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Chloe Snow's Diary #1
Confissões de uma garota desastrada: o diário de Chloe Snow
O ensino médio está começando e a vida de Chloe Snow é um desastre. Ela nunca beijou ninguém e está apaixonada por Mac Brody, um veterano que namora a garota mais linda da escola. Sua melhor amiga, Hannah, não tem mais nada a ver com ela. Para piorar, sua mãe se mudou para o México de repente, deixando-a sozinha com o pai e o cachorro, Snickers.
Para aguentar todas essas mudanças de repente, Chloe registra seus dias e sentimentos em um diário, cheia de humor e sensibilidade. Um ano escolar inteiro, verão a verão, traz surpresas, decepções e aprendizados, mostrando que uma adolescente desastrada pelo menos tem boas histórias para contar.
Para aguentar todas essas mudanças de repente, Chloe registra seus dias e sentimentos em um diário, cheia de humor e sensibilidade. Um ano escolar inteiro, verão a verão, traz surpresas, decepções e aprendizados, mostrando que uma adolescente desastrada pelo menos tem boas histórias para contar.
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 7, 2017
68 people are currently reading
2440 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 278 reviews
November 12, 2019
I really wish I'd read this book after Furious Thing, not before, because it is exactly the kind of warm, silly, sweet goodness I need right now. Oh well, luckily for me there are two sequels to go get lost in!
This goes straight to my mental list of feel-good high school diary books that are my go-to when I'm feeling down. Chloe Snow belongs right up there among Georgia Nicholson, Emma Nash, Ruby Oliver and Jessica Darling. Tatiana made a highly convenient and aptly-named bookshelf so we can find them all in one place 😁
Those comparisons above are probably the best way to figure out if this book is for you, but if you're new to them all, then just think of a YA Bridget Jones. Silly, klutzy heroine who makes a million bad decisions, has family and friendship drama, and likes a boy who is very wrong for her.
I think Chloe is a realistic (if a bit OTT), messy 14 year old. I know I really shouldn't be surprised, but I was surprised to read the outrage in some of the other reviews about a 14 year old girl thinking about sex. I mean, what else is there to think about at 14? (Oh shh, I'm joking!) I know I was thinking about sex at 14, and at least a few years younger than that too. I think Chloe's desires, doubts and fears feel real, and her attitude to sex is healthy, even if her crushes are not.
I've been giving a lot of thought to these kind of books lately, especially this one and the Emma Nash series. I read a bunch of reviews of both of them where people said they found the protagonists annoying or didn't like all the awful decisions they made. But they seem so funny and relatable to me! Which can only mean that either a) I was a very annoying teenager, or b) I am now so old that I sympathize with these characters who seem like vulnerable young people just living their lives and screwing up as people do.
Or c) both.
Whatever the reason, I find them very entertaining.
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This goes straight to my mental list of feel-good high school diary books that are my go-to when I'm feeling down. Chloe Snow belongs right up there among Georgia Nicholson, Emma Nash, Ruby Oliver and Jessica Darling. Tatiana made a highly convenient and aptly-named bookshelf so we can find them all in one place 😁
Those comparisons above are probably the best way to figure out if this book is for you, but if you're new to them all, then just think of a YA Bridget Jones. Silly, klutzy heroine who makes a million bad decisions, has family and friendship drama, and likes a boy who is very wrong for her.
I think Chloe is a realistic (if a bit OTT), messy 14 year old. I know I really shouldn't be surprised, but I was surprised to read the outrage in some of the other reviews about a 14 year old girl thinking about sex. I mean, what else is there to think about at 14? (Oh shh, I'm joking!) I know I was thinking about sex at 14, and at least a few years younger than that too. I think Chloe's desires, doubts and fears feel real, and her attitude to sex is healthy, even if her crushes are not.
I've been giving a lot of thought to these kind of books lately, especially this one and the Emma Nash series. I read a bunch of reviews of both of them where people said they found the protagonists annoying or didn't like all the awful decisions they made. But they seem so funny and relatable to me! Which can only mean that either a) I was a very annoying teenager, or b) I am now so old that I sympathize with these characters who seem like vulnerable young people just living their lives and screwing up as people do.
Or c) both.
Whatever the reason, I find them very entertaining.
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March 7, 2017
DNF on page 185
So, I requested this because I saw the comparison to Bridget Jones's Diary. To me, that means semi-adult topics and a 17-18 year old MC.
Nope. This girl was 14. She was 14 and talking about being a spinster because her bff had a boyfriend. She talked about "dying to give a hand job" and how she was going to marry a senior and have his football babies because he talked to her in the hall. She was getting drunk and putting herself in stupid situations. She's horrible to her best friend and when her male friend comes out to her, her reaction made me cringe.
It started out as a train wreck I couldn't stop staring at and then I quickly got tired reading her dramatics. I eventually skipped to the end and skimmed the last 20% or so, but it wasn't enough for me to go back and read. I somehow missed that the MC was so young or I wouldn't have requested it at all.
Perhaps this is just a case of my not being the demographic? I can't think of one redeeming thing to say about it. Obviously by the high reviews already up, I'm in the minority.
**Huge thanks to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for providing the arc free of charge**
So, I requested this because I saw the comparison to Bridget Jones's Diary. To me, that means semi-adult topics and a 17-18 year old MC.
Nope. This girl was 14. She was 14 and talking about being a spinster because her bff had a boyfriend. She talked about "dying to give a hand job" and how she was going to marry a senior and have his football babies because he talked to her in the hall. She was getting drunk and putting herself in stupid situations. She's horrible to her best friend and when her male friend comes out to her, her reaction made me cringe.
It started out as a train wreck I couldn't stop staring at and then I quickly got tired reading her dramatics. I eventually skipped to the end and skimmed the last 20% or so, but it wasn't enough for me to go back and read. I somehow missed that the MC was so young or I wouldn't have requested it at all.
Perhaps this is just a case of my not being the demographic? I can't think of one redeeming thing to say about it. Obviously by the high reviews already up, I'm in the minority.
**Huge thanks to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for providing the arc free of charge**
October 25, 2019
3.5 stars
I am going to add and extra 0.5 stars every time I read and like this book. I liked it A LOT this time around, so up to 3.5 now. I was a little unfair in my earlier assessment. Clearly, I enjoy almost every Bridget Jones-alike, even better when it's in a diary format. This was a nice balance of fun, dumb and family drama.
___________________
I am struggling to point out anything special or new about this story. It certainly doesn't cover any new ground thematically or stylistically - there is a bit of theater, a gay best friend, a judgy best friend, parent troubles and a very wrong love interest. But I did mostly enjoy reading it somehow. It's light and summery.
I am going to add and extra 0.5 stars every time I read and like this book. I liked it A LOT this time around, so up to 3.5 now. I was a little unfair in my earlier assessment. Clearly, I enjoy almost every Bridget Jones-alike, even better when it's in a diary format. This was a nice balance of fun, dumb and family drama.
___________________
I am struggling to point out anything special or new about this story. It certainly doesn't cover any new ground thematically or stylistically - there is a bit of theater, a gay best friend, a judgy best friend, parent troubles and a very wrong love interest. But I did mostly enjoy reading it somehow. It's light and summery.
