The Darlings Are Forever by Melissa Kantor

The Darlings Are Forever by Melissa Kantor

Hyperion, January 4, 2011

Summary from Goodreads:

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?

I thought this was a very sweet book and a great start to a new series. For much of the novel I was thinking it was a very sweet, innocent story (and it many ways it remained so), but there were just a few scenes that had me remembering that these girls are high school freshmen, not middle school girls.

Is freshman year awkward for everyone, or was that just me? Starting a new school, being a little fish in a really big pond...add to that not knowing a soul in that new school, and perhaps you can sympathize with the Darlings a little. BFFs since forever, they are now going to three separate high schools and their impromptu visits now have to be carefully scheduled around school, homework, and extracurriculars. Jane is a budding actress with a big part in her school's fall play, Natalya has her hands full trying to befriend the popular clique, and Victoria has to deal with her wannabe senator dad and his entourage. Will the three be able to hang on to their friendship amidst all of this stress?

I would definitely be interested in reading more of the Darlings' adventures through high school, but I also think a companion book or series of the girls in their younger days would be awesome, too. Yes, we learned about how the three girls became friends, and how important Nana was in their lives, but when we meet the Darlings, Nana is already gone, and darn it, she sounds like a woman I'd love to know. I think younger versions of these three girls would make interesting characters for tweens. 

I think the Darlings have plenty of stories in their past AND future, and I can't wait to get to know them better!

(review copy received from publisher)
Enjoy your reading!
Christi