Calmer Girls in Get Reviews!

Feb 01, 2017 David Rose rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, coming-of-age, romance

This is a well-written YA novel which covers quite a lot of ground, and adds up to rather more than the sum of its parts. The Calmer Girls - Samantha (please, not 'Sammie'!) and Veronica ('Ronnie') and their mother move from their quiet home to city life in St. Johns, Newfoundland. Troubled but beautiful Ben Swift becomes a bone of contention, and their lives hit turbulent - and deep - waters.
Is it a love story? Absolutely. Is it a family drama? Oh yes, and then some. Is it about growning up? (T This is a well-written YA novel which covers quite a lot of ground, and adds up to rather more than the sum of its parts. The Calmer Girls - Samantha (please, not 'Sammie'!) and Veronica ('Ronnie') and their mother move from their quiet home to city life in St. Johns, Newfoundland. Troubled but beautiful Ben Swift becomes a bone of contention, and their lives hit turbulent - and deep - waters.
Is it a love story? Absolutely. Is it a family drama? Oh yes, and then some. Is it about growning up? (Typo, but it's so apt I'm leaving it there.) Definitely.
Samantha is a very good character, too young for everything she has to deal with, overshadowed by her showier and apparently extroverted sister, who wrestles with one situation after another. Samantha falls in love; so does Veronica. No spoilers here, that's in the blurb. It's what follows, and how Jennifer Perry resolves matters, that makes the book. For most of the book I thought Veronica rather one-dimensional, but was forced to change my mind in the end. The girls' mother is a superb character, Ben is good, and Kalen has a nice minor role.
The pace is medium, the plot complex, the writing itself very good. The book covers a few YA issues, of which the brokenness of modern family life is probably the foremost, but it is never 'preachy'. Everything is simply part of the story. Ben's habit of driving fast and angry is well done.
Rarely, a couple of character decisions felt a little forced, as though to fit a pre-determined plot. For example, Sam and Ben's decision at about the three-quarter mark was not quite believable for me, but almost all the time the choices and consequences are true to each character.
I felt the ending was very good, and came at the right time. While not everything is neatly wrapped up, I was fully satisfied to read this novel as a stand alone work, and I believe a sequel is planned. Strongly recommended for YA readers who like a little more substance to their books, and relationships which develop at a realistic pace. ...more

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Nov 03, 2017 Bookish rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, indie-author

A story that will hold immense appeal for anyone who enjoys YA romance and drama.

‘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 th ...more

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Jul 05, 2019 Kat rated it really liked it

Whew strap in for a read for everyone who ever had that intense sister rivalry! Jennifer Kelland Perry knows how to create the drama. Samantha and Veronica have a lot going on in their life. And one of the best things about this story is the way the author authentically addressed a lot of real-life problems so many teens in ordinary families face today. A depressed economy where a parent can’t find work. A marriage that falls apart when this forces a move. Alcoholism. Aging of a grandparent and ...more

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Mar 11, 2020 Jo Sparkes rated it it was amazing

Well written, the author draws you in quickly with a move to a new town for Samantha, her sister Veronica, and her mother. Samantha meets - and longs for - Ben, a young man she fears will instantly fall for her older, gorgeous sister. He does. Problems of making new friends, an absent father and a mother who's drinking more and more pile on. It is a bit dark, but there's light at the end of the tunnel. The characters feel real, and the sisters eventually find compassion for each other.

If you lov ...more

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Oct 07, 2019 Norma Nikutowski rated it it was amazing

It’s not easy to have a sister who is a little older than you because there is a lot of competition and fighting. In Calmer Girls, two teen sisters, Samantha and Veronica fall in love with Ben.
Samantha is the youngest sister, studious, shy, and creative. Veronica is the older sister, beautiful and outgoing. This happens in the middle of a lot of other problems such as their parent’s marriage that falls apart, moving to a new place, alcoholism of their mother, aging of a grandparent and dementia. ...more

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Oct 14, 2017 J. Marie rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Shelves: young-adult, coming-of-age, can-lit

Editorial Review from OnlineBookClub.org:
4 out of 4 stars… “The author did an incredible job of writing a detailed story that didn’t conform to the clichés of so many other young adult romance books… Calmer Girls was an amazing book that I definitely recommend.”

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Aug 01, 2020 L.J. Scar rated it really liked it

Shelves: less-than-50-reviews-on-amazon

Well written and filled with painful and often heartfelt passages, Calmer Girls is a look into one life-changing summer of a teenage girl's life. A deeply flawed family relocated by divorce and poverty takes the reader on a not so easy journey. Bad choices, tumultuous relationships, and lack of familial support made for a novel filled with angst, jealousy and eventual understanding.

The family dysfunction left me empathetic even for the members I detested. The author really captured the emotions ...more

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May 05, 2017 Sandra Lopez rated it it was ok

"Insecure people wear masks, to impress, to fit in, to hide, and to protect sensitive emotions. [Samantha] could relate, often cocooning herself in an aura of indifference and detachment she only pretended to feel. Regrettably, it was a facade [her older sister] Veronica usually knew how to penetrate." (11)

Samantha, along with her sister and mother, have moved to Calmer Cover (Calmer for short), and she's about to start school in Sept. On the first day, she meets Ben Swift, who seems to share in ...more

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Mar 03, 2016 J. Marie added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

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Sep 14, 2016 J. Marie added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, coming-of-age

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Dec 10, 2017 Misty marked it as to-read

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