Really bad writing and too much drama. Can't say much without being mean, but this really was not the book for me.

I tried.. I R E A L L Y tried to read this book because I hate DNF an ARC I receive especially by a POC but I just couldn't make it through this story. The characters and their drama was a little too much for my liking, but I'm positive that this book will find the right owners to love it. Sadly, I am not one of those readers.. I also couldn't look past the whole "yes he's claiming me - she's MINE - and it's sexy as hell" thing because I cringeeeee .. :(

This story was much more than I thought it was going to be. I expected some college slapstick humor, along with lots of manwhore behavior. What I got was a great story full of romantic angst.

Veronica has a very good reason to not trust men. She’s a strong independent woman and she has no need for anyone to save her. Caleb has a natural protective personality. It’s his nature to want to take care of those in need. When he learns the woman in red is homeless he offers his spare bedroom as a place to stay. He doesn’t hide the fact that he’s attracted to her.

Caleb immediately sets aside his player ways because there is only one persona he wants to be with and that’s his Red. She’s his everything. Now if he can just convince her to give him a chance. I loved how dedicated to her he was. From the moment they meet he’s all in and there’s nothing that’s going to change those feelings.

Unfortunately, this had some other woman and other man drama which cranked the angst up to obscene levels. I’m not a huge fan of this particular ploy but I accepted it for what it was. After all, it works for this story. My heart was absolutely breaking at the end although I felt Caleb picked a really awful time to push for her trust.

This was a slower paced read that sometimes bogged down under the weight of these characters internal musings, but overall was enough to make me want to know what happens after this huge cliffhanger.

ARC provided by NetGalley

Dual POV
Safety – ow/om drama but neither character has sex with anyone else once they meet
No apparent triggers

I first started reading this story on wattpad and once I found out it was becoming published I was ecstatic. By far one of the best love stories I've read this year and I can not wait for the second book. I really enjoyed how the characters can relate to some people and how they are so complex. Every detail in the book made it even better. I definitely recommend.

I do like Chasing Red, don't get me wrong. I first red it on Wattpad, and this published version has changes/differences to do with Veronica's past - I do like these changes, as in the Wattpad version they were just - far fetched? Yeah. A bit out there and confusing.

Anyways, the writing is good but the problems lie more within the plot line. There isn't really much plot or action at all? And I in no way mean that as a sort of pun towards Caleb/Veronica but really?? Most of the book just revolved around them trying to resist sleeping with each other and their other various relationship issues. I mean...it was okay, but wasn't really entertaining enough. And then, about 83% of the way into the book the drama and plot begins to unfold with the "fork in the road" conflict with Beatrice-Rose and Veronica realising it's time for her to stop running and fight.

This no doubt leads into the sequel. However, I feel like a lot of this book could have been cut down and Chasing Red/Always Red could've remained together as one book. This one really just felt like a really looooooooong lead up to the sequel.

Caleb was probably the most developed character. Where as with Veronica, it really took until about the 98% mark for her to have some sort of development. I just feel like throughout this all there was too much back and fourth on the personality. Yes, this goes with Veronica and her uncertainty, but as a reader it can get boring reading about someone for like 300 pages going "should I? Shouldn't I?" Then the whole *drama* happened and this all worsened and ugh!

I did also quite like the female friendships. They were there for each other and didn't put each other down and that was cool. But their friendship just mainly seemed to revolve around the men in their lives and not about them??? I think every conversation they had was about Cameron / Theo / Caleb or being interrupted by a man. So yeah. It's nice to see friends being supportive, but maybe show that women can talk about other things apart from clothes and boys??? For example - Kara is a boss. And that's kick ass. She came into this book as a fiery business woman but that quickly went downhill, soon enough she was just another girl with *boy drama* and it was sad to see her reduced to ONLY that. So yeah. These girls and their friendship had their strengths but I'm only hoping this can also be developed in the second novel.

An intense romance full of anticipation. Described as a global phenomenon, Chasing Red by Isabelle Ronin, is a tempting coming of age read.

Chasing Red centers around Caleb and Veronica, called Red by Caleb because of the color she wore the night he met her. The plot is fairly straightforward. The black knight in shining armor recuses the damsel in distress by giving her a place to live while she gets back on her feet. Caleb is a black knight because he’s an unapologetic player, but from the moment he lays eyes on Veronica everyone in the planet ceases to exist. He’ll not only give her shelter, he’ll stop at nothing to win her heart.

Due to her painful upbringing, Veronica has serious trust issues when it comes to the opposite sex and no matter how much Caleb makes fissures in her walls by proving himself worthy of her trust, she’s too afraid to let him in for fear of getting hurt herself and in doing so she pushes away the one person who’s loved her unconditionally. Will Caleb be able to win her heart?

