Attachments - A Review By Jen

What is it about?

It’s 1999 and two colleagues, Beth and Jennifer working for a newspaper exchange emails about love lives (or lack of), and pretty much anything goes within them. They get flagged up by the new internet security guy Lincoln who just happens to fall in love with one of them…..

Who’s it for?
It is for young adults really, but found in the adult fiction section.

Genre?
Romantic comedy

Is it any good?
Yes and no. Interestingly this was the last book of Rainbow’s I read, but it was the first one she wrote. This and Landline are her foray into writing for adults; since then she has chosen to write for a younger audience. Admittedly Eleanor and Park, Landline and Attachments are set in the past; so younger readers may not fully understand the setting for the narratives. Set in 1999 with computers that were so slow and under the threat of the millennium bug, this romance is a slow burner. Beth and Jennifer’s narrative we read through the emails, Lincoln reads and his is told through the third person perspective. Back stories are introduced, in particular Lincoln’s and to why he is still single and living at home. The girls we only find out about in their emails, which can prove frustrating at times. I wanted to find out more about Lincoln and learn why Sam dumped him.

Was the end satisfactory?
I am big on endings, but surprisingly not this one. Yes they get together, but Chris’ dumping of Beth is a bit pathetic: ‘I just don’t want to marry you’ …. It just didn’t wash with me and to do it at a wedding (not theirs…obviously), Chris needed a slap. I am not a relationship guru or anything, but the excuse comes across as a bit lame. We as readers only see her side conveyed to Jennifer, but I wanted more of a build-up of the breakdown of the relationship. The way they get together seems a bit stalkery too, and Lincoln doesn’t help himself, by leaving a note telling Beth: I have read your emails. I think Rainbow just wanted it to be a bit dramatic. It is sweet though after he admits he fell for her without even seeing her.

Rating:
2

Would I recommend the book?
I would for other readers who have read Rainbow’s books before (because I am myself a completest and need to read every book by an author I particularly like), but for a first foray into Rainbow’s books it would be a no.

Read it if you like:
Sophie Kinsella