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Cindy Ella
The ideal L.A. fairy tale for fans of Once Upon a Time and L.A. Candy, from the author of Geek Charming.
Prom fever has infected LA—especially Cindy’s two annoying stepsisters, and her overly Botoxed stepmother. Cindy seems to be the only one immune to it all. But her anti-prom letter in the school newspaper does more to turn Cindy into Queen of the Freaks than close the gap between the popular kids and the rest of the students. Everyone thinks she’s committed social suicide, except for her two best friends, the yoga goddess India and John Hughes–worshipping Malcolm, and shockingly, the most popular senior at Castle Heights High and Cindy’s crush, Adam Silver. Suddenly Cindy starts to think that maybe her social life could have a happily ever after. But there’s still the rest of the school to deal with. With a little bit of help from an unexpected source and a fabulous pair of heels, Cindy realizes that she still has a chance at a happily ever after.
Prom fever has infected LA—especially Cindy’s two annoying stepsisters, and her overly Botoxed stepmother. Cindy seems to be the only one immune to it all. But her anti-prom letter in the school newspaper does more to turn Cindy into Queen of the Freaks than close the gap between the popular kids and the rest of the students. Everyone thinks she’s committed social suicide, except for her two best friends, the yoga goddess India and John Hughes–worshipping Malcolm, and shockingly, the most popular senior at Castle Heights High and Cindy’s crush, Adam Silver. Suddenly Cindy starts to think that maybe her social life could have a happily ever after. But there’s still the rest of the school to deal with. With a little bit of help from an unexpected source and a fabulous pair of heels, Cindy realizes that she still has a chance at a happily ever after.
264 pages, Paperback
First published February 7, 2008
34 people are currently reading
2524 people want to read
About the author
Robin Palmer
30 books298 followersRobin Palmer grew up in Massachusetts and New Jersey, and after graduating from Boston University, moved to Hollywood. Starting as an assistant in the television literary department of the William Morris Agency, she quickly moved up the ranks and spent the next decade as a literary agent, producer, and television network executive at Lifetime Television, where she developed over one hundred scripts and oversaw the production of many of the network's original movies.
In 2001, she remembered that she had originally intended to spend her life either as a writer or a toll booth collector (so she could indulge her penchant for spending her days alone reading), but as there are no toll roads in southern California, she decided to give the writing thing a try. Since then, she's written everything from "To Do" lists to screenplays to essays to love letters and, of course, novels.
She currently resides in New York City.
In 2001, she remembered that she had originally intended to spend her life either as a writer or a toll booth collector (so she could indulge her penchant for spending her days alone reading), but as there are no toll roads in southern California, she decided to give the writing thing a try. Since then, she's written everything from "To Do" lists to screenplays to essays to love letters and, of course, novels.
She currently resides in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 353 reviews
October 1, 2012
OMG! This is the coolest retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale that I've ever read! I am now officially a fan of Robin Palmer, and I'm going to buy and read her other books! Yeah, yeah, I need to calm down! Ok, *deep sigh*, I admit I decided to read this because I was hoping it'll make me happy after readng a horrible one. And now, I'm happy to say that this book really made my day and has erased all my memories of the horrible book I was talking about earlier. (I'm not going to mention the title of that horrible book because I'm too kind to ruin any reputation, and let's just code it as the "horrible one". LOL!)
Anyway, I really fell in love with this book even though I find it so cheesy at first. I had to think like a fifteen year old girl anticipating for prom or rather someone who doesn't like proms and fairy tales but somehow she acually does. And I like the fact that this book was written and published 5 years ago and some of the character names were from the nineties, even the romantic movies and TV series mentioned. I love Cindy Ella, her wit, guts, intelligence and clumsiness. She's so funny I laughed in each of her super embarrassing moments! I love her unique and supportive friends, Malcom and India. I even like her stepmother and step sisters, they are not bad at all. Of course, I love Adam, her prince charming! LOL! He's sweet and "different", you'll know what I mean once you read it. ;)
Yes, you're right, I'm giving this book 5 stars, because I enjoyed it so much that I finished it in two and a half hours. I'm also putting it in my favorite shelf! I recommend it to everyone who wants to have a good laugh and relieve their past teenage craziness, i mean adventures! LOL!
