The Art of Lainey

Lainey is your average popular soccer star teenager who is getting ready to have a summer of a lifetime. But when her boyfriend of two years suddenly dumps her, all her plans for an epic summer goes out the window. With advice from her best friend, she ends up using the tactics in The Art of War to get her boyfriend back. Oh Lainey, how incredibly naive you were in the beginning. I love how her character grows from being this insecure teen to one with stronger values and morals. I like how determined she is to get Jason back, stopping at nothing to get him. Though I found her rather annoying in the beginning, after reading the entire book she was less so. My kudos to Paula for working her magic with her best friend, Bianca who was my favourite, always being level-headed, never judging her friend and always being there for her. Now that's what you call a wonderful best friendship. I also really enjoyed Micah and his layers and layers of personality being unraveled by Lainey. They just complimented each other and my heart fluttered when they were being sweet to each other and laughed when they annoyed one another. Also, can I mention how much I enjoyed Lainey's mom and her "tea leave" readings? So cute. Pacing was pretty long for a contemporary book, but maybe I'm just being impatient. Also the entire story line was too funny and a tad bit predictable. Though in this case, I like predictable because I like my stories to have a great ending. The wit and dialogue between the characters were on point considering I pretty much LOL'd my way through most of the book. Overall, a wonderful contemporary filled with the exact amount of romance and humour that will make anyone sit up and say, “Awww!”show more

This book was a lot of fun. I love the idea of using war strategies to win back an ex and Paula executed this plot perfectly. I did have a problem with Lainey in the beginning. She's a bit shallow and sort of an ass, but her growth throughout the book is obvious and I really enjoyed the person she became at the end. Micah. Gah. Don't get me started on him. He's swoony in a completely normal way, if that makes sense. He's blunt and honest and has a mohawk. Oh and he teases in a falsetto and dotes all over his baby sister. Are you swooning yet? This book is completely different from Paula's other books [written as Fiona Paul]. I could *hear* Paula in this book and I loved it.show more

Let's be honest here. When I first read the blurb, the first question that popped into my head was: How will Paula Strokes incorporate The Art of War into the story without making it tacky and unrealistic? That's right--I wasn't very curious about the romance. I was curious about The Art of War. Now that leads to my first problem. The girls' usage of The Art of War to win back Lainey's ex felt really forced to me. It was just as if her friend came up to her saying, "Hey! Let's use this ancient book with totally usable tips to win back your ex!" Um, okay then. I get that her friend had a reason to use it, but it didn't feel realistic at all. Now that I finally got that off my chest, let's talk about Lainey. While I did find it easy to connect with Lainey, it took me a while to actually like her. She was kind of petty and a bit of a brat at first. A bit shallow, even. By the end of the book, her character did grow, and it's always great to see some character development throughout the book. But of course, Lainey did have some redeeming qualities. For example, she admitted to things that most of us wouldn't, but we all know are true. Let's get into the love interest, which I know you're all pretty curious about. The love interest in this one is Micah, who I found to be totally different from most of the other heroes we encounter in YA. For one thing, Micah smokes. And he has a mohawk. Now, while I did love how unique Micah's character was, I found him to be just a tad bit boring. He was sweet sometimes, sure, but I wasn't sold on his character. The actual romance was pretty cute and had a slow build up which I really appreciated. Lainey and Micah were both so shippable (don't judge my poor wording) with their adorable banter and interactions. The best part of the book would have to be the friendship between Lainey and her best friend, Bianca. Really, this is how best friends should act. No matter how many stupid choices Lainey made, Bianca stood by her and even helped her accomplish her stupid plans. There was so much love and support between them that I was surprised neither of them have exploded with support overdose or something. Paula Strokes also had this very easy to get into writing style that made the book flow smoothly for me. But if we're being honest, I didn't really get a lot of feels from this book. So basically, if you're up for a cute read and wouldn't mind how badly The Art of War was incorporated into the story (from my viewpoint, at least), you should give this one a shot. Seriously, it was fluff overload.show more

