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booksnbeanies's review
3.0
Book Review | Hello, Cruel Heart by Maureen Johnson
Hello, Cruel Heart by Maureen Johnson
YA, Historical Fiction, Contemporary
Disney Press | April 6th, 2021
3/5 Stars
Estella has been an orphan for years. Staying alive by stealing only what she needed and living in an abandoned building with her friends Jasper and Horace. When Estella meets Magda and Richard Moresby-Plum, she is thrust into this whole new world of the rich and she begins to contemplate whether she deserves more in life. Estella begins living a new life, even now dating an up and coming rockstar, but it doesn’t last forever.
I can honestly say that I don’t remember much about 101 Dalmatians or Cruella DeVil. It was fun to read about teenage Estella and how Cruella came to be.
This book was perfectly paced and definitely an interesting read. I really enjoyed learning about Estella, but I also enjoyed the time period. It’s swinging London, with all these rich people just spending their money, wandering and staying in everyone’s super mansions, and talking about things you could only imagine.
Estella’s ups and downs throughout the story were crucial to her development and I’m glad I had a chance to read this book and learn about Estella, now Cruella.
I’m super excited to see the movie about teenage Cruella with Emma Stone coming out this year, so I guess this was a great book to read ahead of time.
Thank you, NetGalley and Disney Press for this arc in return for an honest review.
Hello, Cruel Heart by Maureen Johnson
YA, Historical Fiction, Contemporary
Disney Press | April 6th, 2021
3/5 Stars
Estella has been an orphan for years. Staying alive by stealing only what she needed and living in an abandoned building with her friends Jasper and Horace. When Estella meets Magda and Richard Moresby-Plum, she is thrust into this whole new world of the rich and she begins to contemplate whether she deserves more in life. Estella begins living a new life, even now dating an up and coming rockstar, but it doesn’t last forever.
I can honestly say that I don’t remember much about 101 Dalmatians or Cruella DeVil. It was fun to read about teenage Estella and how Cruella came to be.
This book was perfectly paced and definitely an interesting read. I really enjoyed learning about Estella, but I also enjoyed the time period. It’s swinging London, with all these rich people just spending their money, wandering and staying in everyone’s super mansions, and talking about things you could only imagine.
Estella’s ups and downs throughout the story were crucial to her development and I’m glad I had a chance to read this book and learn about Estella, now Cruella.
I’m super excited to see the movie about teenage Cruella with Emma Stone coming out this year, so I guess this was a great book to read ahead of time.
Thank you, NetGalley and Disney Press for this arc in return for an honest review.
paperbacks_and_ponytails's review against another edition
2.0
This was a really interesting concept. I love learning new backstories for Disney characters. It started out really interesting, and I'm hoping there might be a sequel to it. But the story ended up being really slow for me in the end, not really a solid plot for me.
reading_rachel's review against another edition
3.0
I received this ARC via NetGalley, and it was good but just kind of meh. I love Maureen Johnson, but Estella wasn’t my favorite main character, and really no one in the novel was great. I tend to connect to characters, and this book didn’t really have many (maybe Betty?). It’s fun for a little 1960s London fashion/music scene.
bookstobarbells's review
4.0
What a fun little gem. More of a 3.5 than a true 4, but the cover is so gorgeous that I’ll let it round up.
While it took me a little while to read, it wasn’t for any negative reason. The air of London in the 60s was fun and electric. It was nice being lost in the music and colors that were all so vividly described. As someone who has never been there, I felt truly immersed in the town as if I have been. It also really helped play into the storyline, which helped.
I felt that we were able to see Estella as her own character as well as see the development into Cruella. I love how she found Jasper and Horace and that we were able to see their relationship blossom. I felt that her fashion background was embedded well into the storyline and their lifestyle without feeling like a pipe dream.
I also felt like it had just enough characters to make it feel full and fleshed out without being too overwhelming for a one-off. You have someone to root for, someone to root against, and someone to question. I enjoyed the development of Estella as she was exposed to more of the socialite scene too.
Overall, this was definitely a fun and enjoyable read. Any Disney fan would appreciate it.
While it took me a little while to read, it wasn’t for any negative reason. The air of London in the 60s was fun and electric. It was nice being lost in the music and colors that were all so vividly described. As someone who has never been there, I felt truly immersed in the town as if I have been. It also really helped play into the storyline, which helped.
I felt that we were able to see Estella as her own character as well as see the development into Cruella. I love how she found Jasper and Horace and that we were able to see their relationship blossom. I felt that her fashion background was embedded well into the storyline and their lifestyle without feeling like a pipe dream.
