Going Vintage

By: Lindsey Leavitt

Narrated by: Ali Ahn

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn't cheat on you online).

She sets out to complete grandma's list: Run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy's cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, she'll get it done. Somehow. Lindsey Leavitt perfectly pairs heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.

©2013 Lindsey Leavitt (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

A Fun Retro-Style Read

Going Vintage is such a fun retro read – a perfect blend of past and present that is sugary sweet. The main character Mallory wants to go back to the 60s when life was slower paced and gossip didn’t spread like wildfire online. Mallory is fond of lists, and in the audiobook you miss seeing the lists in print, but the narration overall makes up for it.

Like Lindsey Leavitt’s, Sean Griswold’s Head, this book is very cute. I liked the premise, the characters, the setting, the family and romantic relationships, and the message. The writing is light, breezy and fast-paced.

I listened to the audiobook, performed by Ali Ahn, a new-to-me narrator. I’m a new fan of Ahn, and I think she set the right tone for the story, sounds age appropriate, and reads with a nice brisk pace. Ahn uses different voices for all the characters, and I never had trouble telling them apart. Ginnie and Mallory sounded distinct and the guy characters sounded believable as well. Ahn’s reading is cheery and not over the top dramatic. If you haven’t read this book yet, I think the audiobook is really entertaining. The only thing you don’t get in the audio is seeing the list formats in print, but I’m not sure that’s a deal breaker. And yes, it’s more low-tech to read the actual book if you want to go “vintage” yourself.

This was another fun read from Lindsey Leavitt, and I’m sure I’ll re-read it when I need a comfort read in the future.

Best Story for Humor and Romance

I wish I’d known about this author sooner. Her character’s decision to do everything her grandma set as goals for her junior year, down to pep club, is hilarious! I loved the character banter, the romantic relationship is just too good, and there are some deep moments when she learns who her grandmother really is that make this book so good! It’s also nice to be able to recommend it to my daughter knowing there’s no serious language or other objectionable content. (Spoiler—her grandma did make a choice as a teen that might be a good opportunity for discussion). I read this on Audible and then bought a copy for my daughter! Loved this book!

good book

I enjoyed this book it was fun. I loved Mallory and her sister. mom was great she loved her girls.