Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe - Shelley Coriell
Synopsis: Big-hearted Chloe
Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation
and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is
forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her
school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too
queenly. Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s
mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the
station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends
radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and
off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy
in everyday life. Readers will fall in love with Chloe as she falls in love
with the radio station and the misfits who call it home. (From Goodreads)
I started this book the night
before I meant to pack up and move out of my apartment. It was about midnight
when I started, so I only got in a couple chapters before I put it down
reluctantly. I got up in the morning and told myself I’d just read a little bit
and then I’d get to work. A couple chapters turned into needing to read the
whole thing and…well…let’s just say I was still packing up my car at 3 in the
morning, forgot to clean out my fridge (the food was all out, but I didn’t
really clean it…), and had to leave for home about 4 hours later than I planned
the next day. And it was so worth it.
This is the kind of book that
sucks you in and shares its incredible energy with you. I swear I was cheery
all day, and it was because of Chloe’s personality. She’s such a happy person,
even when things kind of suck. Her motto is something along the lines of – if
something sucks, make it fun. Bring the party with you. She has such an
infectious way of making everyone’s day brighter. After I read this, I was bored waiting for an oil change and wondering - What would Chloe do?
Not kidding.
But it’s more than just fun and
sunshine. It’s about friends growing up and growing apart. Chloe has to deal
with her friends rejecting her and dragging her through the dirt. I so admire
how she deals – I think I would crawl into a hole and never come out – but
Chloe takes the lot she’s given and she deals with it. I mean – she’s the only
person who could make dressing up like a burrito look like a fashion statement.
Then there’s the not-so-subtle message (there’s nothing subtle about this
book!) that there’s more to life than speaking and letting other people know
you – you have to listen to get to know others as well.
My favorite part of the book is
when someone asks Chloe why she’s doing something. She kind of thinks it over
and she just answers, “Because it’s fun.” That to me seems like a, “duh,”
moment. Like why would you ever do anything? I know there are some things you
just do because you have to, but then there are others that you just do because
they bring you joy. That is a moment I will carry around with me for a very
long time.
This was a wonderful break from
all the dark books that can only hold on to small, hopeful aspects. This book
radiates warmth and happiness. Chloe’s personality is just so great that it
cannot be contained within the pages of a book. I swear she’s still with me,
telling me to make the best of what comes my way.
Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe - Shelley Coriell
Synopsis: Big-hearted Chloe
Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation
and her school counselor axes her junior independent study project. Chloe is
forced to take on a meaningful project in order to pass, and so she joins her
school’s struggling radio station, where the other students don’t find her too
queenly. Ostracized by her former BFs and struggling with her beloved Grams’s
mental deterioration, lonely Chloe ends up hosting a call-in show that gets the
station much-needed publicity and, in the end, trouble. She also befriends
radio techie and loner Duncan Moore, a quiet soul with a romantic heart. On and
off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy
in everyday life. Readers will fall in love with Chloe as she falls in love
with the radio station and the misfits who call it home. (From Goodreads)
I started this book the night
before I meant to pack up and move out of my apartment. It was about midnight
when I started, so I only got in a couple chapters before I put it down
reluctantly. I got up in the morning and told myself I’d just read a little bit
and then I’d get to work. A couple chapters turned into needing to read the
whole thing and…well…let’s just say I was still packing up my car at 3 in the
morning, forgot to clean out my fridge (the food was all out, but I didn’t
really clean it…), and had to leave for home about 4 hours later than I planned
the next day. And it was so worth it.
This is the kind of book that
sucks you in and shares its incredible energy with you. I swear I was cheery
all day, and it was because of Chloe’s personality. She’s such a happy person,
even when things kind of suck. Her motto is something along the lines of – if
something sucks, make it fun. Bring the party with you. She has such an
infectious way of making everyone’s day brighter. After I read this, I was bored waiting for an oil change and wondering - What would Chloe do?
Not kidding.
But it’s more than just fun and
sunshine. It’s about friends growing up and growing apart. Chloe has to deal
with her friends rejecting her and dragging her through the dirt. I so admire
how she deals – I think I would crawl into a hole and never come out – but
Chloe takes the lot she’s given and she deals with it. I mean – she’s the only
person who could make dressing up like a burrito look like a fashion statement.
Then there’s the not-so-subtle message (there’s nothing subtle about this
book!) that there’s more to life than speaking and letting other people know
you – you have to listen to get to know others as well.
My favorite part of the book is
when someone asks Chloe why she’s doing something. She kind of thinks it over
and she just answers, “Because it’s fun.” That to me seems like a, “duh,”
moment. Like why would you ever do anything? I know there are some things you
just do because you have to, but then there are others that you just do because
they bring you joy. That is a moment I will carry around with me for a very
long time.
This was a wonderful break from
all the dark books that can only hold on to small, hopeful aspects. This book
radiates warmth and happiness. Chloe’s personality is just so great that it
cannot be contained within the pages of a book. I swear she’s still with me,
telling me to make the best of what comes my way.