Book Review: Landline by Rainbow Rowell

I really like Rainbow Rowell. I really love her writing style. I've read Fangirl (which I LOVED) and her short story in the holiday book My True Love Gave To Me. I've wanted to read more of her books and now that I'm finished with school and have time to read library books (in time to return them) so I decided to check out Landline. I've always wanted to read it, the summary sounds interesting and the book just looks so cute (I judge books by their cover, sorry). I've never actually bought it though because I can't see spending almost $30 on a book but I have no issue checking it out of the library.

Here is the Goodreads book summary:

"Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble; it has been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems beside the point now.


Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts...

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?"

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I was slightly disappointed by this book. I'm not exactly sure what I was going into, I didn't really have any expectations, but there was just something about this book that I wasn't crazy about. I think it was because I couldn't really relate. It's a book about a failing marriage. I am not married nor am I anywhere near Georgie's age. I couldn't relate to the problems she was facing through the book.

I did think the idea of the "time machine-like phone". I thought it was interesting that she was able to fix her issues with Neal from the past. The only time you really see/hear from (present day) Neal is at the very beginning and the very end. The whole book you see/hear from Neal in the past, late 90's Neal. I just really liked the fact that present day Georgie was able to talk to past Neal and be able to work out their problems. The idea that that was the reason they were married was because of Georgie's magic phone was pretty complex but so interesting. I really liked it.

Also, like I've mentioned already, Rainbow Rowell's writing is just great  (👌) and that was what I really loved about this book. Would I pick it up again? No. Would I recommend this? Yes.

I will be reading Attachments and Eleanor & Park and I'm really looking forward to it.