Cindy Ella / Robin Palmer

Summary - Prom fever has infected LA-especially Cindy's two annoying stepsisters, and her overly Botoxed stepmother. Cindy seems to be the only one immune to it all. But her anti-prom letter in the school newspaper does more to turn Cindy into Queen of the Freaks than close the gap between the popular kids and the rest of the students. Everyone thinks she's committed social suicide, except for her two best friends, the yoga goddess India and John Hughes-worshipping Malcolm, and shockingly, the most popular senior at Castle Heights High and Cindy's crush, Adam Silver. Suddenly Cindy starts to think that maybe her social life could have a happily ever after. But there's still the rest of the school to deal with. With a little bit of help from an unexpected source and a fabulous pair of heels, Cindy realizes that she still has a chance at a happily ever after.

Review - Retelling a classic can be a tricky business and Cinderella is a tale that has been spun countless ways. I have been itching to read something of Robin Palmer's for awhile so when I saw the lone copy in Borders, I snatched it and almost ran to the counter. (I did resist the need to click my heels and do a jig.)

Cindy is an activist, in that she believes the prom is a big load of codswallop. She's stuck in the modern equivalent of Cinderella's hellish existence; a botoxed step-mother, two fashion tragic step-sisters, an infant half-brother and a workaholic father. While every single one of these can be cliched (and at times they were, often for comedic effect), Palmer was able to give them touches of humanity.

I very much enjoyed Cindy's besties; the hippie India and John Hughes-loving Malcom. Any book that heartily refers to John Hughes, creates a character that continually applies life to John Hughes movies, is my idea of a good time. They were well rounded and supportive of Cindy's attempts to swim against the high school current. However, I do wish they'd done more to curb Cindy's tendencies to declare her love for boys she barely knows.

The conclusion of the book was fairly predictable. I could see the identity of Brklyn Boy from an ocean away. I was pleasantly surprised that the protagonist's major stance of the movie was adhered to. There's nothing worse than a boy swaying a girl's firm held, rightful belief in something and we didn't see that here. In fact the love interest admired Cindy because of these opinions.

Palmer has created a witty retelling of Cinderella in a modern context. Her characters are amusing and entertaining, I am even more keen now to read Geek Charming.

Published: 2008
Format: Paperback, 264 pages
Publisher: Speak
Origin: USA
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