Tatum is a 16-year-old girl who is punished all summer for a crime she didn’t commit. Having to deal with her almost evil step-mother and barely there step-sister, she struggles through the rules cast upon her while trying to enjoy summer, get her community service taken care of and starting a business of her own to pay her fine. With all of this going on she starts a flirtation with a boy that she only knows through her intake form on her business website! Once Tatum realizes that her step-sister isn’t as perfect as she seems, things start to look up and Tatum figures out a bunch of things about herself, her family, and a lot of preconceived notions she once held to be true.

This is a charming YA romance with strong family and friendship elements, along with a good dose of 'coming of age'ness. It has everything a great YA should have - strong characters who draw you in and make you fall for them; snappy dialogue; a romance to make you swoon; and a heroine fnding herself, with help from a few important people. June's writing is witty and relatable, making for a modern-day fairytale that is easy to read and hugely enjoyable.

I enjoyed this book. The author is new to me and I hope to experience more of her work in the future. This book could easily be summed up as a coming of age story for young Tatum who was arrested as an accomplice for shoplifting. Tatum tries to explain to her father that she is innocent, but he is not convinced. He has to leave out of the country for his job for a couple of months and is stuck with her stepmother, who she sometimes refers to as "stepmonster".

The two have a contentious relationship that is constantly tested throughout the story. Tatum is sentenced to community service for the entire summer. Her social life is restricted as her stepmother has put her under "house arrest" until the "debt" is repaid. Tatum also has a stepsister who is cool to her and under her mother's controlling spell. Tatum cannot seem to measure up to the perfection of her stepsister, Tilly.

In her restrictive state, Tatum discovers that there are people who care about her including Tilly's grandmother, who has pearls of wisdom to help Tatum get through current situation. She allows new friendships to evolve and finds that she is not alone.

I don't want to spoil the story, but the journey is well worth it. Tatum was a likeable character and while there were some similarities to the Cinderella tale, Tatum played to her strengths and discovered so much more about herself.

My top two favorite Disney movies/stories are Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. So yeah, I'm a sucker for any book that has these themes. It always sucks me in. I'm also a cover snob....but this cover didn't really intrigue me all that much.

I'm not so sure I would have described this as a "modern play on Cinderella". There are some similarities....a step mother that our MC, 16 year old Tatum, isn't close to. A grandmother (step) that happens to be extra kind towards Tatum and is made mention that she is "like a fairy godmother" and a stepsister that she isn't close to. But that's about where the similarities end. Dad goes away for the summer with his job and the mean stepmother is in charge of Tatum. Being about as grounded as you can get, she is only allowed to babysit and do her community service hours. She has started a graphic design business at the insistence of a friend, but she keeps this hidden from her stepmother. During one of her step-sister's ballet events at her prestigous private school, she uses the opportunity to leave business cards to try to get more clients. While there she meets a very charming, handsome guy, but never gets his name. In the course of time she starts getting emails from interested students from the school that she advertised her services at, and among them is a cello player whose emails to her verge on the flirtatious side.

I found the first 25% of the book to be rather slow. It really didn't get me interested until about 40% in. The reason is that I most definitely want a love story with my books. It felt like an introduction to a male prospect took longer than it should have in the beginning of the story...and that was an assumption that the first male introduced to our main character would be "the male". But I pushed on to see what more the story would bring. Even at 85% there is still no real romantic storyline. What does develop into one happens within the last 10% of the book.

Due to the amount of time Tatum is emailing, she spends a lenghty portion of brain power contemplating how to sign her emails, which valediction is best. This got annoying to me because it was mentioned EVERY time she sent an email.

The story has a theme more on the lines of what miscommunication and misunderstanding can bring about in relationships. I would recommend this book for middle school and high school age readers. The content and language are both very minor in nature.

Favorite Quotes:
"It's always better to do difficult tasks with friends."

"Do not underestimate the power fear has over our choices."

Yours in music and marshmallows, Seamus.

Language Rating: 1 (light)
Mature Content Rating: 1 (light)
Final Rating: 3 stars

Reviews shared on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and V's Reads: http://wp.me/p3AKEA-2du

Sixteen-year-old Tatum Elsea is bracing for the worst summer of her life. After being falsely accused of a crime, she’s stuck under stepmother-imposed house arrest and her BFF’s gone ghost. Tatum fills her newfound free time with community service by day and working at her covert graphic design business at night (which includes trading emails with a cute cello-playing client).

When Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in the house keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends with her family and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and assisted by her feisty step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready to start fresh and maybe even get her happy ending along the way.

<strong>My Review:</strong>
Tatum Elsea is a sixteen y/o girl caught in a bad situation. Her rebellious bestie was dating bad boy--and she's just been charged as an accessory to grand larceny when the idiot steals four iPhones from a store and jumps into Tatum's car.

Tatum's parents are supremely disappointed, not that she's ever felt like anything less than a disappointment to her perfect stepmother. Tatum's friend is furious, and missing-in-action after her fed-up father ships her off to a boarding school. Tatum's charges are dropped in exchange for 100 hours of community service and a $500 fine, which she has to pay herself. And, she's essentially under house arrest for the entire summer. Sure, her step-sister Tilly is home, but they hardly ever speak. Tilly's gifted, and a dancer at an elite high school for the arts--that disappointing Tatum didn't gain acceptance into. Her beloved father is away on a diplomatic mission to Africa, too, so it's just Tatum, Tilly, the step-monster and Blanche, her step-grandma. Blanche is a free-spirited gal, though, and proves to be one speck of happiness in an ocean of frustration, as far as Tatum's concerned.

This is a bittersweet story that ends up being really awesome. The beginning is all about separation--Tatum's support networks all disappear--but she cobbles together new ones, and forges better connections within her world as a result. Tatum's got a lot of trouble in front of her, and it's not exactly all her fault. I could really sympathize with her anger over the way her parents treat her. It's not as if she planned the arrest; she was being a friend to her bestie, and had no idea the boyfriend was a thief. And, I also thought their treatment of her was overly harsh. As an outsider to Tatum's life, the narrative is structured to throw her stepmother into the harshest light possible, which is misleading. The lack of communication was frustrating, for me as a reader and mother. I can't imagine being so high-handed and never explaining why. Sorry. That said, I liked how Tatum found constructive ways to survive her punishment, and earn her fine payment. She's a great girl who's in need of a hug, probably several everyday. Her life, though it isn't terrible, hasn't been easy wither, and she could have used some counseling at some point. Or, hey, a human conversation every now and again. I get that her step-mom had issues, but be an adult, for goodness sake. Even her daughter was terrified of her critique.

In the midst of this summer, Tatum recognizes that she's making friendships--and perhaps more--with the few people with whom she's interacted this summer, both in community service, and her new business venture. It's sweet seeing Tatum vindicated in the end, with her bestie making all the right moves better late than never. And, a little romance, too. Tatum's summer that started with goodbye ends up ending with bliss. Sweet, innocent and having strong themes of making it through hardship while dealing with overbearing parents, this book will appeal to most YA readers. I read a copy via NetGalley.

I wasn't exactly thrilled with this one. It's just so expected. Nothing new under the sun. On the positive side, Tatum doesn't claim that she doesn't deserve punishment. She accepts her legal trouble without question. It;s only the punishment from her parents that she finds unfair. Apparently, they have no reason to punish her . Now all of this is clearly so she can learn a lesson about assumptions, so there is some redemption.

This book was not what I expected but in a good way. I really feel for Tatum, and many of the other characters to, because you felt how unfair her parents were being in not listening to her but at the same time you also understood her parents' worry that she had been hanging around with a dangerous criminal. I loved how none of the characters were perfect but were simply trying to do the best they could, including Belen who was a character I didn't expect to feel for. She made Tatum feel inadequate but it became more and more obvious as the story went on that Belen was trying to be the best parent she could be and to her that was treating the girls the same, despite them being very different people. I loved how Tatum's relationships developed, not only with her family and the boy she liked but with her old friend and her new friends at the same time and how the focus on the story was on them.

