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A review by callienicole
Wooing Cadie McCaffrey by
2.0
I recently requested this book for review after reading the summary. I was looking for a light, fun read, and this book seemed like it might be it! I started it, and I loved it for about the first third. The characters were quirky and fun, the story was interesting. It was light and fun and exactly what I needed.
Then it all kind of fell apart for me.
I don't consider this a spoiler because it happens so early that most of the story takes place afterward, but if you want to be totally surprised you might want to skip this review. After Catie is convinced that her relationship with Will is going nowhere, she is about to break up with him. But instead of breaking up, these two characters that were previously committed to saving intimacy for marriage end up sleeping together.
With that, this story took a turn that I wasn't really expecting or wanting from this book. All of a sudden my light and fluffy novel was dealing with a pretty heart-breaking topic, and on top of that, it didn't even do it very well.
I presume that these two characters were supposed to be Christians, because Cadie's parents are "famous for being Christians", and after she and Will sleep together they talk about asking God for forgiveness. But instead of taking this theme of repentance and forgiveness seriously, the author still seemed to be trying to make it light and funny. Cadie worries that if she and Will don't repent together, God won't actually forgive their sin, and I don't think this faulty understanding is ever really corrected, at least not to my satisfaction. On top of that, Jesus isn't mentioned in this novel once. Jesus's sacrifice for our sins is the only basis we have to even approach God to ask for His forgiveness, but He's not even mentioned. I don't actually expect a "Christian" novel to necessarily have to present the gospel, but on the other hand, if we are going to have themes of repentance and forgiveness in a novel, I want it done right. At least *mention* Christ! I was just very disappointed in the way it was handled.
Other things that bothered me:
1. Cadie's parents are a mega-church pastor father who throws around money on things like $155/ounce caviar, and her mother is a Christian/self-help TV show host who actually contemplates exploiting her daughter's failings on her show. I had a really hard time liking them, even though I got the feeling I was supposed to. I felt like the author was completely oblivious to the fact that real-life rich pastors who waste money on luxuries like this are actually a punch-line and even a source of disgust among non-believers (I know from personal experience), and there are alot of believers such as myself who find this kind of thing in real-life really inappropriate for a pastor. Maybe it was supposed to be funny, but I wasn't laughing.
2. This novel is a good example of alot of things I am going to teach my daughters and sons NOT to do. DO NOT date someone for four years without ever having a frank discussion about whether you will be getting married (that's just not even wise for a Christian who is striving for purity). DO NOT expect your significant other to read your mind. DO NOT expect the guy you're dating to say and do everything perfectly right and get angry when he doesn't. DO NOT hinge your entire relationship on whether the person happens to look at you the right way. If your girl's parents won't give you their blessing to get married, maybe DISCUSS that with the girl you're dating. COMMUNICATE. I know these failings make for romantic-comedy gold, but I was particularly annoyed with how these tropes were handled in this book. Or maybe I've just been married too long to find some of these things amusing anymore.
3. I didn't like how the idea of pregnancy outside of marriage was treated. After their one night together, Cadie worries she may be pregnant. She begs God to not let her be pregnant, and then finds out she's not. But then several times after that she thinks in relief "Well, thank goodness I'm not pregnant". This may be a reflection of how the Christian community has sometimes failed in supporting unwed mothers, but the way it was presented in this book rubbed me wrong. Children are always gifts, even in the middle of difficult circumstances, and I think Christians should treat them as such. I can understand not wanting to be pregnant in a circumstance like this, but I wish it wouldn't have been treated by Cadie like a baby would have been the end of the world. It might have been a realistic portrayal for how someone would feel in this situation, but it wasn't uplifting or helpful.
4. I was really getting annoyed with Cadie. The girl could just not be pleased. At the beginning of the books she wants romantic-movie tactics, and then later when Will actually gives her that, she hates it and gets angry with him. She gets mad at him for not proposing to her, but she implied that she would only marry someone who had some money, and she won't just straight-up tell him she wants to get married. But then somehow it's his fault for not just knowing what she's really thinking. Will is treated like a clueless jerk, but once again, *he can't read your mind* Cadie. By the end of the book I was so annoyed I was having a hard time liking her.
Overall, I think this book just confirms alot of the problems I have with modern dating attitudes, even (or especially) among Christians - like dating for way too long unnecessarily, and girls having expectations that are almost impossible for real-life guys to meet. And if I'm honest, I'm probably being a little hard on this book because it didn't deliver what I was expecting. Like I said, I was hoping for fun and light, but this book wasn't that, for me anyway. By the end, it had lost all humor for me and I was just really looking forward to it being over. It's a bummer, because I thought it started out so strong.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Then it all kind of fell apart for me.
