What an interesting take on the story of Cinderella. This is a much darker version, and the equivalent characters are not black and white like the Disney or Brothers Grimm versions. And Prince Charming is most definitely not…

The book had some slow moments in the first quarter of the book which led to me rating this 4 stars, but the second half of the book was utterly brilliant.

I am always one to dive in to fairytale retellings, and gave this the same energy even though Cinderella isn’t a huge interest of mine. I enjoyed what I read, I felt very interested for most of the story, but the first quarter of the book was something I struggled with.

Lady Tremaine is not a retelling, but a full reimagining of the Cinderella story you’ve grown up with. While there are subtle nods to cultural references of both the Grimm Tale, and the Disney Princess, this book gives us a glimpse of the heartache and hardship of being a stepmother. Here, Hochauser has raised complicated questions about feminity, motherhood, and the very notion of good versus evil. It is not the happily ever after that we are used to, but a complex look at what it means to be a woman through the eyes of Lady Tremaine. This book is fast paced, unputdownable, and the story that women need right now. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for my gifted ARC.

I loved this! String female characters are wonderfully fleshed out and the individuals were fun to get to know. A mother’s love is first and foremost throughout the story and the lengths a mother will go to make sure her children are safe and happy. I loved the Cinderella- esque plot and was satisfied completely with the way the story ended! I am going to buy this for my library when it comes out! Thank you NetGalley for the advance digital copy! All opinions are my own.

Whatever your expectations are for where this tale will take you....they will be subverted in the best possible ways.

I went into this book expecting the usual “evil stepmother” trope, and instead I got this gut-punch of a story about Etheldreda - a twice-widowed mother just trying to keep her daughters afloat in a world that basically wants to see them sink. From the first page, I was hooked.

Ethel is messy in the best way. She’s quick-tempered and resentful sometimes, but she’s also so fiercely protective and so heartbreakingly human that you can’t help but root for her. The details - her crumbling old manor, the falcon always perched at her side, the suffocating rules of high society - it all felt so real I could almost smell the dust in the halls. And when the royal ball finally comes along and the prince falls in love? It's no fairy tale.

The best part is how the book completely flips the story we’ve all grown up with. Instead of a villain, we see a woman doing everything - sometimes ugly, sometimes desperate, always with love at the core - to give her girls a chance. The ending was a bit of a sucker punch, as there was an issue with an animal, so if that is triggering for you, be aware of it.

If you like fairytales that mess with your head and make you feel everything, you need to read this one.

Retelling of Cinderella and how the evil stepmother has to make many sacrifices for her daughters. It was a great story. It makes you happy & sad at different times.

I want to start this review by clarifying that I am not really a Disney person. I know that some people love Disney and are going to be hooked by the retelling of a classic story that's centered on an iconic Disney villain. I want to say that even if Disney isn't your thing, this retelling was fantastically done. It is not a sugarcoated, magical world, but one that gradually gets darker and more twisted as you progress through this book.

The evil stepmother in this book is introduced as a child and we watch her fall in love with her first husband-- the love who fathers her two stepdaughter children. We see how life plays with the family, forcing them to make decisions that were never part of the Happily Ever After that our heroine expected. She's not always a pleasant or entirely sympathetic character-- she hurts others and is so focused on upward social gain that she often overlooks her own family's frustration and unhappiness-- but she works hard to keep her daughters' future possibilities open.

Elin, the Cinderella character, has some issues. And Prince Charming is one of them.

I thought this was a very well executed book. I felt a great deal of tension as I was reading, torn between my hope that this hard-working woman could achieve a better future for her daughters and my knowledge that the evil stepmother's story seldom ends happily. I could nitpick things here or there that I wish had been handled a tiny bit differently, but nothing would have mattered in the grand scheme of these. Excellent book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

A quick read that will keep you turning pages.. A few scenes and undertones of a Cinderella book without the wicked stepmother. It is a mother /stepmother who is compelled to keep up appearances to keep food on the table and eventually get the girls married , especially the stepdaughter so that she can help the entire family. Whimsical. I was invited to read an ARC but under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book.

I’ve always loved fairy tales and this book is a wonderful, unexpected retelling of Cinderella through the eyes of the “wicked”(?) stepmother. A brilliant concept. And even more brilliant is the story we get here. Beautifully written prose that reads like a dark fairytale with twists at every turn yet with revelations about motherhood and what lengths we’d go to for those we love.

Thank you NetGalley for this early copy of Lady Tremaine.
I really enjoyed this retelling of the Cinderella story from the viewpoint of the Stepmother. Rachel Hochhauser does a great job of blending enough of the original story to make it a Cinderella story, but cleverly changing the storyline to tell a deeper tale.
The writing flowed and the ending was well done. I will definitely try other books this author has written. The concept of taking a standard fairytale and making the villain much more compelling is a lot of fun..

First my thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this novel 🫶

A reimagining of Cinderella from the POV of the stepmother? Uh sign me up!

I honestly enjoyed this story more than I thought I would. The feelings that I had towards some of characters at the beginning were almost completed flipped 180 by the end— and I loved it! And that ending! I honestly never saw it coming and I’m obsessed. I stayed up so late to finish the last few chapters!

After losing 2 husbands, Lady Tremaine’s (Etheldreda) goal is to keep her family afloat and try to find good marriages for her daughters. Just when she thinks a royal ball could be the answer to all their problems, her past comes back to haunt her. Etheldreda so badly wants one of her daughters to marry the prince. That would be the best marriage they could find. That would pull them back from the edge of poverty…. Right?

This story is about just how far a mother, or mothers, will go to protect their children. What would you do for you children? How far would you be willing to go? Where would you draw the line?

A retelling of Cinderella with a unique perspective and several unexpected twists. The narrative included extensive details at times, which I found somewhat lengthy, but I appreciated the perspective of the stepmother and the unconventional ending. Overall, an enjoyable read.

Oh, was this good! 😍 It was amazing in expected and unexpected ways. Some retellings fall flat, but this certainly did not. Ethel was an incredible woman with such inspiring strength. She was brave, intelligent, hard working, and relentlessly in the pursuit of a better life for her daughters.

Rachel Hochhauser's Lady Tremaine is a masterpiece of reimagination. This spellbinding novel takes a character we thought we knew, revealing the complex, heartbreaking, and fiercely protective woman beneath the surface. From the very first page, this book captivates with its rich, evocative prose, pulling you into a world of historical fiction that feels familiar and entirely new.
This novel's ability to re-examine the core of a timeless story makes it exceptional. By shifting the perspective to the titular character, Hochhauser allows us to see Lady Tremaine not as the one-dimensional villain of our childhoods, but as a person forged by hardship and driven by a desperate need to protect her family in a merciless, aristocratic world. We see her motivations, struggles, and the quiet dignity she maintains in the face of immense pressure. The author handles this transformation with grace and nuance so that by the end, you find yourself not just empathizing with her but cheering for her.
Lady Tremaine is more than just a clever retelling; it is a profound exploration of womanhood, class, and the hidden sacrifices made for love. It's a powerful reminder that every story has multiple sides, and that the villains we see in fairytales are often the heroes of their narrative.
This book will change the way you see fairytales forever. A truly unforgettable read that is both gripping and emotionally resonant.

A book that asks was the stepmother actually evil or was she just trying to be a good mother with the hand she was dealt

Hochhauser’s writing is so engaging and beautiful. As I read, I found myself highlighting paragraph after paragraph. She manages to put into words experiences of motherhood that I’ve often struggled to explain but feel very deeply. One striking example is the four sentences she uses to perfectly capture those first few days after giving birth to your first child. Ethel’s deep love for her daughters is evident and refreshing to see, and I resonated deeply with her because of this.

A few minor criticisms that drop this down to a 4.5 book for me:
• I found Elin’s character incredibly aggravating and frustratingly childlike for about 95% of the book. It was hard for me to understand how others managed to show her so much patience.
• The writing was undeniably beautiful, and the dialogue was packed with quotable lines. At times, though, it didn’t feel quite like how real people actually speak, which made it come across a little unnatural.
• I personally didn’t love the result of a minor romance side plot. I understand why it ended up that way, but it felt like a lot of tension was built up for a lackluster result.

Overall, I had such a positive experience reading this book. I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical book when it comes out. It’s rare to find a story that speaks so deeply to the heart of motherhood while still telling a fresh and engaging story. This book does justice both to the realities of motherhood and to the fairy tale it reimagines. Highly recommend!

This was a wonderful spin on the classic fairytale story! I love stories that give classic villains a voice and backstory!not only was it a retelling of Cinderella but a complete re imagining! It was a story of such depth and understanding of grief and what it is to be misunderstood. Thank you for this experience!

The story of Cinderella is one that’s been told hundreds of times over, but I would argue, not like this. I was so intrigued to see how Rachel Hochhauser would not villainize the Stepmother (it’s actually so hard not to automatically call her the Evil Stepmother). A stunning story with a huge twist/shock in the last 1/3 of the book.

I cannot say I’ve read a villain retelling this good, probably ever. The small details that were adjusted but still fit the core of the story, the way you love the sisters and the despair of being left with an estate falling into disrepair. A great book, and I can’t wait for you to read it!

I never thought I would sympathize with the”evil” stepmother from Cinderella, and yet here we are.

An insanely good book with a strong FMC that did not let anything hold her down. It was so much more than another POV of Cinderella. At its core, it’s a story about womanhood. Woman are resilient, and no one is more resilient than a mother protecting her children. Lady Tremaine simply wants the best for her girls, and would do anything for them. It’s not her fault the ugly truths came out, if anything it only proves how much love she has for her girls and what she would do for them. She is not evil, she is a woman full of grief in a hard situation. I will never look at Cinderella the same.

Rachel Hochhauser is now on my radar, and she will not be going anywhere. I will immediately be buying and reading anything she puts out.