Review: Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Hey all, Dani here.

Look, I actually have a book review to post this month. I have read a few books but since I’m reading through the Black Dagger Brotherhood, I wasn’t sure if you all would be interested in me reviewing every book in the series. If you do want to know my opinion, let me know in the comments. I can certainly write them up and start scheduling them over the next couple weeks.

Anyway, my review today is for a book that came in my April subscription box from Lit Cube. The theme was “You’ve Got Mail” and the book included in the box is a new release that is actually a YA retelling of the story. It also happens to be a contemporary novel. Still, I read it fairly quickly and I’m excited to share my thoughts with you now.

Summary

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 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.

My Thoughts

Rating: 5 stars

Oh my goodness, this book was so cute and fun and I loved it! Sometimes I get into contemporary moods, usually when the weather starts getting nice. This contemporary kick was also helped by my binge reading the first four books of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. I needed a break from the steamy romances, so I figured a cutesy romance with some mistaken identity would be perfect.

I loved Bailey aka “Mink” and Porter aka “Alex”. Their online movie conversations were wonderfully geeky, and their in-person connection was kind of magnetic. Bailey’s dad was also a bit of a geek, especially when going on about sci-fi movies or the game Settlers of Catan; either way he was a cool guy. And I liked Porter’s family too, though I actually would have liked a little bit more time with them.

I loved the rom-com style of this book. It was great, and the more I read, the more I wanted to keep reading. Oh, and the movie quotes at the beginning of each chapter really worked with this story too, considering that both Mink and Alex are film buffs.

The cast of characters and the relationships they all had with each other were probably the strongest aspect of the book, at least for me. I was totally swept up in their lives and their stories.

This is not my first Jenn Bennett book, but it is the first contemporary of hers I have read, and I can definitely say that I will pick up more in the future…though I like her paranormal romance books as well.

Where to Buy

You can pick up Alex, Approximately from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or your local indie bookstore.