Read this one in a single sitting. A mix of an Ocean's Eleven style caper movie and and a sweet romance with a hefty dose of eighties nostalgia.

Light and fun. Good beach read, I think.

It had a YA feel to it but they wouldn't get all the old school references so I'm not entirely sure if it is officially on that category. ( )

Full Review on my blog!

Cute, funny, 1980’s love story~

Fourteen year old Billy (Will) Marvin loves hanging out with his two friends, Alf & Clark, and programming video games on his Commodore 64. But when Playboy publishes photos of Vanna White, Billy and his friends do almost anything to get copies… including breaking in to Zelinsky’s store to steal copies. Along the way of trying to get their copies Billy meets Mary Zelinsky, and everything changes. He starts going to her fathers store; they hang out everyday, programming and hanging out..

There were so many surprise, and omg moments. This book was perfect and the author did a good job creating this perfect world. I highly recommend it!

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As a huge fan of 80's movies and the evolution of technology, this story embraces all the funny of adolescent boys and the complications of high school with the fun look back at the fledgling success of home computers. Even when most of us don’t understand all the coding and binary language used throughout this novel, if you were alive during this era, you can still remember the complexity of the early machines and life before a graphical user interface. The relationships in this story sweet and simple, yet they still throw you the occasional curveball. You’ve got your funny, crass, “chunky” kid, the nervous heartthrob, the nerd, the bad boy, and the token girl. All these characters with the classic buildup to a contest, pubescent love, parental strife, small town adventure and trouble, combines to create an epic blockbuster. ( )

Jason Rekulak’s The Impossible Fortress is as 1980s as John Hughes, Molly Ringwald, and Aqua Net, and I really enjoyed it.

Billy is a good kid but a poor student, focusing on teaching himself computer programming instead of on his school work at a time when programming is a laughable job prospect. He has been making games for his C64 such as “Strip Poker with Christie Brinkley” and, as an inexperienced teenage boy, is preoccupied with boobs.

When Vanna White appears on the cover of Playboy, Billy and two of his friends decide they have to get their hands on a copy. The problem is that the only place that carries it is Mr. Zelinsky’s typewriter repair shop and general store.

Enter Mr. Zelinsky’s daughter, Mary, who, like Billy, is learning programming, but who, unlike Billy, has ivy-league college plans. She tells Billy about a contest for a game company—the prize being a far faster and newer computer than the C64. He wants to participate but needs Mary’s help because the graphics in his game, The Impossible Fortress, are too slow to play. The two dedicate themselves to learning ML (machine language) and to ironing out the bugs in Billy’s game in time to enter the competition. Billy and his friends, meanwhile, have not forgotten Vanna White. Not only is she an obsession, but the photographs of her have become a business opportunity. This is where the meet-cute between boy and girl begins to unravel…

I commend the author’s effort to recapture the nostalgia of a decade I grew up in (and am excited to report that there is a version of this game on the author’s website). I remember C64 programming in the computer lab at my school, and it was fun to think about something I haven’t thought of in decades. The characters are absolutely compelling—Billy’s in particular—and I’m thrilled that Jason Rekulak left political correctness at the curb. Some of what is said or done in the book is typical 1980s before bullying was a “thing,” and when shaming of any sort (in this case mostly weight-shaming) wasn’t only common but sort of a given among kids and their peers. If you’re not of this generation, perhaps you’re going to make a bigger deal of these finer points, but know they are absolutely authentic.

I am not normally a reader of YA fiction, and I’m not sure The Impossible Fortress is really meant for millennial young adults. I expect most of the references would be lost on anyone who didn’t experience the 80s firsthand. As a throwback, this book is every bit as enjoyable as watching The Goonies or Stand by Me (totally different generation, I know, but equally coming of age) in that it is a story about a wacky young adult caper with deeper subtext about choices and consequences. I wasn’t wild about Mary’s side story *no spoilers* but I wasn’t put off by it enough to downgrade to four stars. I just think that whole thing, and the scene with Billy and the others headed to the convent, could have been stripped out and the book would have been stronger for it. Still, I loved it. I haven’t wanted to binge-read so badly in a long time, and I’m sad to see The Impossible Fortress end. 5-stars and highly recommended. ( )

I had a chance to read this one when it was still in pre-publishing format a few months ago, so some details may not line up with the final copy. The wonderful thing is the story has stuck with me for these last few months and I quite enjoyed it. The other wonderful thing is this is a Book of the Month selection this month, so for just $5, you can try Book of the Month and get this book! (Plug plug)

The book takes place in 1987 and centers around Billy, who is a nerd. He loves his computer almost as much as his friends, but his computer is older and the game he created is flawed because of it. It runs too slowly and there are programming problems, but it is all about his game.

There is something else magical about 1987, Playboy has just come out with an issue that features Wheel of Fortune letter turner Vanna White! If Billy and his friends can just get a copy, not only can they see Vanna in all her glory, but the plan is to photocopy the magazine and sell copies to their friends. It is a fool proof plan with the only step being- get the magazine.

This leads Billy to a store where he thinks he can get the magazine. In the back of the store are two computers that are better than his and behind one is Mary. She is an expert programmer, has nothing but time as she helps out at the store, but has a secret that she is unwilling to share with Billy. The other kids make fun of Mary, but a computer game and a plan to get a Playboy, will bring Billy and Mary together.

On a purely nostalgic level, this book connected with me so much. I was a similar age as Billy in 1987, I too loved computer games, and I remember that Playboy. It truly was one of those- we gotta see inside issues. So, it hit all the right buttons for someone like me.

It was also a lot of fun. It was a cute romance story that isn't quite a romance either as the two leads are in their teens. It is a childhood romance, so to speak. The characters were well developed and the feel for the time was just right.

The story wasn't quite perfect though. I enjoyed it a ton, but the Playboy storyline became second fiddle as did Billy's friends. The break in story line was a tad convoluted, especially with how it was to be pulled off. There were also some other problems with the storyline, especially the big secret which even someone Billy's age should have figured out pretty quickly.

It worked though. It was a fun read that as I was reading it, I kept asking myself- why I am I taking this so seriously? It is a good afternoon read where you just want to sit back and enjoy yourself for a bit- not too heavy and not too deep, but a fun romp back in time.

I gave this one 3 stars.

* I wish to thank NetGalley for the early edition. I received it in exchange for an honest review
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