Dear Calista

Love Notes #6

by Danielle Keil

Everyone at Ryder High knows what it means to have a teal envelope taped to their locker on the first day of the month.
The first day of August is Calista Forrester’s seventeenth birthday. Her teal envelope showed up among the gifts at a surprise party.
A party she didn’t want. Just like how she doesn’t want a Secret Admirer.
Panged with guilt, and stuck with a dead phone battery, she accepts the challenge by default.
Her clues come in the form of tickets to different places, each with a task to complete while she’s there. It’s an introvert’s worst nightmare, but at least she’s allowed to bring a friend along.
When school starts, Calista is shoved into the spotlight as the chosen girl. That’s when she decides enough is enough.
Will Calista’s decision impact more than just her?
And will her secret admirer let her give up that easily?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult

168 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2022

About the author

Danielle Keil grew up and spent the majority of her life in the Chicagoland area. A recent transplant, she is enjoying the Mississippi life, especially the pool in her backyard.
Danielle is happily married for over 10 years, and has two young children, a daughter and a son, who are exact replicas of her and her husband.

Danielle's love language is gifts, her Ennegram is a 9w1, and she loves everything purple.
The way to her heart is through coffee, chocolate and tacos (extra guac).

Reviews

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danielle has done it again! Such a cute read, relatable heroine, awesome side characters.

Love love love this series and I'm sad to think about eventually ending.

[Allie Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing story! I love how we got an introverted MC and how she was able to push herself out of her comfort zone a bit throughout the book. And her secret admirer - props to him because that was not an easy task! I figured it out pretty quickly and was so shocked by the twist!!! Danielle, you are pure evil. Looking forward to Sept. 1!

[ضحى الحداد · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This gave me that old school vibe where the girl thinks she falling for two different boys but then discovers they are one and the same (oops that may be considered a spoiler :p)
This time we meet a new character ( I always forget her name ) Calista, she is a recluse but have a couple of friends and she HATES being in the spotlight, so when she receives her secret admirer letter she tries her best to quit, but then her guilt over the guy's feeling makes her play for a little while .. in the same time she is falling for someone she never looked at before ..
the story was nice enough and I really liked it, but the ending didn't make sense to me until I read that extra bonus chapter ( they are all adorable and I read them all )
all and all I am really happy with this series that I'm bingeing it .. let's see who's next

[Andrea Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to tag so I don't ruin the surprise! haha

We stan an introverted queen like Calista! Her attitude and personality spoke to me on a deep level, much like Jade. The secret admirer definitely had his work cut out for him, but watching her get some extrovert friend help to figure out the clues was perfect! I love everything about this fun, sweet YA series!

[Julie Thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put it down

Ok so this was a great story. I started reading with the intention of only reading a few chapters before bed. Now I've finished the book and I know I'm getting very little sleep before work but that's ok :) I really enjoyed this story and I simply couldn't put it down. Well done Danielle, loved it x

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I get a new favorite characters every month

When I found out the guy this month it made me tear up. They are a match I would not have thought of together. I feel bad for Calista home life though. Calista is a big introvert who needed to come out of her shell. Bring on September 1st .

[book_nerd13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way I related to Calista!!!
She’s a introvert, whose most content with just being alone. Her family clearly has a lot going on.
Her secret admirer really pushes her out of her shell, and I absolutely love that.
I know I say every month that this is my new fav, but this time I mean it! Team Calista

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was perfectly adorable and I loved every second! I could not put the book down and read it in a single sitting. Danielle wrote a brilliant story with exceptional spins. I wasn’t expecting what was awaiting me in this story. True page turner that kept me intrigued throughout.

[Margaret Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calista is an introvert who does not want to be the center of attention. I can really identify with Callista and I was exactly like her in high school. This is now my favorite book so far in the Love Notes Series. I can't wait to read September's book.

[Piscesbooknerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite one yet!

[Kaelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book
This book is very good, And I love how he wasn't the person she got told he was I can't wait to see what happens in the next book and who those characters are
lighthearted medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

[funkelbunt.liest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love notes series: To enjoy this series you just have to accept the premise that there is a secret society which organizes this secret admirer game and that most of the teenage boys want to participate and that most of the girls wish to receive a letter. Especially for the boys I find that hard to believe, but like I said - just accept it and move on.
You also have to accept that there are a lot of boys with a crush on a girl and they just wait for their turn to be the secret admirer instead of making a move on their own. Considering they can only participate in their junior and senior year and the game sometimes pauses for summer break, there are at maximum 24 months and A LOT more boys who want the spot. So that’s another really unrealistic part, but the books just don’t make sense if you don’t accept this.
I was quite annoyed with this - in some books more than others - but I tried to forget that it’s kind of a stupid concept to pine silently away for your crush, to wait up to two years for your turn and never do something on your own.
If you can look past that, the series is kinda cute. Some books are very enjoyable, others I really really didn’t like. But for all of them - I repeat myself - you HAVE to accept the premise.

***

This was one of my favorites of the series, maybe because I can relate to Calista a lot. I didn’t like that we see quite a bit of Jade - because I truly hate this character - and to even think she and Calista are alike…
On a very surface level - maybe. But Calista is grumpy and sometimes rude because she struggles with life, with her home situation, with self worth issues, with being an introvert and being insecure and awkward around people.

And while Jade seems to think it’s okay, maybe even her right to snap at people, Calista is reflective and considerate even if it’s mostly on the inside.

So I love her secret admirer even more for seeing her and helping her come out of her shell.

This was the first (okay second if counting Dear McKinnon) book of the series where I wasn’t completely sure who the secret admirer was. I felt quite certain but had a few doubts, then there’s a twist, and while complaining about the books being too obvious I didn’t like how it was done. (Can’t say more without spoilers and maybe you will enjoy guessing for once reading these books…)

The revelation felt a bit much for a character like Calista and it wasn’t all perfect, but I enjoyed it a lot, loved both main characters and could see myself reread this novella.

[Melissa Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m still really enjoying this series. I love how quick they are to read but still very entertaining and feel like they’re the length they should be. Does that make sense? Even though they’re less than 200 pages, it feels like you have all the information you need to understand what’s going on and to root for the couple playing the game.

In Dear Calista we have our first girl that very vocally doesn’t want to play the game. Which fits her personality. She keeps everyone at arm’s length and is extremely independent. Although stubbornness got a little tiring at times, it was refreshing to have a main character not really have any interest in the secret admirer game. Because that’s realistic, there’s no way every single girl at the school would want to be picked.

I was adamant that I knew who the secret admirer was from the get go. Other than the first book, which I don’t think was guessable, I’ve got them all correct so far. The curveball did throw me for a little while as it just didn’t make sense. There were hints that it could possibly be that character but they were only in one scene so I wasn’t convinced. I’m not going to spoil who it actually was, but these books aren’t meant to be super hard mysteries so you will also likely guess straight away. 

The themes of Dear Calista are a lot darker and mature than previous books. There are heavily implied suggestions towards what Calista’s mom’s night time job is and there are also themes of alcoholism and adultery. I wouldn’t say Dear Calista was as feel good as the other instalments but these themes actually made the book more hard hitting for me. It gave Calista a genuine reason for being the way she is and it means you want nothing but the best for her. 

I also enjoyed how many of the previous characters we got to spend time with again. Jade definitely wasn’t one of my favourite main characters but I loved getting more Melinda and Melissa. Especially as Melissa was the first person Calista opened up to (kind of). She was the catalyst of Calista learning to trust people and that was so important to the story.

I really want to continue and finish this series like now, but my Kindle Unlimited subscription has just run out and I need to actually read the books I’ve bought. My to be read pile is getting insanely large so reading books on a whim with the subscription is not something I need in my life right now. I am excited to get to Max’s book though. It’s the only one that has the roles reversed.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

another super sweet ya book

I’ve really been enjoying these sweet Love Notes books. They are clever and super cute. They are also quick reads and are a good palate cleanser between heavier books or for a young teen starting off in romance. They are quite the contrast to other teen romances that involve lots of sex and violence and bullying. The innocence in these books is a welcome contrast to those overly sophisticated worlds sometimes. The girl gets picked by a boy who is her secret admirer. She is sent clues and gifts over 4 weeks until she quits, guesses his identity, or he is finally revealed. It’s pretty obvious in each book who the admirer is, but the story is still enjoyable anyway. My only issue with this one is there are several plot issues that are left unresolved at the end. [*****spoilers!!] Callie has real issues with her parents that play a big role in the story and her living conditions and personality. These are completely unresolved at the end. Also, what about the boy who took the fall as the admirer. Did he know? That left me confused. I had to take off a star for the abrupt ending and dangling plots. Maybe they appear in future books but I feel like I’m left hanging.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I once say I can easily finish this series? Did Danielle Kiel hear me and decide to write a new one every month? Am I doomed?

