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stephxsu's review
2.0
EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE depicts the harsh realities of Hollywood politics without being too trashy. Chloe-Grace is a relatable and likable protagonist, a young girl caught in between the glitz of celebrity life and a desire to know what it feels like to be normal. If you’ve ever wondered what Brad and Angelina’s lot might feel like as teenagers, there is an excellent possibility—one can hope!—that they will turn out like Chloe-Grace: a down-to-earth girl who doesn’t take her glamorous situation for granted, yet knows how to have fun with what she has.
The book falls short in quite a few aspects, however. I found the pacing of EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE to be rather odd, as Chloe-Grace and her friends party through half the novel before she even thinks about being normal. I had expected from the synopsis on the back of the book that more of the story would revolve around Chloe-Grace’s experience as a normal teenager at an average high school, and so Chloe-Grace doing basically nothing for a hundred pages took me off on an unhappy detour.
Besides for Chloe-Grace, most of the other characters are unexciting and unoriginal. You have your basic attention-obsessed best friend, flamboyant homosexual stylists, career-oriented parents, super-nice everyday classmates at the “normal” high school, the perfectly sweet romantic interest. The stereotypes and generalizations bogged the story down for me, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion that was too neat, too easily wrapped up.
The shortcomings can be cast aside, however, if you’re simply looking for a fun and new look into Hollywood life. Chloe-Grace’s story of the trials and tribulations of being a celebrity-adopted kid will be the one everyone can turn to for a glimpse at how they live—at least until Maddox and his brothers and sisters hit puberty.
The book falls short in quite a few aspects, however. I found the pacing of EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE to be rather odd, as Chloe-Grace and her friends party through half the novel before she even thinks about being normal. I had expected from the synopsis on the back of the book that more of the story would revolve around Chloe-Grace’s experience as a normal teenager at an average high school, and so Chloe-Grace doing basically nothing for a hundred pages took me off on an unhappy detour.
Besides for Chloe-Grace, most of the other characters are unexciting and unoriginal. You have your basic attention-obsessed best friend, flamboyant homosexual stylists, career-oriented parents, super-nice everyday classmates at the “normal” high school, the perfectly sweet romantic interest. The stereotypes and generalizations bogged the story down for me, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion that was too neat, too easily wrapped up.
The shortcomings can be cast aside, however, if you’re simply looking for a fun and new look into Hollywood life. Chloe-Grace’s story of the trials and tribulations of being a celebrity-adopted kid will be the one everyone can turn to for a glimpse at how they live—at least until Maddox and his brothers and sisters hit puberty.
greenbeanteenqueen's review
3.0
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.
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.
mon_ique's review
2.0
Disappointing in a lot of aspects, but I loved the adopted family stuff! Wish there was more of that.
tjlcody's review
3.0
DNF, ~50%.
Just... Didn't hook me.
This is actually a situation where I think I just didn't click with the book. Someone else might like it.
Just... Didn't hook me.
This is actually a situation where I think I just didn't click with the book. Someone else might like it.
greenbeanteenqueen's review against another edition
3.0
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.
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.
arisbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
Contrary to the back of the book, Chloe does not decide to undergo a makeunder until halfway through the book. It wasn't boring per se, but there was a lot of set up occurring and after awhile I just wanted her to leave her wealthy school and annoying best friend, Rachelle and get on with switching high schools. What's worse is that there are maybe 3-4 chapters dealing with Chloe's new life and then we hurtle towards the ending. All of a sudden, all this drama erupts and then everything is solved a chapter later. Unfortunately, unlike real life, this book ends in a cheery, ultra-neat way. I was hoping for a bit more complexity or at least some loose strings. What's worse is that there's a cheesy epilogue. What really ticked me off was * the meeting with Chloe's parents. They were just oh-so-warm and yet they never tried to contact her once and then we get cheated out of reading their conversation. Chloe just tells us that they talked for hours. I was expecting it to be a bit more intense/awkward/emotional but it's glossed over and that really bothered me.* I was also a bit bothered by the fact that Chloe is in love with Jack by the end of the book. Jack whom, as a character, is flatter than a pancake. Angelic personality so of course they'd be in love right? No. All the other characters are equally one-dimensional, I kept expecting Rachelle and Chloe to have a fight because Rachelle is not what I would call best-friend material but to each her own. Furthermore, like Yan, I kept expecting Vicki to do something horrible, I don't know if that was just me being so wary of people or if the writing made it seem like something was going down...
I did like that this is an example of what I want to see more of: diverse YA chick lit. I was expecting to not like Chloe but she could have been far more monstrous than she was. She's obviously used to being famous and she embraces the perks of fame, but she doesn't try to hog the spotlight and certainly doesn't mind spending a quiet night at home. Sure she could annoy the reader by how she views 'ordinary' people as boring, but that makes the book and Chloe, seem more genuine. "Vickie was saying this almost in admiration, as if she thought I was a strong person for having a crazy life or something. I knew she was giving me words of encouragement, but I didn't feel strong at all. Just overwhelmed." (pg. 97). That quote shows how down-to-earth Chloe is. While most of the secondary characters were one dimensional, I did really like Luther. Luther is the typical over-the-top makeup artist, but I was so entertained by his excitement over playing Chloe's fake dad that I didn't mind.
Exclusively Chloe is nothing extraordinary, but it delivers on being a relaxing read, a good choice for when one is in-between some heavier books. The diverse, over-the-top, secondary characters make this book both a tad disappointing and more entertaining. Plus it's the first book I've ever read that gives an idea of what life might be like for the adopted children of celebrities. There were tiny little details that made me smile too, like how Chloe's parents decorated her room in a 'Chinese style' when she was younger. It's a cute idea but it made me shake my head. The book starts off slow and ends too fast and clean, and Chloe falls in love way too quickly. While avid fans of chick lit may not see anything new in this plot, this was a new-to-me read and I can definitely see why people like chick lit.
