Sam@WLABB
Written on Oct 6, 2016
"When Lainey gets dumped, she employs an ancient Chinese warlord's tactics to get her ex-boyfriend back"--
Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her-- no reasons, no warnings, and in public no less! With help from her friend Bianca-- and a copy of The Art of War-- she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back. Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. Can fighting for what she wants help Lainey figure out what she really needs?
- ISBN10 0062238426
- ISBN13 9780062238429
- Publish Date 20 May 2014
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
- Imprint Collins
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 384
- Language English
Reviews
boghunden
Written on Mar 24, 2015
Lainey:
She comes of as a very naive character at first, but she definitely growed on me. I still don't quite get how she couldn't see what an ass Jason was, but loves makes blind? Her stubbornness felt true and so did her ways of reacting to the breakup.
Micah:
Amazing character. Absolutely amazing. I've got a new bookboyfriend y'all! K, that's all!
Overall, this book was just so sweet! It had the exact amount of fluff combined with the best BFF I've ever come across. Seriously, Bianca was so cool! The way they were interacting was just so perfect!
The only thing I didn't like was this particular scene towards the end. It has to do with an airport... That wouldn't be possible, and I didn't really like that. Apart from that just....
Rowena
Written on Jun 9, 2014
I'm glad that I read this book.
bookishzelda
Written on Jun 5, 2014
I liked Lainey a lot and not because she’s perfect, quite the opposite actually. She exudes a typical teenager personality. I thought she was well written character that really captures the teenage angst. She develops throughout the book and with the aide of The Art of War kind of finds some clarity on things in her own life. She doesn’t have it all figured out but she learns that she doesn’t have to. I like that she owns her mistakes and really stands up for herself at the end.
Great friendships in the book as well. I love how Bianca and her are solid. I also liked her friendship with Kendall. Even though I didn’t like Kendall because she is pushy and not really the greatest friend. I liked that Paula showed two very different kinds of friendships that are typical in life. I know I’ve had friends like Kendall myself. I also know I have had great friends like Bianca. It was nice to have it be such an important part of the story. If Bee hadn't encourage her Lainey might have become a puddle of ice cream.
Of course this is one of my absolute favorite types of plots. Fake relationships. I don’t know why I love them but I do and I really loved how this one in particular was executed. I like how there were times when the characters took a step back and really thought about what was going on. I loved the little side stories going on with Leo, Jason, Bianca and even a little hints of Amber and Alex. Lots of characters involved but I did not find it confusing in the least. I thought they all enhanced the quality of the story.
I also like the work in of soccer too. I thought it was fun to have the main character be tall and athletic. Also having one of the male leads be a mohawk sporting tattoo guy. Plus it was fun to have them do things like go to the Cardinals game. (ugh the cardinals I’m from chicago and even though I’m a White Sox fan…) I loved Lainey and Bianca’s obsession with Caleb Waters, soccer superstar. Just fun little things like that were throughout the book.
So yes my adoration for this book is radiating off me in waves. Cute romance and lots of character development. Such a fun read and perfect to take with you to the beach.
Amber
Written on May 18, 2014
First of all, I was expecting Lainey to annoy me to no end with her strategy to win back the guy who dumped her. That kind of storyline is usually frustrating, because I tend to spend the majority of the time rolling my eyes at the main character while she jumps through hoops to win back a guy who is really no good for her. I was pleasantly surprised, however, by how the whole situation is handled in this book. Sure, Lainey is trying to win back her boyfriend, but she’s very strategic and intelligent about it, and along the way she learns a lot about herself. I thought this aspect of the storyline worked very well with Lainey’s character development, and I couldn’t be more pleased.
Read the full review on Books of Amber.
jnikkir
Written on Apr 23, 2014
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I'll be honest with you -- when I picked up The Art of Lainey, I wasn't really in the mood for a contemporary romance. The last 10+ books I'd read before this one were fantasy, or at least a little bit supernatural or sci-fi or whatever. I literally picked this book up because I didn't know what to read next, and it was sitting within arm's reach.
So, as I said, I wasn't specifically in the mood for a contemp when I picked this up. You know what I was in the mood for?
A really good book. And that's exactly what The Art of Lainey is.
The premise of The Art of Lainey is pretty simple - Lainey's boyfriend, Jason, breaks up with her, so she and her best friend study The Art of War to find ideas and tactics for how Lainey can win Jason back. One of these tactics is to exploit enemies' weaknesses, so Lainey decides to try and make Jason jealous - by dating someone else. Enter Micah Foster, the prep-cook at the little coffee shop Lainey's dad owns (and where Lainey also works)... and you've got a recipe for awesomeness.
The characters in this book are all fantastic - from Lainey and Micah, to the secondary characters (if you can even call them that), like Lainey's best friend Bianca, and all the parents (all of them)... Everywhere you look, the characters are just... so good.
Lainey herself surprised me more than I ever would've expected. Not that she did anything surprising, specifically - it was just that her character development and changing mentality throughout the book was just so perfect and huge, yet subtly done and believable. Lainey goes from realistic annoying popular-girl - not overly cliche, not over-the-top silly, just very aware of her image and needing other people to view her a certain way - to the kind of character I really admire: someone who is so much more self-aware, is willing to admit faults, and who wants to be themselves and stay true to their own values. Throughout the book, Lainey is battling how she views herself, and also how she views (and judges) other people. This is most obvious in her relationship with Micah, but also in the way she views her ex-boyfriend, her boyfriend's sister, and Micah's own sister. It's so interesting to see her views of all of these characters change so slowly yet drastically over the course of the book.
