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    Attachments: A Novel
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    Attachments: A Novel
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    Attachments: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    Attachments: A Novel

    Written by Rainbow Rowell

    Narrated by Rebecca Lowman

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "Attachments is so perfectly engaging, so sly, and so funny I read it all in one sitting, then went back and read my favorite scenes a second time...I hope Rowell never stops writing."
    -Haven Kimmel

    Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail. But the women still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. Jennifer tells Beth everything she can't seem to tell her husband about her anxieties over starting a family. And Beth tells Jennifer everything, period.

    When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he'd be sifting through other people's inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can't quite bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can't help but be entertained-and captivated- by their stories.

    But by the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late for him to ever introduce himself. What would he say to her? "Hi, I'm the guy who reads your e-mail, and also, I love you." After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it's time to muster the courage to follow his heart . . . even if he can't see exactly where it's leading him.

    Written with whip-smart precision and charm, Attachments is a strikingly clever and deeply romantic debut about falling in love with the person who makes you feel like the best version of yourself. Even if it's someone you've never met.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Audio
    Release dateJul 28, 2020
    ISBN9780593294055
    Unavailable
    Attachments: A Novel
    Author

    Rainbow Rowell

    Rainbow Rowell is the award-winning #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and the Simon Snow Trilogy, plus several other novels, short stories, and comics. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska, just like most of her characters.

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    Reviews for Attachments

    4/5

    1,113 ratings110 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Beth, Jennifer, and Lincoln all work for the same newspaper, but only Beth and Jennifer know each other. They send a constant stream of personal emails back and forth, using their work accounts, about every personal subject under the sun. Lincoln’s job is to monitor company emails and report usage violations. But he can’t make himself turn Beth and Jennifer in. Their conversations are funny and witty and wonderful, and he knows he shouldn’t be reading them, but he can’t seem to help himself. And then, one day, Beth emails Jennifer about the super-cute guy she saw in the break room. And it turns out she’s talking about Lincoln.

      I adored this novel. Rowell has an absolute knack for clever dialogue, and also for fabulous love stories. I loved every single character and felt like a Lincoln myself, on the outside looking in on their lives and wanting to be a part of it. So engaging and delightful.
    • 4/5
      I loved this book. The back and forth between Beth and Jennifer, Lincoln's mom & sister mother henning him, Lincoln gradually growing up after a such a long period of status. Snorted coffee out my nose on transit I laughed so hard, had at least two gut wrenching little cries. This book is the total package.

      Okay, okay, the ending may be just a *teensy*bit pat, and it could have easily turned into a Silence of the Lambs type situation with Beth in a well in Lincoln's basement, but it didn't. So that's good. :)
    • 4/5
      Rainbow Rowell is so great at crafting really well rounded characters - flawed but likeable and the kind of people who pull at your heartstrings. My only complaint about Attachments is that by the last twenty pages, I was still waiting for the climax and the end left me wanting to spend more time with the characters.
    • 5/5
      loved loved lived it. More Rainbow Rowell goodness - sweet and touching and funny and heartwarming, all without being schmaltzy or all chick-litty. Chock full of wonderful, real seeming characters. Fab.
    • 3/5
      Well this took me back to the times of Y2k and the computer glitch that scared all of tech companies! This is set in that timeframe, with an extra level of tech security. Lincoln is IT security and he is notified when people are using inappropriate terms via email. He monitors the emails of Beth and Jennifer. Jennifer talks about her pregnancy and Beth talks about her unfulfilling relationship with her fiance. Lincoln should be flagging them, but instead he is enchanted by the email exchanges. Unknowingly, Beth becomes interested in Lincoln, telling Jennifer that he is the cute guy. The book also examines Lincoln's relationship with his mother, his sister, and his first love.
      Cute ending.
    • 4/5
      I did NOT want to like this book, because I can't stand Rowell's column writing in the World-Herald. But after I saw her two other books on "Best of 2013" lists, I wanted to read one (but not pay for it--and this is the only one available through my library's eBook service) so I could see if she was really any good or if 2013 was just a bad year for publishing.

      She's really pretty good.
    • 3/5
      adult fiction/chick lit. Romantic comedy involving Beth, a newspaper movie critic, and Lincoln, the guy whose job it is to read people's emails (to enforce the company Internet policy). Recommended to me by another librarian, now I can recommend it to you as an easy light summer read.
    • 5/5
      Really enjoyed this book - it was just what I needed to read at this time!
      Quick read, very engaging, humorous as well as emotional - highly recommend!
    • 4/5
      Clever, funny and heart-warming all rolled together; turned out to be an enjoyable book.
    • 3/5
      I have learned that Rainbow Rowell and I do not belong to the same tribe. Which is totally okay, if a bit disappointing. I loved the email setup and the friendship between Beth and Jennifer. I did not like Lincoln AT ALL, which is bad, since he's the "hero" of our story.

