LANDLINE by Rainbow Rowell

Georgie and Neal might say their marriage is fine, but readers will see a lot of unspoken frustration and unaddressed issues in the foundation of their relationship. Then Georgie says she can't go on their family Christmas trip, and Neal takes their girls and goes without her. Neal says it's fine that she doesn't go, and Georgie is more than willing to believe him, but readers will know it's not that simple. Then Georgie tries to use her mom's old landline to call Neal at his mom's - and she gets Neal from their college days. Can they repair their relationship with one person in the present and the other in the past?

I found this engrossing. This is a couple in serious need of some counseling - or at least an honest conversation. Georgie's memories and her conversations with the Neal-from-the-past give some insight on how things got so bad. The question becomes will the landline calls to the past end up unravelling Georgie's life in the present? Some language.

4.5 out of 5 stars

ATTACHMENTS by Rainbow Rowell

Lincoln is the guy who screens emails for inappropriate content. And he's not proud of it. But it's just a job - a means to an end. Then he gets drawn into the email exchanges between two women at the newspaper where he works. He should send them the warning email or report them, but he can't bring himself to do it because he's got a crush on one of the emailers, even though he has never met her. He starts to feel creepy about the voyeuristic nature of his interest in this email exchange, but he can't tear himself away, either.

This felt mostly like a character study with a tinge of romance thrown in, and I really enjoyed it. Lincoln is a great character - almost thirty but still trying to figure out who he wants to be. Living at home, working a less-than-satisfying job, recovering from a years-in-the-past break up. The author does a great job telling stories of the three primary characters considering they barely ever meet in person. The book takes place in the midst of the newspaper preparing for Y2K which was amusing. Some language.

4 out of 5 stars

FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell

Cather and her twin sister, Wren, are leaving for college. Wren is the more vocal sister, pushing for separation and independence from her twin, leaving Cather more than a little lost. Throughout their freshman year, Cather tries to find her own way and her own place both at college and in life.

That summary doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of all the things going on in this novel. And all of it is fabulous! I loved Cather's voice and her journey. I got lost in the beautiful writing (instead of distracted by it which was awesome). I loved the relationship Cather develops with Levi and Reagan and the relationship with her father. The strain with Wren and with their mother was believable and not easily resolved which made it even more realistic. The Simon Snow fan fiction Cather writes was fun to read - parallels to Harry Potter were obvious and only a little distracting at first. I read this while at Phoenix Comic Con which gave an extra depth to Cather's love and fanaticism for Simon Snow. My only complaint was the ending. I wanted more - more details on her final paper, her relationships and her future. The whole book was delightful! I would read this one again. 

5 out of 5 stars.

This is for high school students and older readers. Profanity, underage drinking, homosexuality, and mental illness are among the concepts explored in this book. This is also a book about writing, about identity, and about independence and growing up.