March 8, 2017
This book loves its characters, and you will love them too. Except Chloe's mom. That bitch.
March 26, 2016
Emma Chastain's A Year in the Life of Chloe Snow was the most enjoyable book I've read in years.
It's a year of Chloe Snow's daily journal entries as her mother moves to Mexico, she enters high school, and she deals with surprises in all of her relationships. This girl is the funniest girl I've ever read. She's almost like an more-adult Eloise. She's so honest and smart. I couldn't wait to see what she was going to say next.
All of the characters are well-drawn. I kept wanting to Google them, then I'd have to remind myself that they're not real and that's not possible. There are heroes and villains, but they aren't so black and white.
Can we talk about Chloe's mother? What a perfect character, so selfish and just the kind of person a teenage girl would idolize and then struggle to hate and love. And Mac, the kind of person I knew in high school a few times over. I was so glad the way Emma wrote about his girlfriend. It was so refreshing that she wasn't a tired trope of a popular senior girl.
The writing is delicious. On every page, there was something I wanted to underline and shout aloud.
I feel sad all the time. It's like wearing a big ugly hat. Sometimes I forget about it for a few minutes, but then I see it in my peripheral vision and think Oh yea, the hat of sadness.
And there are moments so true.
The worst is when I have a question, like I did tonight. Asking questions puts you in other people's power. You need a favor from them: the favor of telling you information you want to know.
I wish I had underlined more.
Imagine Mean Girls with some of the best writing you've read and more honesty.
I felt such sadness and love for the characters. I felt their confusion. I felt for them. I was reminded sharply of emotions I had as a teenager. And I connected with Chloe as an adult, big time.
And I have never read a book about tweeting and social media and teenage-driven speak and technology that didn't seem forced or out-of-touch. But Emma nailed it.
This book is a delight. It offered the kind of fun that I wish all books had. There is beauty and strength and power in Emma's writing that impressed the hell out of me.
It's a year of Chloe Snow's daily journal entries as her mother moves to Mexico, she enters high school, and she deals with surprises in all of her relationships. This girl is the funniest girl I've ever read. She's almost like an more-adult Eloise. She's so honest and smart. I couldn't wait to see what she was going to say next.
All of the characters are well-drawn. I kept wanting to Google them, then I'd have to remind myself that they're not real and that's not possible. There are heroes and villains, but they aren't so black and white.
Can we talk about Chloe's mother? What a perfect character, so selfish and just the kind of person a teenage girl would idolize and then struggle to hate and love. And Mac, the kind of person I knew in high school a few times over. I was so glad the way Emma wrote about his girlfriend. It was so refreshing that she wasn't a tired trope of a popular senior girl.
The writing is delicious. On every page, there was something I wanted to underline and shout aloud.
I feel sad all the time. It's like wearing a big ugly hat. Sometimes I forget about it for a few minutes, but then I see it in my peripheral vision and think Oh yea, the hat of sadness.
And there are moments so true.
The worst is when I have a question, like I did tonight. Asking questions puts you in other people's power. You need a favor from them: the favor of telling you information you want to know.
I wish I had underlined more.
Imagine Mean Girls with some of the best writing you've read and more honesty.
I felt such sadness and love for the characters. I felt their confusion. I felt for them. I was reminded sharply of emotions I had as a teenager. And I connected with Chloe as an adult, big time.
And I have never read a book about tweeting and social media and teenage-driven speak and technology that didn't seem forced or out-of-touch. But Emma nailed it.
This book is a delight. It offered the kind of fun that I wish all books had. There is beauty and strength and power in Emma's writing that impressed the hell out of me.
August 4, 2024
If it hadn’t been for the high school musical parts, I would have rated this one star. The teenage sex, underage drinking, and the irresponsible behavior of Chloe’s parents really turned me off. I don’t think I’ll be continuing this series.
Steaminess Rating:
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
(Check my profile for my “Steaminess Factor Chart”).
Steaminess Rating:
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
(Check my profile for my “Steaminess Factor Chart”).
February 28, 2017
Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster Canada for providing me with this book for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
** Just a fair warning, this review is more of a rant - perhaps directed more at aspects of society itself than the book - but consider yourself warned **
I really wanted to like this book. I really, really really wanted to like this book. It had all the makings of a perfect story, a cute maybe romance, told in the form of diary/journal entries, with a promising parent figure and one who is going after her dreams. It could have been so good... but no matter where the story goes, everything hinges on the narrator.
And let me tell you, Chloe was probably one of the most annoying narrators I've ever read. At least in recent memory.
I genuinely think that this story is not bad - but Chloe's narration is just so annoying I could barely get through the story. I almost DNF'd this one a handful of times because of her voice.
I think the biggest problem with Chloe is that she is too young. I was expecting an energetic 16/17-year-old, and what I got was an ambitious 14-year-old. Yup. Starting her freshman year of high school. Double yup. Most of her issues with life came across as irritating because she (is) sounds so young. If these were the thoughts of someone a little older, I'd be okay with it, but it was just annoying and sometimes a little uncomfortable.
Like there's this guy, Mac Brody. Chloe likes him. But this is problematic for many reasons but I'll stick with two. 1) He has a girlfriend. Now say what you want about teenagers, but if you aren't mature enough to understand what cheating is, maybe you shouldn't be doing it, mmkay? And 2) He's eighteen years old. 18. YEARS. OLD. I'm not one to talk about 'proper' age gaps, but this is wrong on so many levels. And like no one in the book sees it as problematic. Chloe's dad doesn't like Mac - but that's because he's rude, not because he's old enough to have a crime stay on his permanent record.
Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on a 14-year-old, surely she doesn't really know what she's doing. BUT NO ONE STOPS HER OR HIM. Sure, rumours go around, but does that deter, you can bet the farm it doesn't.
Okay, so let's look at Chloe as a product of her parents. Her mom is a 'free-spirit' artist who decided that she needed to be in another country in order to work on her novel. Her dad is a lawyer, painted as a boring penny-pincher by her mother, but otherwise a decent guy. The real problem lies, I believe, with her mother. Not only does she abandon Chloe when she needs her most - life struggles, puberty, guys, etc. but she isn't exactly the best role model romantically either. We find out pretty early on that she's probably not coming home anytime soon, and if she does, she might bring her friend, the matador. Ok, so Chloe doesn't exactly have a good role model for monogamy. Her dad's not perfect either, he spends a little too much time with Chloe's drama teacher.
BUT WHEN CHLOE COMPARES THESE ACTIONS OF HER PARENTS WITH WHAT SHE IS DOING, SHE SEES NO PROBLEMS.
And this, I think, is what irritated me the most about Chloe. She was a major hypocrite. She knows Mac has a girlfriend, but she decides she's too pretty to be affected by him cheating. What? How does that even make sense? Chloe just keeps telling herself that it's fine, Sienna doesn't matter, doesn't care, doesn't exist. It takes her 288 pages (of a 338 page book) to see that what she is doing is the same as what her parents are and that it's not okay. And I wanted to rip my hair out for 288 pages.
I almost put this book down twice. The first time was closer to the beginning when Chloe and Mac are doing shots together at a party. Yes, you read that right. The second time was the first time that Chloe rationalized her relationship with Mac. But I kept going because I hoped that it would turn around.
I suppose in putting aside my personal feelings, this book was okay. If you can handle Chloe's whining, the books not terrible. But for me, I couldn't overlook those things that made me uncomfortable and her narration.
Overall, some may find it cute, but I was not a fan.
** Just a fair warning, this review is more of a rant - perhaps directed more at aspects of society itself than the book - but consider yourself warned **
I really wanted to like this book. I really, really really wanted to like this book. It had all the makings of a perfect story, a cute maybe romance, told in the form of diary/journal entries, with a promising parent figure and one who is going after her dreams. It could have been so good... but no matter where the story goes, everything hinges on the narrator.
And let me tell you, Chloe was probably one of the most annoying narrators I've ever read. At least in recent memory.
I genuinely think that this story is not bad - but Chloe's narration is just so annoying I could barely get through the story. I almost DNF'd this one a handful of times because of her voice.
I think the biggest problem with Chloe is that she is too young. I was expecting an energetic 16/17-year-old, and what I got was an ambitious 14-year-old. Yup. Starting her freshman year of high school. Double yup. Most of her issues with life came across as irritating because she (is) sounds so young. If these were the thoughts of someone a little older, I'd be okay with it, but it was just annoying and sometimes a little uncomfortable.
Like there's this guy, Mac Brody. Chloe likes him. But this is problematic for many reasons but I'll stick with two. 1) He has a girlfriend. Now say what you want about teenagers, but if you aren't mature enough to understand what cheating is, maybe you shouldn't be doing it, mmkay? And 2) He's eighteen years old. 18. YEARS. OLD. I'm not one to talk about 'proper' age gaps, but this is wrong on so many levels. And like no one in the book sees it as problematic. Chloe's dad doesn't like Mac - but that's because he's rude, not because he's old enough to have a crime stay on his permanent record.
Maybe I'm putting too much pressure on a 14-year-old, surely she doesn't really know what she's doing. BUT NO ONE STOPS HER OR HIM. Sure, rumours go around, but does that deter, you can bet the farm it doesn't.
Okay, so let's look at Chloe as a product of her parents. Her mom is a 'free-spirit' artist who decided that she needed to be in another country in order to work on her novel. Her dad is a lawyer, painted as a boring penny-pincher by her mother, but otherwise a decent guy. The real problem lies, I believe, with her mother. Not only does she abandon Chloe when she needs her most - life struggles, puberty, guys, etc. but she isn't exactly the best role model romantically either. We find out pretty early on that she's probably not coming home anytime soon, and if she does, she might bring her friend, the matador. Ok, so Chloe doesn't exactly have a good role model for monogamy. Her dad's not perfect either, he spends a little too much time with Chloe's drama teacher.
BUT WHEN CHLOE COMPARES THESE ACTIONS OF HER PARENTS WITH WHAT SHE IS DOING, SHE SEES NO PROBLEMS.
And this, I think, is what irritated me the most about Chloe. She was a major hypocrite. She knows Mac has a girlfriend, but she decides she's too pretty to be affected by him cheating. What? How does that even make sense? Chloe just keeps telling herself that it's fine, Sienna doesn't matter, doesn't care, doesn't exist. It takes her 288 pages (of a 338 page book) to see that what she is doing is the same as what her parents are and that it's not okay. And I wanted to rip my hair out for 288 pages.
I almost put this book down twice. The first time was closer to the beginning when Chloe and Mac are doing shots together at a party. Yes, you read that right. The second time was the first time that Chloe rationalized her relationship with Mac. But I kept going because I hoped that it would turn around.
I suppose in putting aside my personal feelings, this book was okay. If you can handle Chloe's whining, the books not terrible. But for me, I couldn't overlook those things that made me uncomfortable and her narration.
Overall, some may find it cute, but I was not a fan.
August 25, 2023
jesus christ. what the crap did i just read. alright let’s get this out the way.
1. THE WRITING- NONONONO I CAN’T. YOU ARE 14 AND YOU’RE TALKING LIKE THIS. IM SO UNCOMFORTABLE. this is awful. not is it only gross for a 14 year old to say this, but it’s just so... cringey and i can’t stand it. this is. no. this writing tries so hard to be funny. and it’s just gross. sorry. not my thing.
“His whole tongue was in my mouth, and I wanted to bite it off and eat it like a piece of watermelon”
“I’m horny all. The. Time. All the time! I get turned on from the motion of walking around..”
“...something about it made me want to take off my pants and get pregnant.”
2. Chloe is so mean and hateful. She treats her best friend like garbage. It’s really annoying.
3. We have Miss Chloe Snow out here kinda dating but not really dating a SENIOR AND CHLOE IS A FRESHMAN. THIS IS ILLEGAL. ALSOOOO WHY WOULD YOU CHEAT ON YOUR GIRLFRIEND FOR A FRESHMAN. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
4. mac is 18. chloe is 14.
5. (2023 Sophia here) I can’t believe I left out the part where Chloe says “I woke up with my sheets soaked in period blood”
pros:
nothing. i cackled a few times (sadly).
—
i really hated this. there’s more stuff to complain about, but i’m tired and this book sucks. teenagers do stupid things and chloe does some really stupid stuff, but at the same time, she’s just a teenager. and they all make mistakes. whatever whatever. i really don’t want to go on a rant. that is all.
1. THE WRITING- NONONONO I CAN’T. YOU ARE 14 AND YOU’RE TALKING LIKE THIS. IM SO UNCOMFORTABLE. this is awful. not is it only gross for a 14 year old to say this, but it’s just so... cringey and i can’t stand it. this is. no. this writing tries so hard to be funny. and it’s just gross. sorry. not my thing.
“His whole tongue was in my mouth, and I wanted to bite it off and eat it like a piece of watermelon”
“I’m horny all. The. Time. All the time! I get turned on from the motion of walking around..”
“...something about it made me want to take off my pants and get pregnant.”
2. Chloe is so mean and hateful. She treats her best friend like garbage. It’s really annoying.
3. We have Miss Chloe Snow out here kinda dating but not really dating a SENIOR AND CHLOE IS A FRESHMAN. THIS IS ILLEGAL. ALSOOOO WHY WOULD YOU CHEAT ON YOUR GIRLFRIEND FOR A FRESHMAN. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
4. mac is 18. chloe is 14.
5. (2023 Sophia here) I can’t believe I left out the part where Chloe says “I woke up with my sheets soaked in period blood”
pros:
nothing. i cackled a few times (sadly).
—
i really hated this. there’s more stuff to complain about, but i’m tired and this book sucks. teenagers do stupid things and chloe does some really stupid stuff, but at the same time, she’s just a teenager. and they all make mistakes. whatever whatever. i really don’t want to go on a rant. that is all.
October 8, 2016
I have fallen in deep love with this book. Chloe Snow, high school freshman/disaster, captured my heart on page one. Chloe comes alive on the pages of her diary and tells her story with honesty and humor and wit. I smiled and laughed out loud so much while reading this book that my face hurt. Chloe's reactions are so very real. Oh, Chloe Snow.
This book is for anyone who has fallen hard for the wrong person. This is for anyone who has drifted away from their best friend. This is for anyone who has yelled at their parents, stomped upstairs, and slammed the door over and over. This is for anyone who has loved and lost, who has embarrassed themselves and thought they would die of humiliation... and come out okay on the other side of it.
This book is for anyone who has fallen hard for the wrong person. This is for anyone who has drifted away from their best friend. This is for anyone who has yelled at their parents, stomped upstairs, and slammed the door over and over. This is for anyone who has loved and lost, who has embarrassed themselves and thought they would die of humiliation... and come out okay on the other side of it.
July 30, 2020
Peguei esse livro naquela leva de e-books de graça na quarentena e não é que eu curti de verdade?! O título em português é terrível, não tem nada de garota desastrada. O livro na verdade conta a história de uma garota no primeiro ano do Ensino Médio em formato de diário. Até aí, nada de novo no front, mas gostei porque ele é bem escrito, tem umas sacadas divertidas (embora a tradução de vez em quando dê uma "arranhada" e você perceba que algo soa estranho) e traz temas interessantes de uma forma que acho que realmente faria um adolescente refletir. Meu único porém seria quanto a algumas passagens do final, que acho que ficaram um pouco apressadas. Adorei que a protagonista faz teatro e encena The Sound of Music, porque me lembrou muito a minha adolescência no teatro, hehe.
March 9, 2017
Original review can be found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/2...
** I received an advanced readers copy from Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**
Just when I thought that perhaps I'd had my fill of YA, along came Confessions of a High School Disaster. I've always enjoyed YA but lately I have felt like the genre has been letting me down. Either the story is too far fetched or just too cute to be relatable. Confessions of a High School Disaster was none of those things and rang so completely true to the demographic who's story it was telling.
Chloe's story was told through an entry in her diary every day throughout her first year of high school. Some entries were little more than a paragraph and others were pages long. She wrote about her absentee mother, boys, kissing, sex, friendship, her musical and everything else that happened during that scary first year of high school. With the diary method, it was easy to read and even easier to get lost in. Just one more entry and then I'll put it down was my mantra!
Be warned...
Chloe wasn't always easy to like. She made a huge amount of bad choices and she hurt people along the way. She thought about sexual experiences a lot and she drank alcohol at parties. Chloe also used poor judgement when it came to her love interest. She was obsessed with social media and was often selfish. Chloe was only 14.
But...
I'm not that far removed (well maybe I am) from my high school experience to know that this was a realistic depiction of what high school life is like. Kids are going to parties at this age and they are drinking or worse. They are glued to their phones and social media. They are obsessed with the opposite sex and some are even having sex at this age. For the most part, it is a very selfish age and time for young people. Poor judgement and bad choices are a constant and lessons are learnt on a daily basis. This is part of the teenage experience. So I very much appreciated the realistic and sometimes hard to take teenage girl named Chloe. She was struggling along just like millions of other high school students do.
Chloe wasn't just dealing with the typical teenage angst. On top of trying to figure out who she was and where she fit in, she was dealing with a split in the family. What started out as her mother leaving for only four months to write her novel turned into a whole lot more. She was struggling with a lot. Even though it took her way longer than it should have to realise and admit the similarities between situations I still appreciated the journey she took.
Being a teenager isn't always easy and it can often be quite ugly. Chloe's path was often ugly but it was filled with lessons that she needed to take in order to learn and grow. I think teens of a similar age would be able to relate and understand her struggles.
I liked that Chloe messed up a lot, that she was hard to like and that she was selfish the majority of the time. Finally I was able to read a realistic story that wasn't all rainbows and unicorns. Messy is sometimes good and very much appreciated.
** I received an advanced readers copy from Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**
Just when I thought that perhaps I'd had my fill of YA, along came Confessions of a High School Disaster. I've always enjoyed YA but lately I have felt like the genre has been letting me down. Either the story is too far fetched or just too cute to be relatable. Confessions of a High School Disaster was none of those things and rang so completely true to the demographic who's story it was telling.
Chloe's story was told through an entry in her diary every day throughout her first year of high school. Some entries were little more than a paragraph and others were pages long. She wrote about her absentee mother, boys, kissing, sex, friendship, her musical and everything else that happened during that scary first year of high school. With the diary method, it was easy to read and even easier to get lost in. Just one more entry and then I'll put it down was my mantra!
Be warned...
Chloe wasn't always easy to like. She made a huge amount of bad choices and she hurt people along the way. She thought about sexual experiences a lot and she drank alcohol at parties. Chloe also used poor judgement when it came to her love interest. She was obsessed with social media and was often selfish. Chloe was only 14.
But...
I'm not that far removed (well maybe I am) from my high school experience to know that this was a realistic depiction of what high school life is like. Kids are going to parties at this age and they are drinking or worse. They are glued to their phones and social media. They are obsessed with the opposite sex and some are even having sex at this age. For the most part, it is a very selfish age and time for young people. Poor judgement and bad choices are a constant and lessons are learnt on a daily basis. This is part of the teenage experience. So I very much appreciated the realistic and sometimes hard to take teenage girl named Chloe. She was struggling along just like millions of other high school students do.
Chloe wasn't just dealing with the typical teenage angst. On top of trying to figure out who she was and where she fit in, she was dealing with a split in the family. What started out as her mother leaving for only four months to write her novel turned into a whole lot more. She was struggling with a lot. Even though it took her way longer than it should have to realise and admit the similarities between situations I still appreciated the journey she took.
Being a teenager isn't always easy and it can often be quite ugly. Chloe's path was often ugly but it was filled with lessons that she needed to take in order to learn and grow. I think teens of a similar age would be able to relate and understand her struggles.
I liked that Chloe messed up a lot, that she was hard to like and that she was selfish the majority of the time. Finally I was able to read a realistic story that wasn't all rainbows and unicorns. Messy is sometimes good and very much appreciated.
February 21, 2024
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This is the type of book that baffles me because I really enjoyed it even though it has a lot of elements that normally frustrate me. Chloe isn’t always the most likable character and she makes a lot of very poor decisions—but she’s only 14 and, more importantly, she actually reads like a 14-year-old. So, I found myself giving her a lot more leeway than I usually would. She’s very young and naive, but she so wants to feel more mature—she’s at that age where she’s sure she’s missing out on something and just needs to grow up faster. So when an older boy starts paying a lot of attention to her, she can’t help but feel flattered and excited—even if he does have a girlfriend. I think another reason I was willing to give Chloe a bit of a break is because I was charmed by a boy in a very similar manner when I was just a bit older than her. While I didn’t respond to things in the same ways that Chloe did, I could definitely empathize with her. This book brought back a lot of memories for me—both good and bad. Because of this, I found myself turning the pages quickly despite some frustrations with the way Chloe dealt with her situation.
