Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is gearing up to spend an epic summer with her amazing boyfriend, Jason, when he suddenly breaks up with her—no reasons, no warning, and in public no less! Lainey is more than crushed, but with help from her friend Bianca, she resolves to do whatever it takes to get Jason back.
And that’s when the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. With just one glance, they’re sure they can use the book to lure Jason back into Lainey’s arms. So Lainey channels her inner warlord, recruiting spies to gather intel and persuading her coworker Micah to pose as her new boyfriend to make Jason jealous. After a few “dates”, it looks like her plan is going to work! But now her relationship with Micah is starting to feel like more than just a game.
What’s a girl to do when what she wants is totally different from what she needs? How do you figure out the person you’re meant to be with if you’re still figuring out the person you’re meant to be?
The Art of War is always being spoken of, showcased in movies, referenced in novels, but never have I paid actual attention to it. Of course, that is, until this book here came along. Sure, it may not always pertain to every day life, but it’s always good to have something to fall back on. Either way I’m assuming it’s one of those books everyone needs to get to eventually. The Art of Lainey puts the idea of actually going off what Sun Tzu has to say in an odd perspective. Sure, advice is great when it comes to revenge, but how much advice is too much?
I really enjoyed The Art of Lainey mainly because it plays around with the idea of fate and going with the “natural order” of things while questioning if the easiest and/or most predictable option is the best one for you. I find this entire idea to be something relevant not only to adolescents, but to people of all ages unsure of what path to choose in life. Sometimes going against the typical is a good, even grand, thing, but we can never be too sure until we make the choice to go against the norm. I loved how Lainey handled her unique situation so realistically and even more, I loved the outcome of her taking a chance on things.
Something I thought about a few times during The Art of Lainey is how similar I found Micah to Lloyd Dobler from Say Anything. Then again, I recently saw the film…again…for like the twentieth time and I’m always looking for Lloyd Dobler similarities. Subconsciously, of course. Micah was one of the sweetest bad boys ever, and while he had his little quirks, I’m so glad he wasn’t prone to changing for just any girl. He stood by what he believed in despite some of Lainey’s distaste for some of his hobbies and there’s something really admirable about them both going from disliking each others flaws to accurately being okay with/enjoying them. The chemistry between these two was there just about one hundred and five percent of the time and the realism of their recurring friendship/relationship was new and refreshing. I also liked how Amber and Jason, Micah and Lainey’s exes, weren’t necessarily played out as the bad guys at the end of things. While neither of them were right for one another, they weren’t totally played out as the rulers of all evil and it was nice to see things end on semi-civil terms.
The Art of Lainey is an original story about a girl who gets way too caught up in winning back her ex that she forgets sometimes the best people have been standing by us the entire time.
Rating: 9/10
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