The Darlings in Love by Melissa Kantor

Victoria, Natalya, and Jane have successfully survived their first semester of high school at separate schools, and now they feel that the Darlings can handle anything—even and especially love. Even though Jane has sworn off love, things are going great for Victoria and looking up for Natalya. Victoria knows that she and her boyfriend Jack are just perfect together, and every moment that they spend together makes her positively glow. And Natalya’s crush Colin might just be dropping hints that he likes her back. Even Jane’s new acting partner Simon may give her a good reason to believe in love again. But just when things are going smoothly, the Darlings are going to have to learn about the more complicated side of love. Victoria’s Valentine’s Day surprise for Jack doesn’t quite go as planned, Simon might be a little too good to be true, and it turns out that Colin has been keeping some very big secrets. But through all these romantic dreams and heartaches, the Darlings know that they still have each other and that their friendship can get them through anything.

I was just as charmed by The Darlings in Love as I was by its prequel, The Darlings Are Forever. The focus on romantic relationships for this second book in a series is a tad overdone, but Kantor still handles it wonderfully. This is partially because Darlings are such a lovable trio; Victoria, Natalya, and Jane are girls that every reader will be rooting for as they struggle with their romantic and other drama. Additionally, the focus of the story isn’t solely on romantic relationships but also on the Darling’s relationships with each other and their families. Though the plot is a little predictable, I still found The Darlings in Love heartwarming and entertaining because of Kantor’s superb character development. Victoria, Natalya, and Jane are so realistic and likable that their stories are always sure to make me smile.

Fans of The Darlings Are Forever won’t want to miss its sequel in The Darlings in Love, nor will fans of The Teashop Girls by Laura Schaefer and Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci.

Rating: 4.25

Review copy from NetGalley