Book Review: Red

Title: Red
Author: Alison Cherry
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Rating: 1

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 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?

Review: I think the first thought that I had when I was a few pages in was, what the hell am I reading and why am I reading it?  Would you like to know why?  Go ahead, read the synopsis again, I'll wait here.

This entire book was the struggle of a fake redhead being blackmailed by a brunette.  God forbid her social status would be ruined if her peers at Scarletville High found out that she dyed her hair - her life would practically be over.  And don't even think about having a shot at winning the school beauty pageant, Miss Scarlet.  If her secret came out, she wouldn't even have a chance.  

Perhaps this book was meant to be a satire criticizing society's prejudice views on the difference of others, in this case, hair color, but I couldn't take this book seriously.  The main character, Felicity, was the most annoying character I've ever met.  She was a flat, whiny, ungrateful teenager who I wanted to smack across the face every time she talked (basically the whole book).  Her boyfriend, Brent, was the stereotypical dumb jock.  Her mother, Ginger, was one of those moms you'd find on Toddlers & Tiaras/Dance Moms.  The only character I kind of liked was Felicity's best friend, Ivy.  Her sass was on point and made me laugh when I wanted to quit reading.

It was so hard for me to find the motivation to finish reading Red.  I couldn't get into it.  Out of the entire story, one scene stood out to me - Jonathan and Felicity's date at Fry Me to the Moon.  Who would've thought of a diner that served only fries and milkshakes?!  THAT'S GENIUS.  Jonathan's gentlemanly (is that even a word?) behavior made my heart flutter and... I think that was the only emotion I felt. 

I really don't remember what attracted me to this book in the first place.  If it hadn't been for the super cute cover, and my hardcore determination, I would've never read this even if it was the last book on Earth.  Okay, that was a bit melodramatic, but you get the point.