Isabella and the Slipper

by Victorine E. Lieske

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When Isabella accidentally switches phones with Chase Hawkins, the hottest guy in school, she finds herself making an unexpected connection with her secret crush. There’s only one problem: her awful stepmother and two horrible stepsisters would freak out if they knew. Plus, she’s sure Chase will run if he finds out he’s been texting the school nobody. But things get interesting when he gets paired up with her in physics class. Will it blow her cover?

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Book Details

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Subgenre

Fairytale

Audience

Young Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

1 None

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

1 None

Publication Date

December 17, 2021

Language Versions

English

Narration Type

Human

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Abuse (physical, emotional, or verbal), Kidnapping or abduction

Clever, well-written story

I don’t read a lot of contemporary novels, but Victorine Lieske is such a great writer, and I loved the concept behind the story I decided to give it a try. The premise is very clever, and despite being a thinly veiled retelling of Cinderella, there are twists and turns that keep the story fresh and engaging. The book is categorized as Teen/YA, but adults who enjoy sweet and clean stories should like Isabella. Even though the protagonist is young and I have no children, I found her very relatable through the use of internal dialogue and observations. My heart broke for her over the loss of her dad and the subsequent terrible situation. The author does a great job of immersing the reader in the thrills, chills, and nightmares of being a high school kid. The stepmother is truly evil, and I wanted to jump into the pages and give her a good shaking. The stepdaughters are also awful, the epitome of spoiled brats. I definitely rooted for the to “get what was coming to them.” The story tied up quickly and while some consider the ending a little too “over the top,” I loved it. Lots of action. A clean and delightful story by a wonderful author.

A Cinderella retelling

I knew from the start that it was a Cinderella type story but I found it more than just a retelling of a fairy tale.Isabella's mother had died several years earlier and her father, a famous painter, died just a year after remarrying. She considers herself nothing special and several times says she's "invisible". The story opens with her being sat on by another student during a pep rally as if proving to her that she truly is "invisible".
This story has the familiar elements of the traditional Cinderella story--the awful stepmother and stepsisters, the guy who doesn't know who she is, a "ball" or in this case a school dance and even locking her in a version of a tower aka an attic.
I liked Isabella and felt sorry for her from the start. She's just trying to get through her senior year of high school so she can move far away and go to college to study art. After school she works in the art gallery that used to be her father's, then goes home to paint, which is her passion and her escape.
She and "the prince" or hero of the story meet because of an accidental cell phone mix up. They get to know each other via texting and because she refuses to tell Chase her name he calls her Five. I liked Chase--he had his own issues to deal with at home--his mom wants him to become a famous actor but that's not what he wants. He was kind and saw Isabella for what she was--a smart, talented young woman. Unlike her stepsister who was chasing after him.
Isabella's web of little untruths gets tangled when the physics teacher pairs her and Chase for a physics project. Chase likes Five but also starts to like Isabella after spending time with her while they work on their project. I was interested to see how long it would take Chase to figure out his texting/phone buddy, Five, and his physics partner, Isabella, were the same person.
Of course I didn't like the "stepclan" as Isabella called her stepmother and stepsisters. They were all selfish and self absorbed, ignoring her and treating her cruelly in her own home, which was hers before it was theirs.
The last chapter kind of surprised me because it seemed a little over the top. I figured the stepmother would get caught and she and her daughters would get what was coming to them, but I didn't think she would get that desperate. Although I consider this a YA book I really enjoyed the story and will likely read other books by this author.

Cinderella, Case of Mistaken Identity, and Cell Phone Romance!

I really enjoyed this book. I mean, really. The story of Cinderella has been told many times, with dozens of movies and hundreds of books, and in every genre you can imagine. But this Cinderella story is up there as one of my favorites - right next to Cinder and Ever After. This is a believable, contemporary twist on the tale where Cinderella/Isabella is a teen stuck living with her step-whatevers, in high school, slaving away at the family business. Stepmom is twisted-weird, stepsisters are vain and ridiculous, but Isabella is absolutely awesome. She's talented, kind, a good friend, but very insecure about her place in the world.

I love the Charming character, too. Chase. He's Mr. Popular, but not Mr. Jerkface. He's kind, if a little wrapped up in his own world at first, and smart. A good kid with real problems.

The language is believable, between teens, and the texts add a lot of fun to the dialog between characters.

If I had just one complaint, it would be just the touch of snarky attitude toward traditional high school stereotypes. You only get a line or two with this going on. During the part where our character hopes the cheerleaders fail in their performance. :-(

Overall, a really enjoyable book. I finished it in an evening. Stayed up too late and everything. If you love Cinderella retellings and clean YA romance, this is perfect for you.

Epic Retelling of Cinderella

This book was the best retelling of the fairytale, Cinderella. A modern setting in LA, California with an abusive stepmother and two ditsy stepsisters and a slipper that fell off as our heroine ran from the formal dance, are a few key elements that make this fairytale makeover so excellent. Everyone will love this favorite fairytale delightfully told in a modern setting.
The accurate descriptions of high school life and the sweet text conversations pulled me right into the plot. Chase, our handsome prince, most-popular man in high school gets his phone switched with a quiet, walk-flower girl who is over-worked by her stepmother and teased by her step sisters. This begins an unusual but sincerely real relationship between our hero and heroine.
Throw in an up-and-coming art gallery and a talent for creating true masterpieces and a high school physics project and you have a delightful modern-day Cinderella. Ms. Lieske through her gifted writing has painted her own masterpiece in this retelling. Even though the storyline is familiar she writes a page -turning plot that will tempt you to read this book in one sitting. The electricity between the main characters turns the teen crush into perhaps something real and beautiful and yet everything is clean and appropriate.
Will Isabelle believe in her own worth and her value as a person, will Chase recognize who she really is and fight for her, or will the mean stepmother smother both of their plans so she can continue to live her high, rich life? This is one of the best, most epic retelling stories of Cinderella--a masterpiece!!!

Sweet, contemporary YA romance

Romance, sweet, contemporary, YA; some strong themes with some abuse
Isabella and Chase’s story, a contemporary YA retelling of Cinderella, was a fun, sweet retelling sling with all the step family pain of the original. More of a 3.5 for me as a reader.
VL does a great job telling this from alternating points of view. Chase figuring out who Isabella was and caring for her despite all of her insecurities and her step family’s machinations made this a lovely read. Two genuine honest hearts make for the best romance.