Customer Reviews

Exclusively Chloe

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok, I admit it, I read the headlines on the magazines when I'm standing in line and I watch E! News. This book was a cute light read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a look into Hollywood, so if you know the names of celebrities and their children, you'll probably enjoy this book.

Chloe is relatable and even though she has a famous, expensive and fashionable lifestyle, she's nice and sweet and wasn't rich snotty girl, which I liked. I got annoyed that Chloe didn't seem to realize that Rachelle wasn't that great of a friend-she was the character that bugged me the most and she seemed to only want to be near Chloe because of her fame. Vicki and Jana on the other hand were great friends and I'm glad Chloe recognized their true friendship.

This book really felt like it had two parts-it was about halfway into the book before Chloe actually got to her undcover make-under, which I had been looking forward to reading about. It really seemed like it was two books combined into one-Chloe the famous girl and Chloe the normal girl. Because it took so long to get to Chloe the normal girl, the romance wasn't as built up as I would have liked. Jack was still pretty adorable though, even with the short amount of book time he was given. The ending also felt a little rushed-I wish there could have been more in the second half dealing with Chloe's normal life.

Since this was a pretty clean read-(Chloe does go out to a club, but she herself doesn't drink)-I'd give this one to younger teens or tweens looking for a book on the rich and fabulous. If you're looking for a light beach read that reads like a gossip magazine, I would pick up Exclusively Chloe.

The Good: It was way better than I expected it to be. The story line has been used a lot before, but it had it's own quirky twist to it. There are some cliches in here and it's sometimes corny... but somehow, J.A. Yang pulls it off!

The characters are awesome. Regardless if they're main or supporting, I could differentiate between all of them and I loved (except a few who I just wanted to stab with a pencil) all oth them! And Chloe... unlike all the other normal person during during the day and celebrity by night main characters, I actually liked her. So, kudos to you, J.A.

The Bad: Chloe cries a lot. Maybe it's just me (since I'm such an ice queen), but I thought that was way dramatic and I thought it was a little... generic. You know when you're a newbie writer, you tend to pull the "she sobbed hysterically" and "it was the last thing I said/thought before I passed out" card. At least Chloe didn't "faint into the blackness", otherwise I might've just chucked the book out the window.

The epilogue... UGH. The only thing that comes to my mind when I think of it is, "What the EFF YOU CEE KAY?" It was totally unnecessary! It really had no purpose other than to show some fluff! So, I was a little dissapointed on how it ended.

Overall: Exclusively Chloe is a light and entertaining read that will charm reader with it spectacular style. It is an awesome debut and I strongly suggest you buy it (it's in paperback, too!) because it is FABULOUS.

Grade: A

So it's been a while since I've delved into the sphere of teenagedom but with J.A. Yang's Exlusively Chloe, I immediately felt dialed in [numerous fun fashion references] but also educated, not only pop culture wise, but also morally. If I had a teenage daughter, I would buy this book for her knowing that she would be immediately connected to it via this day and age's obsession with faux-celebrities a la Kardashians, Hiltons but that she would also be smoothly presented with accessible moral dilemmas with relatable fixes. The book also provides a thoughtful commentary on the multi-cultural identity that's relevant to so many teenagers today.

The book is based on the experience of Chloe, a Chinese adoptee by Brangelina-esque parents who lives a gilded life and attends a celebrity-filled high school. It's a quasi-coming of age story where she finds herself despite the vacuousness of her extremely wealthy friends while not over-critizing that lifestyle and eschewing it entirely -- a very postmodern solution. Due to her parents' impending divorce and her desire to find her birth parents, Chloe goes undercover through a makeunder and transfers to a public high school in a different area. Her focus on inner values and realization of her birth parents' poverty provide the impetus to her emotional growth and the story ends happily.

I like the narrative because it's not preachy and doesn't engage in polemics when dissecting the materialism of our society, rather, it reaches a happy medium that's completely accessible for our teenagers, encouraging them to rethink their values outside of the Hollywood mainstream, to think for themselves, but not at the expense of completely alienating themselves from society and their families. Very workable...and engaging, I loved it!

This has been in my TBR pile for ages now and I'm not really sure why, because as it turns out, Exclusively Chloe is a fun, savvy, and start studded coming of age tale, one that was highly enjoyable.

