Though typically I cannot resist a retelling, I’m starting to seriously burn out on Cinderella retellings. Cinder aside, most feel like the exact same story over and over. The ones that don’t, like It Started with Goodbye, generally leaving my scratching my head in puzzlement. It Started with Goodbye is a unique Cinderella retelling, but it didn’t do a whole lot for me.


Many of June’s alterations to the tale could have worked had I been a bigger fan of the main character. Tatum never really made sense to me as a character. She veers randomly from being the long suffering angel like a regular Cinderella and being a bitchy brat. I’d have loved a bitch Cinderella, but combining that with self-righteous goodness is awful. Similarly, her family doesn’t make a ton of sense either. Though her father is alive and loves her and her step-mother isn’t a complete monster, only Tate has to do chores because…reasons? No one felt particularly believable, and I never had a sense of why they reacted in certain ways.

The perfect example of why I find this retelling strange is the concept: Tate was arrested because her best friend’s sketchy boyfriend stole stuff and attempted to make Tate his getaway driver (unbeknownst to her). Tate’s parents freak out, and she’s on a short leash for the summer and not remotely trusted; she also has to do community service. I struggled a lot with this because it’s weirdly melodramatic in a low-key book, and it also just didn’t make sense to me that her parents were that mad at her when she was an innocent bystander. Also, it’s pretty much bullshit that her best friend was mad at her, and Tate forgave her almost immediately and apologized for her role. Um no.

The saving grace of this one for me (though it’s not that it was bad so much as clunky) was the love interest. SK is one of her first clients on her newly established graphic design business. He plays the cello, and he’s an adorable banter machine. Their conversations are pretty much the only time I really bonded with Tate. I wish the romance had been more central to the plot than the family and friendship stuff which wasn’t as well done.

It Started with Goodbye is a decent debut, but it’s one of those books that mostly left me thinking about how much better it could have been with another heavy round of edits. It feels a bit confused still.

I received a copy from Netgalley for review purposes.
Once I picked up It Started With Goodbye I flew through it. I was upset with Tatum's parents throughout the book because I felt her punishment was a little harsh for her part in getting busted. However, the harsh punishment caused growth within Tatum as well as with her family.
Good for Tatum on having the courage to start her own business, I adored the relationship that grew through email. The email exchanges made me smile. It was so sweet.
This was my first Christina June book and I can't wait to read more.

As much as a love a good take on a fairytale. I wasn’t a big fan of this book. I can’t seem to get into stories with cliches. A lot of people love this book and I can see why. I just wasn’t a big fan. Upon reading other people reviews there are certain people this would appeal to so I really recommend reading their reviews and seeing if this book is for you.

I couldn't get into this story I'm afraid and I'm DNF'd it.

Although this book seemed to get high reviews from most of the community, it didn't strike that same love with me. While the book was meant to be a Cinderella inspired story, I found a lot of what takes place very unbelievable. The main character's dad just abandons her and it was really sad and kind of turned me off to the family in general.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Sixteen-year-old Tatum Elsea is bracing for the worst summer of her life. After being falsely accused of a crime, she’s stuck under stepmother-imposed house arrest and her BFF’s gone ghost. Tatum fills her newfound free time with community service by day and working at her covert graphic design business at night, which includes trading emails with a cute cello-playing client. If Tatum is reading his emails right, her virtual Prince Charming is funny, smart, and talented—and he seems to think the same about her. Too bad he’s spending his summer across the ocean in Ireland…not that Tatum would be allowed to go on a date anyway.
But over the course of the summer, Tatum will learn that sometimes going after what you want means breaking all the rules. And when Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in the house keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends with her family and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and assisted by her feisty step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready to start fresh and maybe even get her happy ending along the way.

Another YA novel that promises quite a lot but doesn't really deliver on any of it in any real way.

That's not to say that it is a bad book in any way - it certainly isn't that. If you like teen-angst, cheesy romance novels, then this excels at that. As for the story-telling, it was slow and pretty boring, to be honest...and Tatum as a main character? Just wasn't very likeable - and if you don't like the MC in a YA novel, you are really going to struggle to like the book...

And that, sadly, was the case for me.


Paul
ARH

Cute for a YA book and kinda retelling of Cinderella

I am totally in love with this adorable, fluffy Cinderella retelling. I like that it had little twists and turns that were Cinderella-esque, but it didn't turn out completely like the story other than the Happily Ever After. I really loved all the characters and I love the growth of each of them in the story. It was just the sort of contemporary I needed in the hustle and bustle of the holiday time (although it would be great as an end of the summer read like when the story takes place).

This was unfortunately a book I requested when I was interested in seeing how it was, but now that time has passed since approval, I'm not longer interested in the story. My apologies.

