Pure Red by Danielle Joseph

Pure Red by Danielle Joseph

Release Date: September 8, 2011

Publisher: Flux

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 240

Summary: I, Cassia Bernard, do solemnly swear to find pure red—my passion—this summer. Dad's passion is art. When he's painting, no one can reach him, not even me. My mom's passion was the ocean. She said the ocean allows you to see whatever you want to see. That was one of the last things she ever said to me...
Sometimes what your heart desires isn't what it needs. Over the course of a hot Miami summer, sixteen-year-old Cassia discovers that sometimes it takes bullies and basketball, a best friend, and a gorgeous guy to help you understand what you actually need—and to help you see that, maybe, everything isn't so black and white.


My Thoughts: What happened to loving loving Danielle Joseph? I loved Shrinking Violet, I really enjoyed Indigo Blues but Pure Red was just okay for me.

We are introduced to Cassia who lost her mom as a child. She has lived with her dad. Her dad is a painter, and he's quite known, or at least in some parts. Cassia is trying to find her passion. She's good at a few things but never really feels like they can be her "thing."  Even though her dad is around a lot and in her life, I didn't feel like he was really there for her. I didn't like that because dang, the girl has already lost her mother, pay attention to her!

She decides to join the Y's basketball team during the summer with her best friend. It's fun enough, and distracts her from other things. She's quite good at it.  She also meets a boy named Graham aka cutebutt. Graham has an interest in her father's paintings, he became his mentor. Graham is over at her house quite a bit now, and Cassia spent the novel trying to get him to notice her.

Honestly, that is basically the plot. I felt like this book might be considered more middle grade than actual YA if that makes sense. It was really easy to read but I felt like it lacked the substance that the author's other two books had. It didn't have the wow factor for me. It was more of a cute read than a super fun read.

Even though we are supposed to believe Cassia has grown  a lot by the end of the book, I'm not sure how much she actually grew up.

I think Joseph is a talented young author but I just don't think this lived up to the hype I had built up in my mind. I was hoping I would love it like the other 2 novels.

Overall: It was just okay. I liked it enough to keep reading. I was hoping it would get better, to be greatness and by the end of the novel I was left wanting more, and to know more details.  Hopefully Joseph's next book brings me back to the WOW factor. This one was probably more of a 3.5 cupcake for me than a 3 cupcake book. I liked it enough to continue reading but wasn't blown away.

Cover: Like it a lot. Its very eye catching. Love how their heads are down next to each other. Very cute cover.

What I'd Give It: