skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Title: Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe
Author: Shelley Coriell
Publisher: Amulet Books
Release date: May 1st 2012
Pages: 320
Genre: Contemporary YA
Source: NetGalley
Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend sheds 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.
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe was hard to get into, for me. It starts out describing the fall-out between Chloe and her best friends Brie and Mercedes, and that whole storyline seemed very contrived to me. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but what her friends get upset about is... well, it's not really that big of a deal. What she did wasn't right, but it's not something to end a lifelong friendship over. I also didn't get why they decided to be mad now, when the thing that upset them happened a while ago. The mean things Brie does to ge back at Chloe are crazy, and totally out of proportion to what Chloe did to her. Brie's character just didn't make sense to me. I can't explain it better without spoilers, but it the storyline felt very contrived, as if the author just needed something that could get Chloe away from her usual social scene and couldn't think of anything better.
Once Chloe starts helping at the radio station, though, I really liked the plot. I liked reading about everything that happened at the radio station. The plot is fun and original, and perfectly paced. I also really liked reading about Chloe's family situation. Chloe's grandma has Parkinson's, and it was interesting to read about how that affects the family. It's not a topic you see every day in YA.
My favorite part of Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe are the characters at the radio station. They all have unique personalities and problems, and all of their stories are interesting to read about.
What I didn't like, though, is Chloe. The main character annoyed me to no end. I didn't get the motivations for her actions, and I couldn't connect to her. The reader is told repetitively how big a personality Chloe has and how fun to be around she is, but I didn't see it. I wanted Chloe to show us what she's like instead of telling us over and over again that she has a big heart. (Seriously, who says that about themself? "I have a big heart."?) Chloe is full of herself and whiny, and that kept me from really caring what happens to her.
The writing isn't all that great, either. It's choppy and very basic. The same words are used repetitively to describe the characters - it's like each one of them has an adjective that is used almost every time they appear in the story. I can only take Chloe talking about "broad-shouldered Duncan" so many times until I start rolling my eyes every time the word appears.
There are things I loved and things I hated about Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe - it has a fun plot and complex secondary characters, but the MC and the writing style didn't work for me. It's a quick, fun read, but nothing more.
Today we have Chloe from Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe here for a character interview! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell. You can find out all about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops if you'd like to know more about Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe!
1. How did your fall-out with your former best friends, Brie and Mercedes, affect your experience at the radio station? How would it have differed if you'd still been best friends with Brie and Mercedes?
In radio jargon, silence is called Dead Air. After Brie and Merce left me, my life was full of booming, miserable Dead Air. Initially I tried to fill the silence with my talk shows, but the radio staff and my callers helped me discover that sometimes I just need to go to a quiet place and listen. Honestly, I’m not sure if I could have found that quiet place if I were still best friends with Brie and Merce. They expected—maybe even needed—me to be bubbly and cheerful, especially Brie who’s been having serious home problems for years.
2. I loved reading about your talk show and the radio station in general. Are radio shows something you could see yourself doing in the future?
Definitely. I love connecting with people, and talk radio is all about people and finding out what’s on their minds and in their hearts. I could also see myself operating a people-oriented business, maybe a restaurant like Dos Hermanas Mexican Cantina.
3. If you had to describe yourself as a color, what would you be?
Poppy – a brilliant shade of red-orange
4. Shoes play an important part in your life. Could you explain why they're so important to you?
My fascination with vintage shoes is all about the people who once wore the shoes, about the roads they travelled and places they saw and fellow travelers who crossed their paths. I can’t help but think… what stories these shoes could tell if only they had a different sort of tongue.
5. Your grandma suffers from Parkinson's, and you have to see her health steadily deteriorate. How did that affect your day-to-day life?
Imagine the one person in your life who has always been there for you, who’s been your biggest cheerleader but demands that you dig deep into your heart, find your truth, and live it. That’s Grams. It crushes me to think of her dying. But it also makes me realize we have to cherish and celebrate those around us every day.
Thanks for having me on your blog, Hannah. May your world be filled with good books and great people!
To learn more about Chloe’s high school radio world and win a $50 electronic/radio store gift certificate or one of ten CHLOE swag packs, go to Shelley Coriell’s website. Good luck to all!
Make sure to check out all the other stops of the tour if you'd like to find out more about this book, and keep your eye out for Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe, which has already been released.
Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell
(Amazon | Goodreads)
Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend sheds 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.
Title: Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe
Posts
