This was a fun story that gave new life to one of Disney’s favorite villains. It’s gives us insight into what could have possibly made Cruella into such a terrible cruel adult and why. Of course, this is a twisted tale and not necessarily what led one to the next but it was an amazing what if story!!

This book was just too damn cute! I originally requested this one because I love Maureen Johnson. The fact that it was a Disney tie-in was, quite frankly, not even considered. In fact, you could take away anything Disney related and this story would still stand on its own. I haven't seen the Cruella movie, and you definitely don't need to in order to enjoy this book, but reading this has made me want to check out the movie as well. If I get around to it, I'll post a review of the movie here too.

On to the book. I love Estella so much! She is sharp, plucky and a survivor, letting nothing stand in the way of her dreams. Her fashion designs are cutting edge and so creative - she has to be creative when she has so little to work with - but it's that and her sheer nerve that get her both in with high society and eventually lead to her temporary downfall. She is doing technically bad things, like stealing and lying to get ahead, but you still can't help but root for her.

I also loved Jasper and Horace. Found family is one of my favorite tropes in literature and those two are just so cute. I also did really like Magda, even if she's a self-centered airhead. A bit two-dimensional though - I was really hoping she would end up being more than what she did.

Overall, this book was just charming and very fun to read. Not super deep and definitely won't change the world, but you will have a good time running through the streets of London with Estella and her schemes.

I loved this story of teenage Cruella! Villain origin stories are some of my favorites and this one was right up there with the best of them.

I apprecitate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this a really interesting read and the characters are quite engaging. it kept me reading until the end. I highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I'm a big fan if disney villians stories. However this one of just not it for me

This stories follows Estelle (Cruellas real name) as a teenager on the streets of London in 1967, her path to become a young fashion designer and how her Cruella alter ego came to be.

While I'm a big fan if Maureen Johnson, this is probably one of my least favorite from her.

I love a good Cruella Deville story and Hello, Cruel Heart is a fantastic precursor to the movie Cruella. However, while I enjoyed the descriptions of British Mod culture, I think it might be a little slow for teen readers. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read.

A fun look at the origin story of a classic story. A great tie in to the 2021 movie, but enjoyable on its own as well.

I enjoyed this book and any other Disney fans, especially Cruella fans will enjoy it. This is an origin story and gives you a glimpse into the teenage life of Cruella, Estella De Vil. It will make you have a new love for her, a new found appreciation for her character and what she has been through. It is also a story of friendship; always be true to the ones who have been there for you from the very beginning!

This reminds me more of the Cruella movie that came out and I love it. I love knowing more about Cruella and how she became the villain. It's really sad though but a wonderful read.

This book was a really fun look at cruella outside of the scope of the movies. The ending was perfect, and all of the characters were very well written with a lot of depth.

When it to a villain narrative, Maureen Johnson does it best. She knocks it our if the park with this one giving depth and backstory to a villain most of us have known our whole lives, making Cruella more than just the movie bad guy. She is the hero of her own story.

This was a really fun tie-in, like getting a peek at your favorite author's fan fiction for a Disney movie. Johnson manages to create an unapologetically villainy rompy heist with a varied ensemble.

This novel tells the story of a young Cruellawho dreams of becoming a fashion designer. This story is a heartfelt novel because Cruella is not the villain yet. I also like how it was set in the 1960s. Thus, this was a light and fun story!

It's time for a wonderful novel by #Maureen Johnson. # Hello, Cruel Heart is a #Disney story for ages 12 and up. A new story of teenage Cruella de Vil. Taking place in the summer of 1967.
Estella dreams of becoming a fashion designer. She's talented and has ambition. But life for this teenager is not easy.......
Thank you for the advance copy,
#Netgalley, # Maureen Johnson, and # Disney Publishing Worldwide 💜🐾🐾

I was so excited for the Cruella movie, that I just had to read this book! It was a good read, but for some reason my version was missing a bunch of ‘f’s’????

