Becoming Carly Klein - by Elizabeth Harlan (Paperback)

About the Book

" Neglected by self-absorbed parents who wind up divorcing by the time she's sixteen, Carly Klein is sustained by her best friend, Lauren. But when Lauren and her family move away, Carly is forced to find new ways to entertain herself. It doesn't take her long to locate the perfect subject: her therapist mother's patients. Carly soon becomes obsessed with one patient in particular -- Daniel, a blind junior at Columbia College -- and, desperate to become part of his life and knowing he'll never go for a high school girl, gets close to him by pretending to be a student at neighboring Barnard College. Becoming Carly Klein follows Carly on a roller coaster romp through the exhilaration and disappointment of first love, and the unintended consequences of disguise, deception, and discovery"--

Book Synopsis

Fans of contemporary coming-of-age young adult fiction will root for Carly Klein as she fights to find her place in the world--even if she has to lie to everyone in her life to get there.

2025 International Book Awards Winner in Young Adult Fiction
2025 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist in Young Adult Fiction

Neglected by self-absorbed parents who wind up divorcing by the time she's sixteen, Carly Klein is sustained by her best friend, Lauren. But when Lauren and her family move away, Carly is forced to find new ways to entertain herself. It doesn't take her long to locate the perfect subject: her therapist mother's patients.

Carly soon becomes obsessed with one patient in particular--Daniel, a blind junior at Columbia College--and, desperate to become part of his life and knowing he'll never go for a high school girl, gets close to him by pretending to be a student at neighboring Barnard College. Becoming Carly Klein follows Carly on a roller coaster romp through the exhilaration and disappointment of first love--and the unintended consequences of disguise, deception, and discovery.

Review Quotes

"In Becoming Carly Klein, Elizabeth Harlan has given us a heartwarming adventure of a young girl coming of age in 1980s New York City. Not only Carly but her mom and dad as well grow up through this lively and engaging tale of family strife, first love, youthful rebellion, deception, heartbreak, and healing." --Senator Connie Mack, United States Senate 1989-2001, author of Citizen Mack: Politics, An Honorable Calling

"With sparkling prose and witty dialogue, Harlan captures the electric energy and tension of a teen awkwardly keeping secrets. . . . Though many of the core themes carry through for teens of any generation, Harlan illuminates hallmarks of the Gen X era of latchkey parenting and feeling free to explore a city undisturbed by adults . . . "--BookLife Reviews

"Under Harlan's brilliant and deft touch, Becoming Carly Klein is a fearless exploration of how stepping in the wrong direction can help us step into ourselves. Perceptive and engrossing, this coming-of-age story is an anthem for an under-parented generation, and a reminder that growing up can happen at any age . . . in all its funny, heartbreaking, and messy glory! A deeply satisfying read and one not to miss." --Mary Pascual, author of The Byways and Walk the Web Lightly

"As I reflected upon this beautiful, hilarious, heartrending, truthful, and captivating work, two words finally came to me: a marvel." --J. L. Logan, Literature Bibliographer, Princeton University

"Carly Klein is memorable: hilarious, heart-wrenching, and very often a liar. Like many heroines, she must grow up. So must the adults around her. Becoming Carly Klein is a superb novel about this aching process of becoming both honest and honorable." --Catharine Stimpson, former president of the Modern Language Association, former head of the MacArthur Foundation, and NYU professor and Dean Emerita

"Catch the vibe of 1980s NYC--ambitious, gritty, stark, and real--in this utterly charming coming-of-age novel with a cast of memorably flawed and deeply human characters." --Melissa Walker, author of Small Town Sinners and Unbreak My Heart

"As much as her plot and characters, it's Elizabeth Harlan's spare, elegant way with words that gives Carly's coming of age story its power to engage a reader of any age, gender, or station." --Brooke Kroeger, author of Undaunted: How Women Changed American Journalism

About the Author

Elizabeth Harlan grew up and went to high school and college in New York City, where her story is set. She has written young adult novels and a literary biography for adult readers. Her recurring theme is mother/daughter relationships. Having mothered two children and grandmothered four grandchildren, she still identifies most powerfully with young girls struggling to grow out from under the yoke of misguided mothering. She lives on the East End of Long Island and on a barrier island off the West Coast of Florida.