“I think maybe we're all a little broken. We just find the other people who are broken in the same places and help each other feel less alone.”
— Daniel reflecting on relationships and human connection.
Archivist's Choice
Finding Cinderella
Colleen Hoover (2013)
Genre
Young Adult / Romance
Reading Time
90 min
Key Themes
See below
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A fleeting, make-believe romance in the dark haunts a young man. A year later, he finds a new love, but a secret from his past threatens to shatter their future.
Synopsis
Eighteen-year-old Daniel meets a girl he calls 'Cinderella' in the dark. They spend a magical hour together, then she disappears. A year later, Daniel meets Six, an eccentric girl he quickly falls for. As their relationship grows, they discover a shared, difficult past. Six's brother, Holder, reveals that Daniel's 'Cinderella' was Six, and that Daniel's family was involved in the death of Six's younger sister, Sky, years ago. This news breaks their new romance. Six struggles with the betrayal and the secret Daniel unknowingly carried. Daniel then works to reconcile with Six and Holder, rebuilding their connection amid their intertwined histories and finding a way to heal together.
Reading time
90 min
Difficulty
Easy
Pacing
Moderate
Mood
Emotional, Romantic, Dramatic, Hopeful
✓ Read this if...
You enjoy emotionally charged YA romance with a significant secret from the past, characters dealing with grief and trauma, and a focus on healing.
✗ Skip this if...
You prefer lighthearted romance without heavy emotional themes or if you are sensitive to themes of childhood trauma and death.
Plot Summary
The One-Hour Fairy Tale
Eighteen-year-old Daniel hides in a dark coat closet during his father's engagement party. His mother recently died, and his father quickly remarried. A girl, later known as Six, accidentally enters the closet, also seeking a quiet place. In the dark, they share an intimate hour. They confess fears and desires, creating a make-believe love story. They agree to a 'one-hour love' that will end when they leave. They do not exchange names or see each other's faces clearly, making the experience feel like a fairy tale. When the hour ends, the girl leaves quickly, leaving Daniel with a strong, but brief, connection.
A Year Later: Meeting Six
One year after the closet meeting, Daniel is a college student. He recently broke up with Amy. His best friend, Holder, introduces him to his sister, Six. She is quirky, energetic, and eccentric. Daniel is immediately drawn to Six's personality and confidence, even with his lingering memories of the girl from the closet, whom he calls 'Cinderella.' He spends more time with Six, enjoying her company and their connection, though he often compares her to his 'Cinderella' fantasy.
Developing Feelings and Shared Histories
Daniel and Six's relationship grows. They share conversations and experiences, and Daniel falls for Six. Six talks about her difficult past, including the death of her younger sister, Less, years ago. This event greatly affected her family, especially Holder. Daniel still keeps his 'Cinderella' secret. He feels a growing connection with Six that goes beyond initial infatuation. He starts to think Six might be truly special, challenging his idea that his one-hour love was unique.
The Revelation of Cinderella
Daniel and Six discuss their pasts. Daniel tells the story of his one-hour love in the closet. He describes the setting, his feelings, and the girl's appearance and words. He does not realize the effect his words have on Six. As he describes the night, Six's mood changes. She recognizes the details, the timing, and Daniel's descriptions of his mother's death and his father's party. Through Six's reactions, Daniel realizes that the girl he met in the closet, his 'Cinderella,' was Six. The realization is both exciting and scary.
The Weight of the Secret
Six confirms she was in the closet. She admits she recognized him earlier but was afraid to say so because their first meeting felt special. However, the discovery also reveals a more painful, shared secret. Six says Daniel's mother, Meredith, was the driver in the car accident that killed Less, Six's younger sister. This truth breaks their romantic reunion, creating a huge emotional distance between them. The initial happiness of finding his 'Cinderella' is replaced by shock and heartbreak.
