Review: #The Real Cinderella by Yesenia Vargas

I'm probably the only person in the world who hadn't read this yet, but it was cute. If you're behind the times -- like me -- check it out HERE.

Summary - Ella’s only friend (and crush) lives on the other side of her phone’s screen. She and Baller929 know everything about each other. Except their real names.

When they have a chance to meet at the school dance, Ella must decide: is revealing her identity to Baller929 worth the risk? Is this her chance at something more than friendship? Or will Baller929 ditch her when he finds out that Ella’s the geeky girl at the bottom of the totem pole?

This is the Cinderella fairy tale you know and love... set in high school with 4 quirky best friends, an anonymous Prince Charming, and a fairy godmother you'll never expect.

What I Liked About This Book - Okay, I have to stop reading Cinderella retellings. I keep waiting for the "Ella" character to slap her stepmom across the face and tell her to take a long run off a short bridge -- but of course that's never going to happen because then there wouldn't be a story. I'm always more judgmental of Cinderella books too because I compare them all to my favorite which is Cinder & Ella...big surprise right? But even C&E had some stuff I didn't like. After all, it's still Cinderella's story. When Kelly sent me the beta draft, I made it through the prologue and first chapter, then called her up and told her I hated her. Yep, I seriously did that.

Anyway, I did enjoy # The Real Cinderella. It was lighter than a lot of the retellings I read and I appreciate that. Yes, there was tragedy but the author doesn't dwell on it. Also, the stepmom and sisters were horrible but not so out of control that I wanted to stab their eyes out with a dull spoon. (Too Graphic?) The book was on the shorter side but there was still enough development between the MCs that the relationship was believable. Also, I really loved the twist of the Fairy Godmother character. That was probably my favorite part. Yesenia is a good writer and if you like Cinderella books, you should check this one out. It feels a lot like the movie "A Cinderella Story" with Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray -- which I absolutely loved (enough that I own it). ;-)

Appropriate For - Totally clean and safe for any age. Kissing only. Limited, if any, vulgarity, crude humor and swearing. Actually, I don't think there was any swearing.

About The Author - Yesenia Vargas is the author of several sweet young adult romance books. Her love for writing stories was born from her love of reading and books. She has her third grade teacher to thank for that. In addition to writing and reading, she spends her time hanging out with her family and binge-watching Netflix. In 2013, she graduated from the University of Georgia, the first in her family to go to college. Yesenia lives in Georgia with her husband and two precious little girls. She also blogs at writermom.net.

Check out what she's up to at yeseniavargas.com and on Instagram @YeseniaVargas32.