<i>"Estella shook off the sudden feeling on ennui that had overtaken her. She was not going to let herself get bogged down starting at other people and thinking about what they might, or who they might have, or the choices she'd made in life that had set her apart from them.
London was swinging that summer, and Estella was going to swing right along with it."</i>

TL;DR: A super-fun, well-written romp through 1960's London as Johnson explores what happens to Cruella after she meets up with Jasper & Horace. Stellar world-building. A good companion to the film, but you don't need to have seen the film to enjoy the book (e.g., the Baroness isn't even mentioned).
<b><i>I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></i>

Vibes: <i>American Grafitti</i> + <i>A Hard Day's Night</i> but make it Mod Squad Fashion.

Genre: Retelling, "Historical fiction" (Maybe...if you're feeling creative.)
Probably True YA, but definitely could appeal to New Adult

Character MVP: Estella. Maureen Johnson's protagonists just jump off the page.

Verdict: 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5 because...
(1)...Maureen Johnson is an auto-buy author for me, and I love her writing style and
(2)...the last Disney retelling I read was awful, and this was bloody fantastic in comparison.

One of the things I loved the most was that this was neither an origin story -- like whatever Serena Valentino tried to do in <i>Evil Thing</i> nor a novelization of the <i>Cruella</i> film. Instead, Johnson got to play around in peak-Beatles-era London in the narrative space between when Estella links up with Jasper and Horace and when she gets her job at the department store. You get a little more backstory and insight into Estella/Cruella's life.

✔️-- Right off the bat, Johnson won my heart because she has Estella eating a spam-and-mustard sandwich, "full of pepper." Which is just a nice little nod to Dodie Smith's Cruella DeVil, who ate pepper on everything. Its a little detail, that doesn't affect the story at all, but shows that, you know, Johnson did her research and did right by Cruella.
(Yes, I am still salty about those Disney Villains books -- which are somehow rated higher than this book?!? I don't get it.)

✔️ -- Again, unlike the previous Cruella story I read which seemed to occur in some vague and nebulous Downton Abbey setting, Johnson really brought 1960s London alive. There are casual references to Mick (Jagger) and Marianne (Faithfull) and maybe even Anita dating Keith Richards? Who knows, but it was vivid and fun and you can tell Johnson had fun with it.

✔️ -- I was actually surprised by how related Stevie (from [book:Truly Devious|29589074]) and Estella actually are. In book-world, they're both quirky outsiders who are trying to fit in with a group of cooler, seemingly put-together, rich people who seem to navigate their worlds with ease and comfort (although that might be partly a facade). And both Stevie and Estella get to flit around a large, grandiose house with an attic full of secrets and forgotten objects. And they both fall in love with quirky, outsider boys.

✖️ -- The only thing that kinda bothered me -- enough to knock off half-a-star but not enough to round down -- was Peter's turn. I *know* it was hinted at in the beginning, and I *know* it wasn't really possible for them to end up happily together because he's not in the film, but...it seemed a bit abrupt, narratively, even though I *knew* it had to happen. And I'm kinda bummed we didn't get Peter in the movie. Womp womp.

Still, a super fun romp of a read and so much better than the Disney Villains series. There's no Twisted Tale about Cruella yet, which I'm kinda glad about. Since the film didn't really portray her as a puppy killer, Johnson could freely dispense with that part of the character.

This book was decent, I don't know what I was expecting but I was definitely expecting more. Maybe I was influenced by the movie which I loved. This book isn't the best, but its not terrible and I still recommend it.

I haven’t seen the new Cruella movie yet because I wanted to check out this book first. I think it’s definitely an interesting look into this character we really only know at face value. I don’t think this book provokes a lot of empathy since she’s still not necessarily a nice person, but it does make her more complex as a villain. I think young Disney fans would enjoy reading this, especially if they’re into fashion which was one of the most fun aspects of the book.

Thank you to Disney Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!