[BLOG TOUR] Review + Giveaway: Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram

Hello! Welcome to my stop on the Cinder & Ella Blog Tour. Pretty soon you'll be hearing me rave about it and there's an international giveaway at the end of this post. Check out the other stops HERE.

Cinder & Ella
by Kelly Oram
Published: October 1, 2014



BUY LINK: Amazon

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.

I know plenty of books with a storyline like this. The guy is a superstar, the girl is a "commoner".. you know the drill. There's Breathe by Abbi Glines which I didn't like, and This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith which I really liked. But so far, Cinder & Ella is by far the best I've read.

When I first learned about Kelly’s new book all I knew was that it's about a normal girl and a movie star who happen to “know” each other online, and that I have to read it simply because it’s a Kelly Oram book (even if it’s still not Remember Jamie Baker). So color me shocked a few chapters in to it. At first I was, Brian Oliver.. okay. But here's what you need to know: Kelly Oram boys are meant to be loved. Brian Oliver is no exception. But hold up just a minute. Did Kelly say anything about this before? Brian Oliver being THE Brian Oliver? Coz I didn’t get the memo.

Brian Oliver who was practically a blip in the V is for Virgin duology that I couldn't even remember his name but whom I was thankful for because he made Kyle break-up his wedding? I seriously did not expect this book to be about him until I read chapter 3 and wondered why Adrianna Pascal’s name sounded so familiar. When I made the connection I just about freaked, saying ‘Holy crap, holy crap’ over and over again.

I got over it pretty much after a few pages. I resumed to being an emotional mess by then. What the heck is wrong with this book? It’s so full of hurt it made me cry since the first chapter. Ella's story is.. I can't even begin to explain it. What I first thought to be a book that would make me swoon the whole time (didn't read the summary, remember?) turned out to be something more. I mean, everything turned brighter when Cinder was finally in the picture, but with his and Ella's relationship limited to screen names, hidden identities and online messages, both had to deal with the difficult reality behind the scene.

I really, really liked both characters. Ella is a blogger and it's because of it that she became bestfriends with Cinder in the first place. There was nothing coincidental on how these two "met". It's one of the things I loved most about the book - how their relationship started and developed throughout. The story is not entirely about the problem of how the prince wins the girl's heart. Actually, most of it deals with family issues and Ella dealing with the aftereffects of her accident, how she was able to gain true friends despite that, and to resolve the conflict she has with her father. And all of that made my heart squeeze like mad. There was one scene that’s so heartbreaking it would crush every book obsessed person’s soul out there. I am not exaggerating. When I read that part I was like, holy emm - UNACCEPTABLE and thought that if it ever happens to me, I will most likely not be able to recover from such loss. Just thinking about it is unbearable. Hands up if you know what I mean.

Cinder & Ella (the book, not the characters) is perfect for book lovers out there especially bloggers, vloggers, reviewers or anyone who's just as passionate about books as Ella and Cinder. It's very relatable, Ella's suffering and Brian Oliver's famous-ness aside. There were so many references which is way cool. There's a FANTASY CON. I fell in love with The Druid Prince even if I had no idea it exists - it doesn't. I googled it. But still, I'm pining. Methinks Kelly should write this book under the name L.P. Morgan. Haha. And let's not forget, BRIAN OLIVER aka Cinder. Obviously there is romance. Yes, it's awesome. The book is awesome. Cinder and Ella, their banters, Cinder's flirting, Ella's immunity to it, the two of them being bestfriends.. it's all awesome. And awesome in my book means "you need to read it too".

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“Yeah, I know what you mean. The fact that we’ve never met has always been my favorite thing about our relationship.”

“Why?”

“I guess in person it’s hard for people to see past the outer me—the looks, the money, the car, the connections—but since you can’t see those things, you only see the real me. It’s nice.”

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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 named Mr. Darcy.

Author Links:

Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website

GIVEAWAY:

International

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