It Started With Goodbye - Book Review
Christina June's debut in YA fictions echoes the fairy-tale of Cinderella, adding a modern, relatable element to it. It Started With Goodbye captures readers at the first page, and doesn't let go until the last.
16-year-old Tatum, innocently involved in a crime, has a very bleak summer ahead of her. Facing the imprisonment of her stepmother (aka stepmonster), the silence of her best friend, the absence of her father and the chills from her 'ice-queen' stepsister, Tatum needs to get out of the house.
She has only two ways to break free of her prison of a home. The community service project or her 'babysitting'. With her stepmother recording her mileage, there does seem to be no way of escape.
The only stars in the night sky are her step-grandmother...or fairy godmother, and her secret graphic design business. Her contact with one client, interested in creating an online portfolio, soon becomes casual and then borderline flirtatious. Tate, as she introduces herself to him, is eager for the chance of a fresh start.
Although she can see light through the jail bars, her stepmother's harshness is inexplicable.
Christina June portrays her characters in a way that is real, especially Tatum, her step-grandmother, stepmother and stepsister. Each protagonist and antagonist has a distinct personality that many books lack.
There were many side elements and storylines that had a potential 'all-over-the-place' effect. Instead, these storylines added interest and were nicely woven into the main story.
It Started With Goodbye was a book I would gladly read before bed; a book I would pick up for a light read. For teenagers who have never read YA fiction or for teenagers who know and love the genre, It Started With Goodbye must be added to their reading list.
