This was such a fun read! A genderfluid Cinderella retelling with a POSITIVE, HAPPY ENDING is something I've never seen before and I am so glad this book exists for little girls and boys to read and to realize that straight is not the defaul.t
I admit, I had a bit of trouble staying engaged in the first couple of chapters. The writing style threw me off at times because it wasn't as 'sophisticated' as it could have been, but Declan's story was truly one to remember, and the story picks up quickly and evolves with the writing style around the half-way point of the novel. Also, kudos for making Carter such a phenomenal character. His development in this book felt so authentic.
If you're looking for a great read with a genderfluid MC that gets a happy ending, lots of queer characters and a super cute retelling, you're in for a treat with this one!

Declan isn't sure what he is some days, just that he's been faking his life and wearing his sister's clothes whenever he has an opportunity. When she catches him, she convinces Declan to go with her to Carter's party while assuming the identity of a cousin visiting from Chicago, Layla. Carter, Declan's dream boy for years, falls for Layla. But after changing everything he used to think about himself, she disappears without a word.

2.5, rounded up because the second half saved the book after the first dragged so painfully.

I had a hard time getting through the first half of the book, I was even wondering what to grade it because it had been a definite 2-star if not less. I wasn't ready for the part of the story he was Layla to be so overwhelming. It wasn't because of the crossdressing, Layla was a character that got to my nerves. It really didn't seem like Declan was going out as her for the first time but that he had lived as a woman his whole life.

The lowest point for me was when he started giving feminism lessons to the guys on how women are treated. No. No. The speech took too long in the book and made no sense coming from someone who had been living like a man. To make things worse, the speech started being reproduced as "all the other girls said the same but only when Layla told me did I understand". I don't even think that's what the target reader here needs to read. And not what I wanted.

Finally, the story happened. Although when Declan couldn't be Layla anymore, he really didn't seem to mind that much going back to his false identity, I was so relieved the story I wanted to read was finally starting!

So, about the second half, I think Declan had a complete personality change all of a sudden, which was good because he was unbearable before but also unjustified. Still, I enjoyed the book a lot more. I liked knowing about the other characters, and I especially liked the conclusion. To be honest, I was a little iffy about why some things were happening the way they were and all felt explained.

Not sure if it's a book I would recommend, I don't know if it did a good job talking about being gender fluid but it's not a read I recommend against. It does get better and it even gets very cute.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Okay so I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be my typical romance. For starters, it's about teenagers. And for finishers, it starts with a boy trying on his sister's clothes.

The great parts of this story are the fight for what's right, the learning to accept yourself, the push against society, and letting go of preconceived notions. It definitely would be a great read especially for teens feeling lost, alone, misunderstood, confused. It's filled with hope and some romance, too.

I guess I felt like most high schoolers don't really talk like this, not all the time. Like every word they speak has to be a lesson or like they are professors. That bit felt a little unrealistic. But to round all of this off, the ending of the story made me cry. The book made me feel and think, and though it isn't my usual read, I'm glad I read it.

This looked super cute and had great reviews so I requested the ARC.

Was it super cute and fabulous as the cover promises? Absolutely.

But holy crap, was I not prepared for how amazing, diverse (gender fluid, demi/queer, and of course, lots of boys who liked boys and girls who liked girls), and just important this book was.

Sweet Jesus. This was so freaking fabulous. My jaw is literally dragging on the linoleum.

This book is the perfect weekend read that hits on all the right themes. A perfect slam dunk.

It's great to see an author handle a non-binary gender-fluid character with respect and sensitivity, especially a young adult.

Okay, I struggled with rating this book.

This book is brilliant in so many ways, it was moving and relatable, and I laughed and cried. I also cringed a bit. Despite the absolutely fantastic job that Meister did with this publication, there were a few moments that rubbed me the wrong way that I want to discuss.

This book leaves a lot to unpack; from talks about sexuality, gender and self presentation, to love and lust, civil rights and LGBTQ+ support it would be easy to think this would be a heavy book. But it's not. With a lot of the fluffiness of a typical YA contemporary, this book explores some really important issues with sugar-coating or feeling too serious. A tough feat if you ask me.

The characters are absolutely incredible. Dee, Dex's older sister, is a force to be reckoned with and someone everyone should aspire to be more like. Despite her sometimes dubious advise, her heart is always in the right place and can we talk about her conversation with Dex regarding his identity?! I want to say it's one of the best, and still most authentic, coming out scenes I have ever read. It made me bawl, not gonna lie.

