Attachments by Rainbow Rowell Review

Set in 1999, a time when people were concerned about Y2K and technology was not as advanced as it is today, this book introduces us to Lincoln O’Neill, the new “Internet Security Officer” for a newspaper. Little does he know that the actual job doesn't require him to ward off hackers, but to read staff emails that are flagged and forwarded to him. When email conversations between Beth and Jennifer catch his attention, instead of reporting them like he should, Lincoln finds himself drawn into their world, and looks forward to reading more of their conversations. Over time, Lincoln finds that he has fallen in love with Beth, only to realise that he would never be able to let her know who he is without it being extremely awkward or him coming across as a stalker. 

I loved the characters of Beth and Jennifer and I loved reading the email conversations between them. I also loved the character of Lincoln. He was shy and just the right amount of nerd to be adorable. The fact that he didn't know this about himself only made him more lovable. I also liked the build up between Lincoln and Beth and how they both sort of knew each other without actually knowing who the other one really was. The one character that I did not like was Lincoln’s mother. I found her to be very controlling and it just annoyed me.

I did get a little impatient towards the end as I felt like it was dragging slightly and taking just a little too long to get to the romance between Lincoln and Beth. Then when they were finally together, the ending came much too quickly for me. But all that said, I still really, really liked this book. If it ever were to be made into a movie, it’s one I would definitely watch. This is an adult contemporary book, but it will still appeal to a YA audience, particularly those who are already a fan of Rowell’s other books. 4.5/5 rating.