Review: The Art of Lainey

Book: The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes
Publication Date: May 20th, 2014
Series: None
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis: Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is used to getting what she wants, and when her boyfriend Jason breaks up with her for no reason, what she wants is to win him back before the start of their senior year. Lainey and her friend Bianca check the interwebz for tips and tricks, but the online dating advice is all pretty lame. 

Then the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. Didn't someone once say that love is a battlefield? Jason isn't going to stand a chance once Lainey and Bee go all Zhou Dynasty on him...

Old school strategy and subterfuge meet modern-day dramarama in the story of a girl who sets out to win at all costs and ends up discovering what's really worth fighting for.


Overall Review:
I adore Paula Stokes, she's such a great person and I became a little obsessed with her Secret of the Eternal Rose trilogy she wrote under Fiona Paula, but I'll admit I was a little hesitant when I first heard about Lainey. It's not usually the type of contemporary I would like to read and the synopsis at first made me make a weird face just reading it (because fake dating someone to get another person back is just.. ugh don't even get me started) but since it was Paula I decided to ignore my first instincts and give this book a chance and boy am I glad I did! The Art of Lainey is funny, thoroughly entertaining, and made me either want to laugh out loud, break out in a huge grin, or hug the book to my chest. It started off a little shaky for me just because I'm not really into stories where the girl is creepy, stalkery obsessed with a guy but once things really started going I couldn't put it down and did not for the life of me want to! The Art of Lainey was not at all what I expected it to be and I loved it. There were so many places I wish were real that I could go to (like that pancake house. God I want that pancake house!), every character was unique and had this certain way about them, good or bad. I had so many feelings running through me as I was reading, Stokes had such a way of making me feel like I was experiencing things right alongside Lainey. When she was happy, I felt happy, if she was upset, I was upset on her behalf, if she was heartbroken, I was heartbroken. I just adored reading Lainey and never wanted it to end! Paula Stokes has definitely proven how talented she is as a writer in this book, and I can't wait to see what else she comes up with in the future!

Lainey was a very complicated character to read because in the beginning she was exactly the kind of girl I'd normally hide from. Spray tan, long perfect straight hair, perfect skin, skimpy clothes, everything a introverted. socially awkward nerd like me is afraid of! I figured that I'd hate her, and for a time she gave me such a headache with her "better than everyone because I'm so perfect" attitude but once I really got to know how she was like I really liked her. Turns out there was more to her than the stereotypical Mean Girl persona she carried around! Lainey was definitely going through a find yourself phase. She spent the better part of her high school years trying to be the perfect, preppy, popular girl that everyone wanted her to be. She didn't truly know who she was. As The Art of Lainey progressed we really got the see that deeper part of Lainey, discovering the girl she really was. It was amazing to see that we were discovering and seeing Lainey grow into the girl she wanted to be just as much as she was. Turns out Lainey is a bit of a sporty, free spirited, awkward chick who liked gothic rock music and wearing short skits with tank tops. She flaunted her self confidence to the world, making her almost seem self absorbed, but secretly worried about messing things up or doing the wrong thing. She was a bit naive and never wanted to admit that someone wasn't a nice person, yet she wasn't afraid to dish it out to people. She could be shy at times but stuck up at other times. She was sweet but had sass. She was a spunky, pretty girl who wasn't ashamed of it. I wouldn't kid myself into thinking I would be friends with her, even after she develops into the awesome girl she becomes, but I wouldn't at all mind being her friend. I judged her pretty harshly in the beginning with stereotypes and my own bad experiences with people similar to her, but in actuality Lainey is a pretty awesome chick!

I. Love. Micah. I feel like that's all I really have to say! For one thing, he's not at all the love interest we normally see in YA. Lean yet muscular, curly brown hair that goes to his ears, light tan, perfect teeth, deep blue eyes, etc etc. Ironically, that's more Lainey's ex than it is Micah and he's not at all the dreamy, swoon worthy, nice guy! Micah can be brutally honest and sometimes a real pain, but he's actually a very sweet yet complex guy. I love the relationship he has with Lainey. It's a little rocky at first but it's almost an instant friendship where they both do things they normally wouldn't do yet enjoy doing it, they can be honest with each other, they discover new things about themselves together, and their friendship soon turns into something more. Their relationship took time to grow but it did in such a beautiful and irresistible way that I fell head over heels in love with them together.  There were several times where I was yelling in my head, "Forget your dumb old exes! Who needs 'em? You two hook up! Like now. Do it." They were so good together in a surprising yet heartfelt way. I just couldn't get enough!

The pace was a little slow at first but immediately picked up and almost went by too fast! I never wanted it to stop! I was a little hesitant to read Lainey at first because it's not something I'd normally read but I was willing to give it a shot since I adore Paula, and I'm so glad I did! The Art of Lainey is funny, adorable, surprising, and did not let up on the curve balls! I'm surprised by how much I adore this book. The Art of Lainey is a kind of book with a story that will definitely throw you off at first but with Stokes' amazing writing, easily likable characters, and the amazing story/character development you'll be completely obsessed! Stokes has truly done a tremendous job with Lainey! The character Lainey was definitely the stereotypical popular girl, and would be the kind of girl I stayed away from and secretly feared (bad experiences with preppy, popular girls), so I didn't think I'd like her as much as I did. There's so much more to her than the spray tan, smooth skin, perfectly straight hair, and skimpy clothes. Lainey didn't quite know herself so it was amazing to be able to discover just the kind of her she really was, right along side her! She's such an amazing person and I feel bad for judging her so harshly before. The romance between Micah and Lainey was even more perfect than I imagined it. Appearance-wise, they're the opposite of the type of couple you'd normally see (she's perfect, he's got tattoos and a mohawk *swoon*) but they're so good together. They've got such chemistry, and that's not something I'd normally say or mention. They were at first mixed-matched friends but it slowly turned into more and I loved the growth their relationship had. They're perfect for each other, truly. I love Lainey's cover. It's bright, eye-catching, and fun! It matches perfectly with the story!


Overall Rating:
I give The Art of Lainey a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. I just loved loved loved it and I really don't need to say any more. I was in a bit of a reading slump before but this book has definitely helped me out of it, which only makes me adore it even more! I would recommend this book to people who love contemporaries, guys with tattoos and deep personalities (but you can't have him. Sorry, a friend and I already have dibs!), a funny and totally enjoyable story, and/or a story about discovering yourself and just where you belong. I hear there's going to be a Micah novella and I am beyond excited for it! As well as Paula Stokes' other books that'll be coming out! They can't be released fast enough! Thanks for reading!

4.5/5 stars

~Kayla~