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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Wonderful
A good quick read with a well developed plot and a happy ending. Warm and fuzzy feeling throughout the story and laughing out loud happened multiple times. Great for girls of all ages.
A good quick read with a well developed plot and a happy ending. Warm and fuzzy feeling throughout the story and laughing out loud happened multiple times. Great for girls of all ages.
Although it took me a while to get into this book, I really enjoyed it. Mattie and Ella were lovely characters and it was nice to see the interactions between them grow. A great feel good story.
This film was a cute rendering of a Cinderella type story from the ugly step sister's point of view. But nothing is as it seems in Mattie' s world and she's about to get all her misconceptions corrected, ala John Hughes style.
This book was in one of the "these eBooks are free, today only!" emails that I get, and I picked it up on a lark, not realizing that it was solidly Young Adult. I tend to avoid YA novels these days unless they're specifically recommended by people whose taste I trust-- there are so very many that are just 200 pages of angsty drama.
I'm really glad I did. This book is solidly written, well-paced, and full of teenagers who are believable. There's the requisite angst and drama, but it's heavily peppered with humor and self-realization and it just works. I laughed, I cried-- and it's a rare author who can make me care so deeply for a character that I shed actual tears for them. It's an even rarer author that can create a book I enjoy tremendously AND want to share with my nieces... so much so that I'm seriously considering buying the 12-year-old a Kindle just so that I can buy her this book to put on it.
Incidentally, the "get this eBook free!" ploy worked, because after finishing this book, I immediately went and bought the author's other works, and I'm looking forward to curling up with each of them.
I'm really glad I did. This book is solidly written, well-paced, and full of teenagers who are believable. There's the requisite angst and drama, but it's heavily peppered with humor and self-realization and it just works. I laughed, I cried-- and it's a rare author who can make me care so deeply for a character that I shed actual tears for them. It's an even rarer author that can create a book I enjoy tremendously AND want to share with my nieces... so much so that I'm seriously considering buying the 12-year-old a Kindle just so that I can buy her this book to put on it.
Incidentally, the "get this eBook free!" ploy worked, because after finishing this book, I immediately went and bought the author's other works, and I'm looking forward to curling up with each of them.
Bad name good book
I loved the book but when you read the title and description, i think of something totally different. Its not necessarily about striking back its about Tilly opening up to those around her and being herself. Her sister Ella isn't mean or out to get her. Once Tilly decided to be herself she found that, Ella, Jake, her father loved her still
I loved the book but when you read the title and description, i think of something totally different. Its not necessarily about striking back its about Tilly opening up to those around her and being herself. Her sister Ella isn't mean or out to get her. Once Tilly decided to be herself she found that, Ella, Jake, her father loved her still
"The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back" makes it seem like this is gonna be this huge, vengeance-y type type of thing. In reality, this is just... BORING.
And, as a Kindle user, if you're gonna do "bonus" material that is just scenes through another's prospect, just have it in line with the original story or not at all. Seriously, the last 30% of the book is not the book but materials that do nothing to initial story.
And, as a Kindle user, if you're gonna do "bonus" material that is just scenes through another's prospect, just have it in line with the original story or not at all. Seriously, the last 30% of the book is not the book but materials that do nothing to initial story.
This review and more at Sab The Book Eater
Don't let the cover fool you. Seriously. I admit to being skeptical about the book at first because of the cover and the Cinderella-inspired plot. But once I started reading it, I couldn't stop!
I just love how incredibly well written this book is. I liked that the story incorporated a few Cinderella elements into it without letting them take over. I also liked that the story tackled things that teenagers would normally experience: envy, self-doubt, first love and all the drama that comes between.
The characters were truly a delight to read! Mattie may have hated Ella's guts in the beginning, but she was in no way like the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella. Sure, she made a List of Grievances but she never acted out on them. She was pretty cool, in fact, drawing manga and being great a poker. I loved how quirky and snarky she was - it made her all the more relatable. I also liked her sense of humor! I cannot get enough of that. I had to highlight a few of her lines because she was just so funny. Observe:
Dad once said that if I hadn't looked so much like him he definitely would have had a paternity test done. The day you found out your mother was a skank was a very sad one.
I'm sorry but I found that really funny. Her personality made the story twice as enjoyable. She was never boring and I think she makes for a good example to teenage girls. She's strong and she's passionate. She may have had some stubborn moments when she found it hard to let go of her insecurities (she kept calling herself ugly but clearly she wasn't) but she was able to overcome that eventually. Matilda "Mattie" Lowe is definitely one of my favorite protagonists now.
