Review: The Darlings Are Forever

Author: Melissa Kantor
Pages: 336
Publisher: Hyperion Books
Source: Library
Synopsis: 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?


Buy the Book (The Book Depository/Amazon)

I wish I had read The Darlings are Forever before I started high school. It was an awesomely adorable story of friendship.

I related to all three of the protagonists, though sometimes I was thinking "that was a really stupid choice" but in the way that I wanted them to realize that. Jane, Victoria and Natalya were all going to different schools but their friendship didn't wane. They learned new lessons and I was grinning the whole time. This book captured high school very well for girls with different personalities.

The story lines were interesting. Each girl had her own personality and made choices that lead to a certain point. They weren't too unbelievable but they didn't surprise me much either. This kind of story of friendship is often told so I knew what to expect.

What I wish was more focused on was the girls' friends at school. I learned about two names for each and I thought that could be (and maybe will be) explored more (in the future?). This was a very sweet version of high school but it could also have delved deeper. That part of it was a little unrealistic.

All in all, this was another contemporary read that I enjoyed. I wouldn't say this is for older YA fans, Maybe young teens and tweens. 3 stars,

***