Aside from the over the top drama from Veronica, which would be better suited from high school adolescent than a college age girl but I understood and believe to normal for a young adult, I did wish there were more layers in regard to character development. But I’m sure I understand the appeal of this story and his name is Caleb Lockheart.

Being from a well to do family, with a blessed physic and being the MVP in his basketball team to boot, Caleb never had a problem getting attention from the opposite sex but he’d begun to feel bored and empty, until he saw a girl in a red dress seductively dancing in a club who a few moments later rescued him from unwanted advances from female admires. She rejected him right after, but that same night their roles were reversed and he rescued her in a big way by letting her stay at his place.

At first Caleb was a big flirt with Veronica, but as time went on he became determined to be the best man he could possibly be in order to be worthy of her. Not only did they have delicious chemistry, they were slowly forming a unique bond. Even though Veronica was determined to push him away and beat anything between them to a pulp.

I really have no idea what Caleb wants to be when he grows up but page after page he made me laugh, smile and swoon. His unwavering love and devotion to Veronica endeared me to him. I’m cheering him on and I truly hope that she’ll step up and be the girl not just that he want’s but needs.

I feel obligated to mention that there are other forces trying to keep these two apart but I believe Caleb is thoroughly invested in this relationship. There’s also a side plot between Caleb’s best friend Cameron and Veronica’s newfound best friend Kara that I’d like to read more about.

Chasing Red is the first book in the Red duet by Isabelle Ronin. It is a full length new adult romance. It is told from multiple points of view and ends with a cliffhanger.

Total NA/YA story similar in style to the After series. Drama to the max. But Caleb is a sweetheart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, I am just not going to read any more NA or YA books. I cannot deal with the immature virgin, I am scared of my own shadow, story.

While I loved the writing style and the flow of the story, Veronica made this story difficult to get through. She is immature and falls back on her fears over and over and over. The guy is giving himself over and over and tries to win her trust and she still pushes him away and then in the next page pulls him in. UGH! I was cheering when her own GF told her to get over herself! HA!

For my the only redeeming quality of this book is Caleb. He is a cocky little sex god but he is completely devoted to her. I love how he falls!

The author is talented, no doubt. The book flows well and is captivating in many ways. I can see that she will be a talent for years to come.

I loved this book. Talk about a slow burn. I couldn't get enough of the sizzling tension between Red and Caleb. And just when you think Red was finally going to give in she would pull back. Normally, this would get on my nerves but Ronin really made it work for this character and the story. It fit well with Red's personality and made the story more genuine. I love Caleb. He's not apologetic about who he is; he owns it. I found it sexy that once he met Red, she was it for him. He didn't try to fight it and did everything to make sure she knew how he felt about her. I felt so sorry for Red and could certainly understand her distrust of people. Her and Caleb are complete opposites but they work so well together. I enjoyed the way their relationship progressed and they really got to know each other over time. I can't wait to see what happens in book two. I got all the feels from this story and I'd say it's one of the better ones I've read this year. Just a note though...this story is about people in their very early twenties. I read some bad reviews about drama and daddy issues but when you take into account the age and maturity level of the characters, it makes sense. I thought it all fit perfectly in this book. The writing is great, it flowed well and I didn't want to put it down. What more could you want? On to book 2!

I really tried to like this one but I couldn't .The dialogues most of the time was so silly and the characters so bad

I've been trying to get out of my mystery/thriller genre a little and this one has many rave reviews so I had high expectations going in. But I guess New Adult Romance is really not my thing. When self-proclaimed 22-yr-old womanizer, Caleb rescues beautiful, homeless virgin, "Red," sparks fly but of course neither one wants to admit the lust they feel or commit to anything...so you can see what's coming. The writing is good and the plot was interesting; I just prefer more layers to a novel and I think I'm just too old for the "I hate you/I love you" theme as I kept wanting to scream, "Just have sex already and get it over with!" Pretty jaded comment so I assume it's not them; it's me. But if you like hot and steamy twenty-somethings sparing about love and sex, this is the book for you!

My Wattpad OG, my love. This book was probably the first few books I read on Wattpad and now 3 years later it is a book! I am so proud of Isabelle Ronin and how far this book has come, I just had to read an ARC of it, so when NetGalley had it up, I was determined.

This book had some new parts to it but it is still the same book I fell in love with. How can you not love Caleb and Veronica (Red)? This is perfect all seasons because it just warms my heart for 2 reasons:

This book has come so far and is about to be published
I love everything about it
The writing is the same quality but tweaked a bit so it is a grade above Wattpad standard.

I love this book and Caleb makes it to the book boyfriend list.

I need the second book even though I know what happens but I want to see the changes that Isabelle Ronin has made.

To summarise, I recommend this book to 13+, it does have its share of swearing so if you don’t mind that… It’s swoon worthy anyways.

5/5

OMG! Such a freaking fantasic book! Not many five star reads for me this year but this......this deserves 6 or 7 stars, FANTASTIC!

Please note: I received a copy of CHASING RED via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.

Four stars and here’s why:

First: freaking awesome cover and title! I’d pick this book out just for the cover art alone.

Second: CHASING RED is one of these stories that you can’t put down.

CHASING RED is the typical New Adult romance where the rich college guy living the playboy lifestyle, CALEB, falls for the strapped for cash smart girl, VERONICA. Only Caleb nicknames Veronica RED because of the sexy red dress she wears the first night they meet at a club. There’s the usual New Adult romance drama and twists included with this story, but what captivates my interest is how much Caleb really wants to do right by RED. I love me some Caleb, please!

The reason I gave CHASING RED four instead of five stars is that the book ends on a cliffhanger and I felt that the plot added nothing new to the New Adult romance genre. Been there, read that before. New Adult Romance is my favorite genre so I felt that a better editor could have properly structured this story and made the two books into one longer hella-hot romance. Instead, I felt that the publisher didn’t edit this WATTPAD success story enough because there were repetitive scenes and a few inconsistencies that left me feeling a bit dissatisfied because the story had such great potential.

I want to leave you with one more thought, however. I simply couldn’t put CHASING RED down until the very last page. I seriously want to know what happens in book two! So, if you enjoy reading about the typical New Adult romance with a hella-hot player guy who pursues a struggling, smart college girl, this book is for you.

I found out about this book a couple of days ago on Goodreads and
1) I totally fell in love with the cover! Isn't it just so gorgeous? I literally would buy this book just for the cover alone.
2) I was so intrigued by the blurb, I knew this would be my kind of book and that I would really enjoy it. So, of course I immediately added it.

Funny thing is, like right after, I went on NetGalley to just check things and there it was! Just sitting there looking all pretty and waiting for me to request it. Obviously I immediately did and wanna guess what was the cherry on top? It was an immediate acceptance!! I was so freaking excited about this book, I started it that very same day. I kind fell in love with the story in the very first chapters, it was really well written and I was instantly so curious about both characters and curious to know the real person behind all that they were in that first appearance. I knew that there would be so much more to both of them and there really was. I fell in love with both Veronica and Caleb as they fell in love with each other. It was a slow burn for them and in fact, it still is and will continue to be for a while probably. You see Veronica is a virgin and she has a lot of issues about love and sex because of her past and also because of Caleb's reputation. She's afraid to fully open up her walls to Caleb and get screwed over. And that is exactly what happens, or is it? Pick up the book and find out what happens between these two, and what breaks them apart.

This was really good read, had a lot of funny moments and even sexy moments without they actually having sex. So if you're expecting smut, don't count on it. But really, this had me so intrigued and interested the whole time, I just had to keep reading just to see when Veronica would cave to Caleb. Also, to see what was gonna happen between them because of course I was already expecting the drama. It was obvious it was coming, and I was actually scared about it. They were just so cute together, I just wanted them to be happy and together and just give in to each other and stay together. But of course Isabelle had plans for these two, plans that had nothing to do with my wishes.

This book cannot be read as a Standalone, since it ends in a cliff-hanger. Yes, it does. I don't like them but unfortunately it's true. I'm dying to find out what happens next. I can't wait for the second book 'Always Red' !!


Warning!: The rest of this review, or well it's more of a rant, contains little spoilers. So read at your own discretion. Scroll down if you want to know my rating and read the blurb of the book. They can be found after my edit.


I had a feeling, when things were really good between them and it was all really sweet, that something big and bad was coming. It damn sure came. Boy was I pissed about it! I really wish it hadn't happened but of course it had to, it's the freaking plot of the story. I knew those two were gonna be trouble ( Justin and Beatrice ) , and I didn't like either of them right from their first appearance in the book. So of course, as you probably already figured out by my rant that something bad happened and it involved one of those two assholes I just mentioned above.

Everything could have been way less painful if Veronica had trusted Caleb.. what is a relationship without trust?

Caleb just needed Veronica to trust him or let him fully explain what happened but Veronica let her fear rule over both hers and Caleb's feelings and the trust that should have existed in their relationship. They both need to be honest with each other about their pasts and work on their issues and insecurities together. That needs to happen. But it's probably gonna be hard to do with everything else going on.

"You have to fight for something if you really want it. I have been chasing you -fighting for you- since the moment I met you. You kept pushing me away, but I never gave up. I wanted you to fight for me, just as I fought for you. But you wouldn't."

Reading this honestly broke my heart, I felt so much for Caleb. I know he was a man whore before Red but since he saw her, he had eyes for no one else but her. He was instantly a little in love with her and that love grew everyday and we got to see it and experience it. He really did fight for her all the way and he was so sweet to her, with her. She knew he loved her, but she just could not get over her issues and fears and that is heartbreaking. My heart hurt for of them. Now, it's Veronica's turn to fight for Caleb and it's not gonna be easy, specially since it's not just their issues she needs to fight but two little bitches that are out to get them.

