Ella was just a normal girl before she was swept away to a castle with her prince but is her life really as picture-perfect as she expected it to be? Ella Brown isn’t as happy in the palace as she expected. She’s uncomfortable about the new rules that surround her. She has spent so long doing everything herself she has no idea what to do when she is now expected to have everything done for her. Ella got to where she is now all by herself and now, she has to wonder, is here really where she wants to be?
I have always loved fractured fairy tales. I can't think of any that have been a miss for me, but Just Ella hit it out of the park in a different way. I think this book could be an interesting read not only for other fans of fractured fairy tales but also for other people too. I loved Ella. She is brilliant and determined and she has the power to take on the world. Ella Brown made her fairytale happen all on her own, with no fairy godmother to help her, and I love that about her. This is a short read, but I would have been willing to hang out with the protagonist for far longer. I’m not saying every person would like this book, but the main character had a realism and down-to-earth nature that other fractured fairy tale protagonists sometimes lack. Her goals feel more human than some other protagonists do. She just wants to live a good life, the way all of us do, and refuses to take the crap thrown at her and that makes it very easy to love her. The other characters are also interesting too, but I feel like I might sort of spoil things if I mention them too much. This book does have a poorly portrayed character who is implied to have an intellectual disability. It is rather outdated since it was written in 1995. These problems shouldn’t be overlooked but overall, I enjoyed the book. It was unexpected and enjoyable, and I would recommend it. I think this could reach a far larger audience than some fractured fairy tales and it stands alone from the fairytale it's tied to. I think it’s worth at least picking it up and reading a couple of pages to see if you like this Ella as much as I do.