Review: Calli by Jessica Lee Anderson

Title: Calli
Author: Jessica Lee Anderson
Format: Kindle
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Netgalley
Published: September 13, 2011 by Milkweed Editions
My Rating:♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

From Amazon:
Fifteen-year-old Calli has just about everything she could want in life—two loving moms, a good-looking boyfriend, and a best friend who has always been there for support. An only child, Calli is excited when her parents announce that they want to be foster parents. Unfortunately, being a foster sister to Cherish is not at all what Calli expected. First Cherish steals Calli’s boyfriend, then begins to pit Calli’s moms against one another, and she even steals Calli’s iPod. Tired of being pushed around and determined to get even, Calli steals one of Cherish’s necklaces. But this plan for revenge goes horribly awry, and Cherish ends up in juvenile detention.

Isolating herself from her moms, her boyfriend, and even her best friend, Calli wrestles with her guilt and tries to figure out a way to undo the damage she’s caused. When her moms are asked to take on another foster child, Calli sees an opportunity to make amends for her past mistakes.

Funny, moving, and emotionally rich, Calli is a portrait of an endearing young woman caught between adolescence and adulthood, striving to do the right thing even when all of her options seem wrong.

I just finished reading Calli by Jessica Lee Anderson, and it was an excellent coming of age novel! I found it to be a more realistic read than many YA books seem to be.

Calli is about a 15 year old girl who is living with her two Moms, a foster sister and a Dog named Sassy. She is dealing with fairly average problems for a teen today. Boy trouble, the struggle to be the perfect size, and seemingly relentless teasing from other kids at school.  Throw in her unusual home situation, and the mass amounts of baggage that comes with having a foster child in the house and you have a great read!

What I loved about this book: I loved the family dynamics, most especially showing that a non-conventional family (the lesbian mom's) live a normal life just like the rest of us. I cannot commend Jessica Lee Anderson enough for that.

I also loved the relationship between Calli and her best friend, Delia. Throughout the story, Calli really grew in her relationship with Delia and learned that just because things change it isn't always bad. 


What I didn't like about this book: While I am all for going green and caring for the planet, I didn't really feel like the little tidbits thrown in about saving the earth really fit with the rest of the story.


In the end, this was an excellent YA novel that I can't wait to recommend to my friends with teenage daughters! I give Calli 4 Hearts! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Calli comes out September 13, but you can pre-order through both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.