Book Review- Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe

I finished reading Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell for a Teen Book Scene Blog Tour.

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 lNowoner 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.

My undergrad was in broadcast journalism and we had to work in the radio station before moving to the television station.  So radio will always have a special place in my heart.  And I loved this little radio station.  I loved the members that made it a little family.  Each member had his or her own quirk or problem that just made you love them even more.

And I really liked Chloe.  She had such a good heart and not a mean bone in her body.  She grew throughout the story and matured.  And I loved her quirky sense of humor and fun side.  And she definitely got it from her Grams.  What a great older character!  I want to be like her when I get old!  Duncan was an interesting character, but honestly, I found him a little boring.  I loved how he took such great care of his drug-addicted mother and I get how he had to spend his time working several jobs just to live but his character just seemed a little flat to me.  But maybe that's why he balanced out outgoing Chloe so well.

I rarely have a favorite part of a book.  I usually just absorb it all.  But I have a favorite part, without a doubt, of this book.

As our hands melted together, I realized the perfect gift to give Duncan, something to show how I cared.  The first day of kindergarten Grams had given it to me, and this past August, I'd given it to my brother Zach when he left for med school.

I raised Duncan's hands to my lips.  First I kissed one palm, then the other.  "When you feel lonely, I'll be there."

 Now, anyone who doesn't have child or doesn't teacher a younger grade level  might not get this reference, but it's from A Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.  It's about a young raccoon going to school for the first time and is scared so his mom gives him kisses in his palms to always remember her love for him.  I teach Kindergarten and always read this the second day of school to my kiddos.  So I love this book and LOVE this reference!

Anyways, this was a light read and something right up my alley.  Great book by a new debut author!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2012 Reading Challenge 150+: 42
2012 ARC Reading Challenge: 37
2012 Debut Author Challenge: 13
2012 Young Adult Reading Challenge: 39
Completely Contemp Challenge 2012: 2012-8
2012 Standalone Reading Challenge: 10

*FTC Disclosure: I was given this book for free for an honest review as part of the Teen Book Scene.