The Grass Is Always Greener

A Belles Novel, Book 3

By: Jen Calonita

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Who says you can’t choose your family?

Their shared sweet-16 party is just around the corner, and half-sisters Isabelle Scott and Mirabelle Monroe are ready to cut loose, even if they are the daughters of a prominent public figure. So when Izzie’s estranged aunt, Zoe, breezes into town unannounced, it just might be the change that the Monroe family needs - or not, depending on who you ask.

Happy with her cute surfer boyfriend and a group of great girlfriends, Izzie has no interest in getting to know yet another long-lost family member. But Mira, who’s on a mission to try new things and meet new people - a handsome brooding painter in particular - is drawn to Izzie’s artsy aunt, who seems to be the polar opposite of the uptight Monroe family.

As the girls try to negotiate the unexpected paths their lives have taken, Zoe’s laid-back attitude eventually charms them both. But when Zoe offers Izzie the chance to leave Emerald Cove and start fresh in California, Izzie and Mira are faced with bigger changes than they expected. Is a move to the West Coast what Izzie had in mind for her sweet 16?

©2013 Jen Calonita (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

" Belles is a must-read, full of scandals, sisterhood, Southern charm, and secrets!" (Sara Shepard, number-one New York Times best-selling author of the Pretty Little Liars series)

AMAZING SERIES

I love this series because it funny romantic and tragic I love this book yay Izzy and Brayden need more books pls

I need more. i could not stop listening.

need more. i could not stop listening. These are so easy to get thru.

Greatest series I’ve Read in Years 🌟

I have been blown away by this series and that is coming from a full grown woman! I think this series is mostly aimed at teens but I really think that anyone could enjoy it and it would honestly make a great TV series or movie trilogy.

I was drawn to this series bc I love Jen Calonita who I was first introduced to by her work on Disney Twisted Tales. She is such a great writer and her characters are always so likable. She has an amazing ability of allowing the reader to see everything from each character perspective. I also thoroughly enjoyed the narration throughout this series. She did a spectacular job with all of the voices and I will def look into more audiobooks featuring her. Julia’s emotional tone and excellent range really went perfectly with Jen’s vivid writing.

(Spoilers) I love books about sisters so Izzy and Mira are very close to my heart. I have loved watching their relationship evolve over three books. Their dynamic is so clever and I really think that they make each other better. It is hard for me to pick which I like best bc they are both great in different ways. I am def more like Mira than Izzy, especially when I was a teen. I was often like Izzy on the inside but I never let it show lol.

I was surprised that the book started with Grams being gone but I guess her arc was over and then it flowed into the Zoe plot nicely. Aunt Zoe is a very intricate, compelling character. I was surprised by the direction they went with her but it was increasingly more interesting. Part of me feared that she was going to end up being Izzy’s real mom and I would not have liked that so I’m glad they didn’t go there with it.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Izzy/Mira and Chloe/Zoe. It’s interesting how the belles ultimately bonded and managed to get along but Chloe and Zoe never mended their own wounds. I wish this book was a little longer and I would have liked to have known more about Zoe’s relationship with Grams apart from Chloe.

Zoe’s personality reminded me of a family member I have that is super self involved but still has a good heart. I was glad Izzy chose to stay in Emerald Cove but it’s nice she was able to obtain a relationship with her aunt in the end, especially since Zoe and Chloe’s relationship crashed and burned. It’s probably why Zoe was so desperate for she and Izzy to “be like sisters.” But the past cannot be changed and like Izzy observed, no one will ever know if Bill and Chloe would have continued despite Zoe’s interference. Personally, I feel like Maureen was his true love since he dated her previously and immediately reunited with her.


I was disappointed that Mira’s romance with Kellon fizzled but I suppose it was apt and it helped serve the plot that things happen sometimes and you can either move on and accept your new life or just fall to pieces and remain a shattered mess like Zoe. And I’m sure Chloe was crushed never speaking to her sister again and keeping Izzy a secret from she and Bill.

I loved the introduction of Landon and the scenes with the snotty teacher. Adults don’t always act as they should, sometimes they can act like petty teens and this is an excellent example. I would have liked to see more Savannah in this book but I guess she kinda dominated the first two and her arc still wrapped up nicely.

I saw the twist coming that Landon was Grayson Reynold’s son but that’s only bc Jen Calonita laid such meticulous ground work. My husband often marvels at how often I can spot a twist but I guess it’s the writer and english major in me haha. I am so glad that Mira’s parents actually listened to she and Landon bc parents very rarely ever listen to their kids/teens and let them make their own decisions.

I didn’t really understand the significance of the safe deposit box and the ring in the end. It was beautifully written but seemed unnecessary to me. I felt like Izzy already knew everything in the letter at that point. I thought there may be more secrets or insight into Grams’s feeling about Zoe but I guess they were just going for final closure.

It was beautiful that Izzy and Mira chose each other as their most essential ppl in the end. I don’t often find a series that I would read again but I will def check out the Emerald Cove belles on a yearly basis! I would love another book about them in the future too! 💎💍

Ugh

I love Julia but this book is terrible. Couldn’t get through the first chapter. Whew.