Very fun princess swap book, I loved the added disability with Cinderella having a glass leg. I loved the magic system and the overall themes and messages of this book with the character we know and love.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What happens when one day Belle finds herself locked in a basement? Or Cinderella wakes up in the Beast's castle? What if fate did a princess swap in the middle of a fairy tale?

Ella has spent her life dreaming of adventure... but adventures are hard to come by when one is trapped as a household slave. Belle has always had a life of adventure, but the family business has hit hard times and is on the brink. So one day, Belle casts a spell, swapping lives with Ella in a desperate attempt to save her father's livelihood. But fairy tales don't always afford an easy path to a happily ever after. Ella must uncover the keys to a Beast's curse, and Belle must escape the wicked stepmother. These two intertwined fairy tales take so many twists and turns that, in the end, they become new tales of their own.

Author Kim Bussing does an incredible job of keeping enough of the original elements of these two fairy tales to draw in the reader while switching just the right elements to develop original storylines. Belle and Ella, both with an original take on the problems faced in their own tales, bring a fresh perspective to this retelling. Placing them in new storylines allows Bussing to really play with their personalities and bring out new characteristics. It's easy to get caught up in the characters, both those from the originals and some new faces as well. The story focuses on strong female leads as opposed to romance or becoming royalty. Themes explored include friendship, loyalty, admiration for other's character, forgiveness, and more. Not your average fairy tale, and I can't wait to read more from this author. Great for preteens and early teens.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I love a good fairytale retelling and this one did not disappoint. The changes to the traditional stories definitely adds to the excitement and helps to make it more relatable to the middle grade age group. This story is full of adventure, friendship, and how seeing things from a different perspective can be the answer to how to find your way onto your own path. It's about the journey and what we learn not the destination.

As a lover of fairytale retellings, I am so surprised that I have never read one where the characters switch places. I was excited and apprehensive about the initial changes and where they would lead but was pleasantly surprised by how the character growth, friendships, and storytelling unfolded.

Belle has always been my favorite princess since I was a kid because she loved books like me so I especially liked how she uses her cleverness. She knows when to keep quiet and use opportunities to her advantage. And that's the type of princess I can get behind! There were some morally grey things she had to do to get close to Prince Amir but if an evil stepmother trapped me I would do the same, to be honest. I didn't know how to feel about Belle and Prince Amir's growing crush on each other because I see her only with the Beast but I got over it because the writing was just that good.

Belle is seen as the weird girl who loves magic so reading about her making friends was so sweet. I loved her and Marie's friendship. Marie is one of Cinderella's stepsisters who is a little odd herself. She is willing to help find Cinderella with Belle and Prince Amir as soon as she finds out that's what they are doing. Marie slowly finds that bravery within her thanks to Belle. I gasped at an incredible scene with Marie and Belle. This is worth reading just for Belle and Marie's friendship.

Then there is Cinderella who becomes stuck living with a Beast because she is simply kind and doesn't want Belle's father to lose his chance to save his daughter. I understood why the author chose to switch Cinderella and Belle together at this moment; they are both very selfless in their stories. Cinderella sympathizes with the Beast who is truly mean to her at first. However, she understood what it felt like to be isolated and angry in a world that treated her unfairly. I loved that they found a friend in each other and a hint at something more. I was truly stumped on how she would help break the Beast's curse until it all became clear and what a great message it sends. I also liked how the story was changed so that Cinderella had a glass leg which was such a great way to have disability representation.

Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper) is a wonderful debut! I'm excited to read the series continuation coming out in a couple of months. I am hoping there are many more books in this series to come because they are perfect for fairytale-loving tweens (and me of course!)

Ella, living in her stepmother’s cellar forced to act as a servant, & Belle, searching for a way to save her father’s failing business, find themselves magically swapped into each other’s stories.

This was really adorable! I am a big fan of any kind of retelling and this did one of my favorite things by combining multiple stories into one! And the bones of each fairy tale were there, but the way they got reinterpreted was so interesting! Ella’s glass slipper was a glass prosthetic leg (although slippers do show up later too), the stolen rose is a clock, & the final twist was really quite well done!

And the characters! Oh, the girls were so lovely. Unique voices with ambitions and desires. And most of the side characters felt solid, even with how little we got of them.

