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CHRISTINA JUNE
Age Range: 13 and up
16-year-old Tatum (Tate) Elsea is about to begin the worst summer of her life. It starts with being falsely accused and arrested for something her best friend's awful boyfriend did, following by being put on house arrest by her stepmother, then her father leaving for the whole summer, and basically everyone she knows mad at her. Tate'sTate's best friend is shipped off to some all-girls boarding school and is furious at Tatum for telling on her. On top of all that, Tate has to do community service and has a fine of $500. Trying to make the most of her situation, Tate starts an online graphic design business and advertises to her step-sister's Elite arts school. Tate begins to believe that her position isn't as bad as she thinks when one of her clients messages her online. Tate starts to have a crush on this anonymous cello player guy, and the community service that Tatum chooses has some people from her school that Tate starts to become friends with. When Tate realizes that she and her step-sister both have secrets to keep, Tatum realizes that her summer might not be so bad after all.
It Started With Goodbye is a pretty good retelling of Cinderella, without making it seem too much like all the other Cinderella retellings. It was a clean summer romance book that I enjoyed, but it was kind of predictable at times, but I think it was mostly because it was based on a known story. I felt bad for Tate for most of the book for how controlling her stepmother was, but at the same time, I felt like Tate could have been a better daughter also. There's a lot of deceiving and not telling the whole truth to her parents, and I feel like if she just told them what she really felt, Tate could have avoided a lot of the drama.
I also thought that this book was pretty funny with some good commentary. I liked how when Tate thought her world ended, a new friend appeared and gave her hope for better times. I wouldn't say that It Started With Goodbye was my favorite book, but I still enjoyed it very much, and I have to say I loved the book's cover. Most book covers are just so bad, but when I saw the cover for It Started With Goodbye, I couldn't wait to start reading it!
Things to Mention: Tatum gets in trouble when her best friend's boyfriend steals phones and gift cards from a store. One "crap" and a kiss with little to no detail. Tate sneaks out one night to watch the band of one of her clients.
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If you have read It Started With Goodbye, let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Do you have a book you want to be reviewed? Let me know, and I'll add it to my list! Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you're here.
