
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
Pages: 336
Source: eARC for Review
Pages: 336
Source: eARC for Review
ISBN-10: 1939392179
Rating: 3.5 Hearts
Book Description
"Hot girls get the fairy tales. No one cares about the stepsisters' story. Those girls don't get a sweet little ending; they get a lifetime of longing
Imogen Keegen has never had a happily ever after–in fact, she doesn’t think they are possible. Ever since her mother’s death seven years ago, Imogen has pulled herself in and out of therapy, struggled with an “emotionally disturbed” special ed. label, and loathed her perma-plus-sized status.
When Imogen’s new stepsister, the evil and gorgeous Ella Cinder, moves in down the hall, Imogen begins losing grip on the pieces she’s been trying to hold together. The only things that gave her solace–the theatre, cheese fries, and her best friend, Grant–aren’t enough to save her from her pain this time.
While Imogen is enjoying her moment in the spotlight after the high school musical, the journal pages containing her darkest thoughts get put on display. Now, Imogen must resign herself to be crushed under the ever-increasing weight of her pain, or finally accept the starring role in her own life story.
And maybe even find herself a happily ever after."
Review
Short and Sweet:
While I had some trouble connecting to the story here and there, the authorial voice is absolutely phenomenal.
To Elaborate...
Imogen knows how the world and fairy tales work. The hot, skinny girls get the princes, and the plump stepsisters like herself get nothing. The princess in her story falls in the form of Ella Cinder, her new stepsister whose beauty could easily fit the storybook Cinderella's, but whose personality rivals the meanest wicked witch's. Imogen has to battle through her own depression, anxiety, and insecurity as Ella throws all the malicious tools she has at her.
I had strong highs and lows for this book, so I'm just going to break them down in list form.
Loves:
1.) The voice- Imogen's narrative is ridiculously familiar for anyone who has any insecurity (so basically everyone). She can only focus on her negatives. She is so realistic and more than occasionally heartbreaking because of that.
2.) Grant- He's a keeper book boyfriend.
3.) The stepmother, Evelyn, and Imogen's father- I am so, so, so happy to see a book where the parent/step-parent feels NORMAL. So often they fall into one extreme or the other, which of course does happen in real life sometimes, but it's refreshing to see both the good and bad sides to these parents. Evelyn does not always take Ella's side, and she truly seems to care for Imogen. Imogen's father is rarely home, and that causes lots of tension, but he cares in his own way as well. They go through plenty of family bumps during the story, but it all feels real.
Not-So-Loves:
1.) Imogen's dialogue- This isn't a constant dislike through the whole story, and I completely understand why Imogen is so self-destructive, but sometimes it just got really exhausting. Especially towards the second half, it was easy to get frustrated with her (though I absolutely was still rooting for her).
2.) Ella- While there are some hints that there is a reason why Ella is such a mean person, they aren't explored much. It kept teasing the surface that maybe she was hurt after her parents split up and she dealt with bullies as well, but her character is primarily flat. I would, however, read a companion book with her as the main character in order to find out exactly what's going on with her. *hopes there is one*
3.) Imogen's friends- Not all of them and not all the time, but sometimes I just got annoyed with her circle of people. I get they are in theater, but they took dramatic to a whole new level here and there, and that would get old. I probably liked them about 65% of the time.
Overall, I would recommend this if you want a deeper contemporary read that brings up some intense issues. Even though there were a few things I really didn't like, I still liked it in the end, and I will definitely be looking forward to more from this author.
3.5 Hearts!
The premise of this one sounds so cool and I love that cover. What is it about YA books that have such horrible best friends? I'm reading Black Ice and I'm so annoyed by the 'best friend.'
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about this one. It has some good points, but I can see why it wasn't a perfect hit.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book- like almost everything about it! But I did relate to a lot of it. I was around the theater kids a lot in high school, and my best friend is now a stage manager, so I hear stories about that world all the time. And I had so much fun writing my review for it. I think it'll be up there with books like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and It's Kind of a Funny Story one day.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you about Ella. I wanted to hear more of her story, and a lot of people who read the ARC agree as well. Her story just felt unfinished.
Sadly, I had to mail the ARC to another person because it was part of a tour, but I'll be buying it as soon as it comes out.
I have it coming up next on my ARC review list, so I'm happy to hear that this was enjoyable enough, Samantha!
ReplyDeleteI have a review coming up in the next couple of days for this ARC as well! I agree with you, Grant is a great book boyfriend!
ReplyDeleteYeah. It's not like these were terrible people or anything, they just got on my nerves pretty often. I do think it's starting to be more of a hit or miss with me on the friends. I either love them or hate them.
ReplyDeleteYes. I would still recommend it for sure, but I just wasn't super wild about it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteRight?! I even love his name!
ReplyDelete