Finding Cinderella, a book review
Contrary to current societal trends, I am not a huge Disney fan. Sure, I, like most, enjoyed many of the company's films as a child, as well as my family vacations to both DisneyLand and DisneyWorld. I just haven't seemed to carry this obsession into my adulthood. In fact, I don't remember the last time I re-watched a Disney classic. Although, I would like to redeem myself a little and say that I am looking forward to the second Incredibles movie coming out soon!
Anyway, given this additional background information on my life, it may seem strange that I would ever pick up a novel entitled Finding Cinderella. Would it make more sense if I told you it was a Colleen Hoover novella? Ahh, thought so.
If you thought It Ends With Us was the only CoHo work I would be reading this summer, think again! I saw this short novella on the shelf at the library and picked it up, thinking it would be a perfect palette cleanser of sorts for my reading habits. I thought I'd be able to read it quickly after something denser to clear my head and prepare for another heavier read. As it turns out, it was perfect for this job. Upon finishing Illuminae, I was still in the mood to read, but couldn't commit to something long, which is where Finding Cinderella came in perfectly. I finished this short story in a night, so I am now ready to commit to my next book.
Before I move on completely, I wanted to let you know my thoughts on this Colleen Hoover tale, so without further ado, here is my review.
Finding Cinderella, by Colleen Hoover (pictured above)
My Rating: 4/10
My Favorite Quote: "In reality, people are who they are and they'll never really change."
Synopsis: Last year, Daniel had a lucky schedule mishap where he was never assigned a 5th period class. As a result, he took daily naps in the maintenance closet to pass the time. One day, a girl wanders in. The two connect and agree to pretend to be in love, under the circumstances that it only lasts a day and that they never know the identity of the other.
Fast forward one year and Daniel has given up on finding the mystery girl, the one he cannot stop thinking about, but he has met someone new. Her name is Six, and she's the most beautiful girl Daniel has ever seen, but she has a deep secret. Will it ruin their relationship and send Daniel back on his search for Cinderella?
Review: I never thought I would have to type these words about a CoHo work and it kills me to say, but I was unimpressed with this selection. Ultimately, I was just underwhelmed by the writing. In fact, I actually had to Google quotes from the book to see what words stuck out to other people because not a single sentence stuck out to me when I read through it, and that never happens.
While the plot itself was good, I think I found my reservations with this novella in its length. For a while, I was very content reading. It was flowing just like all of her other books, especially in terms of characters you love from the start. By the end, however, she started dropping bombs left and right into the plot, but they were never fully explained. It was as if the story was headed in one direction, but Colleen thought it was too boring, so she just threw in two big, random plot twists and concluded the story. These two big additions made the whole novella seem too far-fetched and unbelievable, which just ruined the entire plot for me personally. If she was always planning on adding in the two twists, I wish she would have converted the story into a full-fledged novel and explained herself. It would have been much more enjoyable, in my opinion.
Overall, this novella wasn't terrible. It was still better than many other books that I have read, as it did capture my attention from start to finish, but since it was coming from a beloved author of mine, it did not live up to the hype. What could have been a successful work from a lesser author was a flop from Colleen Hoover, since I expect nothing shy of perfection from her.
Final Thoughts: If you need an incredibly quick read (only 130 pages to be exact), I would not count this one out, as long as you are going in with the proper mindset. If you are like me, and expect it to be the best novella of your life, you will be let down. However, if you understand that it will just be an okay selection, I'm sure you will be very satisfied.
While I was not overly happy with Finding Cinderella, I am in no way, shape, or form losing my hope in Colleen Hoover. I will still be reading every single one of her published books, and I encourage you to do the same. Even her worst book made me want to fall in love, and that is truly a testament to her writing ability. Please go pick up a CoHo novel ASAP, just don't start with this one.
wow, i think this was the harshest review i have ever given. its a slight bummer, since it was the first thing i read after illuminae, which i was obsessed with. maybe i was just so obsessed with that book that i couldn't enjoy this one??
probably not, but hey, it's a good thought! if you haven't seen my illuminae review, go check it out here now. you don't want to miss out!
hope you have a wonderful week ahead of you - happy reading
xoxo madison