The Valentines: May 2014

So, Valentine and all-around awesome person Paula Stokes wrote this adorable, touching, funny book that is coming out today. I am blessed with good fortune in all things, and so I got to read it early. Which is why I can tell you with absolute certainty that you want it!

First things first. Awesome cover?

check.

Awesome description:

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?

check.

And if that's not enough, I have some more reasons you want (and need) The Art of Lainey:

It’s educational: I bet one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to read a classic this year, so what better way to cross something off your checklist by reading a book completely inspired by one of the most enduring texts of all time?

It’s hilarious: Two thousand year old military tactics as deployed in an independent coffee shop and at teenage house parties? Oh yeah, this book is funny.

It’s swoony: In order to engage in proper warlike tactics, Lainey enlists the help of one a certain coffeehouse baker, who happens to also be into punk music and piercings. Yes, he’s as delicious as he sounds. World, meet Micah. Micah, meet world.

It’s empowering: I know I said it was swoony, but this is also the story of girl who once used her boyfriend to define her life now striking out and finding a new life of her own. It’s girl power with soccer cleats and a barista’s apron.