I loved Chloe’s two best friends, who are sort of opposites and both helped Chloe understand herself a lot better. But I wasn’t a fan of the way sex was depicted in this book—for a 14-year-old, Chloe seemed a little too obsessed with it and I’d kind of wished her best friend had stayed true to herself more when it came to that area, especially considering their age. Still, I know I’m probably a bit out of touch when it comes to teens and sex, and this is probably more true to our society than I’d like it to be. I give this book 4/5 stars, because I ended up really enjoying this book, even if I didn’t always agree with Chloe’s thoughts and actions.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This is the type of book that baffles me because I really enjoyed it even though it has a lot of elements that normally frustrate me. Chloe isn’t always the most likable character and she makes a lot of very poor decisions—but she’s only 14 and, more importantly, she actually reads like a 14-year-old. So, I found myself giving her a lot more leeway than I usually would. She’s very young and naive, but she so wants to feel more mature—she’s at that age where she’s sure she’s missing out on something and just needs to grow up faster. So when an older boy starts paying a lot of attention to her, she can’t help but feel flattered and excited—even if he does have a girlfriend. I think another reason I was willing to give Chloe a bit of a break is because I was charmed by a boy in a very similar manner when I was just a bit older than her. While I didn’t respond to things in the same ways that Chloe did, I could definitely empathize with her. This book brought back a lot of memories for me—both good and bad. Because of this, I found myself turning the pages quickly despite some frustrations with the way Chloe dealt with her situation.
I loved Chloe’s two best friends, who are sort of opposites and both helped Chloe understand herself a lot better. But I wasn’t a fan of the way sex was depicted in this book—for a 14-year-old, Chloe seemed a little too obsessed with it and I’d kind of wished her best friend had stayed true to herself more when it came to that area, especially considering their age. Still, I know I’m probably a bit out of touch when it comes to teens and sex, and this is probably more true to our society than I’d like it to be. I give this book 4/5 stars, because I ended up really enjoying this book, even if I didn’t always agree with Chloe’s thoughts and actions.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
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January 29, 2017This was really fun and cute! I don't read much YA with younger protags but when I do, I especially love the diary format, which I think Chastain pulls off really well here. I love the complicate parental relationships, the sexual and romantic curiosity, the changing friendships...it just felt really true in a great way.
August 16, 2016
An absolute masterpiece! ;)
May 25, 2021
Mám slabosť pre denníkové knihy s pubertálnymi hrdinkami, ktoré taaaak straaaaašne dramaticky prežívajú, že ich ešte nikto nikdy nepobozkal! Chloe Snowová je prvý rok na strednej, jej najlepšia kamoška si nájde frajera skôr ako ona, rodičia sú MEGATRÁPNI, samá klasika.
Ak už vopred viete, že tento žáner nie je pre vás, zrejme tu nenájdete nič, čo by vás nadchlo. Ak naopak PRESNE viete, čo dostanete, tak si bežte po ňu - je to solídna žánrovka, ktorá sa dobre číta. Každá kniha v sérii by mala pokrývať jeden Chloin rok na strednej a ja sa teším na pokračovania.
Odporúčania:
Ak už vopred viete, že tento žáner nie je pre vás, zrejme tu nenájdete nič, čo by vás nadchlo. Ak naopak PRESNE viete, čo dostanete, tak si bežte po ňu - je to solídna žánrovka, ktorá sa dobre číta. Každá kniha v sérii by mala pokrývať jeden Chloin rok na strednej a ja sa teším na pokračovania.
Odporúčania:
May 18, 2017
REVIEW CONTAINS ROMANCE TAKEN TO A HIGHER LEVEL. IF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, DO NOT READ ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This book was seriously horrible. I would give it -5 stars if that was an option.
The main character is 14, starting her freshman year of high school and is obsessed with...we're gonna say romance. AND SHE'S 14! I thought I would like it because a part of page 3 described me. "Basically all I did in junior high was text, straighten my hair, add to my Benedict Cumberbatch shrine, and worry about how to be more popular." The last part, not so much, but I thought that if she did the first 3 things, we had to be similar, right? Wrong. So, so wrong. All she talks about is...romance...and falls for a 18 YEAR OLD who has a girlfriend! She decides the girlfriend is way too pretty to get upset that her boyfriend would cheat on her, because, why not? Cloe (Main Character) and Mac (Senior) make out at one point and she...umm...wants to go...eek farther... I hope y'all get the idea... Things like that happen through the whole book, and her "ultra-Catholic" best friend gets a boyfriend, who's a senior, and the do umm...go farther than kissing. Oh gross. Chloe asks about it, and gets a fairly detailed response. SO NASTY.
This book was seriously horrible. I would give it -5 stars if that was an option.
The main character is 14, starting her freshman year of high school and is obsessed with...we're gonna say romance. AND SHE'S 14! I thought I would like it because a part of page 3 described me. "Basically all I did in junior high was text, straighten my hair, add to my Benedict Cumberbatch shrine, and worry about how to be more popular." The last part, not so much, but I thought that if she did the first 3 things, we had to be similar, right? Wrong. So, so wrong. All she talks about is...romance...and falls for a 18 YEAR OLD who has a girlfriend! She decides the girlfriend is way too pretty to get upset that her boyfriend would cheat on her, because, why not? Cloe (Main Character) and Mac (Senior) make out at one point and she...umm...wants to go...eek farther... I hope y'all get the idea... Things like that happen through the whole book, and her "ultra-Catholic" best friend gets a boyfriend, who's a senior, and the do umm...go farther than kissing. Oh gross. Chloe asks about it, and gets a fairly detailed response. SO NASTY.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2016
This book is hilarious and charming and I enjoyed every page. Chloe is, for me, a perfect funny contemp narrator: delightfully (lightly) bitchy, sharply observant in ways that felt both deeply, wonderfully specific and true to the character and her age, and possessing the kind of shoulders-back confidence I would've killed for as a kid and loooved living vicariously through on the page.
This book is just so damned fun to read. Among the things Chastain nails are theater kid culture, teen boredom, the way popular high school boys flirt, and Chloe's villainous mom, who is terrible in the most pitch-perfect way: she's a wannabe novelist, and Chastain infuses her airy emails with the woman's comic attempts at "writerly" prose. Every page has a funny or totally right observation that made me like, "YES, THAT."
So, so good. Binge it in a day.
This book is just so damned fun to read. Among the things Chastain nails are theater kid culture, teen boredom, the way popular high school boys flirt, and Chloe's villainous mom, who is terrible in the most pitch-perfect way: she's a wannabe novelist, and Chastain infuses her airy emails with the woman's comic attempts at "writerly" prose. Every page has a funny or totally right observation that made me like, "YES, THAT."
So, so good. Binge it in a day.
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November 9, 2017The pitch comp to Bridget Jones is dumb, since this is a book that will appeal tremendously to middle school/freshman in high school readers as a diary. And that's about it. It's a pitch-perfect 14-year-old white girl from the suburbs voice, and while it does nothing new or novel or even interesting, it's the sort of slice-of-life read a lot of those younger teen/older tween readers will like. I've read reviews of people scandalized there's talk of sex and hand jobs but, like, have you spent much time with kids that age? Because that's what they talk about and write in their diaries.
YA for teen readers, rather than YA for adults.
YA for teen readers, rather than YA for adults.
October 22, 2016
Chloe Snow is so real. The voice is right on the money. You can't help but fall in love with her as she navigates all that comes with starting high school: growing apart from old friends, boyfriends, being the bottom of the pack, struggles with her parents. Teens will find a sympathetic (and funny) friend in this book.
May 29, 2021
This was one of six books chosen for me by my book club. I waited to put up all ratings and reviews until my vlog was uploaded. You can watch Part 1 (synopses and book club intros) here and Part 2 (vlog itself and final winner) here.
