The Darlings Are Forever by Melissa Kantor

Goodreads Description: "Jane, Victoria, and Natalya. Together, they are the Darlings. Best friends forever. They have matching necklaces, their own table at Ga Ga Noodle, and even a shared motto: May you always do what you’re afraid of doing.

When the friends begin freshman year at three different high schools in distant corners of New York City, they promise to live by their motto and stay as close as ever. The Darlings know they can get through anything as long as they have each other. But doing scary new things is a lot easier with your friends beside you. And now that the girls aren’t spending all their time together, everything they took for granted about their friendship starts to feel less certain. They can’t help but wonder, will they really be the Darlings forever?"

My Review: This is one of those books that had a LOT of hype before it even came out; I saw ads for it in a lot of teen magazines and a lot of hype about it online. It took me a while to get to, because I had more urgent things on my TBR list, but I finally got to it! And my verdict? This is a good---and a FEEL-good---book! It's not a very novel concept, but it was well-written and I felt the girls' personalities and emotions were very real and fleshed out. Normally I'm not such a fan of "friendship books" because I find them kind of cheesy and boring, but this one kept me reading. I'm not saying it's a page-turner that will hook you right away---because it isn't. But it DOES have a good story line that slowly builds up and gets stronger as the book goes on (even though the plot lines are never REALLY very inventive or fresh...). I loved the Darlings; I felt like their friendships, their emotions, and they themselves were very REAL. I personally liked Victoria the best, and then Natalya; Jane got a bit obnoxious at times. But that's what made me like the book: they all have their good parts and their flaws and they own them. The Darlings Are Forever was simply a nice book.

Cover: I do like the cover. I think it seems tranquil and charming---almost quaint, or fairy tale-ish, in a way. At the very least, it's girly and simple yet cheerful---kind of like the book itself.

Overall Grade: B+