None of these characters really acted as young as they were supposed to be, which occasionally took me out of the story, but otherwise this was a lovely middle grade retelling! Highly recommend, and I can’t wait to dive into the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this arc!

This was a fun read!

I felt like it dragged a little bit too much at times, the plot becoming a little confusing in order to try and not be predictable. I was still able to predict the major twists anyway.

The way the world connected with each other was really well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a long time fan of the Disney version of these tales, it was a refreshing take.

Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper) by Kim Bussing [ Random House Books for Young Readers #NetGalley ]

What I liked:
- retellings are always so much to read; and this was such a fun premise with the idea of two princesses - Belle and Ella - finding themselves switched
- the elements of the stories that were changed to keep things interesting and not so predictable was well done

What I didn't:
- some aspects were harder to believe given that Belle and Ella were supposed to be 12 years old in this story; Ella being left behind in the castle by Henrik or everyone just accepting that Belle is okay working as a maid because she's now an "orphan"

Kim Bussing’s Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper) brings a creative twist to beloved fairy tales, blending Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast into a single, adventurous tale. The result is an imaginative and enjoyable read that offers fresh perspectives on familiar characters.

Ella’s longing for adventure and Belle’s determination to save her family make them both compelling leads. The dual storylines provide a unique approach, allowing readers to experience two classic tales in parallel. Bussing’s ability to weave magic, romance, and humor into the narrative adds a lively charm, and the interplay between the two heroines’ challenges keeps the story engaging.

While some parts of the story feel a bit rushed, the creativity and heart behind the retelling shine through. Fans of reimagined fairy tales will appreciate the clever twists and the spirited heroines, making Cinderella and the Beast a delightful escape into a world of magic and adventure. It’s a fun, lighthearted read that will leave readers smiling.

This was such a fun and magical retelling that takes the elements of the original story and does something fun and unique with it. I HIGHLY recommend this to your fairy tale lovers and fantasy loving readers who enjoy middle grade. It is also a fast read you can get sucked into and gobble up in one sitting. That's what I did.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. It was a delight.

This book was a super fun and fast read. I love clever fairy tale re-tellings and you can't get more unique than having your princesses switch places. However, instead of following the usual trope where they knowingly trade lives for a day or inhabit the other's body, the two find themselves switched into circumstances they never imagined. The story just gets better from there.

You need a loose basis of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast (any version will do, even the Disney versions) to really appreciate the stories. If you're a fairy tale nerd like I am you will also appreciate the author's nods to the classics throughout the story.

I am already excited there is another book in the series coming out and I would love to see what else this author can do with the canon. A delightful mish-mash of fairy tales that will keep the pages turning. Excellent read.

My thanks to Random House Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for this enchanting ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an ARC from NetGalley. As a fan of Disney retellings, this sounded original and interesting. Cinderella and Belle swap stories. I have to say it missed the mark for a few reasons. First, we kick off the story with a swap with very little context and no background. Second, the idea of a retelling is very loose. This was very liberal with the storylines of well known characters. It definitely didn't feel like I was revisiting known plots. This made the first note particularly challenging. Third, the choice to make the characters preteen was an odd decision, and didn't align or add to the story. I am not sure who the audience for this book is. As it doesn't seem to work for a younger audience, and it is too junior for a young adult audience. Great concept, but poor execution. #netgalley #cinderellaandthebeast #princessswap #disneyretelling

I'm a huge fan of fairytale retellings and this story does not disappoint. It was easy to get swept up in the magic and the characters lives. Belle and Ella were living very different lives and seeing how their different perspectives while walking in the other's shoes, and figuring out how best to solve their problems was interesting. The well known parts of the classic princess' stories were woven throughout the book but with twists that left the reader not knowing what to expect.
Belle and Elle characters development happened at a perfect pace. The girls had a lot of inner strength and leaned on the relationships they built to help throughout the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and it's perfect for middle school readers that would love a twist on two classic fairytales.

I think this is a unique twist on two well known fairytales. While for the most part the overall narrative stays the same, such as there is beast, and evil stepmother etc. The different personalities of the princesses being thrown into a different world really shine through. I also appreciated that Bell comes off as super adventurous. Plus, the twist between Cinderella and the Beast just plays out beautifully. This is a fun book that readers are going to fall in love with. Both princesses just jump off the page and to life.
Thank you so much to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I found it to be a fascinating story. This tale presents a world where Cinderella and Belle swap lives, exploring how their stories would differ if Belle had to deal with an evil stepmother and Cinderella found herself captive in the Beast’s castle.