Also, I'm dying to know what really happened to Cameron and Kara, I hope to God we learn everything in the next book and they end up back together because I ship it!! Or if that doesn't happen, they better get their own book, you hear me Isabelle??

Wow! Just Wow. Ronin does a great job of reeling you in and making you feel comfortable that this will be just another romance. The sub-plot of the friendship between Veronica (Red) and Kara is fantastic. Caleb & Red are a dynamic couple. And Caleb is so sweet. ThenBAM! Everything turns. And it's a good thing. We learn that sometimes people aren't who they seem. And several of them have some mean motivation to hurt Caleb & Red. This book ends on a cliffhanger. I can't wait to read the next installment, Always Red.

Very disappointing story line between "innocent" Veronica and lady killer Caleb. This book went on and on and on chapter after chapter of repetitiveness. In the beginning we had the first few chapters of introduction and the boy chasing hard to get girl and it seemed the story could get really interesting--but at about 6 chapters in all I read was --lust, fight, self doubt, jealousy, make up, maybe love -repeat..over and over and over again.. I did not feel any chemistry between these two and the drama was just childish.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

2 “Color me disappointed” Stars

ARC via NetGalley.

Thank you, Sourcebooks Casablanca!

I'm definitely one of those New Adult fans saddened by the fact that the genre didn't stick. Sure there was that BOOM a few years ago, but traditional publishers seem to avoid NA books at all costs, and it's been hard to even find self-published material lately.

So I was intrigued when I saw Chasing Red on NetGalley.

A Wattpad phenomenon, Chasing Red promises exactly what I look for in NA books: college kids falling in love and lots of drama. The problem was I didn't like the drama and I didn't fall in love with the characters.

Told from the POV of both main characters, Caleb and Veronica, the book simply lacked any wow factor for me. Caleb's POV chapters were a little better than Veronica's, but not good enough to impress me. As to Veronica, I simply didn't care for her that much. I couldn't connect with them, which means the book didn't have much of a chance of intriguing me.

I was mainly disappointed because the premise in itself usually hooks me. I'm a sucker for "the girl in trouble goes to live with bad boy and they fall in love" kind of story, but the lack of chemistry between Caleb and Veronica, the stilted dialogue, and my lack of connection with the characters kept me from fully enganging with the story.

No matter how hungry I was for another college romance book, Chasing Red didn't do it for me.

College basketball star Caleb is tired of the same old party scene when he sees a gorgeous girl in a red dress dancing by herself. Veronica (Red) has just lost her apartment and is trying to distract herself for a few hours. They rescue each other from attempted pick ups. Caleb realizes that she needs a place to stay and offers his spare room. Red is desperate enough to accept in exchange for cooking for him. She is trying to stay in school and does not want to be Caleb's latest conquest. She tries to discourage his pursuit, but he has found someone he wants to have a relationship with and will do what it takes to convince her. Red has trust issues that became tedious at times. A friend from Caleb's past also reeks havoc that Red uses as an excuse to distance herself from him. Quite a bit of drama ensues, but I kept reading. When Red decides she is willing to take a chance it may be too late.

This book was okay. It dragged on in parts and it didn't flow well at times . I did not like the way it ended on a cliffhanger.

The cover is gorgeous, but that is pretty much the only positive thing I am going to say. This review is going to be scathing. Buckle up!

So this book, I have to say, I'm shocked that it's going to be published. I know, I know, I have an ARC....but this was not even close to being ready for ARC distribution in my opinion. I typically love Sourcebooks, but this one, it needs such a massive beta read it kind of blew my mind. The inconsistencies were so glaring it pained me. How does someone hear footsteps coming down the hall, then look in the living room to find him spread out on the couch with his feet on the coffee table and clothes strewn about? A good beta reader would have spotted that immediately. Then, along the same lines the scene to scene connections were atrocious sometimes.

But it wasn't just that. The entire story was choppy. It went from one topic to the next with no emotion. I couldn't connect or follow a lot of the time.

The magically found best friend. Was she a pretty boho type girl? Or a trashy and rude girl with a nasty mouth? It was as if Veronica needed a best friend so the author threw one at her. Nothing felt organic about it at all.

This was clearly not written by a seasoned writer and it showed. The voice was so juvenile. And while I can accept a character is annoying, it was more than that. The whole vibe of the book felt that way, no train of thought felt mature, and it drove me insane. Now, the story itself, the idea of it...was fine! But the words needed more coaxing out of them to give a better connection for the reader.

Rec it? ABSOLUTELY NOT. Poorly written. Maybe it would be fine as a first draft, but yikes. Good luck!This review was originally posted on The Book Hookup here