Anyway, I really fell in love with this book even though I find it so cheesy at first. I had to think like a fifteen year old girl anticipating for prom or rather someone who doesn't like proms and fairy tales but somehow she acually does. And I like the fact that this book was written and published 5 years ago and some of the character names were from the nineties, even the romantic movies and TV series mentioned. I love Cindy Ella, her wit, guts, intelligence and clumsiness. She's so funny I laughed in each of her super embarrassing moments! I love her unique and supportive friends, Malcom and India. I even like her stepmother and step sisters, they are not bad at all. Of course, I love Adam, her prince charming! LOL! He's sweet and "different", you'll know what I mean once you read it. ;)
Yes, you're right, I'm giving this book 5 stars, because I enjoyed it so much that I finished it in two and a half hours. I'm also putting it in my favorite shelf! I recommend it to everyone who wants to have a good laugh and relieve their past teenage craziness, i mean adventures! LOL!
May 30, 2009
I can't believe I finished this book (or ever picked it up). My only excuse is that it was the ONLY book I hadn't read for miles around, and I needed to read something to sleep. This book definitely put me to sleep. It's meant for YA readers, but I think it's beneath them and is dumbed down, and it reminds me of the things that irritated me most about the middle of the Princess Diary series by Meg Cabot, except worse, because this book has whole excerpts from IM sessions with net/text speak. And okay, I understand the main characters are teenagers, but it's IM, on the computer! You can actually type whole sentences with proper spelling, grammar and punctuation, and the author made a lot of to-do about how smart these main characters were supposed to be, but even aside from the text speak, which I can forgive since it does seem to be some kind of an illness even for people much older than me, a lot of it just didn't add up, the story was much too similar to A Cinderella Story (which might have been valid if one was an adaptation of the other, but I don't know if that's the case or not, and they're both obviously adaptations of the Cinderella fairy tale anyhow), but A Cinderella Story was done 87 million times better. It at least showed us many reasons why the "prince" type character would fall in love with the Cinderella, unlike with this book. I don't even know why I'm wasting time reviewing it, except it was just that bad.
November 26, 2012
Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com
Cindy’s tired of hearing about the prom everywhere she goes. She’s so tired of it that she writes a letter to the editor of the school newspaper bashing the prom. She targets the superficial traditions of the search for the right dress, the best shoes, and the popularity contests of the king and queen.
Instead, she wishes that people would obsess over real world problems. Unfortunately, she’s about the only one who feels this way -- and now the whole school’s decided that she really is a freak.
Besides her two best friends (who ARE going to the prom), three people back up Cindy in her ideals. Her father is impressed with her letter, her gay SAT tutor admires her guts, and the boy she IMs thinks she’s got the right idea. In fact, he turns out to be the uber-popular Adam Silver, who would rather take Cindy out on a date during prom night, but never to the prom.
This modern fairy tale takes the ball out of the equation, but still shows that the prince can fall for the princess and that they can have fun on their own terms.
Cindy’s tired of hearing about the prom everywhere she goes. She’s so tired of it that she writes a letter to the editor of the school newspaper bashing the prom. She targets the superficial traditions of the search for the right dress, the best shoes, and the popularity contests of the king and queen.
Instead, she wishes that people would obsess over real world problems. Unfortunately, she’s about the only one who feels this way -- and now the whole school’s decided that she really is a freak.
Besides her two best friends (who ARE going to the prom), three people back up Cindy in her ideals. Her father is impressed with her letter, her gay SAT tutor admires her guts, and the boy she IMs thinks she’s got the right idea. In fact, he turns out to be the uber-popular Adam Silver, who would rather take Cindy out on a date during prom night, but never to the prom.
This modern fairy tale takes the ball out of the equation, but still shows that the prince can fall for the princess and that they can have fun on their own terms.
June 7, 2017
Finally I finished this book
It was delightful
I liked it so much and of course I liked the narretor. she is amaizing and talented in my opinion.
I laughed alot and definitely it is not going to be tha last book I read for Robin Palmer.
Thanks Doha you've made my day again
It was delightful
I liked it so much and of course I liked the narretor. she is amaizing and talented in my opinion.
I laughed alot and definitely it is not going to be tha last book I read for Robin Palmer.
Thanks Doha you've made my day again
March 20, 2009
This was the most superficial book I have ever read. It was all based upon looks and $2500 prom dresses. Nothing to write home about and nothing to recommend. The last two books I've read have been duds, maybe I'll read Twilight again to make me happy.
Moral Note: Says OMG a ton, the "B" word, and a few others. No sexual stuff but kissing. Her best friend is gay, and others so there is stuff about that in it.
