I’m going to start off by saying that I came into this book thinking there was going to be a whole lot of angsty YA romance. If you read the description of It Started With Goodbye then you know I was wrong. After reading the description of the book a second time I realized it actually doesn’t mention a huge romance happening, so y’all please pardon me for not knowing how to read a freaking book synopsis and getting my expectations too high. I don’t know why I thought this book was going to be all romance.

Even though It Started With Goodbye is not what I was expecting, I actually did enjoy reading it. It took me days to get past the first half of the book because nothing really exciting happens but once I got past that first half, I finished reading it on a whim. It’s not a story that will keep you at the edge of your seat—not for me, at least—but it sure is a cute YA read.

Now, let’s talk about the romance. I love Tatum’s email flirting with SK, the “cute cello-playing client”. He’s so very charming, love his character. They make the cutest couple, unfortunately their relationship barely begins by the ending of the book. I wish there was more of their relationship in the book because they have potential to become one of my favorite book couples.

Christina June did an amazing job writing It Started With Goodbye. Her writing style is perfection and her characters jump out of the pages like real people.
I’m sure YA lovers out there are going to enjoy this book and fall in love with Christina’s writing style.

It Started with Goodbye is a story of developing who you are a person, growing into a positive future and understanding those around you.

It’s a quick read, despite being over 300 pages long, and Christina June’s writing makes it seem even faster. She gets the point, doesn’t use poetic language to tell her story but what she does display is a real honest view of being a teenager, of struggles between child and parents, of trust and love and finding a passion that will guide you through the rest of your life.

16 year old Tatun Elsea has been falsely accused of a crime. She has been grounded by her father. She has to fill her days doing her community service and working on her covert graphic design business at night, where she trades emails with a cute cello-playing client.

Then Tatum discovers she is not the only one in the house keeping secrets. She now has the chance to make amends with her family and friends.

A story of a teenagers relationship between her family and friends. The characters are well developed. The book is nicely written. A modern take on Cinderella. I found this book refreshing, charming and enjoyed it from beginning to end.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Blink and the author Christina June for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited about this book! It was on my wishlist for the longest time, and when I was given an advance copy I couldn't wait to dive in and read my way to the end. While I enjoyed "It Started With Goodbye", it wasn't what I was anticipating.

Sometimes I think we can set ourselves up and miss out on a really great read. Had I known this was a twist on the classic Cinderella tale, I probably would have passed. But I didn't, so here is what I thought...

Christina June has a definite ability to tell a story. Her characters are well formed, and she keeps a steady pace with no drag in the story. And I enjoyed every word of this book...I just didn't love the story. My hope is, for her next novel, Christina June writes a completely original tale so we can truly see her talent shine.

I wonder if the step-mother would have felt less like a caricature and more like a woman struggling with her own issues of acceptance and control. I wonder if the dad would have had more to do with the story, rather than just a throwaway character.

I'll be watching for Christina June's next novel, because I'm curious. And she can tell a story very well. I just want to see her tell her own story. That's why I'm giving "It Started With Goodbye" my "One To Watch" award. Until then...

I love the characters (especially Blanche, I soooooo need a Blanch in my life). I loved the relationships and how they evolved over time. Especially Tatum and Tilly. I loved the emails between Tatum and SK....I loved it all!!!
I think anyone that enjoys a family drama, young adult, or even just cool people books would love this one.
LOVE!!! I don't wanna say anymore because you should just read it!

Happy Reading! (I think I like that valediction the best)

This was the first book I’ve read by Christina June and I quickly realized that she has her finger on the pulse of what a YA book should be. Teen angst in every emotional shade filled the pages. I loved how the story followed a Cinderella theme without being cliché. The character’s relationships were believable and heart-tugging. PS. The book cover and title are perfection!

I picked up It Started With Goodbye by Christina June to have a light read that was enjoyable, yet not too deep. I got enjoyable, but deep it was. While the book sounds like it's going to be a teenage drama filled with a love story, friend drama, etc, the story is so much more than that.

It Started With Goodbye follows Tatum as she endures a summer of lost friendship, community service, and life lessons. There are so many lessons anyone, teenagers and older individuals, can learn from. Tatum is this quirky teenager enduring what she feels is the worst possible case scenario for her summer. Constant work, straight home after, and no freedom. For a teenager, that is worst case scenario, but what Tatum finds out is that it's not all about beach days and hanging with your friends. There are things in life you learn as you make mistakes and experience different situations.

Tatum goes through so much growth in the few months you get to read about her in this book that you can almost picture your own growth period as a teenager. I learned so much my high school years and it's interesting watching Tatum do the same. Author Christina June did an incredible job of drawing out the emotions of Tatum, her cute cello-playing friend, her new community service best friend, and all the other little characters, including fairy godmother, abuela. These characters are lovable. I love them from the moment I met each one. They are all perfect in their imperfect ways and I felt this was the message June was trying to get across. It doesn't matter the mistakes we make as long as we learn from them, grow from them, and keep our eyes open to the world around us and the hidden things people are going through that you may not understand. All fantastic messages for everyone to absorb.

With that being said, It Started With Goodbye is the perfect summer read. Pick it up and enjoy the craziness that is Tatum's life as she goes through one heck of a summer.

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.

I’ve never read anything by Christina June before, I don’t think, but I wasn’t incredibly impressed by It Started With Goodbye. It started off on a really interesting foot, I thought, but it faltered early, and I never really felt as enthralled by it as some other reviewers have. A few people called it a modern Cinderella story… I don’t feel that, at all. Yes, the main character, Tatum, has an “evil stepmother” and a “fairy godmother” but there’s nothing magical about this tale, no matter how many times Tatum implies it.

It Started With Goodbye wasn’t terrible, but it also wasn’t memorable. Tatum was fine, but I didn’t find anything about her that stood out from other main characters — although I’ll go ahead and admit that after reading 180 Seconds on the same trip, maybe my standards are even higher than usual — and could care less about how “misunderstood” she felt. Her deep, terrible problems were fairly superficial, and even now, thinking back over it, I’m just rolling my eyes.

Warning: There will be spoilers below. There’s really not much to spoil, and if you pay attention and aren’t as dense as Tatum, you will have already figured out the only real “plot reveal” that there is. But still. Spoiler alert.

The writing

June’s writing is fine. Nothing problematic, nothing outstanding. I definitely didn’t get the modern-day Cinderella vibe or the idea that anything about Tatum’s life was “magical,” and I really disliked the emails back and forth between Tatum and various characters — Abby, SK-Shay-Seamus, other clients. It might have been the formatting on the galley, too, but it was really hard for me to keep up with who was writing who, especially when Tatum and SK started to exchange many emails at once. Their voices read exactly the same. Not a fan.

The characters

Meh. Like I said above, Tatum is fairly superficial as far as “misunderstood” characters go, and I hardly had sympathy for her as the Cinderella of this story. I like that she was a hopeful graphic designer — a rarely seen aspiration in the young adult genre! — since that was my major in college, but if I hadn’t had my own experiences with Photoshop and trying to design posters, I probably wouldn’t have cheered for her much there. Tatum lost me pretty early on in the book — she was so broken when she realized she’d lost her keychain that she sought comfort from in moments of anxiety and stress, but about 5 pages later, it was all but forgotten for the rest of the book. I also have an impossible time believing that she couldn’t figure out that Seamus was Shay was SK was hot guy. Maybe not right away, but for goodness’ sake.

SK-Shay-Seamus was a pretty great love interest, but… if he was only going to show up in the last 25 pages or so of It Started With Goodbye, I would’ve been fine if he hadn’t shown up at all. The performance of “Tatum’s song” was pretty swoonworthy, but I wasn’t too invested in their relationship at that point. And hell, Tatum wasn’t invested enough to even figure out who the guy was.

Everyone else was fine. Abby was fine, Tilly was fine, Tatum’s parents were fine, Blanche was fine. Meh.

The plot

This is what lost me the most. Good lord.

Tatum gets a misdemeanor charge and 100 hours of community service when her best friend and her best friend’s delinquent boyfriend got in her car after he stole more than $3,000 in stuff from a store. I literally cannot comprehend how anyone would charge Tatum with anything (especially noting that Ashlyn, her best friend, had ALL of her charges dropped) considering she was just in a damn car when this shoplifter she didn’t even know that well climbed in… and even more than that, I cannot comprehend how her parents thought she was irresponsible and had made a dangerous decision by not telling them that her best friend’s boyfriend was sketchy? For god’s sake. I’m not a parent, so I can’t say this for sure, but I find that pretty ridiculous.

