"Wooing Cadie McCaffrey" by Bethany Turner

Wooing Cadie McCaffrey (May 21, 2019) by Bethany Turner.*

What started out as an adorable meet-cute that would make any rom-com movie proud has fizzled in the four years that have passed, and Cadie McCaffrey thinks she’s the only one in the relationship that has realized this. To her, the relationship hasn’t been as easy in the past year since “that whole awkward sex talk.” Cadie wants so much to be engaged, but boyfriend Will Whitaker must be completely clueless since he hasn’t proposed by now. Cadie is determined to end the relationship before her belated birthday celebration, but one thing leads to another and things get intimate. Cadie, the daughter of two prominent Christian figures (one of whom is a pastor), is ashamed and ridden with guilt, which helps propel her into finally dumping Will. But Will is not as clueless as Cadie thinks he is, though he doesn’t share why he’s going the circuitous route that he is (hint: Cadie’s parents can be “infuriating uptight snobs”). Will knows Cadie is the one for him, so he looks to rom-com movies that she loves for cues as to how to recreate scenes from those movies. Can they keep the personal and professional separate with both working at ASN (American Sports Network)? Will Will’s attempts at wooing Cadie back be a touchdown/home run/slam dunk or a fumble/strike out/turnover?

            In this inspirational romance, the characters’ meet cute is charming. Beyond that, I struggled with the story. Both Cadie and Will have apparently forgotten that communication is a two-way street, and neither has been direct with each other. If Cadie had shared her expectation of a proposal, perhaps it’d have opened Will to explaining why he didn’t feel like he could propose sooner. Or maybe it’d have made Cadie mad for another reason, but at least they’d be communicating. I’m not diminishing the seriousness of their relationship issues, but I found aggravating Cadie acting like a dramatic teenager and Will acting desperately (they’re both in their mid-30s). Growth happens when the characters get to know each other beyond the surface and dig into personal and faith-based issues. Also, I liked the ending (Where is this quote from? “If you build it, they will come.”).       

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”