Get Real, Chloe Torres by Crystal Maldonado
i’ve carved a small space in my heart to tuck this book into. several things in this book are special to me: massachusetts and the proud declaration of being a masshole, a character in the book decides to go to my alma mater; sapphics!, a roadtrip, a bff bucket list. the characters go to niagara falls, which is where my parents honeymooned and also reminds me of the office. there’s a concert, which reminds me of all the evanescence shows i went to when i was 18 and 19. so many small and big things that made me love the book more and more.
friendship is at the center of the story. chloe (she/her) invites her two former best friends ramona and sienna (both she/her) on a road trip from massachusetts to vegas to see the boy band they loved when they were younger. the three of them haven’t spoken in a few years and chloe is hoping this trip will help them become friends again. second chance friendship. over their week-long road trip across the united states they argue and reconnect and reweave their lives to include each other again.
there’s some romance: chloe has an unresolved crush on sienna, and ramona has a crush on chloe, and then chloe starts thinking she may also have a crush on ramona. the enclosed spaces of the car and hotels force the girls to confront their feelings, which is something chloe had hoped for, but sometimes it’s awkward and they hurt each other and chloe thinks the whole thing was a mistake. but they push themselves to talk through everything instead of letting the friendship end completely. i love books of any age that show the importance of friendships and maintaining friendships, because so many stories i grew up with prioritized romance above all else. friendships are vital and deserve the same time, attention, and energy we give to other relationships.
thank you to netgalley and holiday house for the e-arc! i love crystal maldonado’s books and will continue to read them, though it may be difficult to top this one for me. get real, chloe torres is out now.
cws: abandonment; classism; fatphobia; grief
official description:
When Chloe Torres plans the perfect summer to reunite her estranged BFFs—a cross-country road trip to see their favorite boy band!—there’s only one difficulty… getting them to actually go along for the ride.
Chloe Torres’ birthday has always marked the end of summer—but as she turns eighteen and prepares to leave for her freshman year of art school, it feels like the end of more than that. It’s the end of her adolescence, which means it’s time to leave the past behind… but can she really let go of the two estranged best friends she left there?
NOPE. Chloe decides to take one more shot at healing the friend breakup she’s always regretted: planning the bucket-list trip neither girl can say no to. She’s taken care of everything: the car, the hotels, and concert tickets to see their favorite boy band’s reunion show in Las Vegas—stage seats, so close they can fangirl right in front of the boys’ faces. But first, her ex-BFFs have to say yes.
And to say yes, they’d all have to be talking… which they haven’t done since Ramona kissed Chloe, and everything imploded.
But with some clever finagling (and some undignified begging) Chloe gets them all on board. Of course, being in a car together for two weeks brings back old feelings… a lot of old feelings… and soon enough, Chloe wants Sienna, Ramona wants Chloe, and everything is on fireeeee.
This sizzling summer adventure from YA star Crystal Maldonado is a hilarious and heartfelt romcom with a little something for everyone: fat positivity, sapphic romance, a blazing love triangle, ADHD representation, a diversity of Latine identities, a once-in-a-lifetime roadtrip—and the perfect it’s-finally-happening kiss.