The one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams–she just doesn’t know it yet.
Classic movie fan Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online as Alex. Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.
Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life–or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth–a.k.a. her new archnemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever it is she’s starting to feel for Porter.
And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.
This is one of the cutest summer books I have read in a very long time. The main characters play so well off of each other and I loved learning more about surfing culture. I love how much Porter cares about his family and close they are. Family has always been one of the most important things to me in my life.
Also, Porter is fiercely loyal to his friends even when they don’t deserve it. That’s something I find myself doing too. Porter has a friend who has gotten himself into deep trouble, and Porter finds himself defending him even when he shouldn’t. This is one of the most important themes for me. I know what its like to be fiercely loyal when the other person really doesn’t deserve it.
I loved the setting. Any books that take place during the summer near the beach automatically get a high rating from me. I loved all the adventures the two of them went on in and out of the museum. I also love Grace, the new friend Bailey makes at the museum. The book was a really nice read.
Both Porter and Bailey learn a lot about themselves in this book. They learn to let their guards down and to really trust each other. They compliment each other very well and I think the backdrop of California makes it a great story.