Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
*Honestly, the blurb spoils it all so feel free to skip it if you don't want spoilers*
Blurb (on back of book):
The one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.
Classic movie fan Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online as 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 archnemesis. But life is a 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.
UPDATED REVIEW
MY OPINION: *****
Regretfully, my rating went down on this book BUT not by much, considering this is GR and the highest rating you should be giving is five stars :)
This was originally a six-star book for me but now having reread the book, I think it's more along the lines of 5 stars, only because it just wasn't as powerful as it was the first time I read the book.
HOWEVER, I obviously still LOVED the book and am definitely happy with it.
TIP OF ADVICE: Do not read the blurb before reading the book because honestly, they spoil the whole book.
Because I have read the book before, I knew what was going to happen. However, I thought it was still cute and fluffy and the relationship between Bailey and Porter only got stronger throughout the book, something that sometimes doesn't happen. They start out in a feud and only fall for each other as they realize their cosmic connection.
Thank God it wasn't insta-love because at this point, I'm so over that.
I had forgotten about Greg and Bailey's awful backstory and rereading that really surprised me. I think that Bailey is a strong female character though she doesn't really seem that way if you don't delve deep into who she is. I think that despite her slight immaturities, her character really develops and grows throughout the book and we learn that she's actually stronger than she looks.
I think when I originally read this book, looking back at old reviews, I hated Grace. But now I think I can understand where she was coming from. Yes, her character still slightly annoyed me but I think I understand why she felt the way she did. I mean, boy problems are the worst things in a girl's life and to not have a friend by your side is kind of depressing. However, I think she could have handled it better and maybe have tried to forgive Bailey, seeing as Bailey and Porter were also in the middle of a rocky segment in their relationship.
Grace is sweet but also annoying, a weird combination in a person but also very realistic.
I think when I first read this book I was still going through that innocent stage in my life where I just loved every single book and didn't understand a lot of the "graphic" things. However, rereading this, I realized that the romance and graphic parts of the book wasn't written in the best possible way and could have been done better, especially the romance. I would have liked to see more character relationship building between Porter and Bailey and also between Alex and Mink because like it or not, their online personas were completely different people.
There was a LOT packed into one book. We have Davy, a teenage boy who has made a lot of bad decisions because of something that happened in his life. I think that before I kind of judged him but when rereading, I think I definitely realized that there was more to him than I originally thought and instead of automatically wrinkling my nose in distaste at him, I learned to understand him better and almost empathize with him. I honestly pitied him and I think that instead of beating him up, Porter could have taken him to get help, maybe from a therapist or at the hospital or something. I don't think that Porter handled the situation correctly, but I mean, hey, he's a teenager and teenagers don't always make the best decisions.
Heh, I'm now afraid of sharks after reading this book.
Then again, I was always afraid of sharks.
In conclusion, I definitely was able to wrap my head around it all and understood the book and character flaws and problems much better than the first time around. I would recommend this book to readers looking for a serious, romantic, and beautifully written Young Adult novel.
Main Character: Bailey
Sidekick(s): Porter, Grace, the dad, etc
Villain(s): Davy, misunderstanding, mistaken identity, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all real to life.
OLD REVIEW:
Alex, Approximately
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