Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Review: Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

4.5 stars
 
Need a friend? Call Chloe. How about a laugh? Enter Chloe with joke book in hand.

Chloe was the queen of her universe. She has family that adores her, crazy grandma that is always up for Brad Pitt movies day, and two best friends that have been her friend for such a long time. Then everything crashes. Her older brother leaves her for college, her mother and grandma are in third world war, and Chloe’s best friends dump her because they consider her fail as a friend. In addition, there is a new school counselor who wants Chloe to change her topic on Junior Independent Study Project (JISP). JISP is a project when a junior is required to contribute something useful to community. It is all about passion and Chloe is determined to have topic concerning about her number one passion: shoes. However, there is a twist of event and suddenly, she is required to help promoting her school radio station for her JISP project.


Chloe knows nothing about radio, but she knows about promotion. At first, she wanted to help the dying radio station because of her duty as promo manager, but as time progresses by, Chloe finds herself having a new home in the radio station. She becomes friends with people whom her old best friend called ‘outsiders’. Chloe also learns that in radio, sometimes it is very crucial to shut up and just listen.


Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe is a very brilliant debut and I love every minute reading this book. With her cheerful attitude and happy-go-lucky motto, you can’t help but liking Chloe. She is bubbly and she does talk too much, but along the story, her character is greatly improved and she becomes more mature. Chloe’s grandmother is suffering from Parkinson disease and Chloe had hard time struggling to accept that this time she is the one who takes care of her grandma, but I really like the way she handles the family problem. Chloe is a strong a character and one I wouldn’t mind being friends with.


Another thing I like about this book is Duncan, the fix-all guy who is responsible for technical stuff in the radio station. Duncan works in two places and he hardly has time to sleep or do his homework. Duncan didn’t have much fun in his life so I really like it that the coming of Chloe to his life has brightened his days. Duncan definitely needs more fun in his life and Chloe always successfully makes him crack a smile or laugh at her lines.


This book is definitely a keeper. Chloe is different from most main characters. She’s confident and she knows how to make the best of her talents. One thing I like most about Chloe is she tries to befriend with everyone. She has moments of imperfection when she’s so full of herself, but she is not afraid to evaluate herself and always tries to make up for her faults.


I think this book can do even better with more details. There should be a passage about other workers in the radio station. I want to find out about the fate of Haley’s baby or whether Clementine has some private stuff going on in her life too. Some characters, like Chloe’s older brothers, are only mentioned in the book. It would be much better if they show up or even a phone call would be perfect.


In overall, I really like the book. This book deserves an addition of half star because I really like Chloe’s character. Her problems are real and I can completely relate to her. Her former best friend Brie did many horrible things to her despite their long time friendship, and I can understand how hurtful and confused Chloe must be. What makes Chloe admirable is her power to always stay positive. This is such a brilliant debut and I can wait to read more amazing book from Shelley Coriell!


Because when you cared about people, you handed them a little piece of your heart, and with those hands, they had the power to cause pain.
 
 
 
 
 I rate this book: 
 
 Four cups of tea. Amazing! Love the book, it’s simply awesome. I love the tea flavor!  A strong recommendation.

11 comments:

  1. Awesome review, Hilda! I am eager to get started on this now after your review - you make it sounds like a fun read! I was worried Chloe's character might be the sort who gets on my nerves but I'm happy to hear you think her character greatly improves and she matures. I can't wait to read this now! :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Sam! At first I though Chloe would be just another spoiled and full of drama character, but it turns out that she's full of fun and care of people around her! I so can't wait to read your thought on this book, Sam, hopefully you'll like it too! <3

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  2. Hilda, I LOVED YOUR REVIEW!! It's clear how much you love Chloe just from your review and now I'm sure I'll love her too xD I LOVE people who just shrug it off when things go bad and continue to see the glass as half full, if you know what I mean! So I'm sure I'll enjoy meeting Chloe!!! It also seems like way more than just another YA contemp, with the many interesting subplots. The first few reviews I read of this book weren't that great but now I am totally in the mood for reading this book once again! If it weren't for exams, I'd pick it up right away.

    It's so sad about her old friends. Such things can really hurt. The quote at the end broke my heart! Ohmygod, totally makes me want to read it asap! It's so going to the top of my TBR pile. Thank you for the amazing review, Hilda <3

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    1. Oh my, is that easy to tell how much I love Chloe? xD I clearly get what you mean, Ajoop! I love main character who is bubbly and full of optimism, but not overly enthusiastic! I didn't expect to like this book very much either! The story's style kind of reminds me of Sarah Dessen's style, which is one of my favorite author ever! :)

      Good luck with your exams, Ajoop! I'm currently on exam too *shudder* so I went MIA last week! x( Hopefully you can read the book soon and end up loving it! <3

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  3. I don't know how you do it, but you made a book I originally skimmed over SO MUCH COOLER! <3 I remember seeing this one before and passing it up, but your review made me add this to my TBR pile for sure! I've only read a handful of contemporary books that I love, so I'm really glad you enjoyed this one. And Chloe sounds AMAZING! I think that one of the best things about contemporary books is that the main character almost always goes through that awesome character growth, of if she starts out pretty great, I can only imagine how much you must love her in the end! :)

    Amazingly beautiful review, Hilda! I'm definitely planning on reading this sweet-sounding contemporary soon -- thanks so much for convincing me! ;) <3

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    1. One thing I enjoy from Contemporary YA is, the main character almost always grows up throughout the story! There are some cases when they are extremely annoying and I ended up thinking to throw the books against the wall though LOL. :P Luckily this book is not one of the rare cases! x)

      Thank you, Mimi! I can't wait to read your review, I hope you'll have fun reading it just as much as I had! Chloe rocks! <3

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  4. Ooo I'm so glad to see you loved this book. I've been hearing mixed reviews about it on Goodreads. I'm looking forward to checking it out. Awesome review, Hilda!

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    1. Thank you, Mesa! <3 I hope you'll enjoy reading this book as much as I did too! Can't wait to read your review! :)

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  5. Makes me want to read it sooo much! Nice review!

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    1. Thanks, Nana! If you ever read this book later, I hope you'll love it too! :)

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  6. Chloe seems like such an adorable character! I love it when characters are optimistic and cheerful because it inspires ME to be more happy, ha. I'm really glad she continues to be so positive throughout the book. Wonderful review, Hilda! Now I want to get to know Chloe's character too. :)

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