There’s no overt difference in the reading levels of Eleanor & Park and Landline both are plot-driven, with a lightness despite their emotional heft, and you’ll zip through either in a night or two. The difference between this “adult” book and Rowell’s YA books is not one of content, really, or even quality of prose. Georgie, from her more experienced perspective, worries sagely that “just because you love someone, that doesn’t mean your lives will fit together.” But young Neal brings his own wisdom to the relationship, and an Eleanor & Park–esque faith that love can solve, or at least help ameliorate, the inevitable difficulties of life. Indeed, the Neal of the past who “still looked at Georgie like she was something brand-new and supernatural,” though he’s 22, reads somewhat like a YA teen: lacking any foreknowledge of his adult life, his emotions raw and felt for the first time. It’s wistfully evocative to pair those scenes with the more stately (and sometimes exhausted) aspects of adult life, and, not least, the comfort and trust a couple grows to place in one another. The scenes of Neal and Georgie’s first confusing, exciting steps toward love-their awkward conversations and even more awkward make-out sessions-are enjoyable in a way redolent of reading YA. This structure allows adult Georgie to revisit her younger self, a technique that doesn’t occur in YA, but which, notably, heightens the experience of reading YA as an adult. Along with the business about the magic phone, Rowell writes numerous flashback scenes, allowing two Georgies to exist in tandem with the two Neals: the fresh twentysomething versions just starting out, and the married, love-worn parents heading into their 40s.
The show Georgie’s been developing since college is called Passing Time, and the passage of time is key to Landline. "A must-read for fans of slice-of-life high-school manga like Nio Nakatani's Bloom into You.While the device of the telephone occasionally seems a little bit clunky-maybe it’s just all that rotary dialing-the way it allows Rowell to bend time back and forth has plenty of interesting ramifications, and makes sense as a technique for an author comfortable writing for and about teens and adults.
The resulting product is an understated exploration of love and self, full of quiet joy." - The AV Club "Not only does Oseman imbue Charlie and Nick with plenty of charm and vulnerability, she also treats them (and their interior worlds) with a level of understanding and care that elevates the story, blending the genres of teen romance and coming-of-age in a highly moving manner.
"The storytelling moves effortlessly from tearful poignance to laugh-worthy moments to stirring romance." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "A warm, comfortable story of fledgling love." - Publishers Weekly "Will win readers with its sweet romance, its queer-friendly storyline, and its light-touch relationship drama.This graphic novel lives up to its heart-stopper title." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "The romance and realistic fiction will draw readers in to this sweet story." - Booklist
* "Nick and Charlie's lighthearted and tender romance is delightful, and the genuine heart present in the characters makes for a wholesome and uplifting ride. falling in love doesn't get more charming than this." - Ngozi Ukazu, New York Times bestselling author of Check, Please! "You'll smile watching Charlie and Nick open up to one another, and sigh as they tiptoe into romance. New York Public Library Best Book of 2020 I read each book in one sitting." - The Nerd Daily "Will win readers with its sweet romance, its queer-friendly storyline, and its light-touch relationship drama… This graphic novel lives up to its heart-stopper title." - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "With all the blushing and awkward glances, it's difficult not to be charmed… The romance and realistic fiction will draw readers in to this sweet story." - Booklist "Realistic yet uplifting, this tale of self-discovery will make readers' hearts skip a beat." - School Library Journal * "Incredibly lovable from start to finish." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review "You'll smile watching Charlie and Nick open up to one another, and sigh as they tiptoe into romance… falling in love doesn’t get more charming than this." - Ngozi Ukazu, New York Times bestselling author of Check, Please! I loved this book." - Rainbow Rowell, author of Carry On