      I've known Lincolns in real life, and I just do not get the appeal of cripplingly shy, self-effacing men. I would not say that I'm terribly romantic to begin with, but there is nothing romantic about an adult man coasting through life, mooning over his high school girlfriend for NINE YEARS.

      Also, I got irritated by HOW OFTEN the narrator reminds us that Lincoln is good-looking. It so reminded me of Fifty Shades of Grey. Being attractive does not excuse your sad-sack attitude or jellyfish lifestyle, LINCOLN. If he had been schlubby, no one would be swooning over him.

      In the end, the friendship story really grabbed my attention, particularly the honesty with which the women address their problems. The romance, not so much.
    • 3/5
      3.5 The primary story vehicle here is emails written between Jennifer and Beth, co-workers at a newspaper in Nebraska on the eve of the millennium. It feels charmingly antiquated. The newspaper has recently gone digital and needs to employ some tech power too, which is where Lincoln comes in. He has been hired to be internet security and monitor employees' use of the internet and email. He reads through anything the WebFence flags as inappropriate, issues warnings and hopes for a change in behavior. Jennifer and Beth's emails get flagged frequently, but more because of frank exchange of friendship info than any inappropriate behavior. For example, Jennifer becomes pregnant and "uterus" and "breast" are the words that flag their correspondence. The women do not know Lincoln reads their mail and he works overnight, so rarely has opportunity to encounter them in person. He begins to enjoy their funny frank friendship and emails so never censors them, but runs into some ethical quicksand when he begins to have feelings for Beth (though not having met her!) and learns of her rocky relationship with moody musician live-in boyfriend Chris. Meanwhile Beth sees Lincoln one night in the break room and begins to crush on him, without knowing who he is or what his (snoopy) role is. Other side plots include Lincoln getting over a devastating high school/college romance, living at home with his mother, and being accountable to his sister Eve; Jennifer's marriage, Beth's lack of one, and other 20s/30s topics. This has one foot out of YA because what teen would want to read about boring real life stuff? -- but the issues are right on and evoke memories of that life-span that seem far too distant now :(. Rowell does romance so well -- it is sweet and funny and touching and just the way you want finding "the one" to be with all the right words and scenarios. Sigh. A perfect escape/flashback.
    • 5/5
      I love this book! Lincoln & Beth both had the misfortune to fall in love with people who didn't deserve their love. Lincoln has let the ending of his high school romance halt his life - until he is drawn into the life of Beth through his job monitoring emails. Beth has been together forever with a man who gives her crumbs of love. Their meeting is unconventional - but there is something sweet about it all the same.
    • 4/5
      Sometimes endearing, other times off-putting.

      Lincoln, more than a little lost and awkward in life, monitors computer usage at a newspaper. It’s Lincoln’s job to flag subject matter that goes against the company’s policies which leads to him reading two co-workers emails and falling in love/obsession with someone he’s never met.

      I do sort of get why Lincoln became wrapped up in Jennifer and Beth’s emails, they were a combination of high-level banter and messy intimate details of their lives that are compulsively readable and easy to emotionally invest in, like a soap opera with a solid sense of humor.

      I also liked that unlike so many romantic comedies, this isn’t set in New York or London, it’s in Nebraska, and it isn’t overflowing with characters living unattainable lives of wealth, ambition, and attractiveness. It’s kind of refreshing that everything about the setting and its inhabitants is just kind of average, even the good looking musician is just getting by.

      A couple characters think/do questionable things, mainly stalking-related things (those would be some of the off-putting times mentioned at the top of this review), however, there came a point in the novel where their lives seemed headed in a healthier direction and I was enjoying their progress, only then the scene at the theater happened, which I just found so... odd, and unfortunately, the book lost me from there. Maybe I could have accepted the ending had it taken more time with that development, but it was all so sudden and so far from feeling like authentic human behavior.
    • 4/5
      This book was so much fun. I loved the friendship between Beth and Jennifer. Their emails back and forth were so much fun and, I must admit, they reminded me a lot of my friends and I. And the idea that someone could be reading our emails - AAACK! But Lincoln was all kinds of perfect and I would love to find my own Lincoln. The atmosphere and feel of this audiobook reminded me so much of You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. Rainbow Rowell could definitely be the successor to Nora Ephron in the romantic comedy field.
    • 4/5
      Very specific setting: it’s the early 90s and a newsroom hires a person to go through employees’ email to make sure they’re not cursing etc. on company time. Except the guy hired to do it has never gotten over his girlfriend’s abandonment in college and isn’t motivated to do much of anything. He starts following the conversation of two friends, one married (and wondering if she wants kids) and the other partnered to a guy who plays in a band (and wanting more of a commitment). He falls in love, but can they get over the creepy, invasive way he learned about her? I don’t think this book could’ve been written in the past few years, because it is a romance, though he does indeed know it’s creepy and they do not go straight to being ok.
    • 4/5
      A perennial student gets his first full-time job screening email caught in the company's filters (do you remember when they used to hire people to do that?). And then he goes and falls in love with a woman who sends a lot of overly personal email to her best friend at work.

