I wrote this post up a long time ago to share with you at some point. As this book has recently gotten a new cover, and is set at the unbelievable price of $0.99 this week, I thought I would share this true gem with you! And on a very positive note, this book is set to get a sequel in February of next year – YAY! So if you haven’t read this beauty yet, DO SO NOW!!
Book
It’s been almost a year since eighteen-year-old Ella Rodriguez was in a car accident that left her crippled, scarred, and without a mother. After a very difficult recovery, she’s been uprooted across the country and forced into the custody of a father that abandoned her when she was a young child. If Ella wants to escape her father’s home and her awful new stepfamily, she must convince her doctors that she’s capable, both physically and emotionally, of living on her own. The problem is, she’s not ready yet. The only way she can think of to start healing is by reconnecting with the one person left in the world who’s ever meant anything to her—her anonymous Internet best friend, Cinder.
…
Hollywood sensation Brian Oliver has a reputation for being trouble. There’s major buzz around his performance in his upcoming film The Druid Prince, but his management team says he won’t make the transition from teen heartthrob to serious A-list actor unless he can prove he’s left his wild days behind and become a mature adult. In order to douse the flames on Brian’s bad-boy reputation, his management stages a fake engagement for him to his co-star Kaylee. Brian isn’t thrilled with the arrangement—or his fake fiancée—but decides he’ll suffer through it if it means he’ll get an Oscar nomination. Then a surprise email from an old Internet friend changes everything.
Review
This is a great retelling of a classic story.
Ella loses her mum in a terrible accident leaving her in a coma and burnt over 70% of her body. When she regains consciousness, her mum is buried, she is in immense pain, and she is faced with months of surgery and rehab to get back to a somewhat normal life.
Ella had a blog in which she reviewed films and books. Through this blog she met Cinder, who over the course of 3 years became her best friend. Due to the accident they lose contact, and about 8 months later they reconnect online. They have never met in person, and don’t know each other’s true identity. So of course Ella doesn’t know Cinder is Hollywood’s dream boy Brian Oliver.
Ella is forced to live with her father who abandoned her and started a new family.
This story is amazing. The way Ella deals with her struggles and disabilities, how she faces her new family and deals with how they treat her is trulu inspiring. I found myself being totally sucked into this book, and feeling right along with her. This is not just a fluffy romance, but deals with a lot deeper matters in a way that doesn’t leave you feeling dark or down, but rather uplifted and hopeful.
This was the second book I read by Miss Oram, and got me hooked on her books. She has a fun style. I found myself rereading her last book, and am sure I will reread this one also. A real keeper!
About the Author
Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She’s obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.