This was a fun, fast read and just what I was in the mood for. Chloe Snow is not particularly likable because she’s a stupid, self-centered high school girl, but isn’t that everyone in high school? This is why I found this story incredibly realistic. The high schoolers were written as high schoolers and they faced actual high school problems. (Yes, speaking as a theatre kid, I can 100% attest to the fact that mean girls not getting the roles they wanted in the school musical IS an issue.)
I also really liked the introduction of hormones and sex in here. Chloe’s and Hannah’s views of and reactions to sexual activities are really relatable. They’re both very different in their wants and values, but they’re just as nervous and curious as the other. I just liked that there was both a religious and nonreligious hormonal teen in this book. I think religious teens in YA often get depicted with that holier-than-thou attitude and I felt like Hannah was a better representation of the kids I was friends with.
For sheer enjoyment value alone, I have to go with 4 stars. I tore through this one and I really feel that ninth grade me was quite similar to Chloe (all character flaws included). It was light and fun, but it also dealt with some heavy hitting topics/themes like sexuality, abandonment, manipulation, and gaslighting. Pleasantly surprised by this one and I’ll definitely go onto the next!
This was a fun, fast read and just what I was in the mood for. Chloe Snow is not particularly likable because she’s a stupid, self-centered high school girl, but isn’t that everyone in high school? This is why I found this story incredibly realistic. The high schoolers were written as high schoolers and they faced actual high school problems. (Yes, speaking as a theatre kid, I can 100% attest to the fact that mean girls not getting the roles they wanted in the school musical IS an issue.)
I also really liked the introduction of hormones and sex in here. Chloe’s and Hannah’s views of and reactions to sexual activities are really relatable. They’re both very different in their wants and values, but they’re just as nervous and curious as the other. I just liked that there was both a religious and nonreligious hormonal teen in this book. I think religious teens in YA often get depicted with that holier-than-thou attitude and I felt like Hannah was a better representation of the kids I was friends with.
For sheer enjoyment value alone, I have to go with 4 stars. I tore through this one and I really feel that ninth grade me was quite similar to Chloe (all character flaws included). It was light and fun, but it also dealt with some heavy hitting topics/themes like sexuality, abandonment, manipulation, and gaslighting. Pleasantly surprised by this one and I’ll definitely go onto the next!
April 13, 2018
Much better than I initially thought it would be. There were some funny bits, an awesome, sweet, supportive Dad that reminded me a lot of my own (you can never have enough of those in YA lit), friends that really cared and a likable main character (even when she was loyal to her shitty mom or becoming attached to a total douche.) The characters were well fleshed out. ☺️ My favorite was the Dad though. So often in YA the parents are easily forgettable but I loved him.
March 12, 2017
To see full review click here.
This is a weird one to review. The main character is slap worthy, but I think a lot of it has to do based on her age-she’s on the younger side of YA at 14/15 years old.
It’s not that I don’t mind YA books with younger protagonists (though, I generally avoid them because I can’t handle a younger protagonist’s usual severe immaturity) but in Chloe’s case what bothered me is that while she was so young, she got herself involved in some very adult situations.
I mean, maybe I’m showing my age but it’s not fun reading about a freshman getting severally wasted at a party. Especially when said freshman urinates on herself.
I know it happens, I’m not that naive…but since this is going to be a series I wish that the character might’ve been a little older before dealing with some of these situations. I mean, in the Princess Diaries book Meg Cabot waited until book seven before having Mia drink a beer.
And to be honest, I probably would’ve been able to tolerate it better had Chloe been a bit more mature. But God was she dense. So, so, dense.
If you’re not a fan of face palm moments in this book, you’ll want to avoid this one. Chloe has so many shakeable moments its not even funny. She makes Harriet Manners’s awkwardness look sophisticated that’s how bad it is.
True, a lot of the obviousness in this book might be overlooked by someone who’s in a similar situation to hers, but I couldn’t help but getting annoyed.
Still, despite many shakeable moments, I still enjoyed the book that’s an odd thing to say. I think one of the things I liked the best was the relationship Chloe had with her dad. It’s nice to see a parent character in YA get fleshed out a bit and for that matter a dad character. But as wonderful as Mr. Snow is, Mrs. Snow is just horrible and unrealistically bad in a lot of ways. So, it sort of cancels out Mr. Snow’s greatness. I hope what she did isn’t swept under the rug in the series subsequent installments. Sometimes assholes like Mrs. Snow need to be treated like the assholes they are, parent or not. I’m just saying.
The romance is squirm inducing too. Though, I’m glad with the turn it took, it was unexpected for a YA book and it was sort of fitting. Though, I honestly hated that everyone blamed Chloe for what happened. The other party was just as guilty as she was, yet it seemed like he wasn’t blamed at all for what happened. And her best friend, I’m sorry she slut slammed Chloe and didn’t deserve an apology.
It annoyed me and got me on a misogyny rant. Yes, Chloe fucked up but I thought her friend acted shitty towards her especially given how she was treated by the rest of the school. I mean, really bestie, you were right about that one party being hurt BUT while your bestie made mistakes she didn’t deserve to have urine thrown on her and be harassed, just saying. Side notes, Chloe got covered with urine quite frequently throughout this book.
So as you’re probably seeing from my remarks, my feelings are mixed at best for this one. I think I will likely continue with the series though. The book was short and engaging and while I had issues with how Chloe was grossly immature and practically a baby but doing things that you’d expect to see with older more experienced protagonists, it was engaging enough. If anything I’m willing to read the sequel just to see if my ship that involves Chloe’s dad and the drama teacher reunites (Yes, that was the best part of the book. Sort of sad in hindsight). Plus, I do see potential for Chloe maturing over the course of the series.
This is a weird one to review. The main character is slap worthy, but I think a lot of it has to do based on her age-she’s on the younger side of YA at 14/15 years old.
It’s not that I don’t mind YA books with younger protagonists (though, I generally avoid them because I can’t handle a younger protagonist’s usual severe immaturity) but in Chloe’s case what bothered me is that while she was so young, she got herself involved in some very adult situations.
I mean, maybe I’m showing my age but it’s not fun reading about a freshman getting severally wasted at a party. Especially when said freshman urinates on herself.
I know it happens, I’m not that naive…but since this is going to be a series I wish that the character might’ve been a little older before dealing with some of these situations. I mean, in the Princess Diaries book Meg Cabot waited until book seven before having Mia drink a beer.
And to be honest, I probably would’ve been able to tolerate it better had Chloe been a bit more mature. But God was she dense. So, so, dense.
If you’re not a fan of face palm moments in this book, you’ll want to avoid this one. Chloe has so many shakeable moments its not even funny. She makes Harriet Manners’s awkwardness look sophisticated that’s how bad it is.
True, a lot of the obviousness in this book might be overlooked by someone who’s in a similar situation to hers, but I couldn’t help but getting annoyed.
Still, despite many shakeable moments, I still enjoyed the book that’s an odd thing to say. I think one of the things I liked the best was the relationship Chloe had with her dad. It’s nice to see a parent character in YA get fleshed out a bit and for that matter a dad character. But as wonderful as Mr. Snow is, Mrs. Snow is just horrible and unrealistically bad in a lot of ways. So, it sort of cancels out Mr. Snow’s greatness. I hope what she did isn’t swept under the rug in the series subsequent installments. Sometimes assholes like Mrs. Snow need to be treated like the assholes they are, parent or not. I’m just saying.