      I can forgive the stalkeriness here; it's a romantic comedy. Lincoln is so endearing, and he does the right thing (apologizes, walks away without expectations). Also 10/10 stars for a description of secure attachment: "I didn't know someone could love me like this," she said. "Could love me and love me and love me without... needing space."
    • 4/5
      A fun, geeky novel with a very "real life" vibe. There were many places where the author had me laughing my head off. One was about the Courier's upper management having a fit over the introduction of (gasp!) computers and internet access to the company: "it was now impossible to distinguish a roomful of people working diligently from people taking the What-Kind-of-Dog-Am-I? online personality quiz".

      Overall, Lincoln was a great character and resembled fellows I knew in a couple of my old workplaces. So the author has good creds for Lincoln's personality. I even thought the Beth-Lincoln scenario developed satisfactorily; nice amount of suspense on how that situation would conclude.

      So why did I give it only 3½ ★s?
      Around p. 120, I reached a point where the story was mired in too much e-mail exchange between Beth and Jennifer. I still highly recommend the novel for its amusing scenarios and Rowell's very engaging writing style.
    • 3/5
      Rainbow Rowell's style is clever and funny. Attachments grabbed me at the start, but then fizzled out. I can't think of an ending I would have enjoyed, but not the way it did. I'll continue to read Rowell's books, but this one's not my favorite.
    • 4/5
      I am so glad that I joined in the Booksplosion read-along. I really enjoyed reading Attachments and have rated it 4 stars.

      I have decided to review in a new way, under three sub-headings:

      BOOK: (QUALITY OF WRITING)

      This is my first Rainbow Rowell book and judging by this I will definitely want to pick up another of her books. I love Lincoln's character. He appears to me like an adult Peter Pan, in the sense that he is fearful of growing up. Still living at home after years of studying, he is stuck in a dead end job. He has a vulnerability about him which makes his transgressions acceptable. He has been hurt before and this is reflected in his choice of work, (which involves a fair amount of solitude working the night shift in a bizarre IT job scouring emails for undesirable flagged references), and in his relationships, (to begin with he only interacts with his sister, his mum and his D&D friends.)

      You can't help but forgive him when he reads Beth's and Jennifer's emails even though he is intruding on their private exchange of friendly banter, because he is a big cuddly, lonely bear with a warm heart. This is his way of falling in love again, at a safe enough distance, so that he won't get hurt. The more he reads their wonderful emails the more he comes alive, and his confidence grows.

      The characters are well crafted, and believable. I especially liked Beth, Jennifer, Lincoln's mum and Doris.

      Beth and Jennifers' warm, and caring, relationship comes across beautifully via their unguarded emails.


      CRYSTALS: (LIGHTNESS/DARKNESS)

      This is my lightness rating. Is the book light hearted or will it leave you in floods of tears? For me, it was definitely a light hearted read. I found the short chapters drew me into the novel, making me want to turn the page to see what happened next. I read this book quickly. This is the perfect book for lovers of romance, who enjoy a well written story with interesting characters and observations.

      MAGIC: IS THE ENDING MAGICAL?

      *** BEWARE SPOILERS BELOW****

      Did the ending satisfy, or was it a let down? Before I embark on this I just want to touch upon the food references in the book which were really amusing, and it seems appropriate to add them under my magic section! Lincoln's mother lovingly cooks copious amounts of food, that Lincoln can no longer stomach so he shares his food with Doris, an older lady at work. Doris becomes his way to escape his mother's overbearing love. He willingly shares half of the food, because he wants to grow up, get a life, be an adult. At first, Lincoln's mother is upset by Lincoln's act of rebellion, but when she realises how much Doris enjoys her food, she accepts the situation. Lincoln is now able to move on with his life, become an adult, and find love again. I found this so relatable as my Malaysian mother is a wonderful cook and always makes lots of tasty food!

