Book Review: The Color of Happiness by K.P. Gazelle

The Color of Happiness
Author: K.P. Gazelle
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: March 1, 2015
Review Source: Radiant Books

Faith Lane is the girl who has everything. At least, that’s what everyone thinks when they see her rocking a killer dress while laughing with her best friend, Tiffany. But Faith’s life is far from flawless. Her peers torment her relentlessly, and her parents expect her to be the epitome of perfection. Criticized and pressured at school and home, Faith retreats into silent acceptance and finds an escape in her passion of dancing. Then she meets Alex – quirky, forever with a pass, and concealing a mysterious secret of his own. And through his encouragement, Faith starts believing in her gift for dance and gains courage to stand up for herself. But will she be able to keep her footing when the events of one night consume her with the need to jump off the rocky cliffs near her coastal home? And what has pushed her to the edge of reason?

After reading this one, I felt a little underwhelmed. I had high hopes going into it, but I felt that it dragged on and on. The characters were a little flat to me as well and I just couldn't really identify with the character Faith.

This of course, is just my opinion. There are several good reviews on Goodreads, but I just couldn't see what they saw in the book. I skipped through quite a few of the book because I was hoping that it would pick up, but unfortunately it didn't. The plot was very predictable and could've been anyone's story. Faith started off as a character that I liked, but in the end, I just couldn't relate to her. I wasn't too much of a fan of Alex either, so I just really couldn't get into the book.

I know this is also me being really picky, but I can't stress enough about the importance of having a cover that jumps out to you on the shelf. Books are written, yes, because authors feel that their story needs to be told, but they also want to make some cash. If I were to see this book on the shelves at my local bookstore or online for an ebook, I would've skipped over it. I wish that the cover had reflected a little more of the title and had more color.