Review: Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

Title: Going Vintage
Author: Lindsey Leavitt
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Age Group: Young Adult
Category: Contemporary
Release date: March 26th, 2013
Pages: 320 (eGalley)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Source: Netgalley
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When Mallory’s boyfriend, Jeremy, cheats on her with an online girlfriend, Mallory decides the best way to de-Jeremy her life is to de-modernize things too. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory swears off technology and returns to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat with computer avatars). 

The List:
1. Run for pep club secretary
2. Host a fancy dinner party/soiree
3. Sew a dress for Homecoming
4. Find a steady
5. Do something dangerous 

But simple proves to be crazy-complicated, and the details of the past begin to change Mallory’s present. Add in a too-busy grandmother, a sassy sister, and the cute pep-club president–who just happens to be her ex’s cousin–and soon Mallory begins to wonder if going vintage is going too far.

When Mallory gets her heart broken, she finds a way to isolate herself from the internet gossip by "going vintage".  She figures that things were much simpler when her grandmother was a teenager.  After all, her grandmother's steady would have never been able cheat on her with his secret online girlfriend.  Mallory decides that if she can hold out on technology until completing the list that she found in her grandmother's belongings, getting over Jeremy will be that much easier.

As I first began the story, I was astounded by how much I could relate to Mallory, as something similar had happened to me in the past.  Her emotions and the betrayal she felt made me realize that unfortunately, so many people go through the same situations.  Her idea to 'go vintage', though pretty far-fetched in this day and age, was an interesting one, and definitely a topic that I loved reading about.  One of my favorite things about her: she's a lister.  She makes lists about everything, which is also something about myself that I saw in her.  The thing that separated us, though, was the fact that Mallory grew into a much stronger person than I know I would have been at the age of 16.

Though this story was set over the span of two short weeks, the amount that changed between when we first meet Mallory and when the story ends was surprising.  Not only did Mallory grow, but she also made other characters come closer together in the process, and that's what I loved the most about Going Vintage.  Mallory was determined to become this girl she thought her grandmother was as a teenager, but what she didn't realize is that her grandmother had to go through just as much without the technology.  Being a teenager is always difficult, no matter what era you live in.

Going Vintage was a cute contemporary that will leave a smile on your face after finishing.  Though it's a light and quick read, it will also warm your heart.  Mallory is easily a character that I believe many people will be able to connect to, as well as her slightly-sarcastic and protective younger sister, Ginny.  Overall, this book holds more than just a story about heartbreak and transformation, it's about the realization that you don't need to rely on anyone but yourself to make you happy.