      There seems to be differing opinions on Goodreads about the conclusion of the novel, some people found the ending cheesy. But in my opinion the ending works because Lincoln has been hurt, and is longing for love, and falls in love with Beth without even seeing her. He means no harm, and is guilty about intruding into Beth's privacy. He is a nice guy. Beth sees Lincoln, and is attracted to him, but doesn't really know him, yet she senses that he has a big enough heart for her, this is suggested by Lincoln's stature, he is not a thin rake of a guy. There is plenty of room there for a big heart. Ultimately they are both eccentric as each other and so is the ending! I loved it.

    • 4/5
      fun romcom
    • 3/5
      This really wasn't my kind of book. Whether it's to do with taste or it's an age thing (22), where I'll connect with this kind of book better when I'm older... I don't know. I'll try to explain this so if your reading tastes are the same as mine, you might think to avoid this one.

      First off, it was decently written. Particularly for Rainbow Rowell's debut. It had some wit and charm to it. And the concept behind the book- a guy hired to read the emails of newspaper staff falls in love with a girl he's never met- is really clever.
      But there was sort of an ennui to it. That vibe you get from certain adult fiction books, that mild dissatisfaction with domestic life, you know? The slow-burning kind of drama. The main characters in this book had that, and it made this a sluggish read for me. I prefer passion & new beginnings I guess, compared to watching something fall apart.
      There were a few other things that bugged me. The emails were a bit unrealistic (though the book is set in the year 2000, so maybe correct for the time?), longish sometimes, where the characters would essentially narrate a scene in email form. There were a few too many movie references and cliches for me, particularly in the romance. I love a good pop culture reference, but this went a bit too far. And finally, I didn't really buy into the romance- I felt like after a certain point of email reading, it was doomed.

      So basically, my style is more Fangirl than Attachments. For me, at times this book was at times mildly pleasant, and at times mildly unpleasant. No extremes. I'd probably avoid any similar books in future, but only because I don't enjoy them as much as I'd like to, not because I hate them or anything.

    • 4/5
      Lincoln is 28-years old and lives at home with his mom; he sometimes plays D&D on Saturdays with a group of friends. He took an IT job that he doesn’t like, and there’s really not much to do. He works the night shift (till midnight) and his main purpose is to read emails that have been flagged as going against company policy. It’s 1999 and the company (a newspaper) was late bringing email to the workplace. As Jennifer’s and Beth’s emails back and forth are constantly being flagged, Lincoln develops an interest in their conversations and neglects to bother warning them. He then falls for Beth…

      I really enjoyed this! Almost all the characters were likable. I’m glad it ended the way it did. I’m more of an 80’s child, but many of the 90s references were fun, too! The only thing was that it seemed more like chatting or texting (with how short some of the emails were) rather than emails, but that’s a little thing.
    • 2/5
      Meh. I've been on a Rowell kick and I think maybe I came into this one a bit burnt out on her writing style, which I still like. I was excited to read her debut novel and to see how her storytelling panned out with adult characters (her other two books are considered YA). Unfortunately, I found myself underwhelmed with this story. I didn't attach to these characters like I did to the characters in Fangirl and E&P. I also started to notice a formulaic approach to her male and female lead characters and it irked me. I still love how quick and fun Rowell's novels are and I'm excited to read the next one...just maybe not right away.
    • 3/5
      I didn't dislike it, as a matter of fact I was pretty entertained. It's just that the fact that I was entertained enough to finish it doesn't make it a great book. The premise is interesting, reading the emails is interesting, but there are flaws. Lincoln reminded me of a few people I know in real life, so it was hard to find him creepy as many other reviewers have pointed out. More like incredibly socially awkward in terms of women/flirting and unable to break the habit that gave him boosts of self confidence. Beth and Jennifer were amusing, though I found it strange that they used email instead of meeting in person to discuss some of the more serious topics.
    • 4/5
      Loved this book! It was so much fun reading something that was set at the turn of the century, centering around email and other internet technology (somewhat minorly). It reminded me of the panic that spread, but also how for some people there was just life. The story was great, and I felt like I really got to know and care about all of the characters.
    • 5/5
      The worst thing about reading a Rainbow Rowell book is finishing a Rainbow Rowell book. She is one of the few authors whose books I'm tempted to close and go back to page one immediately and read it all again. Her voice is phenomenal, her characters completely realistic and she weaves in pop culture, of all types, without making fun of any of them. Rowell is quickly becoming my favorite author.
    • 5/5
      ***poof****

      is the sound of my brain exploding as Rainbow Rowell pulls off the hat trick, writing three books that have all made me either stay up way past bedtime and/or take excessively long lunch hours because I CAN'T STOP READING UNTIL THEY KISS.