The romance is squirm inducing too. Though, I’m glad with the turn it took, it was unexpected for a YA book and it was sort of fitting. Though, I honestly hated that everyone blamed Chloe for what happened. The other party was just as guilty as she was, yet it seemed like he wasn’t blamed at all for what happened. And her best friend, I’m sorry she slut slammed Chloe and didn’t deserve an apology.
It annoyed me and got me on a misogyny rant. Yes, Chloe fucked up but I thought her friend acted shitty towards her especially given how she was treated by the rest of the school. I mean, really bestie, you were right about that one party being hurt BUT while your bestie made mistakes she didn’t deserve to have urine thrown on her and be harassed, just saying. Side notes, Chloe got covered with urine quite frequently throughout this book.
So as you’re probably seeing from my remarks, my feelings are mixed at best for this one. I think I will likely continue with the series though. The book was short and engaging and while I had issues with how Chloe was grossly immature and practically a baby but doing things that you’d expect to see with older more experienced protagonists, it was engaging enough. If anything I’m willing to read the sequel just to see if my ship that involves Chloe’s dad and the drama teacher reunites (Yes, that was the best part of the book. Sort of sad in hindsight). Plus, I do see potential for Chloe maturing over the course of the series.
June 22, 2020
Never have I ever seen a cover so summery and adorable that I not only spontaneously bought it on the spot (at the dollar store), I started reading it as soon as I got home. Eight pages in I had already laughed out loud twice, so I was very satisfied with my purchase at first.
The format of short diary entries is compulsively readable, and her voice is SO authentic and genuine that it shot me straight back to my own journals of freshman year. I love her dog Snickers, her dorky dad, her terrible absent mom, and the whole-hearted Sue-Heck-esque enthusiasm with which she throws herself into life.
She does establish herself as rather boy crazy --she has literally one friend at the start of this book, but at any given point there are up to five guys she has her eye on, and she doesn't just think they're cute, she regularly engages with and/or mutually flirts with all of them despite zero prior boy experience -- but for the most part she and her best friend are both very cute, silly, and fairly naive/sheltered/innocent (for example, despite her parents fighting her whole life, she doesn't question that her mother has left for any reason beyond what she said -- working on her novel -- for at least four months).
Which is why it's so alarming and upsetting when the book takes a sharp left turn into PHYSICAL HOOKUPS AHOY, culminating in everything from dry humping to the best friend losing her virginity at age 14. Watching her parents' marriage disintegrate in the background is also not great. There is emotional and physical cheating everywhere and the whole thing turns into an inglorious train wreck on fire.
On top of this, she seems to be quietly having a mental breakdown without realizing it, resulting in occasional annoying sign-offs like "I can't seem to stop crying today for no reason?? weird" and "wondered today whether I'd die if I jumped into a fountain from 2 stories up, which luckily is a normal thought everyone has." At one point the book made me cry, and it was not the satisfying "I love feeling vicarious emotions" kind so much as "I would genuinely be suicidal at this point if this were my life." (For the record, she isn't -- the fountain thought really does seem to be a passing, idle one -- but IDK how.)
And yet despite all that, there were things I still really liked, such as her friendship with Mac or her
Instagram-stalking of his glamorous and also nice girlfriend, Sienna. I liked the sort-of-evil-but-mostly-just-entitled Bernadette, and the details of the school musical. I still really liked the writing style even when I hated what it was saying.
Overall...this is a 3.5 star book. Three stars feels too low for how much I enjoyed the majority of the entries and the fact that I want to keep my copy (is the cover unfairly influencing my feelings??), but four feels too high for its fatal flaws that deserve punishment. Rating in flux.
Between the current in-limbo status of a fourth book and the title of the third, I am 97% certain I am not going to continue the series, no matter how immediately I was drawn into the sneak peek in the back. Thankfully, this book starts in August prior to high school beginning, and runs for a full year, so I feel like I got enough about the summer afterward to take the edge off.
The format of short diary entries is compulsively readable, and her voice is SO authentic and genuine that it shot me straight back to my own journals of freshman year. I love her dog Snickers, her dorky dad, her terrible absent mom, and the whole-hearted Sue-Heck-esque enthusiasm with which she throws herself into life.
She does establish herself as rather boy crazy --she has literally one friend at the start of this book, but at any given point there are up to five guys she has her eye on, and she doesn't just think they're cute, she regularly engages with and/or mutually flirts with all of them despite zero prior boy experience -- but for the most part she and her best friend are both very cute, silly, and fairly naive/sheltered/innocent (for example, despite her parents fighting her whole life, she doesn't question that her mother has left for any reason beyond what she said -- working on her novel -- for at least four months).
Which is why it's so alarming and upsetting when the book takes a sharp left turn into PHYSICAL HOOKUPS AHOY, culminating in everything from dry humping to the best friend losing her virginity at age 14. Watching her parents' marriage disintegrate in the background is also not great. There is emotional and physical cheating everywhere and the whole thing turns into an inglorious train wreck on fire.
On top of this, she seems to be quietly having a mental breakdown without realizing it, resulting in occasional annoying sign-offs like "I can't seem to stop crying today for no reason?? weird" and "wondered today whether I'd die if I jumped into a fountain from 2 stories up, which luckily is a normal thought everyone has." At one point the book made me cry, and it was not the satisfying "I love feeling vicarious emotions" kind so much as "I would genuinely be suicidal at this point if this were my life." (For the record, she isn't -- the fountain thought really does seem to be a passing, idle one -- but IDK how.)
And yet despite all that, there were things I still really liked, such as her friendship with Mac or her
Instagram-stalking of his glamorous and also nice girlfriend, Sienna. I liked the sort-of-evil-but-mostly-just-entitled Bernadette, and the details of the school musical. I still really liked the writing style even when I hated what it was saying.
Overall...this is a 3.5 star book. Three stars feels too low for how much I enjoyed the majority of the entries and the fact that I want to keep my copy (is the cover unfairly influencing my feelings??), but four feels too high for its fatal flaws that deserve punishment. Rating in flux.
Between the current in-limbo status of a fourth book and the title of the third, I am 97% certain I am not going to continue the series, no matter how immediately I was drawn into the sneak peek in the back. Thankfully, this book starts in August prior to high school beginning, and runs for a full year, so I feel like I got enough about the summer afterward to take the edge off.
May 3, 2017
Would you believe me if I told you I've never read Bridget's Jones's Diary - I've only watched them. Would you believe me when I say I don't really read diaries in fiction much - that aside I feel Chloe Snow has certainly changed my tune on this - I LOVED IT!
Chloe Snow's story was told through an entry in her diary every day - it all begins just before freshman year of high school, Chloe Snow has high hopes, new year new school, she has expectations to live up too one of which to have her first kiss, - I mean every one else has and already on second base so she feels she needs to have it by New Year's Eve. Along the way she meets the heartfelt Tristan, her best friend and not so nice people as well. Her freshman year takes her on a journey of self discovery, facing new challenges and also exceeding her own expectations but at the end of the day it's being herself that trumps all.