Moral Note: Says OMG a ton, the "B" word, and a few others. No sexual stuff but kissing. Her best friend is gay, and others so there is stuff about that in it.
August 7, 2024
2024
2017
2017
April 17, 2020
The book was not that bad to be honest.
December 31, 2021
Review in Wrap Up Vlog
https://youtu.be/KmxfYERf9P4
https://youtu.be/KmxfYERf9P4
February 9, 2021
i really liked that i related a lot to the character in here. because there arent a lot of books out with characters like this.
i didnt like how she ended up going on a date and brought her little brother along.that was kind of annoying.
liked how their names were kind of fairytale-ish.&how the guy behind the emails tied in with the guy she liked.
I recommended this book to my sister earlier this year, and I thought of what I remembered from the book. I've been meaning to add this for months, and I thought I hadn't reviewed this yet, so I was surprised that I had written a little about this before.
I remember the MC saying that the better looking a guy is, the more nervous she is.
And how she takes lil cousin/brother on her date. I thought it may have been done because she was shy, and it would have taken a little attention off her, and would have been a distraction on her date.
And how the e-mails from a secret admirer turned out to be the guy.
There was a moment where she admired him walking in late to class, because if she was late to class, she’d be embarrassed & would be blushing/spend few minutes in mortification after. I wondered if the author herself was shy, because that's a hard detail to get right if you're not that way yourself.
I like story lines like this where the secret admirer turns out to be the guy, like the movie A Cinderella Story. Very cute. I'd like to read this soon because I don't remember a whole lot about it.
i didnt like how she ended up going on a date and brought her little brother along.that was kind of annoying.
liked how their names were kind of fairytale-ish.&how the guy behind the emails tied in with the guy she liked.
I recommended this book to my sister earlier this year, and I thought of what I remembered from the book. I've been meaning to add this for months, and I thought I hadn't reviewed this yet, so I was surprised that I had written a little about this before.
I remember the MC saying that the better looking a guy is, the more nervous she is.
And how she takes lil cousin/brother on her date. I thought it may have been done because she was shy, and it would have taken a little attention off her, and would have been a distraction on her date.
And how the e-mails from a secret admirer turned out to be the guy.
There was a moment where she admired him walking in late to class, because if she was late to class, she’d be embarrassed & would be blushing/spend few minutes in mortification after. I wondered if the author herself was shy, because that's a hard detail to get right if you're not that way yourself.
I like story lines like this where the secret admirer turns out to be the guy, like the movie A Cinderella Story. Very cute. I'd like to read this soon because I don't remember a whole lot about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2012
It was a light chicklit. Nothing much except that most part were expected if you`d watched A Cinderella Story. It wasn`t a direct copy but you could actually guess the whole thing from the beginning.
So this was a story about Cindy Ella Gold, who had a crush on Adam Silver, a popular senior in her school, Castle Heights. The girl wrote a letter about the overrated event aka prom to the school`s paper and because of that, she had been doomed as an outcast by the ordinary prom enthusiast filled society. She later found that her crush was more than he seemed. And the rest was predictable..
A good thing about this book was that the author had re-characterized the whole stepfamily thing in our conventional Cinderella`s tale into something that was less cruel. No bullying stepmom, although the amount of works shown no decrease. The father wasn`t dead but was more to deadly busy with his work. And the Clones were nicer than the expected stepsisters.
The writing for this was a bit amateurish to say the least, to the extend that when I reached the end for this, it kind of loses the energy. There are definitely much better Cinderella`s retelling version than this I bet..
All in all, an okay read. But not recommendable for hardcore heavy stuff readers..You might loath this one instead..
So this was a story about Cindy Ella Gold, who had a crush on Adam Silver, a popular senior in her school, Castle Heights. The girl wrote a letter about the overrated event aka prom to the school`s paper and because of that, she had been doomed as an outcast by the ordinary prom enthusiast filled society. She later found that her crush was more than he seemed. And the rest was predictable..
A good thing about this book was that the author had re-characterized the whole stepfamily thing in our conventional Cinderella`s tale into something that was less cruel. No bullying stepmom, although the amount of works shown no decrease. The father wasn`t dead but was more to deadly busy with his work. And the Clones were nicer than the expected stepsisters.
The writing for this was a bit amateurish to say the least, to the extend that when I reached the end for this, it kind of loses the energy. There are definitely much better Cinderella`s retelling version than this I bet..
All in all, an okay read. But not recommendable for hardcore heavy stuff readers..You might loath this one instead..
May 18, 2012
I picked this up thinking it was another Cinderella book (Change of a Dress)!
I spent the first half noticing similarities of the high school here with the one in Geek Charming - I don't have a copy of the book and I didn't know if it was the same school or not, so I kept noting names that I'll look up once I get hold of a copy. (ETA: Yes, it's the same high school. Sweet.)
I think that Cinderella is one of the most adapted fairy tales, so maybe at this point everything has been done. But like I've said in my review of Geek Charming: there are clichés, but sometimes you don't feel them. And because Cindy is anti-prom and here prom = ball, I thought that some Cinderella elements won't appear. Like the shoe. Which eventually does come up, but rather unexpectedly.
Speaking of Cindy's anti-prom sentiment, it made me look back on my own prom, and wonder if I went because of the "prom" mentality she mentioned in her letter.
As for the ending, it could've been worded better.
I spent the first half noticing similarities of the high school here with the one in Geek Charming - I don't have a copy of the book and I didn't know if it was the same school or not, so I kept noting names that I'll look up once I get hold of a copy. (ETA: Yes, it's the same high school. Sweet.)
I think that Cinderella is one of the most adapted fairy tales, so maybe at this point everything has been done. But like I've said in my review of Geek Charming: there are clichés, but sometimes you don't feel them. And because Cindy is anti-prom and here prom = ball, I thought that some Cinderella elements won't appear. Like the shoe. Which eventually does come up, but rather unexpectedly.
Speaking of Cindy's anti-prom sentiment, it made me look back on my own prom, and wonder if I went because of the "prom" mentality she mentioned in her letter.
As for the ending, it could've been worded better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2013
Cindy Ella Gold doesn't want to go to prom because she claims to be a feminist, yet she's pushing for someone to fall in lover with her desperately. The main character is supposed to be a sophomore and she's in love with a senior and even at one point a twenty three year old. she believe they are both her soul mate somehow. She has dreams of becoming a writer but this is never actually proven all she does is talk about it and writes a letter to the editor in the very beginning.I'm not sure why the author bothered with giving her name a background story with the whole Ella Fitzgerald meaning. I'm confused as to why the Cinderella plot was used as well. It could have been called anything and still wouldn't have made a difference.
I feel like the author started with an idea then became severely sidetracked. I have no clue what else goes on. This wasn't even a fun read.It's like I can't get out of reading bad books. I do not understand how this has a 3.7!? The plot is jumbled up, the characters are all one dimensional and they flip flop in personality drastically. I couldn't wait to get it over with.
I feel like the author started with an idea then became severely sidetracked. I have no clue what else goes on. This wasn't even a fun read.It's like I can't get out of reading bad books. I do not understand how this has a 3.7!? The plot is jumbled up, the characters are all one dimensional and they flip flop in personality drastically. I couldn't wait to get it over with.
October 2, 2008
Cindy Ella is a witty sort of "anti fairy tale." In this book the main characters name is Cindy Ella, which is a very ironic name for this teen. She lives with two stepsisters and an overly Botoxed stepmother, her father is always working and never home. However, unlike the real Cinderella, her blended family is trying to get her to the ball, but Cindy is NOT going for it, she has sent in a letter to the school newspaper that is 100% against prom. Has she committed social suicide, or has she caught the attention of her prince charming?
Text to World:
Cindy-Ella is a story about a teenage protester with strong opinions who is strongly against prom, believing that it put too much stress on girls, and that it was held for all of the wrong reasons, making girls want to live up to their stereotypes of sex symbols. In today’s society some girls do feel as if they have to dress and act a certain way to be accepted, and now there are girls who are standing up to make a change in some places around the world.
Text to World:
Cindy-Ella is a story about a teenage protester with strong opinions who is strongly against prom, believing that it put too much stress on girls, and that it was held for all of the wrong reasons, making girls want to live up to their stereotypes of sex symbols. In today’s society some girls do feel as if they have to dress and act a certain way to be accepted, and now there are girls who are standing up to make a change in some places around the world.
March 30, 2011
This book was a disappointment. I really wanted to like it. I enjoyed the author's sense of humor and felt so much potential for a good book. I just couldn't get over the feeling I was reading the book version of the movie A Cinderella Story, (with Hillary Duff). I feel like it's such a lack of talent to take a story that's already been done and rewrite it like it's an original idea. Also, the fact that the author would randomly throw in a comment about Cindy's Jewish background made no sense to me. It had nothing to do with anything in the story. It just made me think, "This must be a Jewish author who feels like there needs to be more books representing Jewish teenagers." (FYI- I have nothing against Jewish people and I have no idea Robin Palmer's religious affiliation)
All in all, I found myself trudging through the last few chapters anxious to end a book I already knew how it would end because it was so painfully predictable.
All in all, I found myself trudging through the last few chapters anxious to end a book I already knew how it would end because it was so painfully predictable.
March 13, 2012
Unfortunately this book was a big disappointment. I was really looking forward to the whole popular guy and outsider girl storyline. The only problem was that I completely agreed with all the kids in school who were avoiding Cindy, so it was impossible to feel sympathy towards her. I'm from Austria, which means we don't have a prom, but I'm well aware that a lot of people are working extremely hard to make this one night as great as possible. The way Cindy dressed down everyone just because they were looking forward to prom (or were just mentioning it) annoyed me beyond measure. She was an insensitive snob.
Not even Adam the hero could save the story for me. I couldn't even detect a hint of character, which would have been a miracle, considering how little page time he got.
The only things I liked about the book were Cindy's fairy gay Godtutor and the ending, which I have to admit was actually very cute.
Not even Adam the hero could save the story for me. I couldn't even detect a hint of character, which would have been a miracle, considering how little page time he got.
The only things I liked about the book were Cindy's fairy gay Godtutor and the ending, which I have to admit was actually very cute.
March 2, 2013
First off, through this book I realized how mature of a reader / person I have grown into. haha
Anyways, it's a cute book - something I would have loved when I was much younger, when I dreamed of prince charming, happy endings and I was a hardcore hopeless romantic. It actually reminded me of my younger self. I think it would appeal to younger audiences like 12-18 years old. It has it's share of funny moments. I just didn't like it as much as I want to due to my old and current self having matured, haha.
I feel like it lacks substance - it's like a written version of movies that have Cinderella spin-off to it. The story is a bit predictable. Nothing new, hot crush who likes the main character secretly back - all this time he also felt the same thing cliche.
Anyways, it's a cute book - something I would have loved when I was much younger, when I dreamed of prince charming, happy endings and I was a hardcore hopeless romantic. It actually reminded me of my younger self. I think it would appeal to younger audiences like 12-18 years old. It has it's share of funny moments. I just didn't like it as much as I want to due to my old and current self having matured, haha.
I feel like it lacks substance - it's like a written version of movies that have Cinderella spin-off to it. The story is a bit predictable. Nothing new, hot crush who likes the main character secretly back - all this time he also felt the same thing cliche.
August 26, 2014
Rating: 6.0
This book was pretty predictable and I felt like at the middle of the book that things still hadn't really fallen into place yet, and when the climax finally did hit, it was no surprise and it wasn't very...climactic. It was a cute book that felt like it was meant for a younger audience like 8-11. The things mentioned though did not stop me from being excited for Cindy at the end! :D
If you liked...
Little Miss Red
First sentence:
B.T.L. (Before the Letter) I always thought that major life-altering moments happened in dramatic settings.
This book was pretty predictable and I felt like at the middle of the book that things still hadn't really fallen into place yet, and when the climax finally did hit, it was no surprise and it wasn't very...climactic. It was a cute book that felt like it was meant for a younger audience like 8-11. The things mentioned though did not stop me from being excited for Cindy at the end! :D
If you liked...
Little Miss Red
First sentence:
B.T.L. (Before the Letter) I always thought that major life-altering moments happened in dramatic settings.
November 29, 2013
This is my second best favorite book that resembles a fairy tale like Cinderella. I loved how there were twists and turns around every corner that got me saying "WHAT?!" or "OMG! I did not see that coming!". It had a plot that, not me personally could relate to, but would actually have the chance of relating to someone in real life, even though it was a YA Fiction book. I gave this book 4 stars because it was an awesome read, but I just wish the ending didn't come so fast that it made it seem unrealistic, even though it was technically supposed to be that way in the first place. Other than that, I loved every part of this book.
June 14, 2022
I feel significantly less intelligent after reading this atrocious novel.
Cindy Ella is utter garbage, and every human should be spared from reading it. I don’t even hate YA novels, but this so-called piece of literature isn’t even worthy for the eyes of teens.
Very early in the book, I knew it was going to be terrible. I started dog-earring the pages where I either physically cringed or wanted to throw the stupid book across the room.
Page 4&9: On page 4, the setting was explicitly placed on a Thursday afternoon, but then changed to a Wednesday only five pages later over the course of the same lunch period. It’s embarrassing and unprofessional that a previously published author didn’t catch this typo during the assumed many read-throughs nor did the editor catch it. It’s simple continuity.
Page 13: “That being said, I would have done anything to have just a quarter of their boobage and butts. Instead I look like a flat-chested, cureless, bony-butted twelve-year-old boy." Oh man, I could rant about this for days. To keep it short, your body shape, physical attributes, & development is not what makes you feminine, attractive, womanly, or desirable. It’s because of statement exactly like this that causes depression, self-loathing/hatred, body dysmorphia, etc. in women. It doesn’t matter if you have DD or AA boobs, you are beautiful exactly the way you are. To take it further, it completely minimizes those who don’t have any sort of breasts at all. For instance, what if a woman was diagnosed with breast cancer & make the brave decision to have a mastectomy? They’re not any less of woman. Statements like the one made in this novel are disgusting.
Page 21: “Otherwise you might start cutting yourself, which would be a shame because your olive skin is one of your best attributes.” This statement nearly made me DNF. Before people start justifying it with ‘it’s just humor’ or ‘it’s supposed to display how horrible the step-mom is’, it’s plain & simple – it doesn’t matter. Jokes or statement about self-harm like this should never, NEVER be published. It’s not funny. Show that the stepmother is a terrible person a different way. There are thousands of ways to do so. Self-harm is a serious topic and should be treated as such. Furthermore, pre-teens and teenagers are/were reading this! Normalizing it could lead to someone thinking it’s ‘cool’ when it’s actually dangerous.
Page 57: ““And Eveline forget to load the dishwasher and fold the laundry that’s in the dryer, so if you could do that, it would be a big help to her.”” Again, it’s embarrassing for a published author to have a grammatical mistake like this & no one notice.
Page 78: It isn't so much as one specific part of this page, like grammar, but rather a re-occurring theme that was just explore vastly on this particular page. My beef lies with the potential relationship between a 15-year-old and a 23-year-old. Again, before people start shouting 'it's just a school-girl crush, no harm done!', I point to the normalization of this age-gap. Young readers could walk away believing that a relationship like this is okay or appropriate. It's neither. The age of consent in California is 18, not 15, making it extremely appropriate if this relationship had occurred. By including this in the novel, it normalizes it to pre-teens and teenagers that it's okay to be involved with older men, making grooming and predatory behavior easier to occur.
Page 91: This conversation:
Page 107: "Plus, I could never make myself throw up. I'm way too lazy." Like with self-harm, an eating disorder isn't a topic used for humor. Millions of individuals suffer and live with some form of an eating disorder. I'm so glad that this author is using the pain of others as a form of humor for teenagers. *cue the sarcasm*.
Page 117: Similar to my issue with page 78, page 117 involves not a singular instance, but an overarching issue. A main part of the plot is the main character's involvement with some guy she met online & started chatting. I can't explain how incredibly dangerous this is, especially for pre-teens and teenagers. It doesn't matter that this was in the early 2000s, predators existed then just as they do now. Instead of romanticizing secret online relationships that could lead to sexual abuse & human trafficking, how about we teach young kids about internet safety?
Combine all of those ^ factors plus more (don't even get me started on how the main character is a feminist yet goes around bashing other girls and calling them 'sluts' & the fact the R-word is used in here) it makes you wonder how difficult it actually is to become a published author. If this novel can make it, so can your work.
Overall, I disdain this book & strongly believe that it should be completely out of print. In fact, after finishing this complete waste of a time novel, I thought 'well, at least I can make a few bucks by selling it to Half Priced Books', but I hate this book so much, instead I will be recycling it so that no one has to go through the pain of reading it.
Cindy Ella is utter garbage, and every human should be spared from reading it. I don’t even hate YA novels, but this so-called piece of literature isn’t even worthy for the eyes of teens.
Very early in the book, I knew it was going to be terrible. I started dog-earring the pages where I either physically cringed or wanted to throw the stupid book across the room.
Page 4&9: On page 4, the setting was explicitly placed on a Thursday afternoon, but then changed to a Wednesday only five pages later over the course of the same lunch period. It’s embarrassing and unprofessional that a previously published author didn’t catch this typo during the assumed many read-throughs nor did the editor catch it. It’s simple continuity.