I also felt like it had just enough characters to make it feel full and fleshed out without being too overwhelming for a one-off. You have someone to root for, someone to root against, and someone to question. I enjoyed the development of Estella as she was exposed to more of the socialite scene too.
Overall, this was definitely a fun and enjoyable read. Any Disney fan would appreciate it.
peneloperea's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you, NetGalley and Disney Press for providing Hello, Cruel Heart by Maureen Johnson in exchange for my honest review.
I jumped at the opportunity to read Hello, Cruel Heart because meeting Cruella devil pre 101 Dalmatians seemed like a no-brainer. We meet Cruella at the age of 16 and her name is Estella. She’s an orphan, living in a Lair with two boys she meets after her mother died. They taught her how to survive and to be a skillful thief. Horace and Jasper are her family. Her best friends. I personally wish we got to know them better, unfortunately, they had small side parts. Important to Estella…
Anyway, 16-year-old Estella randomly runs into twins, Magda and Richard who are posh, spoiled socialites who are bored and looking for some excitement. Estella is a gifted fashion designer with a fantastic eye for detail and Magda and Estella connect, as much as you can connect with someone who looks down on you. Through the twins, Estella meets Peter, a musician in a local band. She likes that he does all the work for the bad, but she’s frustrated that he’s not getting all the attention, and she offers to design him an outfit for their television debut. Estella’s life goes from stealing fabric to having fabric she’s never dreamed of, handed to her by Magda. She is thrust into the life to London social scene, but is she really?
Throughout the story, we see glimpses of Cruella, but in truth, she felt almost like an afterthought. I really wanted to like this one, but I am not the main age group and perhaps it will work for some younger readers. For me, I had so many questions that were never answered. I waited to learn the story of Cruella, but it really gets glossed over. I just wanted more…
I jumped at the opportunity to read Hello, Cruel Heart because meeting Cruella devil pre 101 Dalmatians seemed like a no-brainer. We meet Cruella at the age of 16 and her name is Estella. She’s an orphan, living in a Lair with two boys she meets after her mother died. They taught her how to survive and to be a skillful thief. Horace and Jasper are her family. Her best friends. I personally wish we got to know them better, unfortunately, they had small side parts. Important to Estella…
Anyway, 16-year-old Estella randomly runs into twins, Magda and Richard who are posh, spoiled socialites who are bored and looking for some excitement. Estella is a gifted fashion designer with a fantastic eye for detail and Magda and Estella connect, as much as you can connect with someone who looks down on you. Through the twins, Estella meets Peter, a musician in a local band. She likes that he does all the work for the bad, but she’s frustrated that he’s not getting all the attention, and she offers to design him an outfit for their television debut. Estella’s life goes from stealing fabric to having fabric she’s never dreamed of, handed to her by Magda. She is thrust into the life to London social scene, but is she really?
Throughout the story, we see glimpses of Cruella, but in truth, she felt almost like an afterthought. I really wanted to like this one, but I am not the main age group and perhaps it will work for some younger readers. For me, I had so many questions that were never answered. I waited to learn the story of Cruella, but it really gets glossed over. I just wanted more…
cat_finds_the_time's review against another edition
5.0
This EXCEEDED my expectations! In all honesty, I went into this book not expecting to like it. I usually don't like books like this because, given that it's a prequel of a villain, I know how it's going to turn out. I was shocked that, despite my predetermined thoughts, I was so enthralled by the book. I'm only slightly disappointed because I sometimes feel like I'm really generous with my reviews and I was thinking, "This is awesome! I can give a book an average review instead of an amazing one." Nope! I loved this book way too much for me to give it any less than 5 stars. I'll even give it a 4.5 if I'm being stingy. While there are other books out there that I'm completely and utterly in love with, I love this story in a different way. If that makes any sense. If it confuses you, then imagine how I feel reviewing books with my complicated emotions towards each one I read!
Moving on now...
One thing that I didn't even notice I liked about the book until I practically binge read it, was that the story flowed very smoothly. I was caught up in Estella's life and personality. The author also did a good job of showing hints of Estella's darker side out in order to paint a picture of how she, at some point in her life, become the villain we all know and... love? I don't know anymore because my feelings towards Estella/Cruella are all befuddled now! A little part of me kind of wished to see more of Estella's darker side, though, because it would just paint her future character in so much more detail. I did enjoy the moments where we saw Cruella peek out of Estella's normal personality, but they were few and far between, in my opinion.