What�????�???�??�?�¢??s that sound? That�????�???�??�?�¢??s the sound of me finishing The Art of Lainey, rolling around on the floor clutching it to my chest and promising to never let it go. That could also be the sound of my Micah dance. NO BUT SERIOUSLY I JUST LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. It completely took me by surprise and blew me away with its awesomeness. This book has it all: it�????�???�??�?�¢??s cute, funny, swoony and completely engaging. The writing, dialogue, pacing and character development are so well done. I just want to sing it�????�???�??�?�¢??s praises until I make every single person I know read it. Now in all fairness, most readers will probably hate Lainey when they first meet her. She�????�???�??�?�¢??s a little self-absorbed, superficial, dramatic, judgmental and stubborn (I mean she goes to extreme lengths to try and get back together with a boyfriend who breaks up with her for another girl just because she doesn�????�???�??�?�¢??t want the perfect senior year she envisioned to be ruined). However I pretty much loved her from the start and she just got better as the book progressed. She just reminded me so much of one of my best-friends in high school that I couldn�????�???�??�?�¢??t help but love her. I also knew that somewhere deep down she had to have a heart of gold if she still considered Bianca one of her best-friends when her other BFF Kendall (whose basically the worst kind of high-school mean girl ever) does not approve of the relationship. She�????�???�??�?�¢??s just so well developed and realistic. TAKE NOTE PEOPLE THIS IS HOW TEENS SHOULD BE WRITTEN. Some might find the fact that she and the other teens drink and openly have sex to be objectionable but lets be real here-teens drink. They have sex. This is a thing that happens and I�????�???�??�?�¢??m so appreciative of Paula for portraying it in a healthy and realistic way. Really, all of the characters are extremely realistic and well formed. Even Kendall and Jason, as dislikable are they are, were fully fleshed out and not just the cookie-cutter �????�???�??�?�¢??bad guys�????�???�??�?�¢?? used only as plot devices to come between Lainey and Micah. They have their good moments and positive characteristics and it was so refreshing. Bianca is amazing. Smart, supportive, and brutally honest. She has a good head on her shoulders and is the perfect balance to Lainey. Their friendship just makes me so happy. They are so good for and to each other. She�????�???�??�?�¢??s one of those secondary characters you love so much that you want them to have their own book, or at least a novella. I also love that she had her own little sub-plot with an adorable love interest of her own. YAY BEE. Oh? You want to know about Micah? Well Micah is my boyfriend. I have claimed them and I am determined to talk Paula into giving him to me. Naturally I�????�???�??�?�¢??ll share him with Lainey. No, but in all seriousness he is basically my dream guy except for the gross smoking habit but I can pretty much over look that. A mohawk, tattoos, what seems like fantastic taste in music and he has a ridiculously sweet and adorable relationship with his mom and sister. HE. IS. PERFECT. This is not your normal YA love interest. He is not sugar sweet and sensitive and overprotective. He has all the best and worst qualities of a teenage boy and that�????�???�??�?�¢??s what makes him so lovable. He is just a guy. A snarky, stubborn, goofy, perverted guy who also happens to be sweet, kind, sincere, and yes, sexy. Not to mention that he has a love for pastry cooking. Micah comes alive on the page in all the best ways. MY MICAH LOVE IS OUT OF CONTROL in case you haven�????�???�??�?�¢??t noticed. The plot itself is magic. I�????�???�??�?�¢??ve always been a sucker for fake-dating storylines and Stokes added a fresh spin on it with the incorporation of the Art of War. Laineys battle strategies are hilarious and her character growth is just so slow and subtle and realistic and guh. I CANNOT GUSH ENOUGH ABOUT HOW WELL DONE THE CHARACTER GROWTH IS IN THIS BOOK. The romance between Lainey and Micah is just fantastic beyond words as well. The fake dates were adorable and fun and I was swooning over every interaction even before they really started realizing they had feelings for each other. The first time Lainey realizes she wants to kiss Micah is still possibly my favorite moment in the book, only rivaled by their actual first kiss and the last page of the book. The romance has a very slow-burn feel to it and I spent most of the book yelling about how I just needed to smoosh their faces together (SMOOSH SMOOSH I SAY). They are officially one of my top five OTPs of all time. There were also just a bunch of little things I really loved. Lainey�????�???�??�?�¢??s relationship with her parents. THE FACT THAT HER DAD OWNS A COFFEE SHOP and she gets to work there and has awesome coworkers. It was just one of those books that I want to relive over and over. The Art of Lainey has ensured that I will be read everything this author writes in the future, already added to my very small insta-buy list.show more