Book Review: CINDER & ELLA by Kelly Oram

Book:  Cinder & Ella

Author:  Kelly Oram

Publisher:  Bluefields

Genre:  YA Romance Fiction

“You’re a weirdo”- Ella

“I am not.  You love me.”- Cinder

“Yes you are, and yes I do.  Goodnight cinder.”- Ella

“Goodnight Ella. I love you, too.”- Cinder

Blurb via Goodreads:

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.

My Synopsis:

Ellamara needs a good support system.  She has lost her mother and is in recovery after being in a coma from a horrible car accident that left her scarred for life.  There is only one person she trusts above all, her best friend Cinder, whose shadow she has never even seen.  

Photo Credit:  Goodreads

Having met on the internet and communicated only for two years running, all they know is that they’re both huge fans of a book series, the first one of which is being turned into a movie starring Hollywood’s IT boy, Brian Oliver.  What Ella did not know is that Cinder and Brian are one and the same.

Now Ella has to live the father who abandoned her when she was eight, with the family he left her for:  a beautiful but tactless stepmother, a vicious stepsister and another seemingly indifferent one.  Finding a new friend in their classy private school full of cruel kids seems impossible until she befriends a fellow outcast Vivian and miraculously, one of the hottest jocks in school, Rob.

Ella renews her friendship with Cinder, telling him of her accident, but not of her physical scars, nor the fact that she tried to commit suicide months before.  Things get better slowly until the day Ella finally meets Cinder in person.

My Review:

I came across this book on Amazon as I was surfing for newly released books.  I wasn’t familiar with any of author Kelly Oram’s work but since I have always loved Cinderella and am intrigued by fairy tale retellings, I figured I should give this a try.  I didn’t expect I’d fall deeply in love with the story. 

It’s not just the way the story played out, it’s also the development of the characters. Oram wrote this in such a way that though I never went through any of the horrible things Ella did, I could still relate to how she was feeling at any point.  Her frustrations, insecurities and constant emotional and physical pain were so powerful, I had to fight back tears every few chapters.  Her anger at her father, fear of rejection, and the ugly words directed at her every single day from everyone except Cinder….they were so heartbreaking. 

Cinder, my new hero….he is a good man, the best with Ella, but he could be unforgiving with everyone else especially his movie co star Kaylee whom he hates.  He loves Ella, it’s as simple as that.  No scar, no distance can take that away from them.  It is true love at its core, and is it not every woman’s fantasy to have the biggest star on earth fall deeply in love with her?

With the support characters, I can’t help but love both Vivian and Juliette.  The way with which Juliette slowly turned to become Ella’s closest supporter is touching.  And Rob, wonderful, delicious, sweet Rob.  He deserves his own book, and a woman just like Ella.

This is a wonderful, beautiful read.  If the author intended to squeeze every emotion from my soul then she clearly succeeded.  This is not a book I will be letting go of for a very long time.  I love Cinder & Ella.