Book Review:The Darlings Are Forever by Melissa Kantor

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? (From Goodreads)

I've found that in many YA books, I tend to have major issues with characters who have unrealistic problems. The Darlings Are Forever is a book which deals with realistic issues, and strong teen characters. Jane, Natalya, and Victoria are all headed to separate high schools, and this strains their friendship. They each have their own individual issues, and those build up until things reach a breaking point in their friendship. Fights/arguments in YA always risk the possibility of seeming silly. Sometimes characters fight for no apparent reason, or the topic of the argument is really minor compared to the drama unleashed. So, it felt refreshing to read a book where an argument between friends was the natural next step in the book.

I think that I would have connected more with the characters had I read this somewhere between eighth grade and senior year of high school. The book felt like it was on the younger side of YA, and while I would definitely suggest the book to girls at that age, I think this may have prevented me from connecting more with the problems of the characters.

I thought this was a cute read, and a nice start to a series. The subject matter isn't dark, and it shows a realistic view of girls determined to maintain their friendship despite their lives moving in different directions.

The Darlings are Forever
By Melissa Kantor
Published by Hyperion
336 Pages
Rating: C