Page 13: “That being said, I would have done anything to have just a quarter of their boobage and butts. Instead I look like a flat-chested, cureless, bony-butted twelve-year-old boy." Oh man, I could rant about this for days. To keep it short, your body shape, physical attributes, & development is not what makes you feminine, attractive, womanly, or desirable. It’s because of statement exactly like this that causes depression, self-loathing/hatred, body dysmorphia, etc. in women. It doesn’t matter if you have DD or AA boobs, you are beautiful exactly the way you are. To take it further, it completely minimizes those who don’t have any sort of breasts at all. For instance, what if a woman was diagnosed with breast cancer & make the brave decision to have a mastectomy? They’re not any less of woman. Statements like the one made in this novel are disgusting.
Page 21: “Otherwise you might start cutting yourself, which would be a shame because your olive skin is one of your best attributes.” This statement nearly made me DNF. Before people start justifying it with ‘it’s just humor’ or ‘it’s supposed to display how horrible the step-mom is’, it’s plain & simple – it doesn’t matter. Jokes or statement about self-harm like this should never, NEVER be published. It’s not funny. Show that the stepmother is a terrible person a different way. There are thousands of ways to do so. Self-harm is a serious topic and should be treated as such. Furthermore, pre-teens and teenagers are/were reading this! Normalizing it could lead to someone thinking it’s ‘cool’ when it’s actually dangerous.
Page 57: ““And Eveline forget to load the dishwasher and fold the laundry that’s in the dryer, so if you could do that, it would be a big help to her.”” Again, it’s embarrassing for a published author to have a grammatical mistake like this & no one notice.
Page 78: It isn't so much as one specific part of this page, like grammar, but rather a re-occurring theme that was just explore vastly on this particular page. My beef lies with the potential relationship between a 15-year-old and a 23-year-old. Again, before people start shouting 'it's just a school-girl crush, no harm done!', I point to the normalization of this age-gap. Young readers could walk away believing that a relationship like this is okay or appropriate. It's neither. The age of consent in California is 18, not 15, making it extremely appropriate if this relationship had occurred. By including this in the novel, it normalizes it to pre-teens and teenagers that it's okay to be involved with older men, making grooming and predatory behavior easier to occur.
Page 91: This conversation:
""You did not!" Ashley retorted. "And they're too high for you anyway - you know you can't walk in stilettos."It's supposed to be one sister, Ashley, speaking to another, Britney, but instead we get a monologue from Ashely. Again, it's embarrassing and unprofessional that no one caught that.
"I can so!" said Ashely.
Page 107: "Plus, I could never make myself throw up. I'm way too lazy." Like with self-harm, an eating disorder isn't a topic used for humor. Millions of individuals suffer and live with some form of an eating disorder. I'm so glad that this author is using the pain of others as a form of humor for teenagers. *cue the sarcasm*.
Page 117: Similar to my issue with page 78, page 117 involves not a singular instance, but an overarching issue. A main part of the plot is the main character's involvement with some guy she met online & started chatting. I can't explain how incredibly dangerous this is, especially for pre-teens and teenagers. It doesn't matter that this was in the early 2000s, predators existed then just as they do now. Instead of romanticizing secret online relationships that could lead to sexual abuse & human trafficking, how about we teach young kids about internet safety?
Combine all of those ^ factors plus more (don't even get me started on how the main character is a feminist yet goes around bashing other girls and calling them 'sluts' & the fact the R-word is used in here) it makes you wonder how difficult it actually is to become a published author. If this novel can make it, so can your work.
Overall, I disdain this book & strongly believe that it should be completely out of print. In fact, after finishing this complete waste of a time novel, I thought 'well, at least I can make a few bucks by selling it to Half Priced Books', but I hate this book so much, instead I will be recycling it so that no one has to go through the pain of reading it.
July 21, 2012
Actually the story was sort of cute but the language, insincere prayers to God, homosexual best friend and completely shallow way of life make it inappropriate for a Christian school library. There were movie recommendations for inappropriate movies and Cindy Ellen's tutor is gay and has a committed relationship with another gay man. There are no redeeming values to be found and there are so many more really good books for teens to read. It might provide an eyeopening perspective for some parents who want to know how the rich and shallow think.
