Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of cursing.

Finding Cinderella is a romance story at its core, exploring the theme of the role of serendipity in love through the novella’s events. Serendipity is defined as a chance occurrence and the subsequent development of events in a happy or beneficial way. Serendipity plays a significant role in Six and Daniel’s love story, from their chance encounter in the maintenance closet to the rekindling and development of their relationship after a year apart. The love story between Daniel and Six may begin as luck or chance, but as their relationship progresses, it becomes clear that serendipity is not enough to create a lasting relationship: Love requires effort and the commitment to work through trials.

Serendipity acts as the kindling for Six and Daniel’s connection when Six happens to fall on top of Daniel in the maintenance closet at their school, mistakenly assuming that it was the bathroom. This chance encounter quickly turns into something more, as Daniel comforts a crying Six, feeling an instant connection to her: 

In the course of five seconds we go from extremely awkward to kind of comfortable, like we do this all the time.