I liked this better than Cinderella is Dead, by the same author. Once I realized that this was supposed to be a complete retelling of the original novella, I enjoyed the book a lot more. Adding in the LGBTQ storyline I think was a really smart and worthwhile take on the story. It felt very natural and like an excellent elevation of the original text, although I've never read it. I do wish it was longer, especially getting to understand Gabriel and Henry's relationship. As it is right now, it's pretty much just taken for granted their feelings for each other.