July 12, 2009
This book was nice and fluffy... I initially enjoyed it since I identified with the social outcast that was the main character, but I got frustrated as the story progressed and she turned into a selfish vapid teenager. Not really at all like the Cinderella story... the author would have been better off adding a few more chapters to the end or just not writing this book at all. vapid, Vapid, VAPID!
June 10, 2013
I decided to give palmer another chance after hating one of her other books. it was a mistake. I absolutely hated cindy as a character. she only cared about herself and was always complaining. I had high hopes for her because she seemed like a feminist but in the end of course she got the guy and everything was great. kinda sends the message that a boy fixes a girls life. never will read another book by this author!!
May 28, 2014
I was hoping for a cute feel-good story, but instead ended up with an ignorantly hypocritical, and insubstantial character portrayal. In this story, the only definition of shallow is thinking how you look is important. Capability of shallowness in other areas is conveniently ignored. I wanted to scream at the hollowness and lack of depth within this book! Definitely not a keeper or something I want my daughters to read, unless as a "how not to view life" lesson.
May 4, 2009
So far, it's a pretty good book. It's really predictable, though. There's the girl who hates girly-girl stuff (pink, fluffy stuff, fairytales and especially the prom.)You can tell what will happen in the end of the book by reading the back cover of it. It's not the greatest book, but it's okay if you like to read cheesy books about wack feminists.
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January 25, 2016This book is basically in its own way a spin off of Cinderella. It places a not so popular Jewish girl in a up class high school in California. Just like in Cinderella she doesn't get a Long with her step sisters or step mother. She goes through trials of being a teenage girl including, boys. In the end, just like every fairy tale she finds the boy of her dreams.
September 13, 2009
This is a cute love story. I got tired of the modern teenage girl talk and was weirded out by a few gay characters, but overall I liked it. I read it in 1 day and it's probably one I'd re-read. If you're in the mood for a very light, modern, and twisted retelling of Cinderella then check it out.
July 5, 2008
cute- but boring and extremlly predictable
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October 16, 2015X this book was really cute it was extremely short but it was a fun cake on the Cinderella story
April 24, 2021
I would say this just didn’t age well, but it is hard for me t believe most of this was even acceptable in 2008.
The main character is way too “not like other girls” for me. She is constantly putting down all of the other female characters in this book and judging them for caring about their appearance and prom and such. She honestly also puts down the male characters as well just not as much.
The main character is also a total hypocrite. She judges everyone else for wanting to go to prom and for going to prom. However, it is clear the main character is just mad about prom because she isn’t going and doesn’t think anyone will ask her. In the end, when the main character goes on a date with the hero, she dresses up as if she was going to prom and cares about her dress, hair, and make-up. The same things she has been making fun of everyone else for caring about.
In the end, when the hero reveals he likes the main character, he likes her because she is, “just so different” from other girls he knows. That is basically the whole love story. The main character talks about how she isn’t like other girls and does things other girls wouldn’t do. She has minimal interactions with the love interest, he just ends up liking her because she isn’t like other girls.
Trigger warning for all kinds of racist, homophobic, sexist, examples from the book and examples of harmful stereotypes.
This book is full of offhanded harmful stereotypes of all kinds and veiled racist and sexist comments.
These instances are not even few and far between, they permeate the entire story and when they are not as bold and staring the reader right in the face the aurora of racism, sexism, and homophobia linger as it influences the characters every move.
The main character is way too “not like other girls” for me. She is constantly putting down all of the other female characters in this book and judging them for caring about their appearance and prom and such. She honestly also puts down the male characters as well just not as much.
The main character is also a total hypocrite. She judges everyone else for wanting to go to prom and for going to prom. However, it is clear the main character is just mad about prom because she isn’t going and doesn’t think anyone will ask her. In the end, when the main character goes on a date with the hero, she dresses up as if she was going to prom and cares about her dress, hair, and make-up. The same things she has been making fun of everyone else for caring about.
In the end, when the hero reveals he likes the main character, he likes her because she is, “just so different” from other girls he knows. That is basically the whole love story. The main character talks about how she isn’t like other girls and does things other girls wouldn’t do. She has minimal interactions with the love interest, he just ends up liking her because she isn’t like other girls.
Trigger warning for all kinds of racist, homophobic, sexist, examples from the book and examples of harmful stereotypes.
This book is full of offhanded harmful stereotypes of all kinds and veiled racist and sexist comments.
These instances are not even few and far between, they permeate the entire story and when they are not as bold and staring the reader right in the face the aurora of racism, sexism, and homophobia linger as it influences the characters every move.
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