I did like that this is an example of what I want to see more of: diverse YA chick lit. I was expecting to not like Chloe but she could have been far more monstrous than she was. She's obviously used to being famous and she embraces the perks of fame, but she doesn't try to hog the spotlight and certainly doesn't mind spending a quiet night at home. Sure she could annoy the reader by how she views 'ordinary' people as boring, but that makes the book and Chloe, seem more genuine. "Vickie was saying this almost in admiration, as if she thought I was a strong person for having a crazy life or something. I knew she was giving me words of encouragement, but I didn't feel strong at all. Just overwhelmed." (pg. 97). That quote shows how down-to-earth Chloe is. While most of the secondary characters were one dimensional, I did really like Luther. Luther is the typical over-the-top makeup artist, but I was so entertained by his excitement over playing Chloe's fake dad that I didn't mind.
Exclusively Chloe is nothing extraordinary, but it delivers on being a relaxing read, a good choice for when one is in-between some heavier books. The diverse, over-the-top, secondary characters make this book both a tad disappointing and more entertaining. Plus it's the first book I've ever read that gives an idea of what life might be like for the adopted children of celebrities. There were tiny little details that made me smile too, like how Chloe's parents decorated her room in a 'Chinese style' when she was younger. It's a cute idea but it made me shake my head. The book starts off slow and ends too fast and clean, and Chloe falls in love way too quickly. While avid fans of chick lit may not see anything new in this plot, this was a new-to-me read and I can definitely see why people like chick lit.
shutupnread's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely not a really difficult book but rather, Exclusively Chloe is a book that's just meant to pass the time away. It really was quite an adorable book.
Besides how adorable it is, there were some stuff that bothered me just a tiny bit.
First of all, there were some parts of Exclusively Chloe that just didn't seem to be realistic whatsoever. The transformation that Chloe-Grace had to go through to transfer school? All she did was cut her hair short and wearing "normal" clothes. I personally don't think that'll help at all. They might not recognize you at first but, honestly, in an hour or two, I'm sure the whole gig would be over. And the fact that Chloe held on for two weeks just didn't make sense to me. Oh, and when one of the guy at Hollis High School was questioned on whether or not "Lilly" - Chloe's pseudonym at the "normal" school - looked like Chloe, he didn't even think she did at all. It just blows my mind sometimes.
And second of all, some of the characters weren't very well-developed. For example, Rachelle, Chloe's "best-friend" just didn't seem like a very good friend. In fact, there were times when I was pretty sure Rachelle was just using Chloe to get to all the "in" clubs. And she also didn't seem to be concerned about Chloe's parent's divorce. Well, she was concerned...for a few minutes and then it's all about clubs, shopping and other irrelevant things. And Vickie, Chloe's other close friend from Newton, just had this whole bad vibe going on. I mean, she seemed nice and stuff but I kept thinking that something bad would happen. However, despite these two not-so-great characters, the one character that was amazing was Luther, Chloe's mom's stylist. He's just so cool and he's also extremely funny. Like, he's trying really hard to play the dad role and he even goes the extra mile and creates curfews and stuff. Oh, and he's willing to give things - like, major things - for Chloe which just does it for me.
The ending was also too neat and too clean for any endings actually. It felt like everything just happened to settle down too perfectly and there was no "big fight" at the end.
Overall though, I thought the plot itself was quite fascinating especially with Chloe trying to disguise herself just to get a taste of what normal people lived like. The writing style itself was really quick and it was quite enjoyable.
Besides how adorable it is, there were some stuff that bothered me just a tiny bit.
First of all, there were some parts of Exclusively Chloe that just didn't seem to be realistic whatsoever. The transformation that Chloe-Grace had to go through to transfer school? All she did was cut her hair short and wearing "normal" clothes. I personally don't think that'll help at all. They might not recognize you at first but, honestly, in an hour or two, I'm sure the whole gig would be over. And the fact that Chloe held on for two weeks just didn't make sense to me. Oh, and when one of the guy at Hollis High School was questioned on whether or not "Lilly" - Chloe's pseudonym at the "normal" school - looked like Chloe, he didn't even think she did at all. It just blows my mind sometimes.
And second of all, some of the characters weren't very well-developed. For example, Rachelle, Chloe's "best-friend" just didn't seem like a very good friend. In fact, there were times when I was pretty sure Rachelle was just using Chloe to get to all the "in" clubs. And she also didn't seem to be concerned about Chloe's parent's divorce. Well, she was concerned...for a few minutes and then it's all about clubs, shopping and other irrelevant things. And Vickie, Chloe's other close friend from Newton, just had this whole bad vibe going on. I mean, she seemed nice and stuff but I kept thinking that something bad would happen. However, despite these two not-so-great characters, the one character that was amazing was Luther, Chloe's mom's stylist. He's just so cool and he's also extremely funny. Like, he's trying really hard to play the dad role and he even goes the extra mile and creates curfews and stuff. Oh, and he's willing to give things - like, major things - for Chloe which just does it for me.
The ending was also too neat and too clean for any endings actually. It felt like everything just happened to settle down too perfectly and there was no "big fight" at the end.
Overall though, I thought the plot itself was quite fascinating especially with Chloe trying to disguise herself just to get a taste of what normal people lived like. The writing style itself was really quick and it was quite enjoyable.
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