Simon & Schuster Alex, Approximately

Le livre n’est pas en très bon état, il est abîmé. Dommage car j’avais vraiment hâte de lire un nouveau livre

There was a lot to really like about this read - it is very easy to read for a start, and I read the whole book in only a day, so it's pacey enough to keep you interested. There's a lot of really rich detail, from the location it takes place to the museum where Bailey, Grace and Porter work, to the references to all the films they love. I think a movie buff could really adore that. I also really liked the depiction of Bailey's approach to intimacy and sex, balancing the shyness about approaching a first time with wanting sex and instigating intimacy in a way that wasn't ashamed by those wants and needs - it's a really healthy approach for the sort of audience this book is written for. It also has some great depictions of conversations with the love interest on what she's willing/wanting to do, and the role model boyfriend response that you should get to that in a heterosexual relationship - again, healthy reading material for teenage girls thinking about how to approach sex with male partners. There's also a broader consideration of trust and it does well at depicting male characters who experience a full range of emotion - both genders get to be strong. The reason for the restriction to four stars is just that although the gender depictions are great for the main characters, the depictions of Grace, the black best friend, and another gay character felt tokenistic. Grace's character was more developed and got a bit of a plot of her own but it felt a little like the author checking the boxes to cover representation in what remains a very mainstream Disney-esque white-girl sort of plot. So overall, this is a really fun read with a lot of positives, particularly for your white heterosexual teenagers where it takes a great approach, but it's not getting much more intersectional than that.

I brought this Alex Approximately because I had read that it was a modern 'You've Got Mail', which I really love. I think when anything gets compared to something else it will never be the same and that is exactly what I found with this book. I did enjoy the book as it had a lot of lovely scenes between the main characters but for me this story was just ok and I didn't love it as much as I thought I was going to or wanted to. It seems to drag out in places and a few characters in the book annoyed me. Overall I would recommend this book if you are looking for a sweet, light hearted book for a summer read.

I bet most of its readers, moi included, have seen late 90's romcom 'You've Got Mail'. As soon as I scanned the blurb, I knew I had to read this. There's an element of warmth and fuzziness incorporated into this story; internet pen-pals, old movies, Cary Grant, archenemies at the beginning turning into blossoming romance. I absolutely love and adore! all it's missing is the main couple's love for books, that would've made my heart swoon. But no matter, this is still top-notch story. As I'm pouring my fan-girl-ing, I am still waiting for my copy to arrive. I've already read this on internet (sorry, Bennett! I couldn't wait any longer!), now I need the physical copy to proudly display on my bookshelf and leaf through whenever. I recommend to anyone who fancies a summer-read, especially to those who still reminisce about 90's romcom.

This book is amazing! I love the description in the book and every food described made my mouth water. I would say my personal age rating is 13+ or mature 11-12 year olds, basically anyone who is okay with sex and mature themes. It is very good and I love the theme.