Review and Giveaway: "Attachments" by Rainbow Rowell

Let me start by saying I loved this book. Not liked, not enjoyed, but loved. It will proudly occupy a coveted space on my bookshelf from now on.

Lincoln O'Neill is being paid good money to read employee e-mails at The Courier, a local newspaper that is having a hard time adapting to the fact that computers are necessary to their success. Everybody knows that their e-mails are being monitored so there is, in fact, very little for Lincoln to do except to play online computer games and eat the huge meals that his mom (whom he still lives with) insists on packing for him every day. When the personal e-mails between Courier employees Jennifer and Beth end up flagged and in his inbox for being too personal (or for containing one or more of the words that they shouldn't), Lincoln knows that he should send them a warning and be done with it, but he can't. Their messages are so entertaining and he finds himself looking forward to when the next e-mail between the two of them will be flagged. Lincoln feels like he is getting to know the girls but by the time he realizes that he is falling for Beth, without ever having met her, he knows that a line has been crossed by him reading her private thoughts and he knows that there is no way that anything would ever be able to develop between them.

Lincoln finds himself trying to get over her, and the relationship that never was, by getting an apartment of his own and, quite frankly, getting a life, but will he be able to forget about Beth that easily?

Attachments is an excellent read. I was riveted by it, and ended up reading it almost in its entirety in one day. While it has all of the typical elements of a romantic read, author Rainbow Rowell manages to keep the book fresh, funny, and realistic and she doesn't cross the line into cheesiness.

The addition of Lincoln's mother into the plot was just shy of brilliance. Her quirkiness injected necessary humor into the book, especially when other characters were experiencing personal tragedies.

The real triumph of Attachments in my opinion was the language. The words and dialogue flowed beautifully and when Lincoln makes some of his speeches towards the end I actually sighed happily once or twice. I know that in real life the chances of someone's words coming out that perfectly are slim to none, but a girl can dream, right? Here's a small part of one of my favorite scenes:

"Lincoln?" she asked.
"Yes"?
"Do you believe in love at first sight?"...
"I don't know," he said. "Do you believe in love before that?" (Attachments, p.319)

Do you see what I mean? How can you not love a book like that? If you would like the chance to win your very own copy, you're in luck. I have a copy to give away to one very lucky US or Canadian reader. To enter:

1. *Mandatory Entry* Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite romantic movie or book is. Please leave me an e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win! No e-mail= no entry!

2. *Bonus Entry* Follow this blog using Google Friend Connect and let me know that you now follow. Current followers are eligible for this entry as well, just let me know that you are already a follower.

3. *Bonus Entry* Spread the word about this contest in some way (on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter) and let me know how you spread the word.

All entries (mandatory plus bonuses) can be left in one comment. Open to US and Canadian residents only. Contest runs until April 20th, 2012 at midnight and a winner will be chosen after this time. Winners will be e-mailed and will have 48 hours to respond. Good luck!