Friday, September 23, 2011

The Darlings in Love

The Darlings in Love by Melissa Kantor (NY: Hyperion, 2012). Reviewed from e-galley provided by the publisher via netgalley.com.

In this second installment of The Darlings are Forever series, Natalya, Victoria, and Jane are settling into their new high schools while maintaining their close friendship and trying to survive bumps in their love lives.  Natalya is still crushing on Colin who has refused to speak to her, even though she's apologized, until they see each other at the park and start communicating again.  But things are more complicated than the chess matches they enjoy, and Natalya turns to her friends frequently for advice.  Meanwhile, Victoria is in the throes of new love with her boyfriend Jack until misunderstandings arise and she starts to question their relationship.  Jane thinks she should stick to advising her two friends until she's asked to play in a love scene with the cutest boy she's ever seen.  That angel face could never deceive her, right?

This is a wonderful continuation of the series and actually reads much more smoothly than the first volume.  Maybe it's because the characters are established, but I enjoyed The Darlings in Love more than I did the first one. Kantor does a superb job of showing the girls' sometimes awkward and painful forays into the world of romance and love. Drama, yes, but not over the top, and really well done.  Highly recommended for ages 11 & up. 

2 comments:

Abby said...

Ohhh, I have a teen who's eagerly anticipating this one! Glad to know it's good!

Mary said...

Thanks, Abby! I think the publication date is January. I'm sure you could get it @ netgalley, too. :) You have gobs of time for reading e-galleys, right?
--mary