A modern, reimagined Cinderella story. When aspiring author Charlotte Kingsley finally gets published, she thinks all her dreams have come true. But the trouble begins when her publicity firm reinvents her quirky online presence into a perfectly curated dream life. Gone are the days of sweatpant posts and ice cream binges with her best friend, Anders, replaced instead with beautiful clothes, … beautiful clothes, orchestrated selfies, and no boyfriend. Only, that carefully curated fairy tale life is ruining her self-esteem and making her feel like a fraud.
When a bestselling author takes Charlotte under her wing–almost like a fairy godmother–she helps Charlotte see the beautiful person she already is and the worth of being authentic. But is it too late to save her relationship with Anders? The clock is quickly ticking towards midnight, and Charlotte must decide between her fairy tale life and the man she loves, before he’s gone forever.
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4.5 magical stars!
Charming, witty, and heartwarming, Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright is a refreshing and fun story with plenty of wonderful moments that will make you believe in happily ever afters.
I love a good clean contemporary romance and this one is engaging, well-written, and enchanting. I enjoyed the modern fairy tale twist, the relatable life situations throughout the story, and the relevant themes that will teach you a thing or two. The quotes in the beginning chapters are thought-provoking, fun to read, and one my favorite things about this book. Definitely surprising and quite unpredictable, this lovely story gave me the feels, made me smile, and had me laughing a few times. It’s just a really great feel good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The beginning is a bit slow for me, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy those chapters. I loved getting to know Charlotte “Lettie,” Andres, Kat and just seeing Lettie go through her daily life. It’s filled with delightful and entertaining moments that warmed my heart, so slow doesn’t always necessarily mean the story is boring. When the plot starts to really pick up and Lettie’s dream has finally come true, well everything falls into place (or falls out) and I could not stop reading. Even when I was feeling really frustrated (certain characters will just get on your nerve and make you want to throw the book), I still didn’t want to stop cause I just had to know what would happen next. The romance is “clean,” but there are plenty of sweet kisses and cutesy moments between Lettie and Andres that will totally give you butterflies. I think they’re cute, adorable, and just really great together. The ending is believable, heartfelt, and a beautiful happily ever after.
I really liked characters and yes… even the villains. I think everyone plays their part really well and they all seemed realistic. Lettie is such a loveable and relatable protagonist. I love her quirks, her drive, her personality, and her flaws. She’s resilient, caring, and has a big heart. I loved seeing her grow and realize what truly matters and makes her happy. I also really love her close bond with her step-sister, Kat and how much she adores her. Seeing her friendship with Andres change and develop into something more definitely made me swoon and I just love them together. Andres is charming, loyal, a good friend, and sweet. He’s not without flaws, but I do think he’s a really good guy and more than makes up for something he does that didn’t sit well me. I definitely would have loved to have his POV in the story. I think knowing what he’s thinking and feeling would be really interesting and fun.
Julie Wright has written a delightful, fun, and realistic modern day fairy tale story that will absolutely warm your heart and leave a smile on your face. Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me is so much more than a love story and definitely surprised me in more ways than I thought possible. It’s relevant, meaningful, and thought-provoking. I loved the relationships, the messages, the themes, and the lessons. This book really makes you think about what’s important in your life and inspires you to live in the moment. It’s a story about chasing your dreams, never giving up, staying true to who you are, cherishing your loved ones, making memories, and ultimately finding your own happily ever after and living it to the fullest!
I received a physical ARC copy of this book from the publisher, Shadow Mountain Publishing, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I absolutely loved Charlotte’s story and let me tell you why! Charlotte is completely relatable to every woman out there. She is normal, down-to-earth and she just wants her dreams to come true. What woman in the world doesn’t want that? She has a job that is just that… a job. She wants to become a published author so badly and her best friend Anders has been there and continues to be there the entire journey. But oh the twists and turns Charlotte’s life begins to take! And she is trying to be a good friend and keep up with this new image the publishing company wants her to portray. Somewhere along the way she seems to lose sight of who she is and what is important. I literally could not put this book down you guys! I had the painful, burning eyes I was so tired, but I HAD to finish Charlotte’s story! Would she have her happily ever after? Or was what she thought would make her happy all along, not what really would bring her happiness? Buckle up because this is one book that will take you on a fun and emotional ride you will not forget! I cannot wait to see what amazing story Wright comes up with next! I received a copy of this book for free; all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Right from the beginning I was hooked. I was able to connect with the character right away and the humor of the story made it really hard to push pause on the audio book. I swear I felt all the emotions the character was experiencing as the story progress. I laughed. I cried. I almost checked my phone across the room. I loved.
I think this is a great story for young women and the young at heart to read for the lessons you learn in this book. I highly recommend this book.
I enjoy this story. I believe it gave some insight into the life of a writer along with that of the book. The characters were interesting and flawed and they grew. A characters that grows is important to me. I did a lot of thinking and shaking my head. But I thought the story was weak executed.
