Stepping Out

Cindy Ella’s Not So Glassy Slipper

By: Zil Zugar

Narrated by: Amanda Woldt

In InstaVania, life is all about the perfect post, the perfect look, and the perfect following. But for Cindy, stuck managing her stepfamily's influencer dreams and their chaotic Airbnb, the world of likes and hashtags feels more like a digital prison.

When the kingdom announces a lavish royal ball—complete with reality TV coverage—Cindy is swept up in a whirlwind she never asked for. With the spotlight suddenly on her and a pair of glittery Crocs at her feet, she soon discovers that life outside the screen isn’t always what it seems.

Join Cindy on a hilariously unpredictable journey where social media meets real life, and dreams collide with reality. In a world obsessed with appearances, can she find something real?

Witty, heartwarming, and full of unexpected twists, Stepping Out is a modern-day fairytale with a fresh take on love, identity, and finding your own path.

©2024 Zil Zugar (P)2025 Zil Zugar

Cinderella story with reality tv

It’s a great listen if you like your books/ audio to have a reality tv element in them.

modern cinderella

short story that uses the Cinderella story line. ok story but nothing to yonpull you into the story

Clever and relevant retelling

This retelling of the classic fairy tale carries a perfect message. I love the delivery by the voice actor. Amanda brings the characters to life while underscoring the real resonance behind the social media fluff...authenticity is still valued in a world gone sour. I loved this playful, interesting and thought-provoking rendition. Entertaining and but also heartfelt.

Social media morality tale for... teens?

Story: it was a cute take on a typical Cinderella tale set it a modern time. The lesson is a bit heavy-handed, with the entire populace chasing a perfect online image to their own detriment and apparently only one non-influencer in the whole place shows them what authenticity looks like. The thoughts and comments of the characters get repetitive and the social media references probably won't age well, but I could imagine this being a message that some early teens need to hear. overall okay but might need more editing to get people to stick it out to the end.
Note that there's a prologue that's more accurately a book-jacket description, probably skippable.
Narration was pretty good! Good voice acting on the characters. there's a falling intonation at the end of every sentence thing that took me a little while to get used to.
I listed for free in exchange for an honest review

Well Done!

Amanda Woldt amd Zil Zugar both did a fantastic job on this updated cinderella story. very enjoyable.