I think what surprised me the most about Lainey was that she didn't make me want to DNF the book in the beginning. I still do not like the person Lainey was at first, in all her popular-girl glory. But there was so much subtle development happening right under my nose and I didn't even realize it until it until I was hopelessly hooked.
"You look upset."
"Upset how?" [...]
"Upset like maybe you discovered that soccer guy you worship is actually a robot, designed and operated by the people who create boy bands."- ARC of The Art of Lainey, pg 285
The one constant in Lainey's life is Bianca, who has been BFFs with Lainey since they were in kindergarten or first or second grade or something. A long time. And Bianca is probably my favorite best-friend character ever. Oftentimes, the "best friends" aren't really all that great - they're either not as awesome as they appear to be, or they're there to cause tension, or they offer meaningless support. Bianca is an amazing character in her own right, though. She's supportive of Lainey, wants Lainey to be happy, helps her when she needs it, and best of all, she teaches Lainey what it means to be a true friend when she most needs the reminder (in stark contrast to Lainey's ex's sister, ugh).
"We've spent the last two and a half years together, Bianca. I don't even know who I would be without him."
"You would be my amazing friend, Lainey," Bee says vehemently. "The same person you've been since second grade. Seriously. You don't need Jason to define you."- ARC of The Art of Lainey, pg 51
As for Micah... I can't even talk about Micah. XD I just want to devolve into ALL CAPS AND KEYSMASHASLDKFJA FLAILS but I will try to contain myself. ;) In all honesty, in addition to being totally swoon-worthy, Micah showed a true depth that I think is sort of rare in contemporary-romance-guys, especially the sort of prickly (at first), sort of bad-boy guys that are so popular these days. I really wasn't sure about him myself, in the beginning. I actually had serious doubts that I would fall for him like I knew Lainey would. ...Ohhhh man was I wrong. Just like Lainey, as we learned more about Micah and saw the kind of guy he is underneath the tough and extremely snarky exterior, I fell for him, too. Plus, he was never unbelievably tough or cartoonishly self-assured, as quite a few guys are portrayed. He's not everything that he appears to be on the outside, and this came across really well. #ijustlovemicahokayomg
"You're like this punk-rock baker," I say, shaking my head.
"What's wrong with that?"
"A bit of a contradiction, don't you think?"
[...] Micah looks hard at me for a moment as we reach our cars. [...] "Most people are."- ARC of The Art of Lainey, pg 129
Finally, my absolute favorite thing about the entire book was Lainey and Micah's banter. XD From the first time they interacted (when, admittedly, they Did Not Get Along), up until the very last page, Lainey and Micah had me smiling through the entire book. In fact, I don't think I've smiled so constantly throughout a book since The Art of Wishing, over a year ago. There was just something so funny and cute and chemistry-filled and refreshing about Lainey and Micah's dialog and attitudes toward each other. They're not sappy-cute, there's not Tons Of Drama - they're just sort of... more themselves when they're with each other. They make each other happy. I mean, at first they just get on each others' nerves, but I was smiling all over those scenes too. They were funny, and they obviously had a great repartee. And it just gets better and better as the book goes on.
In conclusion...
GET THEE TO A BOOKSTORE AND BUY THIS BOOK. Seriously guys, I'm not sure if I made my point adequately above, but The Art of Lainey is one of my all-time favorite contemporaries now. Lainey's character development is SUPERB, Lainey and Micah are TO DIE FOR, the whole Art of War thing is SOOOO well-done throughout the book... just... yes. Love. Go. Buy.
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There were books involved...
Ashley
Written on Mar 18, 2014
The Art of Lainey was adooorable!
I enjoyed The Art of Lainey from the very beginning. There were a few times when I wondered if the book was too young for me, just because of how much Lainey still had to learn. She cared SO much about what other people thought and couldn't see how superficial her relationship with Jason was. At those times, I felt like I couldn't relate to her very well. She seemed extremely immature. But it didn't stop me from enjoying the book, and it only got better as Lainey learned her lessons and matured a little.
So in her attempt to win back Jason, Lainey starts pretend dating Micah. I adored Micah and he only continued to grow on me as the book progressed. Although I liked him, I actually thought there were a few times at the beginning when he took the teasing too far. He was obviously just messing, but there were a few times where he said things that I personally would have taken light offense to if they were directed at me. It was mainly just the mass quantity of teasing.
But as the book went on, my heart really opened to Micah! He was such a sweetheart and so down to earth. I loved how he wasn't afraid to be honest with Lainey, even if it was a bit brutal at times. Sometimes I loved Micah so much that I just wanted to slap Lainey for continuing to go after Jason instead of seeing what was right in front of her! Luckily she came to her senses by the end! Atta girl, Lainey!
One of my favourite things about the book was Lainey's friendship with Bianca. I honestly didn't appreciate it at first, but towards the end of the book I was so jealous of their friendship! I loved how loyal and supportive they were of each other, it was kind of amazing! Even though Lainey could be kind of annoying, Bianca always stood by her and helped her. And then when Bianca suddenly needed support, Lainey was immediately there for her. It was just such a beautiful friendship! I wish I had a BFF like that.
Overall, The Art of Lainey was just so much fun. I loved the different aspects: the dating, the friendship, the sports, the uncertainty, and the life lessons. It was such a great book to pull me out of a reading slump, because it was just pure enjoyment, but not necessarily fluffy. It had a strange combination of deep life lessons and fun, flirty high school romance, but it totally worked. And the book ended on such a happy, upbeat note; it left me feeling super satisfied!