Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

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.

Reviewed by Amber on

3 of 5 stars

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

---

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.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 23 April, 2012: Finished reading
  • 23 April, 2012: Reviewed