The reason I gave this four stars instead of five was because I felt like it was just a little too easy at the end. Everything wrapped up a little too nicely, like all the family was bonded together, Tatum got her dream guy, her best friend apologised and they came back together. I liked it but it felt a little too squeaky clean at the end. And while I liked Blanche, I definitely didn't think she was all that great when it came down to it. I don't think the book would have been massively affected if Blanche had been removed as a character, except for missing out on some of Belen's backstory. Still, it was an enjoyable read.

When a shopping trip with her best friend and best friend’s boyfriend ends in an arrest for shoplifting, Tatum tries to convince her parents of her innocence. But instead of understanding that Tatum did nothing wrong, that it was all the creepy boyfriend’s fault, Tatum’s dad leaves her under the strict rule of her stepmother. Yay for summer house arrest.

As part of her punishment, Tatum works community service, where a friend challenges her to start her own business doing graphic design. As Tatum explores the possibility, she meets a charming boy looking for a website, and learns she and her stepsister may have something in common after all.

I liked spunky Tatum and the charming and mysterious boy she communicates with via email. The way the relationship unfolded drew me even further into the story. I liked that she ends up with a community of friends around her. I also liked the exploration of the relationship between Tatum and her stepmother. As a member of a blended family, I felt like that relationship read pretty true. Though she eventually comes to respect her stepmom, Tatum is pretty rude at different points in the story. She does regret her behavior later.

I thought it was cool to feature a character with interest in graphic design, especially one as entrepreneurial as Tatum. It added an interesting flavor to the story. Overall, this is a clean book and a light read. Fans of A Week of Mondays by Jessica Brody will appreciate Tatum’s quirkiness and wild attempts to fix things. The story might also appeal to readers who enjoyed That’s Not Hay in My Hair by Juliette Turner.

Sixteen year old Tatum is sure that this is going to be the worst summer of her life, stuck on house-arrest after being falsely accused of a crime (again). All she wanted was an afternoon out with her best friend, Ashlyn. Who knew that Ashlyn's delinquent boyfriend would come along and ruin it for everyone? Now Tatum's in trouble and stuck at home with her untrusting stepmonster all summer. Good thing her sympathetic and feisty abuela is coming in town for the summer to "help keep an eye on her".

What to do with all this newfound free time when she's not performing community service cutting down invasive plants in the heat? How about trading emails with a cute client of her covert graphic design business? With an ocean between them, it seems like the perfect opportunity to throw caution to the wind and let him know who she really is without fear of rejection. But over the course of the summer, Tatum will learn that sometimes going after what you want means breaking all the rules. How do you balance going after what you want with mending relationships and making other people happy?

This was a fantastic debut. I really loved this book and it is a true summer YA book. It's a quick read, the characters are great and well-fleshed out, and the story is very captivating. I would absolutely recommend this book and would love to read anything else written by this author.

It Started with Goodbye is CUTE! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I love that its a modern take on the Cinderella fairy tale. However, I felt like it was lacking a bit in terms of depth.

Don't get me wrong, this is a wonderful story that has a some awesome characters. WHO HAVE FUN HOBBIES. AND A CUTE SHIP. I just kept expecting there to be some greater level of meaning at some point, but there wasn't. That's okay, though. Here's a list of the things I loved about It Started with Goodbye:

The Hobbies!

Tatum, our main character, is a graphic designer! How awesome is that?! I feel like most books that I read have characters with pretty typical hobbies (like journaling, writing, photography). Which isn't bad, but it gets repetitive. So the hobbies in It Started with Goodbye were refreshing and exciting. Tatum's stepsister, Tilly, (who is NOT ugly or evil, by the way) loves dancing. And June actually goes into detail at times to give us some insight into that aspect of her life. And the cute boy who Tatum is emailing? He's a musician!

Family Dynamics!

OKAY! So first let me say that Tatum's parents are SUPER annoying throughout 75% of the book. But they mean well, so we can forgive them. Maybe it's just me and my personal experiences, but I felt like her parents were unrealistically strict and completely misunderstood the situation that Tatum was in.

I mean, sure, Tatum could have been in much worse danger because she allowed her best friend to bring her sketchy boyfriend along with them, but they were punishing Tatum for what could've happened instead of what actually happened. Which is really unfair. They could have found alternative ways to teach her that lesson. Besides, we as readers know that Tatum understands the lesson and acknowledges what she did wrong. Which made her parents' reactions so much more annoying. They all just needed to communicate better.