Between It Started With Goodbye and Geekeralla, Cinderella retellings are KILLING it lately, something I absolutely love considering, in the past, I've never really found one I've been a fan of.
Tatum is a super fun character, and she actually reminds me quite a bit of myself. My favorite character, well I have to give that to her step-abuela(grandmother), she was an absolute riot and really brought the whole family together in a slow burn kind of way(if that even makes sense!). If you're a YA Contemporary Romance fan, this read is for you. I loved the sneak peeks into Tatum's graphic design business, and the fun back and forths via email she had with one client in particular(no spoilers!). Overall, this is a book to move to the top of your TBR - I can't wait to read about Tilly in Everywhere You Want To Be - I was so psyched to see that she'll be getting her own story!

Going into this book I was unaware that it was a Cinderella retelling. I have read several retellings in the past and am a fan of Disney movies like A Cinderella Story. Therefore, I had high hopes before going into this book. I agree that this book was a nice change from the typical middle-grade stories that are being published. It is nice to see something clean and lighthearted for middle school aged kids to read. I would definitely recommend this to young YA and middle grade readers. It wasn't necessarily something new and special. It was also very cheesy at certain points. However, there was a special quality to it that was added by the writing style (which I thoroughly enjoyed). I would highly recommend for those looking for a light hearted read that is appropriate for many different age groups.
Overall:
4 out of 5 stars
90% out of 100%

It had been a bit since I'd read a YA book and I had completely forgotten that this was a slight Cinderella retelling, so that was kind of fun to figure out as I was reading. Parts of this felt a bit contrived to me (would the stepmother actually get away with that, really?), but I liked the SK parts and the friendships and the stepsister development. This book was fun and cute and reminded me of Tell me Three Things, which I adored.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blink for the review copy of this fun YA book.

This was a super cute read. Predictable, but still very enjoyable. Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for a honest review. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

I obviously enjoyed this one to finish it in two nights. It was a quick read, and I adored the characters. I think a lot of girls can relate to Tatum, and her situation. Maybe not the severity of it, but we all have falling outs with our parents as teens. I really enjoyed virtual Prince Charming, Tatum’s step-abuela slash fairy godmother, and some of the other characters like Abby.

Nothing really surprised me while reading this book, but I don’t think books always need to do that. And since it’s a spin on Cinderella, you kind of already know what’s going to happen. Prince Charming was just that…super charming. He’s going on my book boyfriend list for sure. I get swoony just thinking about him. *sigh*

I liked the growth Tatum reaches by the end of the story, and how she–and everyone around her–is better for it. I guess I wanted a little more romance, but I know the focus was more on the family dynamics, and Tatum’s journey of discovery. Props for making me a little emotional towards the end. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who likes a cute contemporary read with heart.

A modern day Cinderella story that explores family, friendships and the complexities of relationships. An excellent debut novel which should appeal to young readers and those who are young at heart. Good character development and an interesting and amusing read. A good easy read!
The publisher’s blurb is an excellent introduction.
Recommend to those who enjoy a charming story.
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Harper Collins for an ebook copy to read and review.

I am a huge fan of YA books and I loved this cover and blurb, so I decided this would be a book for me. I was right. I really enjoyed this YA twist of a modern Cinderella story !

Tate is held under house arrest by the wicked step-mother she has. I liked Tate's story a lot. I enjoyed the romantic aspect, even though it wasn't a huge part of the story. This is mostly a story of self discovery and finidng yourself. I recommend this to YA lovers!

I loved Tatum! It's refreshing to read a book with a main character that actually feels real, feels relatable. I think It Started with Goodbye is a great debut novel! Can't wait to read more from this author!

Cinderella Stories are some of my favorites and I absolutely loved this one. It's a light read for when you want to read a quick book and feel good towards the end of the book.

This book is a sorta of retelling of Cinderella, really enjoyed it. This is a fun, light read, but it delves into some deeper issues, like taking responsibility for your actions, relationships, and honesty. Sixteen-year-old Tatum is seemingly in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I enjoyed this story, purely for how the author told the story of Tatum, the moment her life made a change due to a wrong decision, as well as being wrongly accused of something she didn't do.

I was given this book for an exchange for an honest review, and I would definitely recommend it. My first book by Christina June.

I read it all in one setting. A totally captivating read and I highly recommend it.

Such a fast read! I love retellings (when they're good) and this one is FANTASTIC! I fell so in love with the characters, and I especially liked how they all get fleshed out more than in the original Cinderella story. I felt like I got to know each one of them more individually, and that made the story richer. What a fun summer read (I mean, who doesn't like a good retelling in the summer?). If you like fairytales, this is a great pick for you. It's like a pumped up leveled up Cinderella story.