Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe

by Shelley Coriell

Big hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe and loved by all until winter break of her junior year. That's when her BF shreds her reputation and her school counsellor axes her junior independent study project. Forced to take on a "more meaningful" project in order to pass her junior year, Chloe joins her school's struggling radio station where she must team up with a group of misfits who don't find her too queenly. Ostracised by her former BFs, lonely Chloe throws herself into the radio station where she ends up hosting a late night call in show that gets the station much needed publicity and in the end, trouble. She also befriends radio techie and loner Duncan Moore. On and off the air, Chloe faces her loneliness and helps others find the fun and joy in everyday life.

• ISBN13: 9781419701917
• Publish Date: 1 May 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 4 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Abrams
• Imprint: Amulet Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• URL: http://abramsandchronicle.co.uk/books/young-adult/9781419701917-welcome,-caller,-this-is-chloe

Reviews

[Angie]

Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe was super cute! It's a light hearted and fun story, but it also cover some series issues without crossing into dark and deep waters. Chloe is shunned by her two BFFs out of the blue, and then her junior project is rejected and she only has a few hours to come up with a new one. Of course, Chloe puts her friendships first, so she's stuck with the project that her guidance counselor assigns her: working at the school's failing radio station.

I immediately adored Chloe (and her shoes). When we first meet her, she's in a burrito costume and vintage high heels! And she's not even complaining about the humiliating costume! She's in her element! This girl is all about the happy. She's not one of those overly perky people who are severely aggravating. She just thinks you should have fun when you can, and wants to make the people around her smile when times are tough. It's not a bad philosophy to have, except that Chloe does have the habit of talking a bit too much and not always hearing what others want or need. Her radio show and just being part of the team help her tackle this issue, and I enjoyed watching her become a better version of herself.

Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe also has a cute romance. Of course, Chloe starts to fall for the quiet guy, Duncan, who does repairs and the more techy stuff for the radio. She helps bring him out of his shell a bit, since he keeps to himself and works way too hard. What I liked best about it was that Chloe puts her feelings out there. She doesn't play games. She likes him, she tells him so, and asks if he likes her in return. She even asks him out instead of waiting for him to ask! It was very refreshing! There is a bit of drama, which I didn't totally get, since it's never fully explained, but compared to all of the aspects I did like it's a small thing.

My only real issue with Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe was Chloe's supposed best friends. While I do agree that it wasn't nice of Chloe to go out with other people when she knew Brie was upset, I do think Brie and Mercedes could have been more understanding. Chloe did apologize and has been trying to be there for them, but they keep pushing her away. And they don't even seem to care that she also has some family issues on hand, specifically her grandma's health (as her BFFs, I have to assume they know how close Chloe is to her grandma). In fact, at one point, Brie laughs at Chloe's grandmother even though it's obvious that something isn't quite right. Let's not even go into the awful rumor she spread about Chloe and a teacher, for no reason other than being malicious. None of this felt believable to me, and I also didn't get why Chloe wanted to remain friends with these girls in the first place. Thankfully, everything worked out in the end, for better or worse.

I really liked Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe. It touches on friendship, family, community, and a few other topics. I loved the radio aspect, since I hadn't read about it before, and it brought back fun memories of watching Radio Free Roscoe on Teen Nick!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Amber]

3.5 stars. Ended up really liking this, though it's a shame the characters aren't more likeable.

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Welcome, Caller... is such a quick, fun read, though I wasn't expecting it to be like that at first. It took me a couple of chapters to get into the story, because I couldn't connect with Chloe to begin with.

Chloe has a pretty unique personality, and while I love her now that I've finished the book, it did take me some time to warm up to her. She seems to be very shallow and spoilt, but as the novel progresses the character development kicks in and I started to sympathise with her a lot more, and I even started cheering for her. I love her personality, and how she can't shut up. She's awesomely quirky!

At the moment, I am LOVING books (hehe, Loving Books) that are light contemporaries, and this is definitely one of those. The overall story arc kept me interested, and I was really drawn in by a couple of the characters, particularly Chloe's grandmother.

The love interest, Duncan, also has a well developed storyline and background, which I really enjoyed and appreciated. I think everybody loves well rounded characters, especially in YA, and Duncan was incredibly interesting to read about. My heart broke for him!

Without going into spoilers - because nobody likes those, right? - I just want to mention that despite being, primarily, a light and fun read, this book also deals with some serious issues such as neglect, illness and drugs.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book. Some of you may be annoyed with Chloe's character, but I think you'd also appreciate the messages presented in this book. I definitely liked how Shelley touched on heavier topics.

[Joni Reads]

It's been a while since I read such a fun and enjoyable novel. The characters are so rich in life and spirit that they just jump off the page and come alive before your eyes. Chloe is full of little whimsies about life and never seems to have an off day even when her world is falling apart at her feet. With her optimism and her fantastic collection of vintage shoes she captures the hearts of almost everyone she meets. She comes into her job at the school radio station as a school project for her Junior Independant Study Project after her guidance counselor nixes her originally proposed idea. Even though she has never been intereted in radio before she walks into the radio station with her head held high and somehow finds her way onto the air with her very own talk show.
While to the outsider her life seems picture perfect, at home she is struggling with a very headstrong grandmother who has been diagnosed with aggressive Parkinson's disease and yet refuses to allow Chloe's mother to place her in a nursing home although her doctor has recommended it. Her best friend destroys her reputation and begins to spread nasty rumors about her in school and she seems to be friendless in school and facing World War III at home.
So she throws her heart into the radio show and finds herself not only falling in love with the radio station itself but also for Duncan, the radio's technician. Sweet, quiet Duncan who has more drama in his life than Chloe can imagine.
This is such an adorable novel, one that I fell in love with over and over. I found myself smiling throughout most of the book and if Chloe was a real person I would love to know her. Her personality is shining and optimistic. She wears her heart on her sleeve and always takes a chance in life. I hate to see the last of her. There was absolutely no hint of a sequel but I would love to see a second Chloe book. I would read it in a heartbeat. There need to be more books like this in the world.