We’ve been chatting a lot about Alex, Approximately on Riveted these past couple weeks and by now, you are totally in love with it right? If not, go read the extended excerpt! It’s available until April 17. I’ll just add my voice in saying it’s a perfect twist on the they-don’t-know-they-love-their-nemesis formula.

giphy-1

If you’re like me and LOVE this plot line, please enjoy these listening/viewing/reading options to get through the post-Alex, Approximately-slump:


Not Exactly a Love Story by Audrey Coulombis

Not Exactly a love story

This twist set in the 1970s is a little different because the guy knows who the girl is from the start. Like Bailey, Vinnie moves after his parents’ divorce and has a lot to sort out. Not like Bailey, Vinnie starts calling his popular neighbor every night at midnight—and she keeps picking up. Soon they’re falling for each other, but Vinnie’s secret threatens to mess it all up.


She Loves Me (1963)

she loves me

(photo via playbill.com)

This musical tells the story of two coworkers who hate each other’s guts, but are—unbeknownst to them—actually pen pals. It’s got all the happy, dancey goodness of a classic musical, and all the angst/twitterpation of the secretly-in-love story. The musical has had a few revivals, most recently last year with Zachary Levi (feast your ears). She Loves Me is based on the 1940s film The Shop Around the Corner, just like . . .


You’ve Got Mail (1998)

Honestly just the swooniest romcom of all time for book lovers. Set against the big-box-store-vs-indie, You’ve Got Mail never gets old. One of the reasons I love Alex, Approximately is how place-specific it is—the atmospheric beach town is almost its own character. You’ve Got Mail feels so New York City you can almost smell the pretzels. Also, can we talk about when Joe and Kathy finally meet in Riverside Park and Joe says, “don’t cry, shopgirl”?! I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING.