This was a fun read. Its supposed to be a modern take on the Cinderella story but I didn't really catch that until I read it somewhere else. Navigating family life and still trying to maintain a social life while being on house arrest isn't easy but Tatum seems to achieve it. Tatum's character was spot on and very realistic, she isn't perfect and she discovers that no one really is, that everyone has flaws and baggage and it is sometimes necessary to look through someone else's eyes at a situation.

Joy really navigates the complexities of a blended family, changing friendships, and young love with ease and insight. The characters had depth and you could really feel the emotions. I enjoyed Tatum's stream of consciousness regarding closing valedictions, and the way her playful prince charming would come up with new ones to impress her. By the end of the book I even had good feelings about Tatum's sister and Step-mother. Overall this is a great retelling of a classic fairytale.

What a great refreshing little book. I cant believe this was a debut. The author did a great job had me hooked from page 1. Retelling of Cinderella type YA novel.
I love Tate and S.K. will make you swoon.

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

***4 Stars!!!***

It Started With Goodbye was such a beautiful, heartwarming story! Inspired by the fairytale Cinderella, It Started With Goodbye told the story of a young girl named Tatum, and her summer living under "house arrest."

Her "evil stepmother," Belén, set rules and standards for Tatum that she often felt were unfair and even impossible. I absolutely loved Belén and seeing Tatum start to understand her was a wonderful thing. With the help of her "fairy godmother," aka step grandmother, Tatum was able to see Belén in a new light, and view things from Belén's point of view.

Tatum was an absolutely loveable character. She was strong, independent, sarcastic, goofy, and a little nerdy, and it was such a joy to be in her head! She spends her summer doing community service and she also secretly starts her own graphic design business. Tatum begins exchanging emails with one of her clients, SK, and their back and forth banter is so adorable!

Tatum also is able to mend her relationship with her "evil stepsister," Tilly. The two quickly become thick as thieves, and the whole experience is very eye-opening for Tatum. She truly does a lot of growing up during her summer and is able to start fresh with some rocky relationships.

This was such an enjoyable read and I would highly recommend it to everyone! You won't be disappointed!!

This was adorable and fun but also had those important heart felt moments. I honestly enjoyed every moment. I loved the characters. They draw you in and make you care for them so easily. The story is interesting and keeps you reading. There's moments where things happen a little to easily but it didn't bother me much. I still wanted to keep reading and see what happened. When a book can keep you smiling through out its a good story.

I have read way to many Cinderella retellings lately but hey can't stop won't stop! I love them. It Started with Goodbye is a sort of Cinderella story with a great modernizing twist. Most of the retellings is normal everyday girl meets famous boy. With this though it is normal girl meet normal boy so I really enjoyed that aspect of it.

While this was a great fluffy read it was extremely predictable so that knocks a few points off for me. SK being who was was very obvious from the moment you meet said person. Still the romance was very cute. Another different twist was this was more about her relationships with family and friends than the romance with SK. That was a cool refreshing twist.

The book did hit a few slow spots that left me with moments of putting it down and stepping away. I did feel like everything started happening at the very end and would have liked it all to happen a little more so we could see her relationships with everyone develop.

All in all this is a great book for teens. For me it was a good super fluffy read. 3.5 stars.

Favorite quote
"People say there's a fine line between pleasure and pain, and that was exactly the message this cello was sending out. Even though the sadness was undeniable, there was also an underlying sensuality, a slow-burning passion reaching out, begging for the listener to hear the want, the need."

This book wrecked me. It inspired me. It moved me. It gave me all the feels...

I absolutely loved it.

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). When Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in the housekeeping 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

It may not be the most obvious re-telling and I don't know whether it was meant to be a re-telling, but It Starts With Goodbye comes across as a cinderella story re-telling. With the step-mother and step-sister who don't seem to respect or like Tate, the piles of work that Tate seems to find herself in, and then the grandmother who acts like the fairy godmother. I think it's because it wasn't the most obvious re-telling that I really enjoyed it. I don't like straight up re-tellings because everything seems a bit obvious, but when it's re-tellings such as The Lunar Chronicles, Hunted or Spindle Fire that are re-tellings with massive twists, then I'm all for them. (Jeez... ignore the number of times I said 're-tellings' in that paragraph. I didn't know another word for it!)

Another thing that I absolutely loved about this book was that Tate was into graphic design. I love it when the protagonists have a really interesting hobby. I love graphic designing so when I read Tate designing websites for people or business cards and logos, I was in my element and I loved reading about her doing it for other people and seeing her make money by doing what she loves.





"Scalding my skin, they dripped down my cheeks silently. I cried for the girl whose voice remained unheard, who did her best to be good but didn't always get it right. I cried for the girl constantly trying to forge a connection, to find someone who took her at face value and didn't ask her to be something she wasn't. I cried for the doors that had closed and cried for the ones that might never open. I cried out of want, out of thirst for something nameless, my heart beating itself into a frenzy, my body completely boneless beneath the sheets, now heated and damp."

- Christina June, It Started With Goodbye




The characters were also so well-written! I thought Bélen was incredibly three-dimensional and I loved how we got to learn more about her from Blanche; it added so many layers to the character and makes you think about the different ways that you can take someone's actions or words. There is also some diversity that can be found within the book. Tatum's stepmom and step-grandmother are immigrants from Chile (which is a place that I never really see mentioned in YA), her stepsister is half Chilean/half white, and SK is half Irish/half Kenyan and the son of immigrants. These diverse secondary characters added a whole other element of the story; it made it different. And the diverseness of the book didn't seem forced, which I absolutely loved.

This book takes you on an incredible journey of self-discovery, friendship and family, and finding out that doing what makes you happy is always the best thing to do. It teaches you to put the past behind you and forgive, to see someone else's point of view without judging, and to always hold onto the ones that you love most.

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Released 9th May

This was so cute and fun! I absolutely loved every character in this book and it was so refreshing to have a YA contemporary not be 100% about insta-love but also about relationships in a family and friendships. Tatum was so real and lovable, I wish I never had to stop reading!

2.5 stars, bumped it up to 3.

This one was just ok for me. Too predictable for my liking, but hey, it was a nice quick read that I am sure romance lovers will adore. I'll still get it for the library.

It Started with Goodbye is a pleasant read. I have no doubt that the YA audience will eat this up like chocolate! It strikes all the right chords for teens - relationship issues with family and friends, self-doubt, crushes, romance, growth. Those naming this a modern day Cinderella story are spot on, but it was a bit too saccharine for me. Nevertheless, an impressive debut for Ms. June.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher Blink/Harper Collins for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book.

This was a great fluffy read. The main character is learning the hard way about responsibility and sticking to be who she is, even in the face of adversity. I wish she would have pushed back more, but I think her not pushing back played into her seeming more adult. I thought the teen characters were great and well developed, I just wish the adult characters were more fleshed out. Overall, I enjoyed reading this novel.

It Started with Goodbye is a modern day Cinderella re-telling, Tatum lives with her Dad, Stepmom and Step-Sister. She gets into a difficult situation with her best friend and ends up grounded all summer with her step mother monitoring her every move. There is a Fairy godmother figure thrown in as well as a prince charming. However, this book is not romance centered and I really enjoyed that about it. I like how the focus was on Tatum herself and her relationships with her family members. I flew right through this book. It was fast paced and didn't really lag at all. We get to meet some strong characters and see them grow through the story. Overall, it's a simple, summer contemporary and a great quick read!

Well...it took me 8 days to read it. Does that tell you anything? If you look at my history, I read books in 2-4 days. Never longer than a week (unless it's audio). This one had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me.

First of all, I just couldn't relate to Tatum. Nothing about her connected with me or even appealed to me. Her situation, her crazy stepmother, the whole business just didn't reach me.

The first half of the book D-R-A-G-G-E-D on. It was just one depressing thing after another. I kept reading for the possibility of romance, but that really didn't come through until closer to the end.

The were some good themes and good side characters, but the end result for me was just a waste of my time.

This is an endearing YA twist on the Cinderella fairy tale.
There's the princess, Tatum Elsea, held under a house arrest.
The "wicked stepmother", Belén.
The stepsister, Tilly, who won't acknowledge her.
The fairy godmother, aka Grandmother, Blanche.
A chance encounter with a "Prince" at art school.
The missing slipper, aka the missing key chain.

And while all of those similarities existed, this book had a very different direction. Ultimately this is a story about growing up, becoming responsible for your actions (right or wrong) and making the most of a bad situation.

