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

Title: Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe
Author: Shelley Coriell
Published: 1st May 2012
Publisher: Amulet Books
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and publisher

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

The cover of this book drew me in immediately. As I have said before I loved Pump Up the Volume when I was younger and always thought I might be quite good at hosting a radio talk show as I never stop talking!! Well the cover of this book made me think that it might relight my interest in broadcast radio (even if it did not seem that this was an underground radio show!).

After her friends turn their back on her, for something Chloe does not even know she has done, Chloe decides to throw herself into her independent study programme. Unfortunately the school counsellor does not like her topic of choice and instead signs her up to do promotions for the school's failing radio station. After some rocky starts Chloe finds her place in the group of "outsiders".

Chloe is a flake. She is one of those people that stabs you in the back, but without any idea that that's what she is doing, in fact she probably thinks she is helping. I did find her a little annoying and thought that her life would be so much easier if she was a little more humble. Saying this I do remember taking my friends for granted too at this age. I'm not saying that I disliked the character of Chloe, she was so upbeat it is hard not to like her and she also has a passion for vintage shoes, this scores major points in my book. All in all i did quite like Chloe, she made a good, but flawed, protagonist.

This story starts to play out exactly as you would expect from the cover, but as you delve a little deeper some of the threads running through the story start to get a little more gritty. We meet characters who are pregnant teens, children trying to deal with parental divorce and even someone trying to deal with a parent who is hooked on Meth. I thought these story lines added to the overall feel of the book, however they were glossed over slightly and I wanted them to be a little more gritty and real. I think if you are going to add in plot points like these you really have to commit to them.

I really liked this book. I thought the story could have been worked on a little more and felt it skimmed over some parts where I wanted more detail. I wanted to know more about the periods where Chloe felt alone after her friends, and most of the school, shunned her. To me she never really felt lonely or alone. All in all, this was a very entertaining and enjoyable read.

Review: New Girl by Paige Harbison

Title: New Girl
Author: Paige Harbison
Published: 31st Jan 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Source: eARC thanks to NetGalley and HarlequinTeen

They call me 'New Girl'...
Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.
Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.
Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.
And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back. - From Goodreads

This book is a retelling of the story of Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. If you have ever read the original book you will know that it is a dark chilling tale about a new wife stepping into the void left by the last Mrs de Winters. Rebecca is set in an old mansion called Manderley which is cared for by Mrs Danvers who was obsessed with the previous Mrs de Winters, Rebecca, and who has little time for the new Mrs de Winters. I love the story of Rebecca and "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" is the famous opening line that always draws me back in to the book every time I pick it up.

I found this book to have the same cold and chilling feel to it, set in a cold old school called Manderly, the New girl comes in to take the place of missing Becca. No one knows where Becca is or why she left but it is clear that the other students will not be quick to forget her. The worst offender for making the new girl feel unwelcome is Dana Veers, her room mate and Becca's old room mate. Switching between the story of the new girl and Becca we see the mystery of what happened to Becca unravel before our eyes.

The interesting thing I found with this book was that as a reader I felt exactly as the new girl did. I felt shut out from what had happened. I did not know why New Girl was being shunned and I did not understand the behaviour of the other characters. As a reader this left me feeling rather isolated. However the character of New Girl and the way the story unfold pulls you along and keeps you wanting to know more. The other characters also help bring life to the story, especially Max.

I loved Max as a character. He seems quite one dimensional to begin with, as the jilted lover left alone after the disappearance of Becca, but the more the story unfolds, the more depth he has. I found some of his actions to be quite interesting and left me wanting to know more about him.

Since I was familiar with the original story, I knew the plot twist and some of the detail of what was going to happen. This in no way reduced my enjoyment of the book as this was a fresh take on a great story. The change in situation from a new wife in a manor house, to the new girl in school gave this an interesting perspective and I enjoyed reading the book from start, almost to the finish. There is one detail of the story that I loved and to me was what put Rebecca on my favourite book list, and unfortunately right at the end this is shattered for me in the book and left me feeling a little annoyed. There is a chance that I am just being picky, but for me it was a deal breaker.

This book is a great read for those familiar with Rebecca, and for those who are new to the story. A chilling high school mystery with some bad girl behaviour and a hot guy, what more can you ask for?