This series is getting increasingly harder to read as i’m starting to lose a little interest, there’s only so much you can do with this idea. Yet here I am waiting for the September book of this series because I simply can’t stop now, I can’t give this book abandonment issues!!

Anyways getting into the actual book itself. I remove a star because I am losing interest and it took me twice as long to read this book than the others. I remove one more star because although the main character could be relatable at times I just didn’t like the writing and found myself rolling my eyes more than once. The title gains a star back because the ending was different and more interesting, but somehow still predictable?? It got me through the end and that’s all that matters, good plot twist.

[Vicky Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Calista she was different from all the other girls so far. Her story was sad. Imagine having a mother like that!

I did feel like she got in her own head a little and maybe if she would have just relaxed a little she might have had fun.

I guessed who the guy was straight away even with the decoy in the middle but i'm not sure how i feel about it and we don't know what happened with that who thing unless you read the bonus chapter which annoys me. Just add it to the book

Another cute read

[Tanesha Abernathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shy?

With each book in the series that I complete, they seem to get better and better. I believe the author does a great job showing the creativity of the teenage boys, the personalities and challenges that each student (male or female) may face.

This book was very realistic because Calista was dealing with some rather adult situations. Lots of people take these things for granted until they actually meet someone who is faced with these obstacles. I recommend you read this installment…it was kind of different from the rest but still had a happy ending.

[Amanda Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending was everything!!

That ending!! I honestly was in tears. To see Calista come out of her shell and realize that there were people around her who valued her was wonderful. The tickets helped Calista branch out but also have fun with the people who matter most.

[Ashley Cestra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books, YA isn’t always my jam but these stories are so sweet. I liked how this one was slightly different in how the game was played, but am super confused with the ending still…
I do enjoy reading this author and I’m always so tickled when a new book of hers lands on my kindle!

[Samaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed seeing Callie come out of her comfort zone, and every moment with Nolan was so perfect. The only thing that sort of bothered me was how Davis was somehow in the middle of it? I loved the rest of the book.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

good read

I wish this book was longer and you get to read about what happens when the truth comes out. Plus I want to know everyone’s reactions .

[Vani E K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awww ♥️

[Meredith Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has some heavier elements with her mom but still fluff amongst the letters. Her friends really come through thankfully

[syd · Rating 4 out of 5]

callie is so real

[Tanvi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how Danielle brought out the pangs of fear, insecurity and all other emotions in Calista.

And I liked how her secret admirer actually told her who he was.

[Charity King · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love the characters in this one in the series.

[Deanna Hopping · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calista doesn't like to be the center of attention all of her friends know this but that doesn't stop them from throwing her a surprise birthday party. after the party ends and Calista is able to fall back in the shadows she never expected to be in the spotlight once again because hiding under all her gifts is the famous teal envelope, the last thing Calista thought she would ever see and now her worst fear has been unlocked being in the spotlight for a whole month. her secret admirer is making her go way out of her comfort zone and in situations that will make her uncomfortable and hopefully getting her out of her shell. will all this anxiety help Calista or have her ending this game faster than it takes for the light to turn on.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dear Callista follows a extreme introvert who gets roped into finding her secret admirer at Ryder High. The summer months have kept the girls out of the public eye a bit but everyone still knows what the teal Envelope means. Callista reluctantly accepted the game when she was through a surprise birthday party, one that she left early from. Follow her as she grapples with social anxiety and pushing herself out of her comfort-zone to find out who her admirer is.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calista will keinen geheimen Verehrer, aber er lässt nicht locker und zwingt Calista, immer weiter ihre Komfortzone zu verlassen.
.
Calista ist eine sympathische Protagonistin und hat wirklich keine Lust auf das Spiel, vor allem weil ihr die Aufmerksamkeit und die Aufgaben unangenehm sind. Aber ihr Bewunderer ist extrem hartnäckig und lässt auch nicht locker, als Calista nicht mehr mitmachen möchte. Deshalb war es schön, dass sie letztendlich am Ende der Aufgaben doch immer Spaß hatte. Der Verehrer besorgt ihr Tickets als Hinweise zu verschiedenen Aktionen, die Calista mit einer Freundin absolviert. Das Ende des Buches war wirklich schön.
.
Sympathische Protagonistin