It Started with Goodbye is a modern day Cinderella re-telling, Tatum lives with her Dad, Stepmom and Step-Sister. She gets into a difficult situation with her best friend and ends up grounded all summer with her step mother monitoring her every move. There is a Fairy godmother figure thrown in as well as a prince charming. However, this book is not romance centered and I really enjoyed that about it. I like how the focus was on Tatum herself and her relationships with her family members. I flew right through this book. It was fast paced and didn't really lag at all. We get to meet some strong characters and see them grow through the story. Overall, it's a simple, summer contemporary and a great quick read!

Well...it took me 8 days to read it. Does that tell you anything? If you look at my history, I read books in 2-4 days. Never longer than a week (unless it's audio). This one had a lot of potential, but it just fell flat for me.

First of all, I just couldn't relate to Tatum. Nothing about her connected with me or even appealed to me. Her situation, her crazy stepmother, the whole business just didn't reach me.

The first half of the book D-R-A-G-G-E-D on. It was just one depressing thing after another. I kept reading for the possibility of romance, but that really didn't come through until closer to the end.

The were some good themes and good side characters, but the end result for me was just a waste of my time.

This is an endearing YA twist on the Cinderella fairy tale.
There's the princess, Tatum Elsea, held under a house arrest.
The "wicked stepmother", Belén.
The stepsister, Tilly, who won't acknowledge her.
The fairy godmother, aka Grandmother, Blanche.
A chance encounter with a "Prince" at art school.
The missing slipper, aka the missing key chain.

And while all of those similarities existed, this book had a very different direction. Ultimately this is a story about growing up, becoming responsible for your actions (right or wrong) and making the most of a bad situation.

Tatum's biggest mistake is trusting her BFF, who in turn makes a mistake that affects both. After being at the wrong place at the wrong place, with the wrong people, Tatum pays a big price, resulting in a fine, community service and the loss of her family's trust. And it is that last factor that shapes her summer.

Like any other teenager, Tatum is a bit self-absorbed and overly emotional. This is where the story may have veered too far from the fairy tale, because I didn't really feel sorry for her.

Unlike other teenagers, Tatum has a good sense of her self-worth and takes initiative to build her future. I applaud her for not wallowing too long and focusing on how to make things better for herself. That showed some true maturity. She finds ways to work around her house arrest, making friends along the way and building her business. I give her props for making the most of her situation and wish she would realize that things weren't as bad as she often made them to be. I also like how she decided to be the bigger person and help out the person in her life who didn't show her much kindness. And that changes things for the future, in a good way.

The romance element was a very small part of this story, and I figured out the connection early on. However, it was sweet and appropriate for the genre. The ending may have been a bit too sugar coated but this is based off a fairy tale, so I guess that is expected. Overall this was an enjoyable read with minimal angst and a good message.

A wonderful book filled with a wonderful message.

Tatum tries. She tries to make her dad and stepmother proud, she tries to be a good fried, and she tries to like her stepsister despite their frosty relationship.

When Tatum gets in trouble for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she’s done trying. Her dad doesn’t trust her anymore, her stepsister seems to dislike her even more, and her best friend won’t talk to her. But her summer of stepmother-imposed house arrest just might be the best thing that’s ever happened to Tatum.

This character is so well written. Readers are taken along on her journey of growth as she meets new friends, opens her mind to step into the shoes of the other person, and learns to forgive.

The Cinderella story arc, though it’s there, is subtle. Beautifully written, I finished this one in a day and am looking forward to what author Christina June has in store next for her readers.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary book via the author, publisher, or blogging programs, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This is a quick read and a fun spin on Cinderella. I struggled with some of the conversation and I did. It care for the stepmom at all.

Tatum does the right thing and finds her world falling to pieces as a result. In lockdown for the summer and stuck with her stepmother and stepsister, Tate is trying to find freedom in anyway she can. Emailing a potential client for her new design business, Tate finds a bit of romance and excitement, while juggling community service and her broken friendship. This story has some similarities to Cinderella but it's an original twist and I really enjoyed reading it. It was a fun read, quick and Tatum was a great protagonist. I loved the abuela character, Blanche, and the dynamic between the sisters. Well done!

I'd be lying if I said when I saw 'Romance' and 'Teen' in the same description of this book's genre, I expected a typical cliché surrounding Romance, but I was pleasantly surprised. This book, although it definitely has Romance in it, doesn't place a complete focus on it until the end. This is definitely opposite to cliché teen Romance novels where you know for certain what is going to happen from the first chapter.

It definitely has a Cinderella feel to it as stated in the description, and really focuses on Tatum's home life and her love of designing websites and logos. She wants to be a graphic designer but constantly is put down by her stepmonster (stepmother). It just focuses mainly on her struggles and her upcoming business and friendship which is a perfect message to young girls. The idea that you should do what makes you happy, and to keep strong relationships with friends is so important to remember.

One thing I'm not 100% sure if I enjoyed about this book is probably more a personal pet peeve, when (typically) American books bring in a British reference, typically of a person saying 'cheers'. Because I live in London, it's a common word to me and it honestly baffles me why people love it and connect it with British people, but as I said, it's probably more of a personal annoyance rather than anything else.

The book itself also had a good mystery trope to it with the person who had hired Tatum for designing a website. Who was this flirtatious boy? Well, we don't find out until near the end of the book, which was really frustrating, but in a good way. It was a fun tease to constantly try and work out who it was.

The ending kind of resolved mostly everything in one chapter. It didn't feel overly rushed, but in some senses, it was as everything was packed into one day in Tatum's world, but it was quite a satisfying end as I felt happy for Tatum that her friends and family relationships all worked out for the best.

Overall I would rate this book a 4/5 and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a little teen Romance but wants to stay away from the cliche stories where it's just two people hating each other, then falling hopelessly in love.

This book is a contemporary retelling of Cinderella. It's a very quick read, and very fast paced.

The characters are very three dimensional and feel like very real people you would want to be friends with. The plot is realistic and the conflicts are easily relatable.

It will make you laugh but it will also make you think about your own life.

*I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Five Hearts

Young adult books have been very hit and miss for me these days, but I certainly enjoyed It Started with Goodbye. I immediately connected with Tatum and felt her pain, especially regarding her stepmother. This was a well-written debut novel. I would definitely read more from Christina June in the future.

Paperback, 304 pages Expected publication: May 9th 2017 by Blink/HarperCollins Genre: YA fiction Blurb: 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. My thoughts: This book was an easy, interesting read even though there wasn't much that was fresh and original. You can pretty much guess half the plot but still the main character, Tatum was real, likeable and relatable. You could understand and empathize with her. The feeling of not being understood is something every teenager knows. By the end of this book,Tatum has grown emotionally and her relationship with her stepmom and step-sister has developed manifold. At the same time, she has started believing in herself and her talents and has made new friends and meets someone who really understands her. Although, I should say that their romance was limited to sending emails to each other and a few real meetings, I did enjoy reading their chats. When I started reading this book, it took time to dive in, but the feeling of anticipation took me on and I was soon hooked. Still, after I reached the end I had to say I felt a bit disappointed. It wasn't all that it promised to be at the starting , for me at least. One more thing is that I would have liked to know the other characters better, as they weren't that much developed. Yet, I enjoyed the story, no doubt and would like to try more from the author as it was a beautiful read. So , to answer the question of to whom I'd recommend this book, I think fans of Jenny Han, and people who like light, easy reads and also those who believe in the one-summer-can-change-your-life theory would like to read it.

The book "It started with goodbye" by Christina June is a contemporary take on Cinderella.
The story is about the sixteen year old Tatum that lives with her father, stepmother and her stepsister. She goes shopping with her best friend Ashley and her new badboy boyfriend Chase who got the great idea of stealing some stuff from the mall.
They all got caught, even Tatum not knowing about what happened because she was just sitting in the car, waiting for her friend.
At the beginning of the story she's facing her stepmother, she calls stepmonster, and her dad, none of them believing that she has nothing to do with it and blaming her for having such a bad influenced friend. It's right before the summer holidays, Tatums father is leaving the country for weeks because of work and the stepmother is putting Tatum under housearrest. With a lot of time at home and a big talent for design and art, Tatum starts her own little Design project. She makes a little advertising in the school of her stepsister and soon gets some emails from clients.
Thats how she gets in contact with prince charming...

I really enjoyed this book!! I loved the style of writing, was a really fast read for me and it was a cute way to retell the Cinderella Story!
We had the Stepmother, Stepsister, Prince Charming and even the good fairy, in this case the grandmother. It was really lovely how everything was set up.

The characters were all great worked out and I felt a connection to Tatum right from the start. She's the kind of girl you'd like to befriend. She's loyal and has a great sense of humour.

What I really liked at first was how the focus wasn't really on the lovestory but on the relationship between Tatum and her family and her friend Ashley. It was nice to see the development and the way they grew together.
In the end that wasn't really a big negative point but I really missed the lovestory. Wouldn't want to miss any part of the story but it would have been really great with more of the lovestory at the end.

All things considered I can recommend this book!

Oh my word, this book. I kept going back and rereading sections, particularly after finishing the book, to see if I could go back and pick up clues that I had missed. Beautifully written, this book will leave you smiling long after you finish it.

DNF - Girl gets in trouble with best friend who gets sent away and won't talk to her, father goes away on business leaving girl with step mother, step sister and step grandmother, girl meets cute guy at step sisters school. That's what happens in the first 30% of the book - I was bored and decided to stop reading.

While this book was incredibly cliche in a lot of ways, it was also very cute and a quick read. Let’s start with what I enjoyed about this book.

Tatum starts her summer off in a world of trouble. She is charged with aiding a thief, the boyfriend of her best friend, and ends up with community service for the summer. Her best friend gets shipped off to boarding school and her father heads out of the country for one of his frequent business trips that lasts a several months. So while her loved ones are off getting fresh starts, she’s stuck at home with her evil stepmother and stepsister. In case you haven’t gathered, this is essentially a very loose version of Cinderella.

I really enjoyed how June write about relationships in this book. Interacting with people doesn’t exactly come easy to Tatum, and she waffles back and forth between telling her stepmother the truth and totally disregarding her wishes. Tatum, as you may have surmised, is a pretty straight edge and low-key individual, not the rebellious teen she seems to be treated as.

I also enjoyed how cute the romance was between Tatum and her boy. They took turns romancing each other and I felt so fulfilled by their sweet flirtations. These are the kind of romance I crave and look for in YA.

Now, that being said, this was an incredibly cliche story. A reselling of Cinderella, of course we have the evil stepmother and stepsister. *SPOILERS BELOW* Of course she repairs both of those relationships, realizes that they weren’t evil after all, but simply misunderstood. And of course the boy she’s been flirting with all summer is the same boy she ran into at the beginning of the story as well. Why was she so surprised? We’re any of June’s readers surprised? I should hope not, unless you are an incredibly naive person. I myself often have a hard time picking up on clues, but this was foreshadowed so hard it felt impossible to miss.

I also didn’t appreciate the fact that Tatum seemed to be pulled by boys opinions and so severely swayed by SK’s gestures, etc. she swooned so hard it almost didn’t feel like that’s how it should go down. Ah well, I prefer my women clearly independent, but who am I to judge?

A simple and pleasurable read, I recommend giving this book a try! Publication date: May 9th!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't realize this was a YA book when I requested it but I have to say I loved it. I read it in 2 days. Very well written and I loved the characters. Whether you are a YA or a grown adult you will enjoy reading this book.

Predictable young adult novel that stands out due to the strength of the writing and consistent tone.. The humor was dry and cute, and I thoroughly enjoyed the diverse cast of supporting characters.

I really enjoyed this book although it is probably better suited to a younger audience (16-25) than me! Despite this, I found it to be a very enjoyable easy read with likeable characters and a decent enough story line if not a little predictable and cinderella-esque !!!

I really admired Tatum's character and think she would be an endearing role model for the youth of today - yes it was predictable but it was well written and a positively lovely read.

Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE BY CHRISTINA JUNE

There is no doubt that this is a modern retelling of the fairytale Cinderella. Except our protagonist Tatum is definitely no shrinking violet. Although at times she thinks of herself in the club of missed opportunities club. This was a feeling good type of read. No matter how dismissive her step-mother and step-sister were of her, Tatum responded with spunk and a much wiser soul and self acceptance than her 16 years. Tatum was in the wrong place at the wrong time with her BFF and her BFF's boyfriend who stole a few Iphones. Tatum receives a misdemeanor a fine and community service for not knowing she was driving the getaway car.

Her step-mother and travelling father further punish her by putting her on house arrest for the summer. So begins Tatum's community service of pulling weeds of Ivy and honeysuckle from one of Virginia's larger parks. Tatum does not for a minute feel sorry for herself for her circumstances and always makes the best of her situations. She is talented and develops website building and graphic design. Her fairy Godmother relationship is borne out of her ice queen of a stepmother's mother who is always fair and positive and seeks Tatum's company while she is supposed to be visiting for the summer to help keep an eye on Tatum. Tatum and her step-grandmother were my two favorite main characters along with a host of background characters who Tatum deals with from her day to day experiences.

This novel is brimming with snappy dialogue which makes for a fast beach read or just pure delightful reading. This is really a Young Adult genre that readers of all ages can enjoy. Self actualization, a young romance, rising above adversity with a positive outlook, creativity in the arts and the Chilean culture and family redemption are all wonderfully explored in this cosy debut novel. It hit the spot with it's hot sunshine as a back drop during an old fashioned, short lived New England blizzard. Cheers! I hope you get as much enjoyment and take a few hours to curl up with a novel that is sure to inspire you.

Thank You to Net Galley, Christina June and Blink Publishing for providing me with my digital copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a great debut young author book!!

Sixteen year old Tatum couldn't have started her summer vacation out any worse. She was arrested for shoplifting except she didn't commit the crime. Her best friend's new boyfriend did. And now her best friend is mad at her to boot and won't talk to her. Tatum has to perform community service and pay a large fine which her dad and stepmom have made clear she is paying for out of her own pocket. Tatum is grounded except for when she goes to work. Her dad goes away on a business trip before their relationship can be smoothed over and leaves Tatum under the very watchful eye of her overbearing stepmom. It has all the makings of the worst summer ever.

I just adored Tatum. I really felt like like I was 16 again. That feeling that nobody understands or takes you serious. The isolation when you are in a fight with your best friend. The teenage angst was strong with this one. In fact, all the teenage characters were very realistic. The dialogue was witty and entertaining. All in all this was a quick, fun read.

I also thought it was cool how there was a Cinderella theme to the book but with a modern twist. There is the overbearing stepmom and the annoyingly perfect stepsister (both of which Tatum has very little relationship with other than they live in the same house). Then you have the dad that goes away leaving Tatum to be taken care of by her stepmom. I did appreciate how the stepmom is kept realistic and isn't over the top cruel or evil. Just very rigid. There is also a grandmother that comes to help out who acts like a fairy godmother. And of course there is a "prince" but that is not the central theme.

My only complaint came at the end. Everything tied up just a little too perfectly. There might as well have been a big fat bow at the end.

***Advanced copy obtained from Blink via Netgalley****