There was a part towards the end of the book that I feel could've been built up to a little better throughout the story, but the more I think about it, the more I see that if Estella didn't see the build-up, then we probably wouldn't have either. I don't know... I still kind of wish there had been hints here and there. But because it was such a minor part of the overall story, it didn't bother me too much and I was still able to love the book.
Well, there you go! I really loved this book so much more than I thought I would and it's given me a much larger love for this Disney villain than I thought I could ever get.
Moving on now...
One thing that I didn't even notice I liked about the book until I practically binge read it, was that the story flowed very smoothly. I was caught up in Estella's life and personality. The author also did a good job of showing hints of Estella's darker side out in order to paint a picture of how she, at some point in her life, become the villain we all know and... love? I don't know anymore because my feelings towards Estella/Cruella are all befuddled now! A little part of me kind of wished to see more of Estella's darker side, though, because it would just paint her future character in so much more detail. I did enjoy the moments where we saw Cruella peek out of Estella's normal personality, but they were few and far between, in my opinion.
There was a part towards the end of the book that I feel could've been built up to a little better throughout the story, but the more I think about it, the more I see that if Estella didn't see the build-up, then we probably wouldn't have either. I don't know... I still kind of wish there had been hints here and there. But because it was such a minor part of the overall story, it didn't bother me too much and I was still able to love the book.
Well, there you go! I really loved this book so much more than I thought I would and it's given me a much larger love for this Disney villain than I thought I could ever get.
haveyoumetlisa's review against another edition
2.0
I usually love Maureen Johnson's books, and the upcoming Cruella movie looks like fun, so I thought I'd try this book out. It should not have taken two weeks for me to read it, but I just could not get into it. It is a character study, with no real plot driving the story, which I was not prepared for and added to the drag. Also, this book is not about a teenage Cruella, it's about a teenage Estella, and how people are kind of mean to her, so she embraces meanness in the last two pages. It was very anticlimactic and boring, and I don't know how it leads into the movie, but I hope the movie is better.
SPOILER! Cruella is a personality inside of Estella...? Cruella is definitely a distinct voice in her head, who appears some times, and others recognize that something "was Cruella, not Estella". But the book does not dive into dissociative identity disorder or mental illness, it just vaguely hints at it with seemingly no understanding of the real condition, only pop psychology, which is kind of awful.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy for review, all opinions are my own.
SPOILER! Cruella is a personality inside of Estella...? Cruella is definitely a distinct voice in her head, who appears some times, and others recognize that something "was Cruella, not Estella". But the book does not dive into dissociative identity disorder or mental illness, it just vaguely hints at it with seemingly no understanding of the real condition, only pop psychology, which is kind of awful.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy for review, all opinions are my own.
tinyashtravels's review against another edition
5.0
This book is NOT a replica of the new Cruella movie. The beginning and a small part at the end match but it’s more of a young adult/teen romance. I didn’t enjoy the plot as much as I would have in my teen years but I loved the ending and it’s such a quick read.
phillybear's review against another edition
4.0
If you've seen the new live action Cruella you'll enjoy even more back story in this fascinating look into the posh mid 60's in London.
lizkatiereads's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of Cruella before she became cruel. Estella is sixteen and is quite the troublesome teen in London during 1967. A vibrant red head by disguise with a knack for making clothes, and being quite the thief. However, her schemes for stealing were paired with Jasper and Horace, and they all lived together in a lair. She was smart and creative, and seemed like she longed for so many things. Estella was the one with “skunk hair”, and so she was bullied. But in true Cruella fashion, Estella always got even. As she delves into the fashion world and the busting 60s in London she meets up with new friends, but are they right for her? Will all of this newness change up Estella to Cruella for the taking?
We have always seen the dark side of Cruella in all other portrayals up until now, but with really no notion of the how or why. This book gives her back story when she has some shred of good in her and how she was starting out as a young teen. We often wonder how many of the Disney villains get to where they are and this helps bring light to some of that, leaving room for more of “Estella’s” story. I think it would be fun to potentially expand on this book or even explore this notion further on some background on other villains.
We have always seen the dark side of Cruella in all other portrayals up until now, but with really no notion of the how or why. This book gives her back story when she has some shred of good in her and how she was starting out as a young teen. We often wonder how many of the Disney villains get to where they are and this helps bring light to some of that, leaving room for more of “Estella’s” story. I think it would be fun to potentially expand on this book or even explore this notion further on some background on other villains.