The Aftermath and Holder's Involvement
Daniel is shocked by the news about his mother's involvement in Less's death. He struggles to accept that his loving mother played a part in Six's family's tragedy. Six is also deeply affected, having carried this secret for so long. Holder, Six's brother, becomes important in the aftermath. It turns out Holder knew about Daniel's mother's involvement all along. He had tried to protect Six from Daniel, fearing their relationship would cause more pain. Holder's protectiveness, sometimes seen as anger, comes from his love for his sister and his grief over Less.
Seeking Forgiveness and Understanding
Daniel confronts his father, asking about his mother's accident. His father confirms the story, explaining the circumstances of the accident. He says his mother felt deep guilt and struggled with depression, which led to her suicide. Daniel learns his mother was driving under the influence of antidepressants and fell asleep at the wheel. This information gives Daniel a more complete, though tragic, picture of his mother's final years and the cause of her death. Daniel feels grief, anger, and a desperate need to fix things with Six.
Reconciliation and Hope
Despite the pain and their shared tragedy, Daniel and Six decide to try and make their relationship work. They acknowledge the difficulty but promise to support each other through their grief and trauma. Holder, after initial resistance, accepts Daniel and Six's connection. He realizes they truly care for each other and that their shared history, though tragic, also binds them. The story ends with Daniel and Six choosing to move forward, understanding that their love story is unusual and marked by sadness, but also by a powerful bond. They are committed to navigating their complex future together.
Principal Figures
Daniel
The Protagonist
Daniel moves from seeking temporary escape in fantasy to confronting harsh realities and choosing to build a loving relationship despite immense shared trauma.
Six
The Protagonist
Six transitions from guarding a painful secret to bravely sharing her truth and embracing a future with Daniel, despite their shared trauma.
Holder
The Supporting
Holder moves from anger and protectiveness stemming from grief to understanding and accepting Daniel and Six's relationship.
Less
The Mentioned
N/A (deceased)
Meredith
The Mentioned
N/A (deceased)
Amy
The Supporting
N/A (minor character, already broken up)
Daniel's Father
The Supporting
Transitions from being emotionally distant to providing Daniel with necessary truths about his mother and the accident.
Themes & Insights
Grief and Loss
The novel explores many forms of grief: Daniel's loss of his mother, Six and Holder's loss of Less, and the collective grief from the car accident. It shows how grief appears in different ways, from Daniel's initial emotional distance to Holder's anger. The characters learn to manage their losses, finding comfort and understanding through shared experience and facing painful truths. The story shows that grief is a continuous process.
“"Some people are just meant to be. And others are just meant to fall apart."”
The Power of Secrets
Secrets cause the main conflict. The initial secret of Daniel and Six's one-hour meeting creates a romantic mystery. The deeper, more devastating secret of Meredith's role in Less's death forms the core drama. The story shows how secrets, even those meant to protect others, can cause pain, misunderstanding, and emotional distance. Healing for Daniel and Six begins only when these truths are known, allowing for open communication and shared understanding.
“"The truth is, sometimes the lies are more beautiful."”
Love and Destiny
Love, especially 'love at first sight' or fated connection, is a main theme. Daniel and Six's first meeting is a magical, destined moment. The story asks if such intense, immediate connections can last through real-world problems and tragedy. It suggests that while initial sparks are powerful, true love requires facing harsh realities, enduring pain, and choosing to build a future together despite big problems. Their love story shows fate and resilience.
“"I think it's possible to fall in love with someone you've never met. I think you can fall in love with a voice, a personality, a soul."”
Healing and Forgiveness
Healing is a long and hard process for Daniel, Six, and Holder. They must deal with the trauma of Less's death and Meredith's role in it. The story explores how forgiveness, both of others and oneself, is important for moving forward. Daniel must accept his mother's actions. Six and Holder must manage their anger and pain to find acceptance and peace. Their ability to heal is tied to their willingness to support each other.
“"Sometimes the most beautiful stories are the ones that are never told."”
Plot Devices & Literary Techniques
The 'Cinderella' Trope
A modern twist on a classic fairy tale, creating mystery and idealized romance.
