Why Not Double Dip? More of the Fabulous Jenn Bennett

After reading Jenn Bennett's Starry Eyes the other day, I couldn't help but "run" to Amazon, so I could order Alex, Approximately, Bennett's modern take on You've Got Mail.

Instead of featuring two warring bookstore owners, Alex, Approximately is about two soon-to-be high school seniors who strike up a friendship (and some flirtation) through their mutual love of classic films.

Mink and Alex aka Bailey and Porter develop a strong relationship even though they live on opposite sides of the country and don't even know each other's real names. Readers get the novel through Bailey's perspective, but we also get a look at her conversations with Alex/Porter through snippets of their message exchanges.

Alex becomes Bailey's closest friend, an amazing feat considering she dodges relationships (and confrontation) with the ease of a professional.

Alex, Approximately picks up after their friendship has already begun, and Bailey is going through a major change in her life: she's leaving behind her mother and pretentious stepfather behind in DC and moving to California to live with her father.

Coincidentally...her father happens to live in the same surfing town as Alex. Even more so, Alex happens to be Porter, one of the coworkers at her new California job.

To top it all off, neither Porter nor Bailey knows the true identity of the other, leading to some peak YA romance and turmoil.

Between Bailey and Porter, I honestly have to say that I liked Porter much better. Bailey, admittedly, is a tough person to love. She's kind, funny, and quirky, but she's more aloof than her counterpart.

Even though it was her choice to start this new life in California, Bailey approaches it with a hesitation that is almost comical. She can be socially awkward, but it's in a way that becomes quite endearing. Not to mention, her father is one of the MVPs of the novel- can I please just watch him geek out over Settlers of Catan? Her dad sounds like the most adorable adult human, ever.

Anyway- Porter is complicated. He, like Lennon (from Starry Eyes) is my favorite kind of snarky man. At first, he comes off like a jerk, but Bennett tries to redeem him when she reveals the details of his home-life. Once he starts to open himself up to Bailey and the possibility of knowing her, we get to discover the other facets of his personality. Underneath the snark is a family-oriented, vulnerable boy who needs to know that someone truly cares for him and will stand by his side. I'm not gonna lie- there were many times where I just wanted to reach into the book and give him a hug.

Of course, this being a YA romance, sparks fly between Bailey and Porter. I think Bennett writes their relationship pretty realistically; to be honest, I've seen other reviewers criticize the way their intimacy is described, but I think it's done in an appropriate and responsible way. As a teacher of 6th graders, I think it's fair to say that for every truly naive kid out there, there's at least a few who know more than the adults think they do. The romance is realistic- it's explosive in that first-love kind of way but also awkward and fumbling as they learn how to be close to one another.

Personally, I had no issue with any of it. If you like to play it on the safe side, I'd recommend the book for upper middle grades into high school.

heavy topicsSome other include drug addiction/abuse. Porter's former best friend takes on a sort of villainous role, but there's something still pathetic about him, an addict who was led down a dark path after a serious injury. I wish this story line had been given a bit more depth, so that it wasn't as black and white as Davy becoming a villain due to his vices, but I can totally understand that there was just too much going on to tackle that too. There's a long history between Davy and Porter/Porter's family, so we (and Bailey) are coming into their story after bridges have been well-burned.

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Overall, Alex, Approximately was a sweet, funny read. True to the rom-com genre, it all works out in the end, so readers get the fun of cheering along with Bailey and Porter, holding our breath when their path gets rocky, and squealing when we get those adorable moments that we were hoping for.

That's what I like the most. Even if I found some parts predictable, the book still made me cheer, sigh, and celebrate with the characters. To me, that's the mark of a good story- when you're able to suspend your disbelief (I mean, really- what are the odds of him living in the same town as her father?), and just fall into the love of a new adventure.