m always up for a cute YA romance, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started it. And when I finished? I wondered where it had been all my life.

This book has everything. A smart and witty female main character who loves movies, a swoony love interest who is sweet and just a little bit cocky, a fun and loyal best friend, and a great father/daughter relationship as well as funny and emotional moments that keep the plot moving and our love for the developing romance growing. From the first page, I was hooked. And honestly, I’m going to have a hard time reviewing this because I just loved it so much.

A few of my favorites things, besides what I mentioned above, were the hate-to-love parts of the romance. It’s always fun to watch characters go from enemies to lovers and this was no different. While these two have just met and seem to be attracted to each other, they both tend to bring out the worst in the other. Until, of course, that moment when everything changes. But I really enjoyed watching these two try and figure out the other and watch as they started understanding the other and then develop more feelings as time went on. And I’m always a fan of a guy who’s willing to put himself out there on the line for the girl. And Porter does.

Overall, I just really enjoyed this book and I hope you guys will give it a try. I’m really excited to read Bennett’s other YA novel, The Anatomical Shape of a Heart. I’ve already purchased it and hope I can get to it soon! But if you’re looking for a romance to read this summer, definitely pick this one up!

Actual rating 4.5 out of 5. I absolutely loved this one. It was so adorable and I couldn't stop smiling when I read the moments between Bailey and Porter. They are honestly relationship goals. The only reason I docked a point was because I felt Bailey was a little stubborn at times. Had she been more honest about her feelings, they wouldn't have fought so much. I still love them though, and this is a story that I would love to reread some day.

I loved the set up of this book! Bailey is close friends with Alex — but they’ve never met. They only know each other through a film forum and emails and so when Bailey moves to stay with her dad (who lives in the same town as Alex), she figures this is perfect for scouting out this Alex.

I love the movie You’ve Got Mail and this more modern, YA spin on it was fantastic. The setting is so great and so unique! Bailey starts working at a museum where she meets infuriating Porter. They grate on each other but eventually come to be friends. I absolutely loved their interactions! They were not only adorable but funny and had a lot of facets in their relationship.

Bailey is such a fun main character. She likes vintage clothes and classic movies. She is also an avoider. She doesn’t like confrontation. She makes so many big steps in facing conflict and making friends throughout this book. I really enjoyed her character development and changes! I also really liked her relationship with her dad! (I love Settlers of Catan, I am so there for game night!)

Porter is swoony and amazing — I love Porter!! He’s just so charming. The banter between him and Bailey is A++ and let’s be honest, I am ALWAYS there for the banter.

My only complaint about this one is that it seemed so obvious who Porter was! And Bailey just didn’t see it and I don’t know, it just seemed like she should’ve put two and two together at some point? I guess I was just waiting for that moment when she was going to find out and have it click but it never happened. That may be just a bad expectation on my part though, and won’t be an issue for other readers.

In Short…

I loved this unique, summery and banterific book! Alex, Approximately was full of heart and just made me so happy! I was full of smiles as I read and I wanted to be on a Californian beach so bad! The setting was so vivid. This book will have you swooning over Porter and craving some churros and baked goods!

I absolutely adored this book! It was the perfect summer read. I am probably going to re-read it once I'm in the middle of summer it was that good.

There was something so fantastic about the characterization in this book too, that's not normally seen in contemporary reads.

Review to come on http://www.owlalwaysbereading.com, as well as goodreads, amazon, and barnes and noble.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing a copy. I also bought it in e-book and the target paperback edition.

Bailey loves classic films and has found a kindred spirit online. Under the nickname Mink, she communicates with a boy known to her as Alex who lives in California while she’s on the East coast Their shared love of old films creates a bond that Bailey has with no one else. Alex urges her to come to California, where Bailey’s father lives, so they can meet and attend a film festival. Complications arise when she does in fact move to live with her father and doesn’t tell her online friend who lives in the same town. Instead, she tries to figure out who he might be, while beginning to meet and make new friends. One particular boy, Porter, aggravates her but she’s forced to work with him. As Porter becomes more than an irritant, she wonders if she’s being untrue to her friend Alex. There isn’t much of a surprise to this romance since the summary gives it away, but Bailey and Porter are a cute couple. The characters are likeable and relatable. It’s not surprising that Bailey is almost afraid to meet her good friend Alex. He seems perfect online but his reality may be less impressive. Their online relationship is sweet and supportive and she fears a face-to-face meeting might ruin that. But then Porter is delicious in the flesh and tempts her in new ways. This romantic story of secrets, opening up and taking chances is sure to win the hearts of readers. 3.5*

When I heard that this story was based on one of my favorite movies (You've Got Mail) I was sold. I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was cute and did a good job of taking inspiration from the movie without BEING the movie (if that makes sense?). I liked all of the additional things that went on with the main characters like Porter's relationship with Davy, Bailey's relationship with her dad and mom and her growing friendship with Grace, and the uniqueness of their job at the Cave. While a lot of it was really unrealistic, I still thought it was good fun. It's an idealized young love and I liked every fluffy minute of it.

