(Review) Alex, Approximately

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

Publication Date: April 4, 2017

Pages: 388 (paperback)

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

My Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis: The one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.

Classic movie fan Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online as Alex. Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new archnemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever it is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.

My Review:

Sometime you find something that just makes you smile, you know? This book was definitely one of those for me. I feel like I've been in a bit of a slump lately so finding this was...uplifting. 

The book opens with Bailey chatting online with someone she only knows as "Alex" and he only knows her as "Mink". They talk about movies and discuss meeting, but as Bailey lives across the country they know that it probably won't happen. 

Until Bailey moves to California to live with her father. Once she's there Bailey is always on the lookout for her Alex. She sees and encounters people she thinks could be him, so she never dreamed it would be Porter. 

Porter is annoying at first, but as Bailey begins to learn new things about him she also begins to fall pretty hard. Porter is smart and athletic. He cares deeply for his family and sacrifices things for them. 

One of the main things I loved about this books was Porter. I love strong boys in a young adult novel and Porter was definitely one. He wasn't a lot of drama, didn't have a crazy past, and genuinely wanted to be a good person. 

I loved how Bailey and Porter's relationship progressed from friendship to a relationship. It was sweet, lovely, and didn't feel rushed at all. The banter is great and the supporting characters are fun and interesting as well. 

Definitely pick this one up if you're looking for swoons.