Sixteen-year-old introvert Samantha Cross is falling in love for the first time. There’s only one problem: she’s falling for her older sister’s boyfriend, Ben Swift. Her sister Veronica is beautiful, outgoing, and confident. Samantha is used to her sister getting all of the attention and everything she wants, even if she doesn’t like it. But now they’re being torn apart by love for the same boy, … boy, their parents’ separation and mother’s declining emotional state, and their move away from Calmer Cove into city life in St. John’s. As her life crumbles apart around her, Samantha’s feelings for Ben only grow stronger. Then she finds out the boy driving the vintage Thunderbird has mysterious issues of his own. Will Samantha let Veronica keep the only boy she’s ever loved, or will she end up ruining her sister’s happiness to take control of her own? Tensions between the siblings escalate, and Samantha is torn between doing what she thinks is right and acting on her heart’s desire. One thing becomes clear: One of the Cross sisters is in for a broken heart.
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Calmer Girls is the first in a two-part series written by author Jennifer Kelland Perry as a coming-of-age, young adult contemporary fiction novel. I picked up the book after I read a review on a fellow blogger’s website, and it finally found its way into my queue this month. Set in Canada, this story focuses on two teenagers in the early 1990s who are sisters interested in the same guy, Ben. Although some would say it falls into a romance genre, to me, it’s more a family drama with some romantic scenes. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it, so let’s get into the details…
Veronica is one year older than Samantha, who turns 16 in the book. Samantha meets a cute guy named Ben, and after introducing him to her sister, Veronica sets her sights on him. The tale follows Veronica’s relationship, then when she and Ben hit troubled waters, Samantha decides maybe she should’ve had him after all. In between these relationships, both girls deal with friends and their mother, an alcoholic who misses her own mother, the nana who fell prey to Alzheimer’s disease a few years earlier. The end is a bit explosive, a conclusion I hadn’t seen coming either.
At first, I found the story a little slow to build, but by midway, I relaxed into the calming tone. It’s very emblematic of teenager emotions… but I will say, both girls are ruthless and mean. Not in the traditional sense of ‘mean girls,’ but in that they don’t seem to care about one another, their mother, or even being kind to others. They just go about their lives as though they are solitary. In some ways, this is reality. In others, maybe I was just lucky and didn’t have friends like that when I was a teenager. Either way, this was a strong character study, and I enjoyed getting to know both of the girls as time passed by one year.
The writing is good; there are tons of descriptions and general commentaries on life. Some books are character-driven, others focus on plot. This one seemed to switch halfway through… as at first, it was all about setting a scene and relationship… and thru 50%, very little happens other than the girls dating boys and complaining about their life. A switch flips, and the plot rolls quickly into some suspense and drama. I liked the juxtaposition of the two approaches, as it shows the author’s writing style and talent across many areas.
I would like to read the second book to find out what happens to these girls, especially with that ending. I’m curious to see when and if there are any redemption factors, and who I end up deciding I like more. Good read!
‘Calmer Girls’ doesn’t fall into my usual preferred genre, but that didn’t stop me enjoying this book. I was engaged from the start when it opened with a scenario that was instantly familiar to me: teen sisters fighting and competing with one another. As the younger sister in my own family, I could relate to Samantha’s frustrations and sensitivities, even though my sister and I competed and fought over different things than Samantha and Veronica do. The complications and conflicts between Samantha and Veronica are portrayed very realistically, and the reader is drawn into developing a strong sense of empathy for their general situation, as well as for the circumstances of particular characters.
I love that this book is set in Newfoundland and that part of the story relates to the experiences of the families of the fishermen who live there. The author has embedded plenty of details that really do evoke the unique character of St Johns and life in the Canadian Maritimes, so the setting felt very familiar and homey to me because I have visited the Maritimes and have friends there.
I really liked the frequent references to the classic books such as ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Jane Eyre’ that Samantha likes to read because they gave me a stronger connection to this story. They weren’t overbearing or super nerdy, yet they communicated clearly that Samantha sees life and thinks at a deeper level than her sister. That positioned me to like her even more than the fact that she is the central character.
I found the characters to be believable and quite well-developed, and the story compelling.
‘Calmer Girls’ will hold immense appeal for anyone who enjoys YA romance and drama.