I finished this story today and was quite underwhelmed unfortunately. It’s a Cinderella retelling, but apart from the step-mom and the two step-sisters - who weren’t the bad ones here - (and maybe the MC’s shoe obsession) there wasn’t really anything that linked this book to Cinderella.
Also, though I didn’t really have a problem with the writing style, I found the plot to be too all over the place, chaotic and in need of a golden thread pulling everything together.
Some plotpoints felt very random, and made me think that they were only there to stir something, but then the author abandoned those too early and I was left confused and disappointed.
For instance, some of the drama stemmed from the show runners having absolutely NO planning or organisation done which just doesn’t seem authentic. I mean, why wouldn’t you have clothing options for a plus sized contestant if you knew she would be part of the show - even if her place was confirmed later in the preparation schedule? I get that one adds points of potential drama in shows like that, but with the explanations of the show runners it didn’t feel like these instances were factured in as such dramatisation.
In addition, though I liked Cindy, there were a few situations in which I thought that her reaction or thoughts didn’t match her character that the author established beforehand.
All in all, it wasn’t a particularly bad book but it just left me wishing for more structure and more sense, I guess.
Also, I kept thinking about ‘One to Watch’ which also has a dating show as the main plot, but in my opinion OtW was more relatable, more authentic and less chaotic.
It’s 2.5 stars because of some cute scenes and the fact that it wasn’t overly quirky or bitchy (with what the premise of the book could’ve happened very easily).