Seriously, this book had me at “charming teen spin on You’ve Got Mail” but — don’t compare too much! The author takes the warmth and heart of the movie and channels it into a book that’s all her own. Bailey “Mink” Rydell has been chatting online with (and secretly crushing on) fellow film geek “Alex” for months. They’ve never met but Bailey finally has the opportunity to reach out in person when she moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California town as Alex. Of course, she doesn’t and instead try to do some scoping out of her own in case he turns out to be a creeper. But along the way, she starts to settle into life in this new town. She gets a job at a local tourist museum, makes friends and clashes on a daily basis with co-worker Porter Roth. They pretty much have that hate-to-love thing that I adore and it plays out in such a great way. It’s this mix of sweet, funny and a little sexy too (courtesy of Porter who is so swoon-worthy). The characters are just great and while the heart of it is the romance, the author explores more than just that. Their families are ever-present, we see good and bad friends enter their lives and of course, there’s that interesting question of whether it’s better to choose reality over the fantasy.

Do I recommend? Yes! I really enjoyed it. If you’re in the mood for something sweet and romantic, give this one a shot.

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett earns approximately three stars from me.

Alex, Approximately is a You’ve Got Mail-inspired story that follows movie-obsessed Bailey as she moves across the country to live with her father in California. Coincidentally, Bailey’s online friend and crush, “Alex”, lives in the same area. Bailey, also known as “Mink” online, never tells Alex about her recent move. Instead, she searches for him while working at museum where she meets a new boy that may make her forget about Alex entirely.

Alex, Approximately is a solid young adult contemporary romance. While it falls into several cliches, the novel features good writing and a good story. Unfortunately for me, the story lagged a bit in the middle. After putting the book aside for a bit, I was able to push through the second half of the book and was satisfied with the conclusion.

As for the main character, Bailey was an okay protagonist for me. While she will be extremely relatable to the target audience, she fell flat for me and was a little too boring. Like many protagonists in contemporary books, she loved movies, dressed in vintage clothes, and deals with huge issues from her past. Other than that, it is hard to pinpoint anything particularly remarkable about her personality. However, Bailey is an overall good character in the book, even if she isn’t too memorable among a sea of other young adult characters.

I have more mixed feelings towards the love interests in the book. If you’ve ever heard of You’ve Got Mail, it’s pretty easy to guess which character is “Alex.” This made the book drag for me, especially in the middle, where plot dragged. When it comes to a boil at the end after disappearing from the middle of the book, it seems a little over dramatic and the reaction from Porter, Bailey’s other love interest, seems a little too much.

Like with Bailey, I thought Porter was a decent character, but not particularly memorable. With many love interests in young adult fiction, Porter has a mysterious event that happened in the past, instantly argues with Bailey, has a creepy best friend that hits on the main character, but actually possesses a heart of gold. Besides one moment at the end, Porter always came across as a little too perfect for me. Once again, Porter was a solid love interest, but nothing remarkable.

While I enjoyed parts of Alex, Approximately, there were several sections where I was a little bored and felt myself just pushing through to the end. Alex, Approximately is a decent young adult book that would be fun to read for the summer, but it won’t be the top of my reread pile. I give Alex, Approximately, three out of five stars.

I’ve mostly moved on from YA contemporary. Even authors I once loved have lost some appeal. However, Jenn Bennett does something magical with her books that puts them in a whole other category. And Alex, Approximately showcases that magic.

♥ The setup could’ve easily been a corny disaster, but it’s done very well and realistic.

♥ I’m absolutely smitten with Bailey and her style! I had some reservations about her for about five seconds, but they quickly flew out the window. She has an adorable awkwardness about her, but she still comes across as confident and feisty.

♥ Bennett sure knows how to write wonderful characters of the male species. Porter is the type of guy you hope your daughter dates. He can be an ass sometimes, but it’s the lovable humorous kind that’s all in good fun. I mean, c’mon, a surfer boy who loves his family and would do anything for them is aces in my book.

♥ The romance is so stinking cute and downright swoon-worthy. There were two moments that melted my damn heart the most: the bee ride and when they were by her mailbox. Seriously, the chemistry is perfection. I seriously had a smile on my face the majority of the time. The banter and humor made it even better!

♥ I love how family plays a big role in this book. I also love the friendship Bailey forms with Grace.

♥ Classic movies play a huge role in the story, and I can’t even tell you how giddy it made me! I’ve had a serious love for classic movies since I was a child, even silent films. So I was ecstatic with how much they played in the characters’ lives, especially Bailey’s.

♥ California beach town, baby! I become ten times more invested when the book is set in CA, especially places I have a connection to. The town name in the book is fictional, but think Santa Cruz.

There’s really so much to love about this book!

I don't usually say this but the last few YA contemporaries I've read have been glorious! I think part of their appeal for me is that they're standalones. One book and you're done. I can't remember the last time I read a standalone book before I started my ARCs for this last month.