Then we have Ella who seems annoyingly too good to be true. But when Mattie took the time to get to know her, she wasn't the sickeningly sweet girl Mattie thought she was. She was just... Ella. Cinderella and the fairy godmother all rolled into one... only more kickass.
Lastly we have Jake. Jake was sort of confusing at first because he's the nice popular jock who everyone adores but he treats Mattie like dirt (we all know why of course, duh). As the story progressed though Jake quit being such a bully to Mattie and showed who he truly was - this sweet, swoon-worthy guy who genuinely cares for her. I loved the all the subtle albeit confusing flirting Jake was doing with Mattie! The anticipation of getting to their happily ever after was actually one of my favorite things about the book. Some scenes really gave me butterflies. Woot!
I highly recommend The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back. Not only was it light and fun, it wasn't just a story - it teaches a lesson that I think a lot of young girls/teenagers should learn. It teaches girls to be confident and to come out of their shells............. I'm making it sound cheesy. It's not! Trust me. ;)
***I was given an e-copy of this book for review***
This review is based solely on my opinion.
Don't let the cover fool you. Seriously. I admit to being skeptical about the book at first because of the cover and the Cinderella-inspired plot. But once I started reading it, I couldn't stop!
I just love how incredibly well written this book is. I liked that the story incorporated a few Cinderella elements into it without letting them take over. I also liked that the story tackled things that teenagers would normally experience: envy, self-doubt, first love and all the drama that comes between.
The characters were truly a delight to read! Mattie may have hated Ella's guts in the beginning, but she was in no way like the ugly stepsisters in Cinderella. Sure, she made a List of Grievances but she never acted out on them. She was pretty cool, in fact, drawing manga and being great a poker. I loved how quirky and snarky she was - it made her all the more relatable. I also liked her sense of humor! I cannot get enough of that. I had to highlight a few of her lines because she was just so funny. Observe:
Dad once said that if I hadn't looked so much like him he definitely would have had a paternity test done. The day you found out your mother was a skank was a very sad one.
I'm sorry but I found that really funny. Her personality made the story twice as enjoyable. She was never boring and I think she makes for a good example to teenage girls. She's strong and she's passionate. She may have had some stubborn moments when she found it hard to let go of her insecurities (she kept calling herself ugly but clearly she wasn't) but she was able to overcome that eventually. Matilda "Mattie" Lowe is definitely one of my favorite protagonists now.
Then we have Ella who seems annoyingly too good to be true. But when Mattie took the time to get to know her, she wasn't the sickeningly sweet girl Mattie thought she was. She was just... Ella. Cinderella and the fairy godmother all rolled into one... only more kickass.
Lastly we have Jake. Jake was sort of confusing at first because he's the nice popular jock who everyone adores but he treats Mattie like dirt (we all know why of course, duh). As the story progressed though Jake quit being such a bully to Mattie and showed who he truly was - this sweet, swoon-worthy guy who genuinely cares for her. I loved the all the subtle albeit confusing flirting Jake was doing with Mattie! The anticipation of getting to their happily ever after was actually one of my favorite things about the book. Some scenes really gave me butterflies. Woot!
I highly recommend The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back. Not only was it light and fun, it wasn't just a story - it teaches a lesson that I think a lot of young girls/teenagers should learn. It teaches girls to be confident and to come out of their shells............. I'm making it sound cheesy. It's not! Trust me. ;)
***I was given an e-copy of this book for review***
This review is based solely on my opinion.
I like Wilson’s adult books better than her YA books but this one was still decent
THIS BOOK WAS ADORABLE!!!! It was suggested to me by a friend and I thought it sounded like a cute, fun read and boy was I right about that! Mattie is so lovable and I related to her so much. She's just that quirky type of girl and I totally felt like was the embodiment of myself. I just cannot explain how adorable it was. Yeah, it's a girly book and pretty predictable, but the happy ending was just to much. Let me say this - that ending was quite possibly the cutest, most adorable thing I have ever read and if someone did that for me I'd just be beside myself. I know it's a book for teens, but I think anyone would be happy with this book. It's just so cute. Cute is literally the only thing to describe this. Sariah Wilson, thanks for an amazing, CUTE book! Remember that fairy tales and dreams can come true!