Book Review: A Little Bit of Chantelle Rose by Cristina Hodgson

If you mention the word ‘thriller’ to me in relation to a book, I will snap it up straight away. This eagerness led me to review A Little Bit of Chantelle Rose by Cristina Hodgson.

A Little Bit of Chantelle Rose tells the story of its namesake, Chantelle Rose, who, desperate for change, finds herself an extra in a seedy film. The part leads her to a million-dollar role in an American film, and into the path of film star Lionel and the sultry Robbie. Besides the problem of falling in love with two men, Chantelle has to deal with someone who seems intent on scaring her – but who and why?

The story begins in a fun and lighthearted manner – and continues that way throughout. This bothered me. It is not until halfway through the book that it takes a sinister turn, one which, unfortunately, was not sinister enough for me. What I was met with was more curiosity than suspense. Admittedly, some bits of the story threw me off but, overall, the outcome was more on the obvious side for me. This placed A Little Bit of Chantelle Rose in the “holiday read” genre rather than the “alone at night in stormy weather” genre I had been expecting.

That is not to say that I didn’t like the book because I did. It just wasn’t what I was expecting. By the end I was looking forward to what will come next for Chantelle. A character who started out irritating me in the beginning eventually found a place in my heart ( I really didn’t like how few questions she asked about what she was getting herself into regarding the mysterious Hollywood role). It also took me a while to warm to her because of the fact that Chantelle isn’t a complex character; it was pretty obvious what her desires and intentions were. Robbie, Lionel and Gabby, on the other hand, had more of a hidden depth, which is what bought my curiosity (nosiness) out while reading.

Overall, I would recommend A Little Bit of Chantelle Rose to anyone looking for a romantic poolside story with a bit of an edge. Don’t expect a major thriller and you will enjoy this book just fine.