Quirk Review: Belles (Belles #1) by Jen Calonita

From Goodreads:

Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well.

Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever.

PREFACE:
Have you ever kicked yourself for not doing something? I originally heard about Belles because the author, Jen Calonita, was coming to Nashville. I toyed with going but didn't in the end, partially because I hadn't yet read the novel. I had hesitated in reading the book because though I usually enjoy contemporary YA, the stories often have some big kick to them where this one seemed to be the standard fish-out-of-water story (though set in The South, which is a plus). So what ended up happening?

I kicked myself.

WRITING:
Calonita's writing was what I come to expect and enjoy in contemporary YA. Fairly direct, but because of the setting and the over-the-top personalities to be found in the story, the was more description and what I'd call world-building, which made the novel feel more fleshed out and realistic. It was easy to imagine the scenes and put yourself there with the characters.

SETTING:
I loved the settings in Belles. On the one hand you have your aristocratic South, complete with McMansions, country clubs, posh schools, and glamorous boutiques. On the other, the more down-to-earth, friendly, small-town, which just happens to be seaside. Each place was great on their own, but the contrast between the two made both stand out.

CHARACTERS:
The two main characters, the Belles, were great. It took me a while to warm up to them, but in the end I loved them both.

Izzie (Isabelle) is the fish-out-of-water, going from rough circumstances to the high life and not sure what to think about it. She is a good person but finds herself in the cross-hairs of the local It girls. She has her flaws, which sometimes makes things more difficult, but all in all she's just trying to navigate her new life. I related to Izzie because I have been in tough situations where you have to do everything you can to make it by, so I appreciated her drive and determination.

Mira (Mirabelle) is the princess whose castle gets invaded by Izzie. She is part of that It girl group but is growing more and more conflicted about it. I loved the progression of her character because to me, she had the most potential to stay two-dimensional. All throughout the novel you can see how she is changing and becoming different from those around her. I connected a lot to Mira because, even though I didn't grow up at all like her with the fancy-this and expensive-that, I often had those same inner struggles about loyalties and friendships when I was a teen.

The other characters were good and complicated, making things complicated for the Belles, but I especially loved Mira's parents and her brothers. It was so nice to see a family that wasn't perfect, but was real and where the parents weren't terrible or just MIA.

DOWNSIDE:
My one major downside to this story was how long it took to really get things going. The beginning, while fine, didn't grab me because the main conflict, Izzie moving to live with Mira and her family, didn't come in until after I felt it should have.

There were some parts later that I also felt slowed the story or were unnecessary because events or points (like clues to some characters' true colors) are illustrated elsewhere. That made certain scenes feel repetitive or like we'd already understood this aspect so we should move on. A little trimming of that kind of thing would have worked well for me.

COOL STUFF:
I did not know going into this story (and really, why am I always so in the dark on these things?) that is was going to be from both Izzie and Mira's perspectives. I LOVED THAT. I'm a huge fan of multiple POV's so it was a very nice surprise.

I also loved the dramatic irony that occurred from flip-flopping POVs. You knew things about both girls that they didn't know or understand about each other, and that made those moments where they come close to reconciling so bittersweet because you know what's going on and they don't, so when they walk away even worse off than before, you root for them even more.

Lastly, the end. Awesome.

VERDICT:
Though I was unsure about Belles at first, I'm glad I stuck with it. It ended up being a great story about two girls with more in common than they think. With tons of family and friendship drama, vivid settings, and a lot of heart, this Southern contemporary YA is a fun one to cozy up with. I am super excited to read the sequel, Winter White.