Since this is a reread, I am not legally obligate to review it, but I want to because it was my first adult Rainbow Rowell and it made me realize that this woman writes from a place that I absolutely love.
Beth and Jennifer and best friends who work at a newspaper in different departments in 1999. Even though they know that the powers that be may be flagging and reading their emails, they can't help but write each other hysterically funny, honest emails most days. Lincoln, the IT guy hired by the powers that be finds he looks forward to reading their flagged emails and even goes looking for the ones that aren't flagged because he is really interested in Beth. He has never seen her, but he starts to fall for her based on her writing, which is a delightful way to fall in love with someone. I did it myself back in the 80s and never looked back.
There are stories of bad boyfriends, selfish girlfriends, pregnancy, movie theaters, living with mom as an adult, Y2K, and overarchingly, the importance of kindness. Beth sees Lincoln at the paper and starts to refer to him as her "cute guy" and his joy and wonder when he realizes she means him is a balm to his soul as well as to the soul of the reader. These crazy kids just might make it work!
It was a pure pleasure to see Lincoln take control of his life, to see Beth realize she deserves better and even see Jen relax into the life she wants but won't allow herself to expect. Rainbow Rowell is a national treasure.
Skip this part if you haven't read Slow Dance. I thought the character of Lincoln's ex girlfriend was the prototype for Shiloh in Slow Dance and it made me so happy that even though Sam was pretty unremittingly awful in Attachments, she got a bit of sympathy and redemption later in Rowell's work.
I haven't read this one because the only book of hers I really liked was Eleanor & Park (I did love that book!) but I am putting it on my list.
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