Review: Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe By: Shelly Coriell

Title: Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe
Author: Shelly Coriell
Publisher: Amulet Books, 320 Pages (May 1st, 2012)
From: the Publisher, via Net Galley
Format: eARC
Add to: Goodreads

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.

Review: 3 Stars - Contemporary title Welcome, Caller, this is Chloe By: Shelley Coriell was an entertaining story about the journey one teen girl takes when her happy go lucky life is taken away in the blink of an eye and what she does to work through, push on and come out on the other side.

Chloe is a bubbly outgoing popular girl at her school. That is until one day she finds she’s been shunned by her two best friends Brie and Mercedes. The three were joined at the hip, did everything together until the day that it all changed. This part of the story might have been the catalyst to the changes Chloe is facing; however this part of the story wasn’t my favorite part. It confused me a bit and made me question a few things. One thing that I loved about Chloe was that she kept pushing forward. With issues at home, issues at school and all the various other teen girl issues falling all around her, she still managed to find strength and pushing onward and upward.

The best part of the story for me was Chloe and the radio station. Which is a school run, run down, about to be closed, struggling radio station with a brightly colored cast of characters. It’s these moments throughout the story and the moments with Chloe’s grandmother that made Chloe and her story for me. I think that the fact that everyone was able to learn something from each other and see that not everyone is perfect and that life is not always roses was another thing that I was glad to see with this rag tag group.

Now, why I’ve sang the praises of the radio station outcasts and scenes with Chloe’s and her grandmother… I wanted more from this one. I had SUCH high hopes for it and in ways it felt…. well for lack of a better word - flat. I still enjoyed reading, but Chloe was sometimes a bit over the top for me and the writing was basic, but just didn’t make me feel excited about the story and the characters. And trust me, I hate saying that.

All in all, Welcome, Caller, this is Chloe is a quick and easy entertaining story that held my attention but didn’t grip me as much as I’d have liked it to. While I did give this one 3 Stars, it was saved by the mish-mashed group at the radio station and a grandmother with Parkinson’s. For me it’s always hard to write a review on a title that I had such high hopes for and have it fall short, but it does happen to us all from time to time. I recommend this title to anyone who’s looking for a light hearted, quick read.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.