Letty and Anders were great together. They were very good compliments and white they forgave easily and that used to bother me, makes sense now for two people that are “best friends.” The relationship between Letty and the mom is interesting and I think more normal than I realize. I think the relationship between Kat and Letty is my favorite. it truly shows how non related can be family.
I listened to this on Audible and was very pleased by the performance of the reader.
I read this awhile ago and I never reviewed it! Some details are fuzzy but I remember coming away having really enjoyed the story. I think Julie Wright can write a story to keep the reader engaged and write full characters that are relatable and you can root for.
Charlotte Kingsley is an extremely relatable heroine. She has big dreams but can’t get them to pan out. She writes fairy tale retellings but isn’t convinced that love and happily ever after is worth fighting for, let alone desiring. After talking to her best friend about her frustrations with the publishing world, she ventures in to writing a different genre and attempts again to get her big break. Charlotte ends up learning more than she bargains for about her life, those around her, and what really matters.
The story is great, the narration is not. I think the narrator’s inflection isn’t up my alley and I wish I’d read it instead.
I listened to the audiobook version. It was a fun, clean contemporary story. A story written in a light hearted way of discovering oneself. I enjoyed how the author included excerpts from the character’s book as chapter headings.
Every aspiring writer dreams of getting that big break and making it big in the literary world. The main character Charlotte Kingsley, writes re-imagined fairy tales and she has this exact dream and it comes true. With the “dream come true” also comes many unseen problems that she’d never thought of. Her life changes in an instant and Charlotte’s not sure how to handle it all. Charlotte’s world-changing book is not fiction but one of handling life in a “Non” Cinderella way. That’s where the humor is in this book, in that Charlotte’s life is far different from the fiction Cinderella. Between her publisher, agent, and publicist, Charlotte’s boyfriend Anders doesn’t even recognize her anymore. The angst is high as the couple tries to come to grips with all of the changes and whether or not their relationship can be saved. With a slow start to the novel, things pick up in the middle and finally comes to a sweet and satisfying end that truly does make you believe in fairytale endings.
Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me was such a fun contemporary romance, I definitely recommend it! I enjoyed so much about this book. First off, it caught me off guard right from the start when a certain event happened super fast and I found myself thinking “well how’s the rest of this story going to go now?”. The humor Author Julie Wright implores in her writing just gets me and I found myself smiling the whole time I read this book. I enjoyed that the main character Charlotte was an aspiring author and the insights into the author world this book provided. A great clean contemporary romance!
I love the cover of this fun, contemporary romance and the story in under the cover.
Charlotte (Lettie) wants to be a writer and after so many rejections when her dream finally comes true after she writes The Cinderella Fiction she can’t believe it. She’s got the agent she’s longed to work with, and a publicity firm to help promote her and the book. The only problem is they’re changing everything from what Charlotte wears to the furnishings in her apartment, and calling her Char. At first Charlotte accepts everything they tell her to do, but when they want her to appear “flirty and single”she questions how that would affect book sales. Her boyfriend (and best friend) Anders doesn’t like the Char persona with the expensive designer clothes, and perfect hair and makeup. He misses Lettie who wore jeans and a t-shirt, her hair in a messy bun and minimal makeup.
Lettie and Anders hit a rough patch when he has his photography exhibit. The argument they have following the exhibition is so real when Anders tells Lettie “You sold you out. You let a hashtag replace your humanity. You let these people tell you that you aren’t good enough without some smoke-and-mirrors nonsense… and you actually believed them. You bought into the lie that you’re not good enough.” I felt that argument as if someone had punched me and knocked the wind out of me.
When Anders goes to Finland to care for his ailing grandfather Lettie has a much needed conversation with Lillian (her favorite author and now mentor/friend) and realizes the ball is almost over, midnight is approaching and she’s going to lose what she cares about most.
I love Julie Wright’s books but it’s always hard for me to put into words what I like about them. Here’s my attempt. This book was so realistic–the events in it could completely happen in this day and age. We all know many social media posts are set up and people don’t actually look or live like that all the time. I loved Anders–he’s sweet and just the best kind of friend. The argument he and Lettie had before he left for Finland was so authentic. I loved that Lettie had a mentor in Lillian and that she followed Lillian’s advice. I liked Lettie’s relationship with her step-sister Kat and that she just called her her sister without putting the ‘step’ in there. I loved the quotes from The Cinderella Fiction that were at the beginning of each chapter. I loved that Lettie learned to be herself and people should like her for herself, not some superficial image.
This was a wonderful read and if you haven’t read any books by this author you should. Her characters are real and funny.
I usually do longish reviews but I am unfortunately on a time crunch. So, short, sweet and to the point it is. Glass Slippers, Ever After and Me is a cute, reminiscent version of Cinderella but without most of the pit-stops exchanged for some new ones. If you’re looking for a by the book/tale version this isn’t quite it. The writing alone will keep you happy until the very end. It is a unique approach to an old overused tale!
