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 arch-nemesis. 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. (Pub Date: Apr 4, 2017)
Review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. I also want to thank the publisher for giving me this opportunity.
I am definitely fond of the pen pals plot, and this was not what this book was really about.
So, yes. Bailey does exchange private messages with an Alex at a movie aficionados forum online. Partly due to him insisting, but really because she can't stand her mother's new life with the second husband, Bailey moves to California to live with her father. Even though Alex and she have been great internet friends for a while, she doesn't tell him about the move, in hopes of secretly finding him and making sure of things first. However, before she is able to do it, she meets Porter at her part-time job. The two don't get along at first but it soon changes into something else.
Phew, I think that's it. I mean, the real summary above states very clearly that Porter is Alex but that matters very little and this was my biggest disappointment. I mean, these "You've got mail" revisits in books usually and unfortunately follow a very predictable storyline. Girl and guy exchange mails for a while, girl and guy meet in real life and hate each other, girl is sure guy is someone else but can't feel the same chemistry... This part was all there, indeed. Only the online friendship mattered so little, the plot could have happened the same way without it. Actually, it would have had fewer useless drama, in my opinion. But of course I wouldn't have gotten the book, and this is what infuriated me. I felt baited.
Ignoring the fake plot, my other problem was with Porter—who was so obviously Alex, I knew it before even learning his real name. Porter works as a security guard and is responsible for introducing things form the job to Bailey and her friend. You know, I have read many books in which the main couple is arguing constantly mostly because the girl found the guy to be a jerk. In this story, Porter in fact manages to press all the wrong buttons. Thus, their fights were completely credible but Porter was a jerk for real with whom I couldn't fall in love. I won't say I hated him but he isn't one I'd choose for boyfriend. He's pushy and most of the times insensitive. For Bailey, who had a number of issues in opening up related to past traumas, he was so wrong...
My last con relates to the climax. I will have to be vague and just repeat what I wrote above. When the online friendship plot finally makes a comeback it is to cause the climax. And it is at such a point of the plot that it almost made me toss the book away. Luckily, I did enjoy reading it, so I resisted to the end. But, let's be honest, I could have stopped it right there that the ending would have still been the same, so gratuitous I found it to be.
I feel bad for using the review to speak ill of a book that gave me a good time. Despite not favoring the plot of nice girl meets bad-boy-who-turns-out-to-be-smart-sexy-and-nice boy, the book is a quick read. First, it doesn't focus only on teenage drama so it's easy for most people to relate to the conflicts. Also, the characters are lovely, from Porter's family, to Bailey's father and his girlfriend, and even the old guy at Bailey's job, each character had a voice and a good side that made you smile during each scene. I liked the descriptions of California, as well. I definitely feel like taking a trip there one of these times now, lol.
So, yes. This is a good book. Even above average. But if the anonymous friend trope is what got you interested, you may be as disappointed as I was—on that theme, I loved "Tell me three things" by Julie Buxbaum. If you are here for the other part, go ahead, because you'll probably enjoy this.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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