Carter is a gem. He is not what he appears and his growth throughout the book is phenomenal. While not my favourite character, by the end he was truly deserving of everything he ended up with and it couldn't make me happier.

Dex is of course our MC. The authenticity of his feelings, his attempts to fit in, but also blend into the background, while sorting out who he is, but also how he wants to be seen, is something that I think any LGBTQ+ person can relate to. His mistakes and victories only added depth and dimension to his character.

(Even the side characters had fantastic growth! Shout out to Goat my gorgeous bean!)

The LGBTQ+ diversity is obviously amazingly present in this book. There were times however where I was surprised a situation wasn't handled better.

SPOILER

For example, when we first meet Chloe, an androgynous lesbian, Dex is unsure if they identify as a male or female. And yet, the rest of the discussion about Chloe uses pronouns her and she, and refers to Chloe as 'the girl'. Nothing major, but I personally felt a little uncomfy about this and was surprised Meister didn't make more of an effort to include neutral pronouns.

And then there was the (kind of?) outing that went under the radar.

Now there were two main outings that occur in this book, one that is discussed and one that is not. The first outing is what we are discussing, when someone turns Dex into a hero because he knocked out someone who called him a fag. Despite this being something that was done with good intentions and not strictly outing him, it put Dex's sexuality under the spotlight and resulted in his coming out at school. While the outing in this story was not particularly harmful to the queer person in question, what it could have been, the potential damage involved, and the fact that noone has the right or privilege to out another person.

This isn't something that should be okay and normalized, because the harm that can arise from such a situation. It really disappointed me that this was included but not explored. Even the second outing, the school principal contacting parents regarding their sexuality and support of LGBTQ+, which was dealt with more seriousness wasn't readily explored and it felt like a missed opportunity.

Despite these concerns, this book has SO MUCH going for it that I couldn't give it a rating lower then 4-stars. It is still going on my list of favourite books of 2018!

Cinderella Boy is the story of someone who doesn't always feel like a boy but doesn't always feel like a girl. Declan goes through the extremes of either side, but never feels truly like he's (he/him pronouns were used throughout the book, even after the reveal, so I'm going to continue that) in his own skin. I really liked that his sister was on his side immediately, and tried to help him the best she could.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I recommended it to a few people, but I had a few moments that took me out of the story. I feel like there was never a moment where Declan, as Layla, realized what he was doing to Carter until it reached the point that it did. I never got the sense that Declan and Delia were aware that they were lying so much and for so long to this boy who thought they were telling the truth. And the ending in the epilogue. They're teenagers and Carter spent almost the entire book being told that his parents getting married so early was their downfall. I love the idea of happily ever afters and them knowing they'll be together forever, but that just seemed a little too unrelatable.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book. I really did. I love Declan and Delia's relationship almost as much as I loved Declan and Carter's. The popular boy turning out to be a huge dork and the advocate the school needed is my jam. People, like Carter's friends, growing and learning from experiences outside of their usual was also great to read. A school rescinding their tolerance on lgbtq clubs is relatable, and the response from the students was uplifting and admirable. I feel like I breezed through this book because it was cute and fun and I truly enjoyed it.

This book is basically a mix between Cinderella (surprise, surprise) and The Danish Girl. We switch between Declan and Carter’s perspective as they become more and more entangled in their relationship – and the lie that is Layla. It works really well since we get to see both sides of the story and feel more empathy for both of them. Meister has done an amazing job at setting up the parallels between Declan in his biological skin, where he feels awkward and in costume, and Declan as “Layla” where he feels comfortable and confident enough to shine. My only problem with “Layla” is that she is a self-proclaimed expert on being a girl after only a few days of actually living a girl’s life. She gives Carter’s friends deep insight in what girls really wants and the pains they go through and I have to say, I felt slightly triggered. I have nothing but respect for guys like Declan who just wants to feel comfortable in their skin, but I just don’t think it’s realistic for him to give advice on a girl’s struggle after such a short time. In general, there were a few long dialogues about society, gender and love throughout the book that felt more like conversations between 30+ friends. Not that I didn’t agree with some of it, but I honestly don’t buy that high school teens has life all figured out at that stage.

