This is light fluffy read is perfect for those days when you just want something that doesn't make your head ache with angst and screaming with annoyance at the main characters. 'It started with goodbye' is the kind of summer read I needed. It was simplistic, the characters have very singular motivations, the plot doesn't get overcome by complexity, the love interest is cute and funny and perhaps a singular highlight on his own, and it is very much a Young Adult that young teens will fall in love with.

Like I said, the love interest is almost to die for. I loved SK, and I love that Tatum meets him and really gets to know him via email before being overcome by a face-to-face interaction. Truthfully, I think we can all guess who he was before the reveal at the end of the book, but it was nice to see Tatum falling for the personality first, and then loving the physical later. My only gripe about that, is that Tatum finds herself really liking the guy through their online interactions, and well, she’s lucky to find the guy not bad looking face-to-face, but I think it’s safe to say, in many cases, this is just an unrealistic reality. In some realities, it’s just friendships that come out things, and physical attractiveness does influence whatever prior feelings that were developed before, and that human interactions are a whole lot more complicated than that.

BUT in saying that, this book, for a light fun read, is perfect. It’s not too serious. The relationships between Tatum and her parents were to some degree fleshed out, and I like seeing Tatum’s growth. What the author has done well in ‘It Started With Goodbye’ is developing the relationships between herself and her family, at least for this early to mid-teen YA novel, it’s enough. There is the conflict, there is Tatum, and there is her trying to sort out her summer. If this was aimed at an Older YA audience, then some of the relationships would have been too simplistically sketched out.

I love this contemporary version of Cinderella's story. I didn't even realize it right away until Tate got stuck with all the cleaning, and then suddenly, everything clicked into place - absent father, overbearing step-monster, not-so-nice step-sister, and Blanche - the step-fairy-godmother-Abuela! I just loved this story and this author's voice. I work with teens (as well as have 3 of my own) and it's hard to find books with characters they can relate to. Further, it's a story that doesn't preach to them. It shows realistic situations that teens face in day-to-day life, and the choices teens need to make when they might not be ready or equipped to handle the consequences of said choices. Life handed Tate a bowl of lemons to chew on one summer, and she managed to make lemonade with the help of a few good friends. Her choices may not have always been ideal, but she had a strong will and sense of self-worth, and I enjoyed that about her. Seamus was swoon worthy. I loved how their relationship unfolded organically rather than insta-love or insta-lust. I look foward to reading more from this author.

A fun if predictable YA love story. The story revolves around Tate and her summer after being arrested when her best friend's sketchy boyfriend is caught shoplifting. Her relationship with her stepmother and step sister also play a role. Overall, it is a quick read and if you like teen romance fiction, you will be pleased. Otherwise, I would skip it. You will be disappointed if looking for anything more than that.

I wanted to like this, but the story just didn't grab me. The first half wasn't interesting at all. The second half was better, but I just wasn't a fan of this book.

I really liked this book and will recommend it to my followers, full review in links

An enjoyable read. I liked the character growth of the main, and supporting characters. I didn't think the online correspondent was in any way a mystery.

What a cute escape from reality. I loved the main character & it was a nice change to the book rut that I had been finding myself in.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this novel.

This was a really great debut for Christina June. This isn’t your typical YA book, sure there are YA characters in it but it’s not about insta love, crushes, and all that romantical stuff. No, this book was about reality, family, forgiveness, and understanding and finding out the person you are and want to become. It’s not a comping of age story but more of a coming of understanding story. It really was endearing.

We meet Tate as she’s about to experience something unexpected and completely not her fault, but here she is at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people and things happened. Because of this one event everything just starts to tumble downhill, or does it? She’s been accused of something she didn’t do and now she is suffering those consequences by doing community service and being under the strict eye of her stepmother while her dad is away. Things have never been easy for Tate and Belen, there’s always been something keeping Tate from understanding her stepmother. That is until this summer of course, the same could go for her stepsister Tilly.

Throughout the book you watch as Tate continues to grow as a person, outside of her normal bubble. Learns how to interact with new people, learns that she is really good at something that can help her make a better future for herself. She also learns about the importance of family and trust. There are so many great things about this book but I don’t really want to give the plot away too much because it’s something you should definitely pick up and read for yourself. Don’t worry there is a bit of flirting and romance that will make you feel very hopeful for Tate.

Tate was an overall relatable character, she could very well have been a friend of yours and her experiences are all based in realistic terms. There are no rainbows and unicorns in this book, just the nitty gritty truth and that’s what I liked most about it. Yes there were some definite Cinderella undertones, but it wasn’t even about that. (Because we all know how Cinderella turned out) This book gave you more of a view into Tate and her families’ lives and bought you the understanding that sometimes you just have to look at things from a different perspective. Great book!