Tatum's biggest mistake is trusting her BFF, who in turn makes a mistake that affects both. After being at the wrong place at the wrong place, with the wrong people, Tatum pays a big price, resulting in a fine, community service and the loss of her family's trust. And it is that last factor that shapes her summer.

Like any other teenager, Tatum is a bit self-absorbed and overly emotional. This is where the story may have veered too far from the fairy tale, because I didn't really feel sorry for her.

Unlike other teenagers, Tatum has a good sense of her self-worth and takes initiative to build her future. I applaud her for not wallowing too long and focusing on how to make things better for herself. That showed some true maturity. She finds ways to work around her house arrest, making friends along the way and building her business. I give her props for making the most of her situation and wish she would realize that things weren't as bad as she often made them to be. I also like how she decided to be the bigger person and help out the person in her life who didn't show her much kindness. And that changes things for the future, in a good way.

The romance element was a very small part of this story, and I figured out the connection early on. However, it was sweet and appropriate for the genre. The ending may have been a bit too sugar coated but this is based off a fairy tale, so I guess that is expected. Overall this was an enjoyable read with minimal angst and a good message.

A wonderful book filled with a wonderful message.

Tatum tries. She tries to make her dad and stepmother proud, she tries to be a good fried, and she tries to like her stepsister despite their frosty relationship.

When Tatum gets in trouble for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she’s done trying. Her dad doesn’t trust her anymore, her stepsister seems to dislike her even more, and her best friend won’t talk to her. But her summer of stepmother-imposed house arrest just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to Tatum.

This character is so well written. Readers are taken along on her journey of growth as she meets new friends, opens her mind to step into the shoes of the other person, and learns to forgive.

The Cinderella story arc, though it’s there, is subtle. Beautifully written, I finished this one in a day and am looking forward to what author Christina June has in store next for her readers.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary book via the author, publisher, or blogging programs, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This is a quick read and a fun spin on Cinderella. I struggled with some of the conversation and I did. It care for the stepmom at all.

Tatum does the right thing and finds her world falling to pieces as a result. In lockdown for the summer and stuck with her stepmother and stepsister, Tate is trying to find freedom in anyway she can. Emailing a potential client for her new design business, Tate finds a bit of romance and excitement, while juggling community service and her broken friendship. This story has some similarities to Cinderella but it's an original twist and I really enjoyed reading it. It was a fun read, quick and Tatum was a great protagonist. I loved the abuela character, Blanche, and the dynamic between the sisters. Well done!

This book is a contemporary retelling of Cinderella. It's a very quick read, and very fast paced.

The characters are very three dimensional and feel like very real people you would want to be friends with. The plot is realistic and the conflicts are easily relatable.

It will make you laugh but it will also make you think about your own life.

*I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Five Hearts

Young adult books have been very hit and miss for me these days, but I certainly enjoyed It Started with Goodbye. I immediately connected with Tatum and felt her pain, especially regarding her stepmother. This was a well-written debut novel. I would definitely read more from Christina June in the future.

Paperback, 304 pages Expected publication: May 9th 2017 by Blink/HarperCollins Genre: YA fiction Blurb: 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). 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. My thoughts: This book was an easy, interesting read even though there wasn't much that was fresh and original. You can pretty much guess half the plot but still the main character, Tatum was real, likeable and relatable. You could understand and empathize with her. The feeling of not being understood is something every teenager knows. By the end of this book,Tatum has grown emotionally and her relationship with her stepmom and step-sister has developed manifold. At the same time, she has started believing in herself and her talents and has made new friends and meets someone who really understands her. Although, I should say that their romance was limited to sending emails to each other and a few real meetings, I did enjoy reading their chats. When I started reading this book, it took time to dive in, but the feeling of anticipation took me on and I was soon hooked. Still, after I reached the end I had to say I felt a bit disappointed. It wasn't all that it promised to be at the starting , for me at least. One more thing is that I would have liked to know the other characters better, as they weren't that much developed. Yet, I enjoyed the story, no doubt and would like to try more from the author as it was a beautiful read. So , to answer the question of to whom I'd recommend this book, I think fans of Jenny Han, and people who like light, easy reads and also those who believe in the one-summer-can-change-your-life theory would like to read it.