Chloe Snow reminds me a bit of me - I think we all have those thoughts about boys, friendships, school life at that age. Chloe isn't a stranger to making bad decisions, and she messes up a lot which you will get annoyed at, but its her quirks and redeeming qualities that make her who she is. What I loved was that aside from the funny, the cringe and the constant smile you display on your face when your reading it is that it focused lightly on the serious of your teenage years too. I learned something too: Did you know you should say Rabbit Rabbit at the beginning of the month, for good luck all month and it derived from Britain? Nope I didn't.
This is the perfect book if you loved Waiting for Callback series by Perdita and Honor Cargill and also Flirty Dancing series by Jenny McLanan. I hope we see Chloe Snow a lot more - I'd love to go through her sophomore and senior years and see what other trouble and cringe worthy moments she gets up too. My #DailyConfession is this book is ingeniously funny and every teen girl should read it!
Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Chloe Snow's story was told through an entry in her diary every day - it all begins just before freshman year of high school, Chloe Snow has high hopes, new year new school, she has expectations to live up too one of which to have her first kiss, - I mean every one else has and already on second base so she feels she needs to have it by New Year's Eve. Along the way she meets the heartfelt Tristan, her best friend and not so nice people as well. Her freshman year takes her on a journey of self discovery, facing new challenges and also exceeding her own expectations but at the end of the day it's being herself that trumps all.
Chloe Snow reminds me a bit of me - I think we all have those thoughts about boys, friendships, school life at that age. Chloe isn't a stranger to making bad decisions, and she messes up a lot which you will get annoyed at, but its her quirks and redeeming qualities that make her who she is. What I loved was that aside from the funny, the cringe and the constant smile you display on your face when your reading it is that it focused lightly on the serious of your teenage years too. I learned something too: Did you know you should say Rabbit Rabbit at the beginning of the month, for good luck all month and it derived from Britain? Nope I didn't.
This is the perfect book if you loved Waiting for Callback series by Perdita and Honor Cargill and also Flirty Dancing series by Jenny McLanan. I hope we see Chloe Snow a lot more - I'd love to go through her sophomore and senior years and see what other trouble and cringe worthy moments she gets up too. My #DailyConfession is this book is ingeniously funny and every teen girl should read it!
Rating - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
June 6, 2017
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon Pulse for the opportunity to read and review Confessions of a High School Disaster: Chloe Snow's Diary by Emma Chastain! Chloe is nervous about starting high school and is trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. Her freshman year turns out to be nothing like she imagined and so much bigger than she could have guessed it would be. Through the year, Chloe has crushes, makes friends and learns how to grow and still hang onto lifelong friendships. She's also involved in drama, some she causes and some she's blameless for. Her dad is a solid part of her life, while her mother turns out to be selfish and flaky. In the span of that eventful year, Chloe matures and ends up being a sophomore willing to share her painfully gained wisdom with her underclassmen. 5 stars for an entertaining realistic fiction read for young adults!
April 24, 2017
Sequel suggestion: fast-forward a few years and let's see Chloe in her first year of COLLEGE.
Now that would be fascinating.
Now that would be fascinating.
June 25, 2018
Rating: 4.5 Stars
So, yeah, I read Sophomore year before this book, but you know what? I think I love Chloe even more, because I know how much she grows from this book to the next.
Her freshmen year was really tough. Thank goodness she found a friend in new student, Tris. He's the best, and a great and loyal person to have by your side. I think Chastain hit on those major life changes many teens experience, when they make that move from middle school to high school. Learning a new school and all it's social rules, as well as coming to terms with changing friendships.
She also did a wonderful job crafting Chloe. Chloe's voice is fantastic, and kept me captivated during both books. I found her witty, charming, funny, and sometimes even wise. Since the story was told via diary entries, they are very open and honest, and Chloe reflects on many different things such as her crushes, her sexual curiosity, her parents marriage, her friendships, and herself.
It was great for me to see how far Chloe had come, and I hope we get to graduate with her.
So, yeah, I read Sophomore year before this book, but you know what? I think I love Chloe even more, because I know how much she grows from this book to the next.
Her freshmen year was really tough. Thank goodness she found a friend in new student, Tris. He's the best, and a great and loyal person to have by your side. I think Chastain hit on those major life changes many teens experience, when they make that move from middle school to high school. Learning a new school and all it's social rules, as well as coming to terms with changing friendships.
She also did a wonderful job crafting Chloe. Chloe's voice is fantastic, and kept me captivated during both books. I found her witty, charming, funny, and sometimes even wise. Since the story was told via diary entries, they are very open and honest, and Chloe reflects on many different things such as her crushes, her sexual curiosity, her parents marriage, her friendships, and herself.
It was great for me to see how far Chloe had come, and I hope we get to graduate with her.
November 17, 2018
I received this book for free from the Publisher (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Read this review and more on my blog.The Book Return Blog
Confessions of a High School Disaster is the first installment of the Chloe Snow series. I read the second installment first and enjoyed it so much that I decided to go back and read 'Confessions of a High School Disaster'.
In this book Chloe is just about to start high school. Her immaturity definitely shows through in this book. This makes sense as she is just at the beginning of both high school and her parents divorce. The combination of these two things definitely would push Chloe to concentrate on more important things than basic teenage stuff ( i.e. being a kissing virgin).
I think divorce is an important topic for YA to tackle as its something many teens must work through and I think COAHSD did it well. One of the most eye-opening aspects for me was Chloe was how her opinion of her mother's actions changed throughout the story. In the beginning Chloe made excuses for her mother's actions. Later on she realized that her father is the one who stayed and her mother was the irresponsible one. I also really enjoyed Chloe's relationship with her dog. I love YA stories that include pets. I also loved that this relationship helped Chloe work through her parents divorce and her mothers abandonment.
While I didn't enjoy this installment as much as the first one, I am glad I read it as it fills in the blanks for me. I plan on reading the rest of the series and am excited to see what happens in Chloe's junior year.This review was originally posted on The Book return...
July 16, 2018
Chloe writes in her diary most days and tells her story of her freshman year. This is definitely a young read and does a great job voicing a 14-year-old. She likes a senior, and though he has a girlfriend, he shamelessly flirts with her. She has two close friends, one boy and one fairly religious girl. When she gets a boyfriend, Chloe spends more time with her close guy friend. She's definitely young and has all those insecurities and curiosities of her age. While she goes on her quest for her first kiss, the one person she'd really like to confide in is absent, her mom. She's in Mexico to write. The story revolves around growing up, making mistakes, and dealing with adult issues.
The story comes full circle at the end. The characters are completely relatable and ring true. An entertaining YA read.
The story comes full circle at the end. The characters are completely relatable and ring true. An entertaining YA read.
August 21, 2020
Although I won't remember a lot about this in a week or two (sorry to say), Chastain's voice for Chloe was incredibly strong. I found myself drawn into her world as she spilled every detail of her life, some moments exciting, some embarrassing. This read like an actual high school freshman, which transported me back to my own fun (and cringy) freshman year. Chloe Snow's Diary was also very fast-paced, which made it the perfect companion to settle into junior year of college with. I just wish the characters were stronger, as I didn't connect with them as much as I would have liked.
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