It Started with Goodbye is a fresh, modern story loosely based on the Cinderalla tale. Tatum Elsea feels like she can never do anything right. She just landed in hot water - again - and is now in more trouble than ever with her dad and stepmom. And, to make matters worse, her dad is headed out of the country on business, so she is under the rule of her stepmom for the summer. To add insult to injury, Tatum's stepsister is cold as ice and won't give her the time of day. It's looking like it's going to be a long, long summer for Tatum.

However, when Tatum discovers some new friends right in front of her, as well as a way to make a difference in the lives of those around her, she realizes that there might be more to the people in her life than she realized. Tatum sets out on a journey of discovery - of who she is, and how she relates to her family and friends.

This is a sweet, fresh young adult novel. It's so well written that I breezed through it and enjoyed every moment. Tatum's discoveries are refreshing and by the end of the book you've watched her grow and lived with her through a little mystery and romance. All in all, I loved this book and Christina June will be going on my list of authors-to-purchase. Can't wait to read more of her work!

Rated PG-13: This is a great book for tweens and teens. Not only will they enjoy the story itself, but it makes a great conversation starter

Five stars is not enough for It Started With Goodbye. I absolutely love Tatum's story. She grows so much over such a short period of time and the lessons she learns are quite beautiful.

Will be buying copies for loved ones and definitely will read again.

I really like Tatum! The main character of this sweet, YA read. I wanted to take this girl away from all the shady people in her life. I spent most of the read internally screaming and fuming about how those in her family treated her. I took a step back, reread the synopsis and realized instantly that this is a retelling, a reboot of Cinderella. Now calmed and appeased, I indulged in Tatum's well written voice. The author nailed her personality, allowing us to see Tatum the way others failed to. Any reader immediately will become Team Tatum. Watching this resilient young lady triumph over so much stacked against her. 3.5 stars

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

4.5 stars

This is an amazing debut by Christina June! This story has a lot of Cinderella-esque themes which I adore.

First of all, the main character Tatum is amazing. She is definitely someone 16-year-old me would've wanted to have as a best friend. Even though she is confident with what she wants, she is just a normal 16-year-old. She has doubts about her skills and her future, which are definitely things I was wondering about at that age too. Especially if your "Stepmonster" was always seeming to be super supportive of your incredibly talented stepsister. Watching her develop throughout the story was something that the author did perfectly and I was always rooting for her when everything seemed to fall apart.

Secondly, we just need to take a moment to appreciate her step-abuela, Blanche. She was definitely the fairy godmother of this story and she was amazing. I was constantly laughing or smiling anytime she was in a scene. She is the person you wish to have around whenever something isn't going right.

There were so many amazing characters that got introduced throughout the story and that was something I really appreciated. I love when an author takes the time to develop all the characters of a story instead of just the main one. All of the characters were relatable in one way or another and that was something very memorable about this book.

Lastly....what would a Cinderella story be without a prince charming?? The prince charming in this story was developed in a way that made me smile. I was always waiting for that moment when everything comes together and I loved the way it was worked out. Everything about that was perfect.

This is an amazing summer-type read, or if you're just wanting to enjoy a good contemporary with the whole package-humor, excitement, and some tears. I was really impressed and I want to read more by this author! Make sure you add this to your "To Be Read" list because you will definitely want to read this when it is released May 2017.

This is an excellent contemporary showing a normal teenager struggling with something she didn't do. But, i love how it showed her starting her own business and the way music was incorporated into the book as I'm a musical person.

So, I was not a huge fan of this book, and I feel kind of sad about it? I couldn't connect to the main character, like at all. My favorite characters were all side characters that, to me, were way more interesting than the main story-line. Much of this was incredibly blah. My biggest issue is how awful everything was going for the MC and there was nothing good to balance it out for the first half of the book. Even the romance, which was kind of cute, didn't really progress until the book was almost over. Don't even get me started on the stepmother! She was awful, and the way it played out, there was nothing within the text of the book that made the way it ended make sense.

I'm giving it 2 stars because I did really like Abby, Hunter, and Seamus. Would love to read a story focused on Abby and Hunter, to be honest.

I wouldn't rule out reading another book from this author because I didn't mind her writing style, this story, however, just wasn't for me.

I give it 3.5 stars. It was better than okay, but not anything special or something that I would re-read. I did like how the book was not solely focused on the romance. I like the issues of family and understanding that were brought up. I think contemporary readers would enjoy this book, but it is very predictable. You see things coming from a mile away and that loss of surprise it what knocked it down half a star for me.

This is one of those books that is so beautifully, but subtlety predictable - the type that gets you turning the page whispering "god I hope I'm RIGHT" - the type that you watch back to back in December in the run up to Christmas? Well yeah, this is like a summer version of that feeling.