Ashlyn is punishing Tatum and won’t speak to her — OK, Ashlyn, pretty sure no one told you to date a sketchy guy who you met at a convenience store and dropped out of school, especially not Tatum — and Tatum’s stepmother sets some pretty strict guidelines on where Tatum can go and when. It’s intense, but that part I get — it makes perfect sense for Belen’s character. But Tatum is trying to 1) make money from her new graphic design business, 2) make new friends, 3) rebuild her relationship with Ashlyn, 4) finish her community service, and she’s constantly acting like those restrictions from her stepmother are absolutely unrealistic and out of the ordinary and cruel. Considering how Belen is described the entire time, I wasn’t surprised at all — sounds about right to me. And Tatum, who lives with the woman, should know that better than me. It doesn’t even sound like Tatum has anything better to do than be on house arrest, anyway.

And there is the very small thing of… NOTHING HAPPENED. There was no climax to this plot. I don’t think so, anyway. Nothing happened. Tatum finally ‘fessed up to her parents about her graphic design business and everything else (which really amounted to a whole lot of nothing) and Tilly told them she was passionate about contemporary dance and the book ended. Boom.

Snore.

So, there’s that.

Also, I spent the entire book wondering – what does this title have to do with the actual book? What started with goodbye? Did I totally miss something?

3.5 stars

It Started with Goodbye was a story about a teenager who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and had no one who’d listen to her. I have to say, I found that last part incredibly frustrating. Tatum was a good girl, but her parents wouldn’t give her the benefit of the doubt or listen to her when she tried to tell them she was looking out for her friend. She could have handled the situation with her friends less than stellar boyfriend better, but it wasn’t like there was a teenage handbook for that kind of situation. Her parents were heavy handed with the punishment, and it was terrible that after she was essentially ‘sentenced,’ her father left for eight weeks on a business trip. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but he left Tatum with her step-mother, who she had an already tenuous relationship with. And on top of that, I think it was unfair to his wife to put the burden of enforcing punishment on her. Having said that, those things didn’t make me dislike the story, because I think they were realistic.

One thing I really appreciated about this story was that even though we only got Tatum’s point of view, I didn’t feel like her step-mother, Belén, was always the bad guy. The author did a good job of capturing the sometimes over-dramatic reactions of a teenager, and while I didn’t always agree with Belén’s decisions, I could see why she went the way she did. I really enjoyed the progression of the relationships in this story, particularly with Tatum and her step-sister, Tilly. And I liked that even though Tatum was sentenced to community service, she wasn’t bitter about it. She knew that what she was doing was helpful and took pride in that fact. There was also a cute romantic aspect to this story that didn’t overshadow the bigger picture of Tatum coming to terms with the way she treated people. I liked the mystery and the reveal surrounding it, and the meet-cute was adorable. I do like it when a story explores the talents of a character (though Tilly’s may have been exploited a bit,) because I think we all have something we’re talented at. That Tatum was able to use hers not only to make a little bit of money but as the one thing she had to hold onto while she was being punished was a good message. There’s always a healthy outlet available if we’ll just take the time to explore it. And the valedictions - I loved Tatum’s preoccupation with valedictions!

I do think that everything in this book was resolved in a smack you in the face kind of way and could have used some subtlety, especially abuela, who was brought in as a fairy godmother of sorts. I prefer my YA to have a few loose ends, because I think that’s how life is. It was just too neat of a package for me. Having said that, I found myself finishing It Started with Goodbye with a big, cheesy grin on my face, and very much enjoyed Tatum’s story.

Lots of love,
Angie Elle ;)

It Started with Goodbye is a modern contemporary YA spin on Cinderella, though a bit darker, and much lighter on the romance (sorry Prince Charming). There is humor and heart and friends and lots and lots of feelings. So if anything sounds like it is up your alley... read on!

Our story centers around 16-year-old Tatum, who gets falsely accused of shoplifting and has to spend her summer in house-arrest and doing community service. First off, Tatum is a very likable character. There are many true to life moments as she has her interior monologues and arguments with herself about what valediction to use as she closes letters. If you overthink small decisions, you will find her relatable. Of course Tatum is also into doing freelance graphic design, so that is even more relatable to me.

It is also important to note that this, as many re-tellings are, is inspired by Cinderella but it is not a reimagining that follows every detail. Yes, there is a step-mother and a step-sister, but the father (who turned out to be the most annoying of the characters for me) is still in the picture. Like so many well-loved contemporaries, Tatum has to find confidence in herself, which isn't something I had really considered in a Cinderella before... again, very relatable.

While this book will be good for fans of Cinderella re-tellings, it is also a good for when you need a contemporary YA fix. Very enjoyable debut novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blink/Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my opinion of the book.

This modern day contemporary Cinderella tale is a delightful fun read!! Super charming and sweet! Well written with an inspiring story about family, friendships and self-discovery. If you love YA definitely give this one a try.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.
This was probably my favorite YA contemporary of the year. It was great! The storyline wasn't the best, but I really enjoyed the characters. They felt real and were so simple. I really enjoyed it!

Teens who have made a bad decision and had to face consequences, will relate to Tatum. It covers a variety of relationships from friends to parents to boyfriends.

This feel-good Cinderella story is a light, quick read with a good message. I have to admit I almost gave up half-way through. Even though it's well-written and the characters are well-rounded, it is predictable. Which isn't always a bad thing. If you're in the mood for a dependable story, and one you won't have to think about too much, then this might do the trick. However, when you have a stack of books just like it filling up your to-read list, you might find yourself ready to move on.

It’s been ages since I’ve read a good young adult contemporary novel. I’ve had It Started With Goodbye on my wishlist for ages so I was super, super excited when my wish was granted on Netgalley. So excited that I had to start reading it right away! It took me a bit to get into It Started With Goodbye, but it turned out to be an incredible read. What I struggled with at first was how harsh Tatum’s dad (whose name is never mentioned?) and step-mother Belén react to her being arrested, which may sound bad, but Tatum didn’t actually do anything wrong. And I kind of don’t understand how it got to the point of her paying a $500 fine and to do community service, because SHE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING! She wasn’t an accomplice or anything, she was literally the innocent driver but what do I know about American law? The whole punishment thing, though, just seemed like an exaggeration so much like Tatum, I was aggrieved for the first portion of the novel, because it was like being punished for nothing. (Actually the whole plot would have made more sense to me if I knew it was a modern day Cinderella – I didn’t see that in the description til just now, but if I’d known, I’d have had more perspective.)

However, I liked how it brought Tatum and her family closer together. So there very much was a moral at the end of this story, and Blanche was very much the kickstarter to that, seeming to know just when Tatum needed a push in the right direction, to do the right thing. I actually really liked Tatum, considering she could have just gone off the deep end, and refused to do anything Belén said, she wasn’t actually a bad kid. Yes, she rebelled a bit (deserved, actually) but she was hardly a career bloody criminal, y’know, so it was all entirely justified.

My favourite part of the book, though? Tatum’s secret graphic design business and the absolutely swoon-worthy subplot with the mysterious SK. Did I know who SK was right at the start? Yes. Did I care one jot that Tatum was oblivious? HECK NO. Because it was delightful. Pulling off flirty via email is hard, but Christina June nailed it. I felt everything Tatum and SK were saying to each other, and their spark was visible just via email. It made my heart sing and want to burst with happiness all at the same time. I’ve been desperate for a good romance and this one was A+++++++++++++++++. Yes, that is a lot of pluses but that’s just how I felt OK? *Heart explodes*

I genuinely loved It Started With Goodbye. It was such a nuanced read, but it also read really light, as if you were just floating through the pages. I have no idea if that even makes sense, but the book never got me down, despite everything, despite Tatum basically being on house arrest for much of the novel. Christina June is a fantastic new talent to the world of YA and I’m incredibly excited that it appears that her second book will feature Tilly as the main character – HUZZAH! PLUS that could mean more Tatum, and I’m *SO* on board for that.

DNF

Mini review:

I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this. But when I started it I couldn't stand the MC's parents. It was so stupid how they were being hard on her for no reason and yet Ashlynn didn't get held accountable. I felt that it was just used as a plot device.

Do not recommend.

When I first started this book, I wasn't sure about it. I didn't like the first encounter we had with Tatum, but then as the story progressed I started to enjoy her and wanted to know more about her.

The story clearly has some Cinderella influences. It was interesting seeing the dynamic between all of the characters. Especially, Tatum and Blanche. I think Blanche was my favorite.

I loved the way that SK and Tate interacted with each other through their email corespondences.

I have to say this book was an easy five stars and I wouldn't mind reading more from Christina June.

Sweet, swoony and cute. I really liked Tatum and Tilly and Tilly's abuela (can she be mine too?). I haven't read a lot of fairy tale retellings, but I loved how It Started with Goodbye was done. Just enough Cinderella in it to see where it's going, but not so much that I don't feel like I'm reading anything different. I enjoyed watching Tatum and Tilly become friends and work things out and also how Tatum begun to see how her actions have consequences.

I wish there was more of the things with Ashlyn. I wanted to know more about their friendship and how they were going to fix things. I also wish that the ending hadn't wrapped up so quickly, but I did love how it ended. Mystery guy for the win. :)