This is the Cinderella retelling that I've been waiting for. I can't afford it right now, so I am also grateful it was in my library system to borrow (yay libraries!). It's kind, is the thing. In 2020, I find myself seeking kind stories, and even though this has its hurdles, they are great challenges. I loved every character, and I loved how the story was laid out. Obvious the author has script experience. I was sad to learn it's his first novel. I hope it's not his last. :) ( )

Cinderella is Chris, living in New York with his stepmother, stepsister and stepbrother. Prince Charming duly returns the shoe after the ball about a third of the way through the book and then life starts to get really complicated. Who is JJ Kennerly really interested in anyway? Chris or his definitely not ugly stepsister?

I didn't actually LOL but it was pretty funny. A good light read. ( )

Chris Bellows is not like the rest of his family. They are interested in fame, fortune, the social scene. Chris wouldn't mind a more unsuspecting and quiet life. But when his stepsister Kimberly begins dating J.J. Kennerly, an heir to a fortune and a public image that is well beyond the Bellows family's current station, Chris is along for the ride. And that ride becomes even more interesting when he develops his own feelings for J.J.--feelings that J.J. just might seem keen to reciprocate. A chance meeting with a very helpful new friend, Coco Chanel Jones, helps push Chris forward to maybe allowing himself to be who he wants to be and to believe that he just might deserve the things that he wants.

I am a fan of well-written adaptations, and I particularly like those where you can identify the inspiration but still manage to tell a unique and original story. This book delivers on all of those points in spades. There's a lightness and humor to the story that I particularly appreciated. And in the end, I feel like everyone gets what they deserve. ( )

This was so much fun. I made the mistake of starting this around 10:30 before bed and finished around 2:30 AM. I didn't want to stop reading!

This was the gay Cinderella retelling I didn't realized I needed in my life. I loved Coco/Duane as the fairy godmother, and the fact that she/he saved the day. I appreciated that the author made the step-family human and while they had faults, they were not bad people.

And J.J. and Chris are just the sweetest. I adored the two of them. Their closeted romance was a bit cliched, but it worked out really well.

I just wanted a little more to the story. It ended so abruptly! Maybe an epilogue or even just one more scene.

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via Edelweiss. ( )

I needed this story. My run of recent reads have ranged from lackluster to disappointing, so I needed something fun and engaging to bring me back to life, and this was perfect! This modernized Cinderella retelling has so much humor and fun, it’s such a quick read, and I really loved it.

Things I Liked:
-Humor. This story is laugh out loud funny. I had a great time reading it. The situations and the characters create a fun and dramatic environment that carries humor really well. The humor never felt forced to at the expense of others (except the instances noted below) and really makes this book a breeze. The humor flows in the story well and isn’t stiff or awkward.
-Writing. The writing was almost conversational. It was friendly and open. It made Chris instantly likable and accessible and helped me become enveloped in the story immediately.
-Characters & Relationships. The characters felt authentic and that made all the relationships believable. All of the character were well developed and played their parts well without feeling boring. We get more than is expected and that helped the story feel fresh and compelling. I loved that we got to see friendships and family relationships develop as well as romantic relationships. It helped the world feel more real, because it wasn’t only about the romance.
-Modern Retelling. This was a fantastic modernized retelling of Cinderella. We have genderbent characters, more diversity, a fantastic setting. The characters have been modernized incredible well, they aren’t just the stereotypes of the evil stepmom and step siblings, they are real people. They have a life of their own. They just felt like real people and it was fantastic. I liked that the story got into the plot quickly, there wasn’t a bunch of waiting around for Chris and JJ to meet.


Things I Didn’t Like:
-Fat shaming jokes. There were 2 fat shaming instances passed off as jokes, one at the beginning of the story and another about halfway through. I personally thought they were done in poor taste, and were not funny. I could have done without them.
-Ending. The ending was actually awesome. I loved it and it made me happy. It felt earned and had the culminating and grand Cinderella feel, I just wanted more. I wanted to see more of Chris and JJ after the big reveal: their relationship, their families reactions, the public’s reaction. I would have loved to get more.

This was such a great FUN book. I loved this modernized Cinderella tale and thought it was executed very well. I would definitely recommend.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review. ( )