I don't consider this a spoiler because it happens so early that most of the story takes place afterward, but if you want to be totally surprised you might want to skip this review. After Catie is convinced that her relationship with Will is going nowhere, she is about to break up with him. But instead of breaking up, these two characters that were previously committed to saving intimacy for marriage end up sleeping together.
With that, this story took a turn that I wasn't really expecting or wanting from this book. All of a sudden my light and fluffy novel was dealing with a pretty heart-breaking topic, and on top of that, it didn't even do it very well.
I presume that these two characters were supposed to be Christians, because Cadie's parents are "famous for being Christians", and after she and Will sleep together they talk about asking God for forgiveness. But instead of taking this theme of repentance and forgiveness seriously, the author still seemed to be trying to make it light and funny. Cadie worries that if she and Will don't repent together, God won't actually forgive their sin, and I don't think this faulty understanding is ever really corrected, at least not to my satisfaction. On top of that, Jesus isn't mentioned in this novel once. Jesus's sacrifice for our sins is the only basis we have to even approach God to ask for His forgiveness, but He's not even mentioned. I don't actually expect a "Christian" novel to necessarily have to present the gospel, but on the other hand, if we are going to have themes of repentance and forgiveness in a novel, I want it done right. At least *mention* Christ! I was just very disappointed in the way it was handled.
Other things that bothered me:
1. Cadie's parents are a mega-church pastor father who throws around money on things like $155/ounce caviar, and her mother is a Christian/self-help TV show host who actually contemplates exploiting her daughter's failings on her show. I had a really hard time liking them, even though I got the feeling I was supposed to. I felt like the author was completely oblivious to the fact that real-life rich pastors who waste money on luxuries like this are actually a punch-line and even a source of disgust among non-believers (I know from personal experience), and there are alot of believers such as myself who find this kind of thing in real-life really inappropriate for a pastor. Maybe it was supposed to be funny, but I wasn't laughing.
2. This novel is a good example of alot of things I am going to teach my daughters and sons NOT to do. DO NOT date someone for four years without ever having a frank discussion about whether you will be getting married (that's just not even wise for a Christian who is striving for purity). DO NOT expect your significant other to read your mind. DO NOT expect the guy you're dating to say and do everything perfectly right and get angry when he doesn't. DO NOT hinge your entire relationship on whether the person happens to look at you the right way. If your girl's parents won't give you their blessing to get married, maybe DISCUSS that with the girl you're dating. COMMUNICATE. I know these failings make for romantic-comedy gold, but I was particularly annoyed with how these tropes were handled in this book. Or maybe I've just been married too long to find some of these things amusing anymore.
3. I didn't like how the idea of pregnancy outside of marriage was treated. After their one night together, Cadie worries she may be pregnant. She begs God to not let her be pregnant, and then finds out she's not. But then several times after that she thinks in relief "Well, thank goodness I'm not pregnant". This may be a reflection of how the Christian community has sometimes failed in supporting unwed mothers, but the way it was presented in this book rubbed me wrong. Children are always gifts, even in the middle of difficult circumstances, and I think Christians should treat them as such. I can understand not wanting to be pregnant in a circumstance like this, but I wish it wouldn't have been treated by Cadie like a baby would have been the end of the world. It might have been a realistic portrayal for how someone would feel in this situation, but it wasn't uplifting or helpful.
4. I was really getting annoyed with Cadie. The girl could just not be pleased. At the beginning of the books she wants romantic-movie tactics, and then later when Will actually gives her that, she hates it and gets angry with him. She gets mad at him for not proposing to her, but she implied that she would only marry someone who had some money, and she won't just straight-up tell him she wants to get married. But then somehow it's his fault for not just knowing what she's really thinking. Will is treated like a clueless jerk, but once again, *he can't read your mind* Cadie. By the end of the book I was so annoyed I was having a hard time liking her.
Overall, I think this book just confirms alot of the problems I have with modern dating attitudes, even (or especially) among Christians - like dating for way too long unnecessarily, and girls having expectations that are almost impossible for real-life guys to meet. And if I'm honest, I'm probably being a little hard on this book because it didn't deliver what I was expecting. Like I said, I was hoping for fun and light, but this book wasn't that, for me anyway. By the end, it had lost all humor for me and I was just really looking forward to it being over. It's a bummer, because I thought it started out so strong.
Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.