I think I ended up sounding more negative than intended because I actually did like the book! It was a fun plot with a twist and the serious topics were kept in a light tone. I recommend it for anyone who would like a modern retelling of Cinderella or just an interesting LGBQT summer read!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to receive and review this copy of Cinderella Boy!

This is the first book that I have read with a genderfluid character and I must say it was very well done. I read this book in two sittings and I absolutely loved it. I do however feel that it is not really a Cinderella retelling so that put me off a bit. Other than that, this book was amazing!

Unfortunately, this book didn't work for me.

See review below:

I'm definitely in the minority with my opinion thus far, but sadly this book didn't work for me at all.

I used to read YA but since my foray into M/M romance a few years back, I've moved on to older, more mature MCs. I knew this book was YA going in, so I wasn't expecting any steam.

To be clear, there is no sex at all, just some kissing, but there's lots of talk about sex, discussions about how boys think with their dicks, and so on. Let's not pretend that teenagers don't have sex, because they do. I don't understand why authors feel the need to completely sanitize young adult stories to such a degree.

Even so, that's really not the issue I had with this story, not the main one anyway.

Let me just say that what drew me to Cinderella Boy was the genderqueer character. My son is very much a feminine boy who doesn't fit a gender stereotype. In this book, 16-year-old Declan (Dex) wants to dress in "girly" clothing and wear makeup. He's not trans, and he's fine using the "he/him" pronouns, but he doesn't want to be a boy in the way rigid societal rules define masculinity.

When Declan's sister catches him wearing her dress, she transforms him into Layla and, as Layla, Declan is introduced to Carter, a senior he's had a crush on for ages. Carter is also his sister's ex-boyfriend, which squicked me out something fierce.

Sorry, but my brother and I have never been in the habit of sharing boys. I couldn't even imagine being with my brother's ex-boyfriend (none of his exes are bi, but if they were, they'd still be off limits).

I actually really liked both Carter and Dex, and I loved that Carter fell for the person rather than a gender.

My problem was that this story felt looooong. There was just so much dialogue! Everyone talked all the time, and they all talked like philosophy majors sitting around smoking cigarettes and pondering the meaning of life.

The conversations were too sardonic, too ON. It was like reading a play, not a novel. I was so bored, I started skimming early on. Hard as I tried, I couldn't focus on the story. I almost DNF multiple times, and I am usually a very dedicated reader.

I WANTED to love this book. I really did. But I think the author tried too hard to write these really cool teenagers, who, to me, didn't feel real. There was an aura of irony surrounding the book; it was in the tone, in the conversations.

I really like the IDEA of the book. We need more genderfluid characters in stories. Unfortunately, the writing style was a huge turn off.

A Cinderella retelling with a gender fluid protagonist. Sweet and charming but with a LOT more substance than what may be an expected 'fluffy' read.

There's a great cast of characters, with a good range of diversity. Watching Dex transform was wonderful to read. His deceit as Layla not so much but the confidence she gave him to bloom from a nervous, reclusive and closeted Declan to sassy and confident Dex was lovely. Carter also goes through a big transformation and both were wonderfully delivered.

This story isn't just a romance, it's about being true to yourself and standing for what you believe in. Definitely the best retelling I've read.

Sadly i did not enjoy this book as much as i thought i would. I found the plot very interesting and certain themes of the book, i was attracted to, but upon reading it, i was not very interested, i didn't even finish the book, i ended up dnf it. I think it's good but not the type of book for me.

A retelling of Cinderella with a gender-fluid princess?

Sign. Me. Up.

I'm going to be honest, though...I wasn't that impressed at first. The initial chapters feel a little juvenile, and it's hard watching Layla date Carter knowing that she isn't being honest. The dialogue feels a little forced, and those chapters drag on a bit. This would probably be a five-star review if not for that first section.

HOWEVER. Once Layla disappears and Declan begins to figure out who he wants to be--someone somewhere between Layla and the Declan--things get interesting. And emotional. And just really enjoyable.

It's wonderful watching Declan find his voice and his heart...and his wit and sarcasm are immensly entertaining. Carter is a bit much sometimes. His over-inflated personality is used to cover some issues, but he's still annoyingly-and-not-so-realistically perfect. But watching the two of them fall in love--TWICE--is fun, and important issues regarding gender, sexual identity, stereotypes, and equality are front and center. Principal Taggart makes for a great enemy, and I love that we see adults on the other side of the spectrum...accepting and loving even when they don't fully understand.

