I generally do not have much luck with romance novellas/short stories, and Finding Cinderella reminds me why. It has everything I love in a romance, and yet when I finished the book, I couldn't help but feel unsatisfied. I expect this when I finish a Colleen Hoover book, since I never want them to end. However, here, I felt like important things were rushed. I wanted to see more of Six and Daniel in the closet. And later, when a devastating secret emerges, I wanted to spend more time with them as they worked it out. I don't want to give anything away, but something REALLY BIG happens. I wasn't troubled by how quickly Daniel and Six came together after this REALLY BIG THING, but I wanted to see them grieve together as they supported each other more. This would have been possible if the book wasn't a novella, or if this particular thing had perhaps been introduced a little earlier in the story.
Anyways, I feel really silly nitpicking something Colleen Hoover wrote since she is, as I said before, so incredibly amazing and one of my writing heroes, but I can't help but look back over this story and just wish there was a little more. The strength of Hoover's writing (especially dialogue), and how beautifully she drew her characters, make this book a must-read. The plot, however, feels a little squished. I'm torn between 3.5 and 4 stars on this one. I'm going to settle on 3.5 for now with the understanding that I may change my opinion later :P
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This book is funny. So funny that I'm actually laughing just thinking about it. It's a perfectly done riches-to-rags-to-hotsexyman fish-out-of-water story. After her father dies and she loses her fortune, Teagan needs a job and a place to stay, but she has no experience and no idea of where to go. So she promptly goes to the "wrong side of the tracks" and forces herself on poor Rebel's car/muscle/repair shop, Rebel Wheels (yeah, I know about as much about cars as Teagan does, does it show?) How she gets her job, how she decorates/fixes/protects her apartment, how she makes friends...all of it is nonstop hilarity. You know how some books have those "great moments" where everything comes together seamlessly and creates this perfect, unforgettable scene? Well, this entire book is like that.
Teagan is a delightfully scatterbrained mess. Though she fails constantly throughout the story you never get the idea that she's weak--she's just (understandably) inexperienced and way out of her comfort zone. Teagan always does her best, and whenever life knocks her on her ass she gets back up with a smile, determined to come out on top. There are a few times in the story where Teagan shys away from things that she's (understandably) afraid of, but in the end she always does the right thing. Seeing Teagan grow stronger and start to discover who she was and what she wanted was wonderful. (And funny, have I mentioned yet that this book is funny??? lol)
This whole book could have just been Teagan's coming of age story with no romance and I would have been happy (and there aren't many romances I can say that about), but her character and journey is really complimented by the hero's. The hero and the heroine in thsi story couldn't be more different. Rebel is a strong, stoic, self-made man who never lets himself let loose and never shows his emotions. Rebel really doesn't know what to do with Teagan, or his attraction to her. There are a lot of misunderstandings in this story but none of them are painful or go on for too long. They're either really funny or they set up a chance for both characters to come together and understand each other better.
It's hard for me to find any flaws in this book. Maybe there are a few, but I don't care. I loved it too much! 5/5 SMOKIN' HOT CARS!
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