Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell

Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell
Release Date: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Amulet Books
Rating: Enjoyable

Big-hearted Chloe Camden is the queen of her universe until her best friend shreds her reputation and her school counsellor 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. Ostracised 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. - Goodreads

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.

I am also taking part in a blog tour for this book, so be sure to check out the post later on. It's going to feature one of Chloe's podcasts!