This cute story has a little bit of everything! A handsome cowboy, an adorable wiener dog, best friendships, and a happily ever after. Cindee Ellis has lived in Silver Creek all her life with her uncle and his wife Marge and daughter Priscilla. Cindee’s step aunt and step cousin are just as evil as in the traditional fairy tale, and Cindee is overworked, underpaid, and kept under their thumb by constant demands. Cindee works as a mechanic in her uncle’s garage and is a genius under the hood. One day her lifelong crush Henry Christensen arrives to get his truck detailed, and despite her grease splattered clothes and tongue tied shyness, he actually flirts with her.
I love a good makeover story, and I love a story where the girl is just as strong, independent, and knowledgeable as the love interest. This novella has both. The traditional gender role reversals are so well done. Even though the story is narrated by Cindee, it’s easy to see why Henry likes her so much. She’s strong, funny, and smart to boot. Her low self esteem caused by her living situation and family background is believable and it was great to tag along and watch her finally stand up for herself.
I really didn’t want the story to end, I wanted to hear more about this adorable couple. Luckily there’s a short story from Henry’s point of view called Henry’s Courage available online.
The narrator was perfect, her pace was spot on and her twang fit the story so well. A lot of Cindee’s dialogue in the beginning of the story was in her head, and Angie Hickman did a good job differentiating between what was spoken aloud and what was not. This is my second story by the narrator and I can tell she’s one to follow! I was given a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.