ARC Review : It Started With Goodbye by Christina June

Title : It Started With Goodbye
Author : Christina June
Genre : YA contemporary
Release Date : May 9th, 2017
Publisher : Blink

GOODREADS | PURCHASE

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.

*I receive an eARC via Netgalley in exchange of honest review. Thank you Blink for the book!

It Started With Goodbye is definitely not what I was originally expecting. When I request this book, I was expecting the usual Cinderella retelling : absent (or dead) father, meanie stepmother and stepsister, and a happily ever after for the MC and the love interest. While we do get a happy ending, it was very different from what I had it mind, but I can't say that I'm complaining.

Why I like It Started With Goodbye (and why it surprises me) :

+THE FAMILY ASPECT. Given that Cinderella is not a tale focused on family love and such, I really didn't expect that this book would mainly focus on family. The "fairy godmother" is actually the stepmother's mother (aka Tatum's step-grandmother), and instead of being mean, the stepmother is actually just strict, and the stepsister is just quiet (I really can't explain her without giving away spoiler, but if you have read this book, you would have understood). I  have to admit that Christina tackled the family's problem well, that by the end of the book I was pleased how this family turn to be. It's the reason why I add another star for this book, actually.

+The friendship. There's a lot of friendships here, be it a second chance or a new one. You'd know from the synopsis that Tatum and Ash's friendship kinda fallen apart because of the thievery, but again, I think Christina did a good job in resolving the problem. No necessary drama added. I also love the newfound friendship between Tatum and Abby, and Tatum with certain someone which was unexpected, but one that I was hoping will form!

+The romance. Sure, the romance wasn't the main focus here, but this (rare) time, I actually didn't mind. In fact, I kinda forget there's a romance going on in this book 😂 It was obvious from the start who this SK person is (I didn't think it was the author's intention to make us guess?). Nevertheless, it was cute and make the book more enjoyable.

Overall, It Started With Goodbye is a unique and thoughtful retelling of Cinderella. It's also one of those book that handle family aspect very well, and I think we need more YA books like that. Will I recommend this book? Heck yes. Go read it while it's summer, since this book is also set in one.