Review & Giveaway: The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

Title: The Art of Lainey
Author: Paula Stokes
Series: n/a
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 20, 2014
Source: from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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.

Funny story...I was in a bookstore the other day and they have these gorgeous leatherbound editions of classic books, and I sort of have a collection of them going, so I decided to peruse their selection. Lo and behold, what should I come across but The Art of War? I'd already read The Art of Lainey at this point, so I almost picked it up for that reason alone. I mean, you never know when something like that might come in handy, right? But honestly, I'd rather read about girls using this book of strategy and war tactics for winning back -- or getting back at -- their ex...it's way more fun. No, this isn't the first time I've seen The Art of War used in a story in this way, but it is by far my favorite. While Lainey and Bee's plan to win back Jason starts out juvenile enough, the book delves deeper into Lainey's psyche as she discovers that what she thought she needed may not be what she wants after all.

I'm just going to say it: I loved this book. I knew it was going to be cute, and I knew I was going to like it because I'd liked the author's previous work (under her pseudonym), but I had no idea how much I was going to enjoy this story. If you're going to use a romance trope, you can't go wrong with the fake boyfriend scenario in my book. It makes the love triangle aspect worth it, and I love seeing how it plays out: who falls for who, what lengths someone will go to to be seen by another character, how it changes people's perceptions. It's all in good fun...until someone gets hurt.

And there is plenty of heartbreak in this story. But Lainey isn't your typical weeping willow protagonist. She's strong (physically and mentally), capable, and fairly aggressive in her attempt to win back the love of her life. Break-ups are hard, but Lainey doesn't take hers lying down, even if the way in which Jason broke up with her was more than a little callous. We see from the get-go that this guy probably isn't worth the effort, but at that age and at that stage of heartbreak, it's difficult to see something like that on your own.

Good thing Lainey has an awesome support system. Lainey's brother Steve who is studying abroad for the summer isn't even physically present in the novel, but through emails and texts, he is a great sounding board for his wayward sister. I liked that Lainey's mother was open and honest with her, that she felt like my idea of a real mom -- one who means well but tries a little too hard to be the "cool" mom. Lainey's family owns the coffee shop that she, Bee, Micah, and Leo all work at, and I appreciated the fact that although Lainey's father was a little timid when it came to the kitchen staff at the shop, he didn't discount that they were hard workers or good people, just because of the way they looked or dressed. A lot of the characters seem outwardly stereotypical, but they are far from being what you'd expect, making some of them favorites of mine.

And that includes Micah and Bee, but I'll get to Micah in a minute. Strong female bonds that don't completely revolve around boys are hard to come by in young adult novels these days. And though a lot of time is spent discussing Lainey's plan to win back her ex, Lainey and Bee do talk about other interests and focus on their friendship in the meantime. They discuss college choices, what the next year and after will bring for their friendship, and they build each other up but are also honest with each other. At first, I was afraid that their friendship was a little too perfect, meaning a betrayal was surely on the horizon, but Stokes is boss at creating a realistic, lasting friendship. Looking back on Lainey and Bianca's friendship, you can see that it has it's ups and downs, that there are periods where Lainey is lonely, where Bee is out doing her thing and Lainey is missing her ex, but you're also witness to the not-quite-jealousy that Bee feels toward Kendall, the friend that essentially elevated Lainey's status at school and stole her away from her childhood friend. While Jason's out of the picture and Kendall is away all summer, the girls reaffirm their friendship, proving that some bonds are just impossible to break.

Micah, with his strokable mohawk, isn't your typical love interest. He's not even the typical "bad boy" character. Because he's actually a really sweet, caring guy. He and Lainey were actually childhood friends, as well, until something tragic happened to his family and he pushed everyone away. He was probably always destined to rock the mohawk based on his family background, but tragedy probably made him the deeper, more soulful person he appears to be in the story. And I liked that, I liked those hidden depths, especially as we see them unearthed by Lainey as their friendship/relationship evolves.

When Micah and Lainey first strike their deal to win back their exes, they're not really even friends. Neither is particularly fond of the other, but that's because they don't know each other anymore and are going off the perception they have of each other. As they spend more time together on their fake dates, they begin to see what they'd been missing, but they're also each changing themselves and each other. Micah makes Lainey question everything she'd thought about herself: who she is, what defines her, who she wants to be. They force each other to step outside of their comfort zones on these fake dates and they find themselves having a lot of fun with each other while doing so. They were on even footing in this way, at least until feelings got in the way and complicated everything.

The Art of Lainey may have started out with a simple win-the-ex-back plot, but it quickly developed into a story of self-discovery, full of character growth and realistic portrayals of teenagers and heartbreak, and it grew into a story that was so much deeper and thought-provoking than I had expected. I am in complete adoration of the characters Paula Stokes has created from her own story of heartbreak, even the ones that don't deserve my affection, because they were all so genuine and they all had their layers and issues to work through. This is the novel that young women need to read: to experience Lainey's determination, to be inspired by a friendship that stands the test of time, to realize that they are not alone in their heartbreak and that it does get better, and to open their eyes to possibilities and not limit themselves. This was such an incredible novel, and I can't wait to read more from this author. Especially more of Micah's story in Infinite Repeat! #YayMicah

GIF it to me straight:

And to that Micah novella:

I can't flipping wait!!!!!!!!!

About the author:

Paula Stokes is half writer, half RN, and totally thrilled to be part of the world of YA literature. She started out writing historical fiction under a pen name and is now branching out into other YA genres.

When she's not working (rare), she's kayaking, hiking, reading, or seeking out new adventures in faraway lands. She's petted tigers, snuggled snakes, snorkeled with stingrays, and once enjoyed the suction-cuppy feel of a baby elephant's trunk as it ate peanuts from her palm. Her future goals include diving with Great White sharks, learning Krav Maga, and writing a whole slew of novels, not necessarily in that order.

Find Paula:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Thanks to the generous Paula Stokes, I have a giveaway for The Art of Lainey for you guys!!! And she's being super awesome and making it international!! Here's the deal: if you're in the US, she'll send you a signed copy of her book, and if you're outside of the US, she'll order a copy of the novel for you from The Book Depository and send you a signed bookplate. How sweet is that?!?

Rules:

• This giveaway is international. As long as The Book Depository ships to your location, you are good to go. You can check that here.
• One entry per household. 
• Entries will be verified. Any entry found to be falsified will result in disqualification of all entries for that participant. 
• Winner will be notified via email. Winner will then have 48 hours to respond before another winner will be selected. Please check your SPAM folder!!! 
• We are not responsible for lost packages. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out this incredibly funny and sweet new contemporary novel from Paula Stokes! Good luck & happy reading!

Labels: all the feels, all the swoons, contemporary, favorites, fiona paul, funfunfun, giveaways, harper-collins, paula stokes, reviews, summer, the art of lainey