BUT, as the book comes to its turning point Tatum becomes closer to her stepsister and step-grandmother. And she begins to understand and value her stepmother's decisions as ones that are well-intended, although sometimes unbearable. It Started with Goodbye really highlights the importance of understanding, communicating, and appreciating your family, no matter what. I loved that.

Blanche!
Tatum's Step-Grandmother loves the Golden Girls!

Blanche is the fairy godmother in this Cinderella modernization, but she deserved MUCH more of a role than she got, I think. She was absolutely the best character in the book, yet I felt like she a bit underdeveloped as a character. Like she was a plot device to get Tatum's story where it needed to go. But it didn't feel completely authentic.

However, the parts we do get with Blanche are a thousand times better simply because she's in it. She has sass, but, like, classy sass. If that's a thing.

Overall?

This book is a wonderful take on the Cinderella story, but it's a bit more than just a retelling, too. Some parts of the story felt lacking (particularly Blanche's development) and the plot felt a bit unrealistic at times. But it is a fairy tale spin, so how realistic should it be?

The relationships in this book are lovely and will make you smile. This is a cute, fast summer read that really emphasizes the importance of friends and family!

★★★★

<blockquote><span style="color: #000000;"><b>"I cried for the girl constantly trying to force a connection, to find someone who took her at face value and didn't ask her to be something she wasn't. cried out for the doors that had closed and cried for the ones that might never open.."</b></span></blockquote>
<span style="color: #000000;">I didn't even know this was a retelling! Come to think of it, while I was reading the book I have this bubble of thought that says <i>'Gosh she's so much like Cinderella with what's happening to her lol' </i>I love how Christina June got a lot of the books scenarios and character attitudes from the original Cinderella and modernized it but not in a way that it will lost the FEELS of the original story.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;"><b>What I love about ISWG is that it's not a love story. But it's full of love. It's romantic. It's swoony. And most importantly, it's full of heart.</b> It started With Goodbye starts with our main character having the baddest day of her life and I like that. Because it just says that everything happens for a reason and bad things happening are actually a sign that GREAT things are ahead. Which is what happened with Tatums story. And <b>Christina June made such a readable story with a relatable set of characters.</b> Tatum is quirky, sweet, funny and authentic. She's not perfect. You'll scratch your head by some of her actions sometimes but that is the most wonderful part of reading a story, right? Getting affected by the characters actions that you're connected with them. Now, I'm not sure if I'm the only one who felt this way but Tate's parents are the only characters who I didn't like much (her father is present here unlike from the original and she also has a stepmother) but I guess the author really designed them that way. The important thing though was that they helped a lot with Tatums character development.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;"><b>The book has a lovestory as well that will also make you think of the original Cinderella. I don't want to tell here how they met (hella cute), how did their love story progressed (swooooony) and what happened to their lovestory. You need to read the story for that, but one thing I can tell you is that even though the romance is not the highlight of the book, you won't stop talking and thinking about it (like what I'm doing right now) just because it was done beautifully. </b>There are a lot of winning relationships that is also part of the book such as friendships and family relationship. I specifically love the bond of Tatum and her abuela which is so delightfully sweet.</span>

<span style="color: #000000;">My rating is missing one star because ISWG started slow for me but despite of that, I would still recommend this book for contemporary lovers like me. <b>It Started With Goodbye is well written and full of charm that will just touch your heartstrings. The characters are authentic and the story will make you believe that you could be a Tatum as well who is still lovable and fearless despite the unfortunate circumstances surrounding her.</b></span>

After getting in trouble while just trying to look out for her best friend, Tatum finds her summer plans are not looking too good.

When I saw that this book was a Cinderella retelling, I expected it to center completely around the romance with her 'prince'.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the plot centered more around relationships with family and friends and learning to better understand others and yourself. It was refreshing to find that while there was a step mother, step sister, and crush-worthy guy, they were not just one-dimensional characters.

Tatum starts to take ownership of her feelings and actions as the book progressed and I think that's something that most teenagers learn to do. It felt very realistic. I do wish there had been more to her and her step mom's interactions, but I really enjoyed the growth of her relationship with her step sister Tilly.

