Review Detail

Becoming Carly Klein, the debut novel by Elizabeth Harlan is a coming-of-age story filled with teenage angst and heartbreak. Carly Klein is a 16-year-old girl living with her therapist mother and advertising executive father in New York City. On paper, she sounds like she has a perfect life, but in reality, Carly's life is crumbling all around her. Carly's mother is focused on work and barely pays attention to her daughter. Carly's dad is always working, and she discovers he is having an affair with his executive assistant which eventually leads to her parents separating. As if things weren't bad enough, Carly's best friend is moving across the country, leaving her feeling even more alone.


Amid all this, Carly begins to have a crush on one of her mother's patients, Daniel, a blind college student. She befriends him, pretending to be a college student named Serena. They quickly develop a romantic relationship, and Carly's lies of deception continue to grow as she lives a double life. When Daniel breaks her heart, Carly hits rock bottom, but it's through this pain that she can repair her relationship with her parents.

Harlan does an outstanding job of writing Carly as a complex character with a great deal of personal growth by the end of the story. In some situations, I can empathize with Carly, such as when her parents forget her birthday, and in others, I question her decisions, such as when she knowingly deceives Daniel. I think Carly's infatuation with Daniel and her lack of boundaries in stalking her mother's patient was hard to understand. Throughout the book, I found myself engaged and wishing I could have some of my questions answered like how Daniel/and his seeing-eye dog did not recognize Carly's scent or feel that she was wearing a wig. There were other unanswered questions at the end that I would love to know the answer to like did Daniel ever discover that Carly was his therapist's daughter.

Becoming Carly Klein is an impressive debut novel that will be enjoyed by teen readers who love a good coming-of-age story.