I have Feelings about this book. A lot of Feelings that I can’t really sum up in an introduction sentence, so is it good with you if I just jump straight in? Yes? Okay, good.

P L O T & C H A R A C T E R S
Even though it feels incredibly simple, the plot of IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE was surprisingly enjoyable. It took me a while to pick up on all the nods to Cinderella, weak as they were, but once I did, I really liked being able to point them out. The little connections to previously mentioned things at the climax was also really nice; June really took the “if there’s a gun in the first act, it should be fired in the second” advice to heart.

I honestly don’t know what was accomplished through this novel. Sure, a few relationships were formed, but our main character didn’t really have a huge change of heart. None of the arcs, character- or plot-related, were satisfying.

The characters were not particularly unique either- and the characterization of one was quite… irritating, but besides for that, it was a pretty okay cast. I’ve seen multiple people bragging about SK, but honestly, I wasn’t very entranced. Oops.

W R I T I N G
And here’s the element that brought the book down. I really didn’t like the writing style; maybe that’s because I had just finished a novel with an amazing writing style and nothing could ever live up to that, or maybe it’s because it just… wasn’t good.

Mainly, the writing led to some of the most inconsistent characterization I’ve ever seen for our main character (who, in all honesty, I still don’t know the name of). Let’s look at just a few things I highlighted to show this:

I was starting to think I had a valediction complex, I was worrying about it so much.

Abby had an abundance of chutzpah, which was part of why I liked her…

“I think my stepgrandmother might actually love this car, and would drive it like she was on the autobahn.”


So you all can see in all three of these quotes, the words “valediction” (please just say closing), “chutzpah” (what), and “autobahn” (WHAT) are all used. They are all said by a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL who also said “interwebz” at another point.

Why, you ask, does this girl have such an extensive vocabulary? Oh, I guess she’s been studying English frequently and wanted to learn more words.

NOPE. She’s a graphic designer. A normal sixteen-year-old girl. NO ONE I know at that age has EVER used those quotes.

Then, later in the book, as if she hasn’t just used words that I had to look up…

Unique opportunity? Elite? I didn’t know anyone else my age who would say those things.


You all can see why I’m frustrated, right? I’m not alone here? This girl thinks that “autobahn” is commonly said, while “elite” and “unique opportunity” aren’t. Give me a BREAK.

I also wanted to talk about one other quote, said by our favorite SK:

You get bonus points for the brown. Clearly, you pay attention to details- I like that in a girl.


First off, that’s the worst line I’ve heard in a long time. Second, you literally just hired this girl to design a portfolio for you. Of COURSE she pays attention to details. Aaaaagh.

Okay, I was lying. I wanna talk about how actions are displayed in this book as well. Here’s a quote of action displayed horribly:

“I think there are better ways of teaching that concept, Dad.” Even though he couldn’t see me, I went ahead and made bunny ears when I said “teaching.”


Yes, I know that the narrator made air quotes. Yes, I know that air quotes vaguely look like bunny ears. Despite this, whenever I first read that, my mind immediately had the narrator giving herself actual bunny ears instead of air quotes. Y’all see what I’m getting at? I can’t STAND that.


In conclusion, IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE- I have no idea what that title means, by the way- is a wonderfully simple book that could have been written much better. I recommend this novel to anyone looking for a possibly quick & cutesy read.

This is a sweet little gem of a novel that's a unique twist on Cinderella. While I didn't absolutely LOVE it, I think that this is a very solid debut novel. At times, the story felt predictable (maybe this is unavoidable in retellings sometimes...??) but I did enjoy reading it. I truly applaud June for covering some tough topics while keeping the story light at the same time. I think this will be especially successful with young readers who love contemporaries. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Blink/HaperCollins for the review copy!

I unfortunately was not able to read this book before the archive date. Someday I hope to read and review it for my blog. I will give a 5 star review on here so that I don't mess with it's rating.

Such an incredible debut! The story was authentic and the characters were all relatable. Everything about this book screamed, THIS IS REAL LIFE! It was a cute book all around with well-developed characters that reminded me of some of my friends growing up.

Another take on Cinderella. Not a bad story, I am sure young adults are going to enjoy it. It's a fairly straight forward tale, quick and easy for summer. Find a shady spot and enjoy!

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!

Tatum is your classic Cinderella—young, oppressed by her step-family, punished wrongly for something she didn't do—but she has a few things Cinderella didn't have in the original fairy tale. Her present-day world is filled with electronic connections to friends, her dad is still alive, and she has a support system around her if she only realizes how many people are willing to be there for her. I loved the slow realization that the "stepmonster" wasn't so bad after all. In a way, this is more of an anti-Cinderella story because yes, there's a handsome dude involved, but Tatum's family relationships are all much improved by the end of the novel and she doesn't need to escape from then with said handsome dude. I will say, this story is a bit predictable in that you can see some of the twists coming and everything does end up okay, but I didn't mind that at all. This novel was fun and enjoyable to read, so I liked it anyways and definitely recommend this as a summer vacation read. Tatum's story will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy in the way only a Cinderella story can!

It Started With Goodbye is pretty great debut novel all things considered, I had some problems with it - the fact that I didn't like Tatum all that much for the most part and couldn't really connect to any of the relationships - but it was still really enjoyable and light book to read.

Thank you to netgalley and Blink for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Tatum, who in an unfortunate chain of events she has managed to be arrested for a crime she didn't commit and charged with community service. She's lost her only friend and is stuck in house arrest with the step mother she doesn't like. She does however get on with her Abuela and decides to start a graphic design company. In doing so she starts to exchange emails with someone and begins to fall for them.

I'm going to be honest: I have very little recognition of this novel. I remember liking it at the time but I don't remember much of the plot or what I thought about it. And that's partly because I didn't take any notes but it seems to be a theme in reviews I read to remind myself.

I remember liking this book, enjoying the story but it was nothing new. It was a kind of Cinderella retelling that felt like it didn't bring anything fresh to the table. As I'm writing this I have just finished reading Geekerella by Ashley Poston and this was a Cinderella retelling that was different and was fresh and it's hard not to compare the two.

I think if you haven't read many Cinderella retellings or watched them then hey you might like this more than I did. And don't get me wrong I thought this book was fine, it just wasn't anything to write home about, clearly, as I have forgotten it.

It started with good bye

I really tried to get into this book. I just couldn't it wasn't for me. YA maybe

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This was a cute book.  It was kind of a Cinderella, teen coming-of-age book.  It was nice to get out of my usual genre of books and read something different.  The storyline was predictable and the characters were charming.  It really was cute and it left me smiling when I was finished, what more could you ask for.  I would definitely recommend reading it.

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

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.

Fun, Refreshing and Swoony! 

I loved the characters, the story and seeing how Christina June put her own modern spin on the classic tale of Cinderella. Tatum is a relateable character and watching her navigate her way through family, friendships and first love left me with a big, goofy smile on my face. Fairy-tale retellings can be hit or miss with me, but this one was a hit! I can't wait to see what Christina comes up with next. 

Fans of Kasie West, Jennifer E. Smith, and Stephanie Perkins will enjoy this. Read it.

Cute for a YA book and kinda retelling of Cinderella