You can see all my reviews here: Books Are The New Black

This is my first by Julie Murphy but it will not be the last! I really enjoyed this Cinderella retelling. I’m a big fan of retellings but I always go in leary. I’m so glad that I requested this on a whim because it was such a fun time. I would argue that it’s a loose retelling. There are many elements there but a lot of the major things are different.

One of the things I loved about this retelling was the family dynamic. In the classic the stepmother and sisters are awful and treat her terribly. In this retelling that is not the case. I loved the relationship that Cindy has with her sisters. I was pleasantly surprised by the relationship and relieved. I don’t know that I would have been in the mood for a tale about evil sisters. Cindy’s story is tragic and she’s slowly realizing she’s not alone.

Another aspect that I loved was a plus-size main character! Cindy was a delight and she was very funny. I loved her from the minute I met her. Her relationship with Henry was sweet and I loved their back and forth jokes. I do wish that we would have gotten more time with them for their love to take off. It felt a bit insta-love to me but that’s all Disney princesses, right?!

I wasn’t quite sure how I would feel about the dating(bachelor) type show but it was done well. There were some corny and funny aspects, like the scrolls. “Do you accept this scroll?” I was laughing at that one. Overall, I didn’t mind it. I do watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette so it was fun to read about it in a story.

I wished that Cindy would have delved into her emotions and feelings about her parents. It was a huge presence in her life but she didn’t really deal with it. I do not believe for a second that opening a box with mementos would help her face it all. She was running from it and it would have been awesome to see her work on it.

I read this book rather quickly. I just couldn’t put it down and I had to know what was happening next! I think my experience with the Bachelor/Bachelorette made it all very predictable but I did enjoy it. It was a fun time and I will be picking up more from this author!

Thank you so much (Netgally & Disney Hyperion Avenue) for an e-ARC of this!!