The 'Cinderella' trope is used to establish the initial mystery and idealized romance between Daniel and Six. Their one-hour encounter in the dark closet, where they don't exchange names and the girl rushes off, perfectly mirrors the fairy tale. This device builds anticipation and a sense of destiny, making their eventual reunion all the more significant. It also highlights Daniel's initial romanticized view of love, which is later challenged by the harsh realities of their shared past, grounding the fairy tale in a more complex truth.
Hidden Identity / Misdirection
The withholding of Six's identity from Daniel to build suspense and reveal a shocking twist.
The plot heavily relies on hidden identity, both in the initial closet encounter where Daniel and Six don't know each other's names or see each other clearly, and in Six's later decision not to immediately reveal herself as 'Cinderella' to Daniel. This misdirection builds suspense for the reader and Daniel, leading to the shocking revelation that Six is not only his 'Cinderella' but also the sister of the child killed by his mother. This device amplifies the emotional impact of the truth and complicates their burgeoning relationship.
First-Person Perspective (Daniel)
Narrative limited to Daniel's viewpoint, enhancing mystery and emotional impact.
The story is told entirely from Daniel's first-person perspective. This narrative choice allows readers to experience his confusion, grief, and growing feelings firsthand, making his journey of discovery more personal and impactful. By limiting the perspective to Daniel, the author effectively withholds crucial information, such as Six's identity and the truth about Less's death, until Daniel himself uncovers it. This enhances the mystery and surprise, drawing the reader deeply into Daniel's emotional world as he navigates these revelations.
The Closet as a Symbolic Space
A confined, dark space symbolizing intimacy, anonymity, and hidden truths.
The closet serves as a powerful symbolic space. Its darkness and confinement allow Daniel and Six to shed their inhibitions and connect on a deeply emotional, anonymous level, fostering an idealized intimacy. It represents a safe, secret haven where they can be vulnerable without the judgment of the outside world. Later, the closet's symbolic weight shifts as it becomes a place where a beautiful, hidden truth (their initial connection) is revealed, foreshadowing the later, more painful hidden truths that emerge from their shared past.
Critical analysis
Notable Quotes
“Sometimes the person you fall for isn't ready to catch you.”
— Daniel contemplating unrequited feelings.
“We're all just trying to find our way in the dark, hoping to bump into someone who makes us feel less lost.”
— Daniel's thoughts on life and companionship.
“Love isn't always about finding the perfect person. Sometimes it's about seeing an imperfect person perfectly.”
— Daniel realizing the true nature of love.
“The heart doesn't care about logic or reason. It just wants what it wants.”
— Daniel struggling with his emotions.
“Sometimes the most beautiful things come from the most unexpected places.”
— Daniel reflecting on how he met Six.
“We don't get to choose who we fall in love with. It just happens.”
— Daniel explaining the uncontrollable nature of love.
“The best kind of love is the kind that makes you a better person without changing you into someone other than yourself.”
— Daniel describing healthy love.
“Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find what you're really looking for.”
— Daniel on self-discovery through relationships.
“We're all just stories in the end. Make sure yours is worth telling.”
— Daniel contemplating life's legacy.
“The right person will love all the things about you that the wrong person was afraid of.”
— Daniel comparing past and present relationships.
“Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go but learning to start over.”
— Daniel dealing with heartbreak and moving on.
“Love doesn't make sense. You can't logic your way into or out of it.”
— Daniel frustrated by his feelings for Six.
“We're all searching for something. Sometimes that something is a someone.”
— Daniel on the human quest for connection.
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Key Questions (FAQ)
'Finding Cinderella' follows eighteen-year-old Daniel, who has a mysterious hour-long encounter in a dark maintenance closet with a girl he never sees. They pretend to be in love for that hour, then part ways like Cinderella. A year later, Daniel meets Six, a quirky girl with whom he falls in love, only to discover a devastating secret from their past that threatens their relationship.
About the author
Colleen Hoover is a prolific American author best known for her contemporary romance and young adult fiction. Her novels often explore complex emotional themes and relationships, resonating deeply with a large readership. Notable works include 'It Ends with Us', 'Verity', and 'Ugly Love', which have achieved widespread commercial success and bestseller status.
