Red by Alison Cherry

Red by Alison Cherry
"Felicity St. John has it all: loyal best friends, a hot guy, and artistic talent. And she's right on track to win the Miss Scarlet pageant. Her perfect life is possible because of just one thing: her long, wavy, coppery red hair.

Having red hair is all that matters in Scarletville. Redheads hold all the power--and everybody knows it. That's why Felicity is scared down to her roots when she receives an anonymous note:

I know your secret.

Because Felicity is a big fake. Her hair color comes straight out of a bottle. And if anyone discovered the truth, she'd be a social outcast faster than she could say strawberry blond. Her mother would disown her, her friends would shun her, and her boyfriend would dump her. And forget about winning that pageant crown and the prize money that comes with it--money that would allow her to fulfill her dream of going to art school.

Felicity isn't about to let someone blackmail her life away. But just how far is she willing to go to protect her red cred?"- summary from Amazon

This was an interesting book, but was a little too far-fetched for me at times. I will admit to laughing every time Felicity mentioned the phrase "red cred". I could never really take what she was going through seriously, though the general underlying message is something I do believe a lot of readers will relate to- the struggle to be yourself fully, no matter how scary that idea is.

Felicity is fairly self-centered, though considering the environment she grew up in, it makes sense but that doesn't make it any less easy for the reader to follow her along on her journey. The best scenes, in my mind, were the ones with Jonathon, her art show co-captain, where a more vulnerable and carefree Felicity came through; their chemistry is undeniable and it was sweet seeing them together.

Overall, this debut is worth a look but it definitely requires a suspension of belief. I'm eager to see what Cherry writes next.

FTC: Received e-galley from Netgalley. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.