It’s my second story in this series, and so far, I’ve really enjoyed them. I believe it’s an engaging read for both children and adults. It’s very interesting to see these beloved characters in such different contexts.

This is a really fun mash up. I enjoyed how each story had a mix of familiar and new elements on its own in addition to the new elements caused by the character swap. Having these changes added to the overall flow of the story and I enjoyed the little surprises of seeing a character pop up in an unexpected way. I also really enjoyed the main characters especially Ella she had a great balance of being more proactive in her story while still keeping the sweet nature you would expect from a Cinderella character. Belle felt like a more subtle change but still more proactive then the traditional tale. Both characters were delightful as where the secondary characters. The plot was well paced and had some nice little twists and a very satisfying ending as the two stories fully came together. Overall this is a really fun read for fans of fairy tales and I am very much looking forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, Random House Books for Young Readers, and Kim Bussing for the opportunity to read Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper), the first installment in The Princess Swap series, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy middle grade novels every once in a while. I like Disney. Beauty and the Beast (original Disney animation) is one of my favorites. But how would the story be portrayed if it was actually Cinderella who encountered the beast?

This story is told in alternating third-person perspective chapters between Ella and Belle. Ella wants nothing more than to go on an adventure, but after her father died, she is left with a cruel step-mother and step-sisters who make her do all the household chores. Belle fondly works with her father on magical trinkets. When his business plummets, Belle thinks she can enter the Revel of Miravale and help his business regain its success. With the help of a magical item, she finds herself in the cellar of Simone's home and is treated as a service girl. Ella. on the other hand, finds herself at a beast's castle, hoping she can quickly escape.

Prince Amir looks for his disappeared friend, Ella, as well as his missing sister. When he encounters Belle, the duo team up to gain what they have lost (in this case, Simone, the step-mother, has taken Belle's special locket and has a controlling cuff over her). Ella may want to return home, adventure not being all it's cracked up to be, but then she see's the beast has a different side, she thinks she might be able to help them break the curse.

Both girls are twelve, making this a middle grade novel. There isn't a sense of romance or becoming a princess here. Rather, the story focuses on strong character development and forms a world around familiar tales, with creative twists. The swaps aren't exactly like the tales readers would be familiar with, but are rather a more unique take on could-be scenarios.

I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple twists woven into the beast's tale, the friendship Ella already has with Prince Amir, and the way the glass slippers ended up being incorporated. Heck, I even kind of started to like Marie, too! This middle grade novel is a well-written adventure geared more toward a female audience, but that any Disney lover will contemplate and devour.

Was not what I was expecting based on the quick synopsis I read. I was anticipating more of separate stories with a twist. I do think these will be popular with kids who like fairy tales, but maybe not die hard Disney fans. It didn't feel true enough to the original stories for me.

This was a really fun fairytale retelling! I would definitely recommend this to middle grade readers who are looking for fantasy and fairytales. Really looking forward to the next installments in the series.

This is such a clever and entertaining book! I loved that it wasn't just a mash-up of two different fairy tales and actually a new take on each as well. If you go in expecting the Cinderella and Beauty & the Beast stories you grew up with I hope you will be pleasantly surprised by the changes here. Ella and Belle are interesting and complex characters and good role models for young readers. The story moves along at the perfect pace so readers should not feel bored at any point. And I was always so interested to know what was going on in both stories so I never got annoyed when it switched from one to the other. I also liked that the author brings up the idea that maybe the villains of the tale do not necessarily think of themselves as the bad guys and there are other factors that lead to their bad behavior - another take on the "we are all the heroes of our own stories" idea. My only complaint is the romance factor in each story because the characters are only 12/13 years old which is just too young for a happily ever after love/romance. Other than that, this is pretty much a perfect book!

Cinderella and the Beast (or, Beauty and the Glass Slipper) was a cute fairytale mix up. Ella and Belle, who are twelve and thirteen, make a wish at the exact same time and poof! they magically switch places. Belle finds herself forced to serve Cinderella's step-family and Ella travels with Belle's father into the woods to the Beast's castle. This story does not rely on a prince to save the day. Instead, the girls find inner strength and help from their friends to change their situations. It is a squeaky clean book with a happily ever after ending filled with possibilities.

I received this as an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.