First things first, as the title of the novel would suggest, this is a modern retelling of the classic Cinderella fairy tale. I’ll admit, the first couple chapters of the book didn’t sell themselves to me, mainly because they first had me thinking of the movie A Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray. With the California setting, the e-mail pen pals, and the credit card loving step family, it seems like this could have been the novel used as the basis for the movie, except that of course, it’s not. Cindy’s father is still very much in tact, her step mother isn’t entirely evil, just incredibly materialistic, and the majority of Cindy’s at-home-work consists of watching her baby brother.

I am however, a big fan of re-imagined fairy tales, and did get into the book though I gave it a chance. I especially liked that despite the attitude Cindy takes on concerning the Prom, she still acts like a regular teenage girl throughout the rest of the book. There’s a crush on the popular guy, agonizing over her appearance, and junk food binges with her friends. Of course, even with all that she isn’t your typical fairy tale princess either. Cindy considers herself a bit of a feminist, not necessarily depending on Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet at a ball.

I also like that Cindy doesn’t just hate Prom because she doesn’t have a date. A lot of teen stories chalk up the dislike of typical high school social situations to not having a boyfriend or girlfriend to share them with. Cindy dislikes what Prom has become compared to what it used to be. She wants it to be a right of passage like you see in the movies, not an endless array of the right make-up or the perfect pair of heels. Seen through Cindy’s eyes, it is easy to understand why Prom does not rank high on her “to do” list.

A fun read, it’s probably one of the better books I would classify as “teen chick lit,” and definitely worth a quick read.