4 stars

A short fun summer read. Main character Tatum is fun and sassy and is a refreshingly relatable protagonist. This was a charming romance story that will have you swooning.

For a more in-depth review watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFzBe...

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Tatum summer plans just got derailed. Tatum was the unwilling get away driver for her friends shoplifting adventure. Tatum is now sentenced to a summer of community service and parent inflicted house arrest. But then Tatum starts a graphic design business that helps her make new friends and maybe find romance.

This book was just cute and fluffy. At the most basic level this is a retelling of Cinderella with a charming modern spin.

It was so hard to adult while I was reading this book! All I wanted to do was read! I fell in love with the characters and found the story so very easy to relate to.

Let's talk about the MC. Tate is a very strong and very stressed teenager. Like most teenage girls, she sees the world around her only through her filter. She has a difficult time looking outside of herself to the way the world affects those around her. She is definitely oblivious to the effects that her choices have on others. The best part of her character, however, is that she overcomes all of these things. She grows in a way that we hope most teenagers do. I would LOVE to share this book with my students as the bildungsroman motif is one that they are currently living out.

Additionally, Tate's relationship with SK was so very organic! I loved that it grew and matured in a very realistic way instead of them being just thrown together. It was a reminder that love can develop in some of the most unlikely ways.

Lastly, I ADORED the way that June approached the Cinderella tale. I think she did a wonderful job of including all of the mystical parts while still keeping the story very true to life. Did real magic happen? No. Did it seem like magic to Tate and Tilly? You better believe it! The prince was perfect and the keychain was a wonderful alternative to the glass slipper! June promises her readers a wonderful tale and what she delivered was more magical than I had truly expected.

*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was an interesting read. I feel the first line really sparks that interest in the book and brings you in. There is a little cinderella theme, but I wouldn't call it a re-telling. I think it really brought up that we need to look at situations from multiple angles to understand how other people react or feel.
I definitely think, I wouldn't forgive the step-mom because she was very harsh and pretty much made her daughters feel they had to be #1, but they kinda explained how Tate may have misunderstood?? Definitely some tearjerker moments.
Another part I really liked was how the romance was not the main part of this story -- it was growing into being a better person, building friendships, and getting a start on life.

BUT, there were boring parts or 'mediocre moments, I could have done without. The climax wasn't even that disastrous... I honestly didn't realize it was the climax until... well, the end? So it just seemed like things magically got better on their own perhaps because of how Tate's mind frame changed?

Anyhow, I did enjoy reading it and I read it quite quickly. I recommend this to people who like reading contemporary, but perhaps don't want to drown in romance.

I enjoyed the writing style of this book and appreciated the clearness of this book. I would definitely recommend this book for my 13 year old daughter. For me, it was just a story with a theme that I've perhaps read too many times. It was predictable, but I did enjoy the characters and story line. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this YA novel.

It Started With Goodbye is a charming, modern adaptation of Cinderella. When sixteen-year-old Tatum finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, she ends up arrested and sentenced to a summer of community service and a hefty fine. Shortly thereafter her father leaves on a business trip, leaving poor Tatum alone with her overbearing and impossible-to-please stepmother and her perfect step-sister, Tilly.

Worst. Summer. Ever.

Or is it?

Despite being forced into manual labor and iced out by her bff, Tatum finds new friends and learns a lot about her family, friendships, and herself over the summer. With the encouragement of her “fairy godmother” (aka her stepmother’s mom), she starts a secret online design business. And begins flirting online with a client, her very own prince charming.

I loved the dialogue in this book. I would love to hang out with Tatum. I loved all of the characters actually, I thought they were very well rounded. The “evil stepmother” wasn’t really evil, she always meant well and just didn’t see eye to eye with Tatum. Neither of them communicated with each other very well. I loved the “fairy godmother”, she was a real gem, offering just the right advice when Tatum needed it. I even loved Tilly, the step-sister—the perfect daughter—who Tatum comes to realize maybe isn’t all that bad after all.

I’m not sure this is a book that will stay with me forever, but I truly enjoyed this story and the characters and would absolutely recommend it for fans of young adult fiction, and especially modern fairy tale retellings.