Review: The Girl Behind the Red Door by Cassie Graham
Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions in exchange for an honest review.
The Girl Behind the Red Door is my second Cassie Graham read, and while I had the whole love-hate thing going on with my introduction to her writing, the good ultimately outweighed the not-so-good when it came to me deciding to check out her latest release. This contemporary romance was...iffy. Now, I know that sounds kind of ominous, but allow me to qualify my statement. This novel had some really positive things going for it: a great male main character, a couple of great supporting characters, and some really sweet moments between the main characters. But then that's counterbalanced by things that felt as if they were included in the story to make it come off as more of a "destiny brought them together" thing than it actually was. And just like my first Graham read, one of the main characters reacted to a revelation in a manner that seemed totally over-the-top.
Charlie Oded wasn't left at the altar by her fiancé. Nope, he left her even before she was able to make it down the aisle with nothing more than a short note. Two years later and just a few weeks shy of turning twenty-seven, Charlie has done her best to move on, even starting a successful business inspired by what happened to her. She isn't all that sure, though, if she's ready to be with someone new. And then she decides to go back to college to finish her degree and meets twenty-two-year-old senior Reed Windsor. He's hot, British, and a genuinely nice guy. They strike up a friendship, one that's got an underlying and very mutual attraction. Reed makes her want to take a shot at love and commitment, but he's keeping a secret that may make her regret it.
I adored Reed. If I could rate him and him alone, he'd get five stars. The thing is, he's just one part of this book, and there were things that were mentioned that I felt were meant to be more substantial than they actually were. There was Reed's being a cousin to two certain royal princes. Then there was the whole red door thing, which I wondered about and then when its meaning was revealed, it didn't come off as romantic as I thought it would. Then there was Reed's obsession with the whole Better Than Revenge video clip because it was just weird and almost as if it was a way to connect Reed and Charlie. His being a Windsor didn't have much of a bearing to the story and all the other stuff came off as more style than substance. Yet I continued to read because I did become invested in Reed and Charlie's story. But then the whole note-writing thing came to light, and Charlie? I get being upset but her reaction and everything that followed was above and beyond that. And that's when this novel lost me. In the end, I can only give The Girl Behind the Red Door three out of five stars. ♥
Charlie Oded wasn't left at the altar by her fiancé. Nope, he left her even before she was able to make it down the aisle with nothing more than a short note. Two years later and just a few weeks shy of turning twenty-seven, Charlie has done her best to move on, even starting a successful business inspired by what happened to her. She isn't all that sure, though, if she's ready to be with someone new. And then she decides to go back to college to finish her degree and meets twenty-two-year-old senior Reed Windsor. He's hot, British, and a genuinely nice guy. They strike up a friendship, one that's got an underlying and very mutual attraction. Reed makes her want to take a shot at love and commitment, but he's keeping a secret that may make her regret it.
I adored Reed. If I could rate him and him alone, he'd get five stars. The thing is, he's just one part of this book, and there were things that were mentioned that I felt were meant to be more substantial than they actually were. There was Reed's being a cousin to two certain royal princes. Then there was the whole red door thing, which I wondered about and then when its meaning was revealed, it didn't come off as romantic as I thought it would. Then there was Reed's obsession with the whole Better Than Revenge video clip because it was just weird and almost as if it was a way to connect Reed and Charlie. His being a Windsor didn't have much of a bearing to the story and all the other stuff came off as more style than substance. Yet I continued to read because I did become invested in Reed and Charlie's story. But then the whole note-writing thing came to light, and Charlie? I get being upset but her reaction and everything that followed was above and beyond that. And that's when this novel lost me. In the end, I can only give The Girl Behind the Red Door three out of five stars. ♥
Release Date: 11 May 2018
Date Read: 09 May 2018
Learn more about Cassie Graham.
Purchase The Girl Behind the Red Door on Amazon.
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