Alex, Approximately was the YA You've Got Mail retelling I never knew I needed until I picked it up. Despite Jenn Bennett being one of my favorite authors, I was kind of nervous going into this book. You've Got Mail is one of my top five favorite rom-coms so I was worried I was going to overhype myself for the story and be disappointed. But Bennett totally pulled it off! This classic hate-to-love story felt fresh and modern while staying true to the original!

This book was everything I love in a contemporary romance! It was swoony and the romance was everything! It's a classic hate-to-love story with the requisite witty banter between Porter and Bailey! The quips they volleyed back and forth were clever and those scenes were adorable! I loved that they manage to stump one another every once in a while and it just added to the dynamic. And hallelujah! There's no instalove in sight with this book. We get to watch Bailey and Porter's relation change over the course of a summer and it felt completely realistic and unrushed. Also, like Bennett's other YA contemporary, this book was very sex positive! There are open and honest conversations about and portrayals of sex, masturbation, and female pleasure in this book and we need so much more of that in YA.

I could continue to gush about the romance but there were so many other great things that worked with it to make the book so amazing. There's great friendships and awesome family dynamics! It was so refreshing to read a YA book that didn't have absentee parents! I seriously loved Porter and Bailey's families! Bailey’s dad is wonderfully nerdy and earnest and obsessed with Settlers of Catan. He was such a fun character to read! Porter’s family was just as great! They're a surfing family and I loved seeing their interactions in their shop and at home.

The other great thing in this book is the setting! The small town California atmosphere worked so great and only added to the story. I LOVED the museum Bailey and Porter work in! It's a weird mansion-turned-museum that was delightfully strange and quirky! It was almost like it was another character in the book!

If you can't tell by all of my gushing, I ADORED THIS BOOK! If you're looking for a fun summer beach read, Alex, Approximately is definitely one to add to your list!

This was a cute, quick contemporary read with likable characters. I thought the secret-identity/online friendship between Baily and “Alex” would make this story similar to books like Tell Me Three Things or P.S. I Like You, but the actual online interactions plays kind of a small role in the overall scheme of things. Yes, Bailey tries to find “Alex” when she moves to California and most chapters in the beginning of the book end with some online chats, but this narrative device mostly peters out as Bailey begins to spend more time with Porter.

I thought Bailey was a pretty likable main character. She has a bit of an avoidant personality and tries to avoid any type of confrontation, which I found relatable since that is how I basically deal with life. However, I thought Porter brought out the confrontational spirit in her way too fast. I think someone who is truly avoidant would not immediately start sparring with a stranger the way she does. Her behavior just wasn’t at all consistent. I appreciate what Bennett was trying to do with the character, but the growth was so random and sporadic that I think it wasn’t nearly as impactful as it could have been.

I did ship Bailey and Porter, though. They had many cute moments and they were able to open up to each other in ways they didn’t with other people, which was good. I really liked Bailey’s relationship with her father and Porter’s relationship with his family. I always appreciate when YA shows a present and loving family, even if they’re not always the ideal.

I thought the book did an admirable job in trying to bring a little more serious subject matter, but most of those plotlines came off a little weak to me. Bailey’s trauma from a couple years prior was not given the level of attention that I think it deserved and I felt it was mostly used as a way to advance her relationship with Porter. There’s a little said of her mother not contacting her once she moved in with her dad, but again it’s just briefly stated a few times. One of Porter’s former friends is a drug addict and does crazy things, but I don’t think his problem was really given enough attention either, he was just the slightly sympathetic villain of the story.

I think my biggest complaint though, which is not the book’s fault, is the synopsis. The synopsis tells you Alex’s identity before you even read a page. While I think readers would quickly figure it out anyways, it took away any sort of tension or mystery there might have been. It was also incredibly annoying that Bailey doesn’t figure it out until the very end of the book, and Porter only shortly before then.

Overall, I did enjoy Alex, Approximately. Even though there wasn’t a lot that was happening, I didn’t really want to put it down. Though I think some of the side plots and character development could have used a little more work, the romance was cute and the characters were likable. I would recommend it to YA Contemporary fans.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

I love You've Got Mail so I was pretty excited for this one, and I did enjoy it, but I also felt that his was too similar to other contemporary YA. Nothing about it felt unique and that isn't necessarily a bad thing but I guess I wanted something just a bit . . . more. Don't get me wrong, Bailey was an interesting character. I liked her style and I understood her reluctance to open up. But Porter? I didn't get him - he had this double standard with forcing Bailey to open up and then also not telling her the truth when he knew it. It just left a bad taste in my mouth when the conflict erupted in this one (which we all saw coming). This book felt one dimensional to me but it was a fun and fast read when you want a straight up YA contemporary novel.

Alex, Approximately comes out next week on April 4, 2017, and you can purchase HERE.

He could be any one of these people.

After all, I don't know what Alex looks like. I don't even know his real name. I mean, we've been talking online for months now, so I know things that matter. He's smart and sweet and funny, and we've both just finished our junior year. We share the same obsession--old movies. We both like being alone.