Review: Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe

Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

Synopsis (From Goodreads): 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.

Chloe is bighearted and always tries to add fun and enjoyment to everything she does, so when her friends start not only ignoring her but also shredding her reputation she doesn't know what she did wrong. While living as a social pariah and trying to avoid the World War III that's building at home between her mother and grandmother, she joins the struggling school radio station in order to try and pass her independent project. In order to get the much needed ratings for the station Chloe hosts a talk show which allows her to get close to the other misfits of the station, especially quiet Duncan, but also draws unwanted trouble for the station.

Shelley Coriell has created a fun and interesting character in Chloe. Chloe speaks her mind and always aims to bring laughter and delight into a person's day, but not everything is sunny in Chloe's life. Her best friends hate her and her grandmother is suffering from parkinson's disease. Even though she has been ostracised from most of the school students, she finds her place at the radio station and it was fun to see the many relationships develop, especially between her and Duncan who is also dealing with issues himself.

Welcome, Caller, this is Chloe is a fun, light read, but it does deal with serious issues such as bullying, parkinson's and addiction. Packed full of emotion, Chloe is someone you can't help but smile at, especially when she wears the ridiculous costumes such as the burrito one the story opens with. I recommend Welcome, Caller, this is Chloe to anyone looking for a fun, quick read.

Source: NetGalley
2012 Debut Author Challenge: #3 of 12

2012 YA Reading Challenge: #14 of 50