Exclusively Chloe opens up just as Chloe is learning about her parent's divorce from a celeb magazine. It's quite the understatement to say that she's shocked, because all her life she's felt that her parents were truly going to be celebs that would stick it out for the long run. Especially given the fact that they adopted Chloe to show the world how truly much they loved each other. Though, that's not the case anymore, since with her mom's new love of dating, her dad's infidelity coming out from every angel, and the fact that their lives are being splashed across every magazine known to man, it's easy to see that things may never be the same. And with the chaos Chloe's life is right now, as well as the fact she just made an alarming discovery, she decides it's the best time to go undercover and find out what it means to be a normal teen. Though, will every problem in her life suddenly go away? Only time and pages will tell.

Chloe was a character that was funny, sweet, and just overall a good person, even if wasn't always the nicest one before. I especially liked the fact that while she was the child of two very famous people, she never was exactly snobby or shoved her wealth in people's faces. I also enjoyed seeing her path on finding out who she was and how her birth parents come into play in the future. Further more, I really liked Jack, Chloe's love interest, he was sweet, though I felt that he, as well as some of the secondary characters, could have been more developed.

In addition, I loved how Exclusively Chloe mixed together the serious parts of life and the not so serious parts to make a well-rounded novel. Though, I think I would have enjoyed this novel even more if Chloe possibly went further into discovering her Chinese heritage.

J.A. Yang's writing always moved smoothly and made the story addicting. He's someone I'm really looking forward to reading more by in the future.

In all, Exclusively Chloe is a great debut!

Grade: B

Chloe-Grace is a celebrity just for being her. She's the first celebrity-adopted kid in Hollywood and everyone has watched her every move all her life. Now that Chloe's sixteen, she wonders what it would be like to be "normal" and be a regular kid at a regular school. So she decides to get a "make-under" and go undercover at a new school. But is Chloe ready for the real world?

Ok, I admit it, I read the headlines on the magazines when I'm standing in line and I watch E! News. This book was a cute light read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a look into Hollywood, so if you know the names of celebrities and their children, you'll probably enjoy this book.

Chloe is relatable and even though she has a famous, expensive, and fashionable lifestyle, she's nice and sweet and wasn't a rich snotty girl, which I liked. I got annoyed that Chloe didn't seem to realize that Rachelle wasn't that great of a friend - she was the character that bugged me the most and she seemed to only want to be near Chloe because of her fame. Vicki and Jana, on the other hand, were great friends and I'm glad Chloe recognized their true friendship.

This book really felt like it had two parts - it was about halfway into the book before Chloe actually got to her undercover make-under, which I had been looking forward to reading about. It really seemed like it was two books combined into one - Chloe the famous girl and Chloe the normal girl. Because it took so long to get to Chloe the normal girl, the romance wasn't as built up as I would have liked. Jack was still pretty adorable though, even with the short amount of book time he was given. The ending also felt a little rushed - I wish there could have been more in the second half dealing with Chloe's normal life.

Since this was a pretty clean read (Chloe does go out to a club, but she herself doesn't drink) I'd give this one to younger teens or tweens looking for a book on the rich and fabulous. If you're looking for a light beach read that reads like a gossip magazine, I would pick up EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE.

Reviewed by: Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen

I read this over a couple of days during the summer. It brings you into the mind of a young, rich and famous girl dealing with the issues of a kid going through a divorce. I was surprised at how well written it was. Very enjoyable.

When i first started reading, I was trying to assess whether or not I could give the book to my 13 year-old cousin, and I had my reservations about giving it to her. Somewhere along the way, I found myself attached to Chloe and I realized that I could not deprive any 13 year-old of this heart-warming story.

Must check it out. Blows GOSSIP GIRL clear out of the water. yes, it's for the tweens -- but has such a unique angle and love the diverse characters. It delivers the high school girl dramas but at the same time gives a nice view in adoption.

J.A. Yang has really done an incredible job of telling an animated and lighthearted story of an adopted girl surviving trying times. It doesn't matter how famous you are, or what life throws at you, it's how you can pick yourself up when you feel like you're falling. It's hard not to feel just a little bit happier when finishing this book!

I had fun reading about Chloe-Grace and her Hollywood adventures. It was an easy read, though at times felt like one of those guilty pleasure celebrity tv shows that you find yourself sucked into.