Review: Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Title: Saving June
Author: Hannah Harrington
Published: 22nd November 2011
Publisher:Harlequin Teen
Source: eARC thanks to Harlequin Teen and Netgalley

Everyone's sorry. But no one can explain why.
Harper Scott's older sister, June, took her own life a week before high school graduation, leaving Harper devastated. So when her divorcing parents decide to split up June's ashes, Harper steals the urn and takes off cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going—California.
Enter Jake Tolan, a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession…and an unknown connection to June. When he insists on joining them, Harper's just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanor and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what Harper needs. Except…Jake's keeping a secret that has the power to turn her life upside down—again. - From Goodreads

I started reading this book with the expectations that is would be a mournful book about Harper's struggle to come to terms with her sister's suicide. Oh, how I love it when a book surprises me! I am not exactly sure how I would describe this book, at times I was laughing and (I admit it but shhh... don't tell anyone) at other times I cried like a baby. This was an emotional rollercoaster with a genuine and flawed character who drags you along on her journey to understand a profound loss.

Harper! What can I say? She was a wonderful kind of awkward, who puts her foot in her mouth on many occasions, but incredibly selfish. What made me relate to her was that she never apologised for the things she did. She had a reason to do or say whatever it was at the time and she was sticking to it! She also never felt overly sorry for herself or spent too much time dwelling on how she can't cope with the loss of her sister. I have very limited experience of loss on this scale, but when Harper talked about missing June and her pain, it felt genuine and often made me shed a tear in her place. Finally on Harper, I love her name. It was always one of my top names as I am a Harper Lee fan. I understand why Victoria Beckham named her daughter Harper.

The other shining light in this story was Jake Tolan and his fabulous and varied music taste. Jake is the misunderstood "bad boy", although he has put many of his, less desirable, habits behind him. Jake is the handsome scruffy boy with the beautiful green eyes. He was well written and interacted really well with Harper's best friend Laney. Ah Laney, so much fun, I want to know you in real life!

For me the music and the references link the book together. The best thing for me was that most of the music were songs I used to listen to in the car with my dad (I am also STILL a bit of a Stones fan girl). Music lit up the book for me and finding the track-list for the various soundtracks mentioned in the book at the end made me clap my hands with glee and wonder just how much music Hannah Harrington has. I am so putting some of these soundtracks together for myself.

The one thing that really was the thorn in my side for this story was just how selfish the main premise of the story is. It really irritated me that there was no thought towards her parents when Harper decides that she will take her sister's ashes away from them. Not only does she take the ashes she then takes it upon herself to decide how and where they are to be disposed. For me there was not enough dwelling on the selfishness of her actions and if I had been a member of her family and the decision had been taken from me, I'm not sure it's something I could get over. It was a great story, but this one point stuck with me for the whole book.

Review: Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Title: Bumped
Author: Megan McCafferty
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published: 26th April 2011
Series: Bumped #1
Source: eARC with thanks from Netgalley and publisher

When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents are forced to pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society.
Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and had never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Until now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend Zen, who is way too short for the job.
Harmony has spent her whole life in religious Goodside, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to bring Melody back to Goodside and convince her that “pregging” for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

As soon as you start to read this book you are thrown into Melody and Harmony's world. This is a world where teens live to and are paid to "preg". You are thrown directly in to the new speech patterns and technology with no explanation as to what anything is. I found this a little off putting as it felt like being left out of an in-joke that your friends keep telling over and over again. Also I was very thrown off as one of the slang words used has quite a different meaning in the UK and every time I read it I did a double take and it threw me off.

I thought the premise of the story was really interesting. All diseases have been cured but the result is that women have the inability to become pregnant after their late teens. This results in couples paying teens to be surrogates. This story is told from the point of view of identical twins who had been separated at birth. One twin was raised to be the perfect surrogate and the other was raised in a religious commune where marriage must come before a child. Harmony leaves her religious confines to find her twin and tell her of the word of god so that she may come home.

The book alters chapter about between Harmony and Melody. Personally I preferred the Harmony chapters as I related to her the most. Like her we had not grown in this world and the surroundings were unfamiliar. I think this made it easier to relate to her. This book was interesting and I am a huge fan of Megan McCafferty (Jessica Darling is amazing) but this book did not captivate my attention in the way I hoped it would.