The Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy

Jess Parker thought her worst problems were avoiding Lexy Steele’s bullying and finding a friend. But when she is inducted as a member of the Cinderella Society, she learns about real problems. Sure, a fabulous makeover is part of the package, but catching the eye of her popular crush also invites stress about the real nature of their relationship. Then there’s the fact that Jess isn’t quite sure how to fit in with her new more popular friends. To top that off, as a Cindy, Jess is now involved in a battle against the Wickeds, girls who target and bully others. How is Jess supposed to prevail against the Wickeds when she can see herself being defeated so easily?

I suppose The Cinderella Society is a cute idea, but the problem with it is that it’s too simplistic. In addition, all the fairytale and various goddess metaphors are misleading or ill-used. The Cinderella Society is supposed to be a hub for girl power, but as I recall, Cinderella wasn’t exactly the most self-empowered woman. The naming of their enemies, the Wickeds, is rather generic, and I thought it unrealistic that a group of girls, no matter how mean, would ever call themselves that. Furthermore, the Wickeds’ parent organization was named for Athena just because she is the goddess of war. Cassidy seemed to forget that Athena is also the goddess for wisdom and weaving, which isn’t quite consistent with the Wickeds’ message. The actual story is not very engaging; it involves a lot of shopping, wanting to go shopping, and freaking out about boys. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if The Cinderella Society was a novel or a self-help book with all the empowering advice it was pushing. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with loving the skin you’re in, but its placement in this story made the entire thing rather unrealistic.

The Cinderella Society may be enjoyed by fans of the It’s All About Us series by Shelley Adina.

Rating: 2.5

Review copy from publisher EgmontUSA