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.
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.