I don't quite know what I expected from this book but it really shattered whatever expectations I had. It was so damn good. Somehow making a story that could have been labelled ridiculous insta-love into something that was still slow burn, dramatic, fabulous, and powerful. I adored the characters in this book and I was cheering them on through their entire journey of self-discovery and roller coaster emotions.

Anyone in need of some quality contemporary, a fresh queer story, and/or powerful consideration of love should seriously consider picking this book up.

This is such a sweet and adorable read that will have you hooked and unable to put it down. This book is about Declan who struggles with his gender identity, with great writing and beautiful writing I would highly recommend to anyone.

I know? After reading that blurb how could I not read this?!?

Quick note: I'm still learning when it comes to all of the different types of sexuality, gender-fluidity being something I don't know a great deal about at the moment, and so I can't honestly say whether or not the author appropriately handles this, all I can offer is my own opinion. So, apologies in advance if I make any mistakes and please feel free to correct me.

I can honestly say that I haven't been able to get this book off my mind since I finished reading it.

This is one of the most poignant LGBT books I've had the pleasure of reading. If you're looking for a book that's ready to take the world by storm and show everyone just how diverse we are, and how that's perfectly okay, this is the book for you!

I absolutely love Dex and Carter, Dex more so for his wit, his passion and his heart. He really is the purest of souls.

Beyond the passionate protest for human rights that forms a solid backbone intertwined with a burning romance, this book is a cover to cover nerd fest, full of the most delightful witty conversation between the two main characters. My nerdy brain was so happy with the glorious geekiness of this book.

My favourite aspect of this book was watching Dex transform, not into Layla as such, but into himself, watching his evolution from the nervous, shy, closeted Declan we meet at the beginning to the beautiful, confident, radiant Dex who evolves through the events of this book.

His sass, confidence and unforgiving mouth as he blooms are brilliant and the chemistry between these two is perfect.

Carter also goes through a pretty big personality transformation and it was wonderfully delivered.

This book does a fantastic job of making you think, making you reassess the world around you, in very much the same way that Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli has made huge progress recently.

I found myself thinking back to high school and how not a single person was openly gay or otherwise. We were all closeted, all afraid to make a wrong move. Constantly forced to be fake or fall victim to another. Cinderella Boy made me wonder how different life could have been if we'd had the courage to stand up for ourselves and for something that truly mattered.

I loved every aspect of this book. The ending resolved things beautifully, it was perfectly sweet and poignant.

I also have to mention the other fantastic characters we meet from Delia, Dex's sister, to Chloe, and Carter's mum. Even the antagonist's, whilst unpleasant are perfectly portrayed.

If you're a fan of Becky Albertalli, Mackenzie Lee and Adam Silvera, Cinderella Boy should definitely be on your TBR!

If you love lingering glances, passionate embraces and a friendship that will change everything, read this book!

4.5 tiara's from me!

P.S. I also desperately want my own treehouse castle...

Cinderella Boy is one of those books that you start reading and you just.. There's this bit of chaos and you get a little panicky because you don't know what will come of the main character.. But then -- after 20 more pages you see how the main character presents himself when in some kind of a tricky situation and you just know it; everything is going to be a-okay.
I loved Dex since page one; he has this amazing personality and it just.. it makes my heart explode from love.. He's so caring and so wise for his age.. And the way he deals with the task at hand.. And Carter? Those two, after the first two chapters it became crystal clear to me that those two were meant to be together.. At first I was a little hesitant to see what was going to happen; but things turned out so great (and the way it did! omg!)

My review is messy, I realise that.. There's just so much love for the main characters of this book; and basically most of the other characters as well, that I can't focus on my task right now.. I loved this book, I think you'll enjoy it. It's some sort of Simon vs the homosapien agenda, but different, and that's good. Thats wonderful.

Aww so adorably sweet. This one was a refreshing breath of air. Declan struggles with his gender identity, despite that he’s strong willed thanks to the support of his sister- the ex girlfriend and best friend of his crush Carter. With a relationship based on a lie it was never going to work. What I liked about this one was the depth and the growth of the characters. In their own right Carter and Dex have inner strength that just needed to be brought to the surface. The support was amazing, Taggart was an a hole. I had my fingers crossed hoping Carter wasn’t going to lash out. The list made me laugh, the advice was priceless and the back and forth dance was entertaining and easy to fall into.