My Name Is Chloe

This was my first Christian fiction read, so I’m reviewing this title as an outsider of the genre. My Name is Chloe is the first title in a series of books featuring a character named Chloe Miller who starts off as an outsider at her school with her colored hair and punk style clothing, but then accepts Christ into her life and makes two new friends who join her to form a Christian rock group.
Overall, I was disappointed with this title as I had thought it might be different or less preachy as some reviews had claimed. The message of Christianity begins early in the book, within the first few pages, before I felt the reader even has a sense of who Chloe is as a character. The story is told in diary format, which some teens may enjoy show more for its voyeuristic approach, but not enough detail goes into the Chloe’s daily life, the people who are in it, or getting to know Chloe before her big change. More time is spent laying the groundwork for her conversion, which happens rather suddenly without any visible motivation, other than the purpose of moving the plot forward. The conflicts are minor and the character changes are not very honest or realistic, in my opinion. Many characters come across as stock and stereotypical and a subplot to convert Chloe’s friend Allie, who’s into Wicca, is painfully transparent. I would have been more interested if Chloe had made friends who were of differing beliefs and the story had perhaps focused on the difficulties and rewards of having friends of different faiths, but the goal of this book is obviously not geared toward that. It may have even helped if something dramatic or life changing had taken place to shake Chloe’s life up and make her evaluate her beliefs, this might have made the story more real. Pretty much a thin vehicle for a message, some Christian teens seem to enjoy this series as well as other Carson titles, but I would advise non-Christians or those interested in a more compelling plot to skip this one. show less

This book could be pretty cheesy, but i did enjoy it. One problem i had with it was that while Chloe seemed to have her own voice at first, she sounded exactly like Caitlin after she became a Christian. They're still different people.

I didn't enjoy this one as much as i've enjoyed the Caitlin series. I don't know if that's because the other one is better, in my opinion or if it's that Caitlin has nostalgia for me since i first read her series years ago. I do like how this series overlaps with the last couple of books in Caitlin's series.

*Review written on September 14, 2014.*

A fifteen year old starts a band and hopes to hit it big. Typical, right? Well, not really. Chloe Miller is angry at the world and doesn't try to hide it. She fights with her parents and thinks of them as hypocrites. Basically a social outcast, Chloe makes friends with two girls, one a Christian and the other a Wiccan. She doesn't know where to turn, especially when a girl at school begins to torment her.

This book was beatifully written from a unique point of view. If you are into music and rebel stuff, this is good for you. Some have complained that it's not as good as the first books about Caitlen O'Connor, but I found at least as good or even better. Once again, a must read from Melody Carlson that is both relevant and touching.

My favorite part about this book is that I learned more about God while reading it. Chloe, although a new Christian, has wonderful incites about God and His love. For more about this, read my post on my blog, God Speaks Through Everyday Things.

The writing style for this book was very simple and plain. There were some really slow parts in the book and there did not seem to be a strong central plot. The book is written as a series of diary entries in which Chloe tells about what is happening in her life. The plot seemed to be the act of Chloe discovering what it means to be a Christian and to have a relationship with God.

I do plan on continuing with this series. I think that it is intended that the reader reads the Diary of a Teenage show more Girl: Caitlin series before the Chloe series, so I think I will read the first Chloe book next and continue from there.

I would actually rate this book a 3.5 out of 5. show less

My favorite part about this book is that I learned more about God while reading it. Chloe, although a new Christian, has wonderful incites about God and His love. For more about this, read my post on my blog, God Speaks Through Everyday Things.

The writing style for this book was very simple and plain. There were some really slow parts in the book and there did not seem to be a strong central plot. The book is written as a series of diary entries in which Chloe tells about what is happening in her life. The plot seemed to be the act of Chloe discovering what it means to be a Christian and to have a relationship with God.

I do plan on continuing with this series. I think that it is intended that the reader reads the Diary of a Teenage show more Girl: Caitlin series before the Chloe series, so I think I will read the first Chloe book next and continue from there.

I would actually rate this book a 3.5 out of 5. show less

It’s a book of a girl that has different steps to make her life right and all the steps could be bad or make things better. This book can help anyone come to know it’s not hard to find God. I think adults would be bored with it and little kids wouldn’t understand it. AHS/TM