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A review by christajls
The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes
4.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
The Art of Lainey initially grabbed my attention because of its fantastic premise – a girl trying to win back her ex-boyfriend using The Art of War? Now that was something I hadn’t read before! But once I started reading I realized this book was so much more than a great concept.
First off there was the character development. I absolutely love when characters really grow throughout a novel – when they’re pushed and challenged and come out the other side a more well-rounded individual. Which is exactly what happens in the case of Lainey. At the beginning, Lainey is a bit selfish and shallow. She doesn’t pay much attention to the people around her – from her co-workers, to her family and even her friends. And she’s very focused on how everything will “look.” Is she tanned enough? Does she have the right clothes? Hang out with the right people? But the more you keep reading the more Lainey’s true personality will begin to show.
I felt like I could relate to Lainey on a very personal level. I know exactly how it feels to have your identity centred around being “so and so’s girlfriend.” My high school boyfriend and I were together roughly the same amount of time as Lainey and Jason and when he broke up with me I felt all the things Lainey did. My whole identity felt like had been turned upside down and inside out and all the plans we had been making disappeared in a puff of smoke. So much of me was tied up in him. I couldn’t imagine my life without him and didn’t want to try to. I’ll admit there was a period where I tried to get him back. It failed and I am extremely grateful for that because it allowed me to grow into my own person. I got to experience new things that he would have hated (re: most of the extremely nerdy things I LOVE now) and I am extremely happy with the way things turned out. Paula Stokes perfectly captured every emotion I felt back then. I may not have been a soccer star or worked at a coffee shop but I could easily see myself in Lainey’s shoes. And I don’t think I’ll be the only one. Anyone who has ever suffered an unexpected break up or the ending of a long-term relationship will be able to relate.
Enough personal stuff though! More about the book!
In addition to the great plot and character development there is also a terrific set of secondary characters – particularly Bianca. Bianca is Lainey’s best friend and a better friend you could not wish for! She’s supportive and thoughtful and always ready to listen. But I also appreciated that she wasn’t constantly at Lainey’s beck and call. She had her own life and was sometimes too busy to come running. This made her feel more like a real person then a generic best friend trope.
And then of course there’s Micah. Micah is definitely going on my list of YA crushes. If you like Guyliner from Victoria Schwab’s The Archived you are going to love Micah. Though he was a little edgy – tattoos, mohwak, the whole deal – he was a genuinely good person who really cares about the people in his life. I appreciated that he was going through his own issues as well. He was a big part of Lainey embracing the wide world around her, but I like to think she did the same for him. He helped show her a world that was a little less shallow and she showed him a world that was a little less dark. They initially team up to ‘fake date’ and make their exes jealous but the chemistry between them in undeniable and they make every scene sizzle.
Oh and have I mentioned that this book is just good plain fun? Lainey, Micah and their friends get up to some hilarious hijinks and the dialogue is razor-sharp and witty. I loved imagining Mizz Creant’s House of Torture (and pancakes) and what the TV show Undead Academy would look like (for the record I would totally watch that). It’s hard not to smile at least once while reading.
So this post got away from me a bit. You know when you watch movies like Clueless, Mean Girls and Easy A and they’re funny and entertaining but the more you think about them the more you realize how smart they are? That was this book for me. On the surface it’s a simple book about a girl trying to win back her boyfriend. But dig a little deeper you’ll find a fantastic novel about relationships, love, finding yourself and embracing new possibilities. I highly recommend everyone read this book over the summer and then promptly go out and try one thing you’ve never done before.
The Art of Lainey initially grabbed my attention because of its fantastic premise – a girl trying to win back her ex-boyfriend using The Art of War? Now that was something I hadn’t read before! But once I started reading I realized this book was so much more than a great concept.
First off there was the character development. I absolutely love when characters really grow throughout a novel – when they’re pushed and challenged and come out the other side a more well-rounded individual. Which is exactly what happens in the case of Lainey. At the beginning, Lainey is a bit selfish and shallow. She doesn’t pay much attention to the people around her – from her co-workers, to her family and even her friends. And she’s very focused on how everything will “look.” Is she tanned enough? Does she have the right clothes? Hang out with the right people? But the more you keep reading the more Lainey’s true personality will begin to show.
I felt like I could relate to Lainey on a very personal level. I know exactly how it feels to have your identity centred around being “so and so’s girlfriend.” My high school boyfriend and I were together roughly the same amount of time as Lainey and Jason and when he broke up with me I felt all the things Lainey did. My whole identity felt like had been turned upside down and inside out and all the plans we had been making disappeared in a puff of smoke. So much of me was tied up in him. I couldn’t imagine my life without him and didn’t want to try to. I’ll admit there was a period where I tried to get him back. It failed and I am extremely grateful for that because it allowed me to grow into my own person. I got to experience new things that he would have hated (re: most of the extremely nerdy things I LOVE now) and I am extremely happy with the way things turned out. Paula Stokes perfectly captured every emotion I felt back then. I may not have been a soccer star or worked at a coffee shop but I could easily see myself in Lainey’s shoes. And I don’t think I’ll be the only one. Anyone who has ever suffered an unexpected break up or the ending of a long-term relationship will be able to relate.
Enough personal stuff though! More about the book!
In addition to the great plot and character development there is also a terrific set of secondary characters – particularly Bianca. Bianca is Lainey’s best friend and a better friend you could not wish for! She’s supportive and thoughtful and always ready to listen. But I also appreciated that she wasn’t constantly at Lainey’s beck and call. She had her own life and was sometimes too busy to come running. This made her feel more like a real person then a generic best friend trope.
And then of course there’s Micah. Micah is definitely going on my list of YA crushes. If you like Guyliner from Victoria Schwab’s The Archived you are going to love Micah. Though he was a little edgy – tattoos, mohwak, the whole deal – he was a genuinely good person who really cares about the people in his life. I appreciated that he was going through his own issues as well. He was a big part of Lainey embracing the wide world around her, but I like to think she did the same for him. He helped show her a world that was a little less shallow and she showed him a world that was a little less dark. They initially team up to ‘fake date’ and make their exes jealous but the chemistry between them in undeniable and they make every scene sizzle.
Oh and have I mentioned that this book is just good plain fun? Lainey, Micah and their friends get up to some hilarious hijinks and the dialogue is razor-sharp and witty. I loved imagining Mizz Creant’s House of Torture (and pancakes) and what the TV show Undead Academy would look like (for the record I would totally watch that). It’s hard not to smile at least once while reading.
So this post got away from me a bit. You know when you watch movies like Clueless, Mean Girls and Easy A and they’re funny and entertaining but the more you think about them the more you realize how smart they are? That was this book for me. On the surface it’s a simple book about a girl trying to win back her boyfriend. But dig a little deeper you’ll find a fantastic novel about relationships, love, finding yourself and embracing new possibilities. I highly recommend everyone read this book over the summer and then promptly go out and try one thing you’ve never done before.