      Such a great book, though. Not just the love story, but also its examination of late-adulthood, adults living at home with parents, not knowing what to do in your late-20s, and various types of relationships and Lincoln IS SO CUTE I CAN'T EVEN
    • 5/5
      Attachments by Rainbow Rowell is a very enjoyable book. I found it very sweet but, to be honest, a little creepy at times. The idea of someone reading my personal communication with another person via e-mail/messenger services (which I’m sure happens at my job more than I know) is very intrusive.

      Half of the book is written as conversations between Beth (a movie reviewer) and Jennifer (a copy writer). Honestly, I may have mixed up their job titles but I don’t think that was the important thing about the book. I wouldn’t say they were much different than conversations I have with my friends, the first page has Jennifer thinking she’s pregnant because she had too much to drink. Work appropriate, probably not. Friend appropriate, definitely. The other half of the book is written from Lincoln’s perspective. He’s the one monitoring the interoffice correspondence and, while he should be reporting what he’s reading, he doesn’t. Instead, he begins to develop feelings. Now, while I loved this book I have an issue with Lincoln “falling in love” with someone based on their conversations with another person. I realize this is all fiction and fiction does not have to be logical or practical. I myself have never been in love but I’m told love is not typically logical or practical in real life either. To that I say “whatever” and shrug my shoulders. However, I am a huge fan of the meet-cute and throughout the book I kept waiting for the meet-cute because it just seemed like that kind of book.

      As with any book I read, I try to put myself into the situation. What if I was reading someone’s emails and began to fall for them. Would that happen? Can I fall for someone based off of their conversations with another person? I have no way of knowing that because that isn’t my line of work, thank god. As Lincoln falls in love with one of the girls, he learns through e-mail that she’s been noticing him as well. Mostly admiring from afar but also borderline stalking him. Not once did one speak to the other until the eventual meet-cute. There were so many times where I just wanted one to say something to the other! Although, Lincoln felt it would be weird to speak to her because he’d eventually have to admit he read all of her emails (he’s right) and she admitted it would be weird to approach him because she had been stalking him (she was also right).

      I loved Lincoln’s growth throughout the book. I related to this guy. He’s a bit awkward, geeky, shy and very single - meaning he hasn’t dated in years .. or even tried. He didn’t feel like he had much to offer so he threw himself into school and after that, he took a job he hated and just stuck with that for no particular reason. He had trouble moving out of his mother’s house and he played a lot of D&D. He wasn’t socially inept, he had friends that he regularly spent time with. I feel you, Lincoln. I’ve only recently moved out of my parent’s house. I’m still in a job that isn’t doing much for me. I still don’t date, nor do I try to. I totally get it. I’m with him 100%.

      I appreciate this book because sometimes you just need a book that makes you feel good. Rainbow Rowell is great at writing books that make me feel good. I’m actually plowing through almost everything she’s written. I’d read fanfiction if she wrote it (actually, she is writing a book of “fanfiction” .. well the fanfiction a character in another book of hers wrote). Attachments was a book that made an old curmudgeon like me smile and “aww”. For that, Rainbow Rowell, I am eternally grateful.
    • 5/5
      I have all the feels right now. *hugs book to chest*
    • 3/5
      [*personal rants coming through]

      It might be romantic when a guy falls in love on who you are first before seeing your appearance. The privacy, however, is spared.

      I got high expectations in this book because I really like "Eleanor & Park". When I started reading it, all my mind was saying b-o-r-i-n-g. It was hard for me to read the e-mail conversations, and I kept on floating at the first part.

      Who would use company's e-mail to chat about private lives? More importantly, if you know that your e-mails are being filtered, why would you? And now that you found out who's the one in charge of reading it, you will get mad, huh?
      And if you're the boss of the company, why would you prohibit bad words? What are they, high school students?

      Shoving the common sense and reality aside, I think the story is cute. In the usual chick lits I've read, it's pretty much the side and perspective of a female. In here, it's the guy who is the pathetic one lol I mean the one who wants to be loved. It's really adorable when a guy actually likes you because of being you.

      It's just that I can't seem relate to their work and stories. I also can't relate with the movies and series they were talking about =.= This is not a problem, but it somehow bugs me.

      A thing that I observed is their culture. In Filipino culture, it is normal to stay with your family as long as you want to. Some people are still living with their parents even if they are already married. While in other cultures, like in this book, if you reach the legal age, it is normal to move out and be independent. In either way, choosing to stay or move out constitutes a very important decision in one's life.