Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

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Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi  was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why. Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good. From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an ad...
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Book Review: Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club, #2) by Ann M. Martin

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the baby-sitters club # 2The girls of The Baby-Sitters Club are no strangers to having weird things happen to them since they've started their club. However, nothing has been as weird or spooky as getting mysterious phone calls while on their jobs. Whenever they receive these calls, there is no one on the other line. Claudia, who loves reading mystery books, is determined it's the Phantom Caller who is a jewel thief operating in Stoneybrook.

In my need to reread my way through my childhood, I of course had to continue with Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club, #2) by Ann M. Martin. Let me begin by saying I liked it a lot better than Kristy's Great Idea (The Baby-Sitters Club, #1) because it had a little mystery associated with it.

It did have a happy ending when they found out the prank calls were done by none other than Alan Gray. He had a crush on Kristy and wanted to ask her out to the Halloween Hop but didn't have the nerve to do so. Many people think that this particular book gives girls an unhealthy message about boys liking girls . . . that it tells girls that if a boy likes you that he'll be mean to you and tease you. I didn't have that take away from the book. Alan Gray was a nuisance to the girls ever since they were little, but it was more that they were annoyed by things he did that weren't necessarily mean. When he made a smart ass quip to the teacher about Kristy in the fifth grade, Kristy was the one to play a prank on him. That of course meant war between the two. I really wish adults would stop reading too much into something that is kids being kids in my opinion.

The main theme in Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls is responsibility. After getting several phone calls and then seeing a prowler outside the house, Claudia calls the police. The underlying theme is that in order for things to change, you must make them. Don't wait for other people to make those changes. I gave this book five out of five stars.


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