Full review on: Flipping Through the Pages

This book is a cute YA contemporary which had a new concept for me- gender-fluid. I wasn’t aware before this book what gender-fluid actually was. This book was a surprise for me, for sure. I had requested this book because of the title and the cover but I am glad that the story was so unique. As the title says, this is a retelling of Cinderella but with LGBT theme.

Declan/Layla and Carter are the protagonists and the chapters are alternated with their PoV. Carter is a heartthrob of the school and is the popular one while Declan is the boy who always remains behind the scenes and had a secret crush on Carter. It was so good to see the struggles of Declan and how he came out in front of his sister, Delia. Both Declan and Carter goes through a lot of character improvement over the book and it was so good to see different layers of their characters.

That being said, I absolutely adored the characters in this book. Both Declan and Carter proved to be strong ones. Delia, Declan’s sister, was probably my favourite. I loved how she supported her brother when he came out to her. She helped him in getting dressed as a girl and was always there to support him. I wish every person could get a support system like her.

Surely enough, the book has its own share of fluffiness and cliches of a typical YA contemporary too, but I can easily overlook them because this book explores some serious issues without sugar-coating them. There are talks of sexuality, gender equality, civil rights, love and lust, LGBTQ+ presentation and what not.

There is one highlight of the story and that is the school’s policy of intolerance. We don’t often see such kind of issues raised in YA but I am glad that this book shows it. It is not okay to discriminate LGBTQ students and I loved the way the characters in this story came forward to oppose it. This issue brought them, even more, closer to each other and helped them to understand each other.

There is so much going on in this book in terms of plot, but in the background, the focus is on Declan and Carter and their transforming relationship. I loved the ending and how beautifully everything was enclosed.

This story has everything to think about. It is not only about romance but also is about standing for what you believe in and fighting for it. This is really an addictive story and I would definitely recommend to read it if you are looking for something refreshing and enjoyable.

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