Thank you to the author for not making her female protagonist annoying! I really really enjoyed getting to know Tatum, she was real and relatable and she responded to things in the way a normal teenager would... yet she takes the time to reflect and say I'm sorry even when it's so hard and she doesn't *fully* believe she's in the wrong - is there ever a time when we really do?

Then there's the rich family, not in monetary means but in culture and dynamic. Of course, being grounded, Tatum spends a lot of time at home with her family and I really wish more YA novels had more family page time because I eat it up. Tatum's Chilean Step-momster was a MEANIE but I loved how as the book progressed - mostly with the meddling of the abuela, Blanche - even if we don't necessarily like Belén, we understand her. Tatum's dad is sort of... unimportant in this section of Tatum's life. Although it's made very clear that Tatum loves him and they're very close, he goes away for the whole summer (when the book takes place) on a work trip, but I liked it, because if he was there Tatum wouldn't have been in the horrible situation that meant she had to understand Belén and grow closer to her step-sister... what a GLORIOUS surprise that was! I am SO for sisters-growing-closer-together sister development and this handed it to me on a silver platter ahhhh it was wonderful. Finding out that they're not as "chalk and cheese" as they'd just expected themselves to be is like,, life goals.

And now this is the part where I get to fawn over the romance - my favourite part omg I'm so excited to share my (many) feelings. Tatum establishes her own design business, totally behind everyone's back, with only a girl from her class supporting her - so cool - and through it she meets this mysterious S. I don't know how she did it, but the author made S so charismatic through an exchange of emails that I couldn't wait to see if my theory about who S was, which would mean S and Tatum would meet very soon, was right. There was SO MUCH SUSPENSE towards the end of the book where she almost meets him, and then doesn't, and then he's on his way, and then.............. I believe "AaaaaASGHJKA HES SO XUTE" were my exact thoughts/words at how he wonderfully introduced himself to her (finally). I love him, we had about 20 pages with S PHYSICALLY there but I love him.

In the end, what started with goodbye? Truly a coming of age story, Tatum finds herself in her passion and a drive that only appears when there is nobody else to rely on to motivate you. She lost her best friend and her father and her family's trust because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but like I always say EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON and if she hadn't been there, she wouldn't have set up her own business (let me just reiterate... which is AWESOME how often do you get to read a novel where the protag singlehandedly employs herself and stars charging people for her skills and time) and she wouldn't have met S and she wouldn't have bonded with her sister and to a certain extent, Belén as well.

// Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review //

Plot

For me Happily Ever After endings are a bit too twee. In romance, they can work. But for my personal preference, I prefer for the hero to at least come out with some wound, no matter how small.

In a way, this book had the reverse. It started out with the protagonist Tate, having been caught up in something illegal, but (and minor spoiler here) it's obvious from the outset that she didn't do it.

The thrust of the story is her summer spent doing community service and building a business.

There isn't much plot. Not a lot goes on, and it's very family centric. So it felt a little flat to me. It also has an extremely happy ending.

Characters

Despite that, I actually REALLY liked the main character, right up to the point she caved. I loved her in the first 85% of this book, her rebellion, her determination, her mindset. It was fantastic. But she basically rolls over and apologises when she didn't do anything wrong. So it was a very hard pill for me to swallow that she understood the situation from her parents perspective. I'm a parent... and I didn't. They over reacted.

Romance

This is ultimately a romance story. Have to say, I loved the romance between the two characters. The mystery lover boy wasn't much of a reveal to me, it was blatantly obvious from the start, but perhaps that is because I am an adult reading a young adult's novel. Despite it not being much of a reveal, I really did adore the romance, it was beautiful, and funny and I laughed several times in the story.

Overall

The characters are great, June nailed them, the romance also made me smile, and at times the story made me laugh out loud. For me, the ending could have been tweaked a fraction to make it a smidge more grounded, and I would have liked a little more up and down tension in the plot. But overall an enjoyable read, nice and quick too if you fancy an easy read one evening.

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Loved the voice of the main character in this book. Comparison's to Sarah Dessen are right on the money. I would recommend this to girls seeking romances with strong, interesting female characters.

Wonderful YA story about finding your path and your passions in life. After having her life derailed by being arrested for being an accessory to a crime, Tatum struggles to come to terms with the consequences of her actions while dealing with her difficult stepmother. Readers will enjoy watching Tatum's character grow, mature, and find her way throughout the book. As she grows and changes so does her relationship with those around her . The paths of those around her also morph and change due to Tatum's influence and they are richer because of it. Definitely recommend!

SUCH a fantastic debut. There is so much to love about this book: an authentic, realistic plot, conflicts you'll relate to, and a main character you'll wish you were friends with in real life. Plus, there's lots of humor and heart, and I adore a book that can make me laugh and make me think. Tatum's voice is fantastic and so spot-on. Teen me wouldn't have been able to put this one down, and adult me couldn't either!