Absolutely recommend.
ARC generously provided by Netgalley, the publisher and author!
This book seemed like it could be realistic to me. Charlotte “Lettie” is an aspiring author who has heard “no” too many times. She has a few hangups and a complex about her writing until she is finally told “yes”!
To me, this was a story about reinventing yourself to become who others think you should be. Lettie is an adorable person with a great personality until a publicist gets hold of her and makes her change her online personality and lifestyle. Her best friend, Anders, sees who she really is and is upset about the changes (rightfully so). They are neighbors, best friends, and eventually a couple. He loves the quirky person that she is and the fact that she can wear sweats and t-shirts with the best of them. He is not a fan of the designer clothes, make-up, or change in a nickname.
I loved the relationship between Lettie and Anders. He is the boy-next-door who watches out for her and has her back in all situations. They have issues and have to learn to transition their relationship. It is a rocky transition that leads to soul-searching and compromise. The relationship felt authentic and I loved it.
Julie Wright uses humor, great characters, and an engaging plot to create a book that is fun to read and pretty great! This is a clean book with kissing.
Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
My favorite part of this book was hearing Anders’ grandfather speak Swedish. My mother was a native Swede who came to the states in her early 20’s to marry my father, the American cowboy. The problem was that I understood what Farfar was saying while Lettie could not. I had to remind myself that she wouldn’t know what he was saying. ha ha. But it was fun for me.
Now to the actual story. I loved the friendship between Anders and Lettie. And I loved the relationship between Lettie and her sister. So much of this book was about relationships; the relationships between friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors but also the relationship with oneself. Each relationship has to adapt and change as the people in them change, sometimes for good and sometime for bad and the people grow and change along with the relationships. I think that both Anders and Lettie had some growing pains in their relationship. And both of them made some hurtful mistakes.
It took a quarter of the book to get to the point in the story that the blurb talks about. That first part felt a little slowish to me. It was a necessary part to understand Lettie’s frustrations and explained why she might be willing to go along with everything the publicist dictated but maybe took a little too long?
The book is fun. The characters likable. I enjoyed the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Overall, an enjoyable read. And I feel like I learned a little bit about publishing.
No sex, language or violence
What happens when your dream-come-true strips away the things you already loved about your life? When Charlotte (Letti) Kingsley is finally offered the book contract she’s strived toward, it comes with conditions she never expected.
Charlotte is a character I wanted to both shake and hug at different times during this book. As she embraces her new image, some of her missteps with the important people in her life are cringeworthy.
This neighbors-who-are-friends-who-become-more tale is a very loose spin on the Cinderella story that is humorous, angsty, and pure Julie Wright brilliance.
Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Delightful afternoon read! Struggling author Charlotte Kingsley finally gets her chance to be published but having her dream come true may come with sacrifices she doesn’t want to make, including in her new relationship with best-friend-turned-boyfriend Anders. Charlotte is so relatable (who doesn’t want to eat a tub of ice cream and throw stuff at the wall when you’ve had a bad day?) and there are so many life lessons learned as she figures out who she is and who she wants to be.
One of my favorite parts of the book are the chapter headings that are “excerpts” from the book she has published – they are hilarious and make me wish the book was real! Don’t miss out on this sweet, clean romance!
Charlotte is eccentric, but instantly relatable. Julie wrote her in a way that allows you to see Charlotte’s growth and internalize it.
The relationship between her and Anders was more of a plot motivator than a driving force and that worked really well for this story. I especially appreciated the completely lack of cattiness between the two. The relationship supplemented the story without overwhelming it.
The author states in the acknoledgments that the book is not autobiographical, however “there were times where it felt like it might be a smidge more true” than any other book she’d written. I have to admit there were times while reading that I felt the author was talking more than Charlotte was and it pulled me out of the story.
However Charlotte’s emotions were tangible and real allowing the reader to be pulled right back in. I freely admit it wouldn’t have been so poignant if the author hadn’t spoken from experience and from the heart.
https://bookconfessionsblog.com/2019/10/23/wright-from-the-heart/
Life doesn’t always go according to plan and that’s a hard life lesson that our protagonist, Charlotte (aka Lettie) learns. Lettie is tenacious and can’t let go of her dream to become a published author, even though she’s received many rejections. When an idea of a non-fiction life lesson book hits her over the head, she runs with it, resulting in The Cinderella Fiction, which is an instant hit. I loved how each chapter has a heading with one of the quotes from her book.
Being thrust into a new life requires many changes from Lettie and not all of them are good. The demands of a book launch and the publicity surrounding it brings a difficult element to her budding romantic relationship and once again solidifies (in my mind) that a lot of social media is contrived and staged, giving a follower a skewed idea of what real life is.
This author always delivers a fun, witty, and entertaining romance and I loved the twists and turns this modern Cinderella story took. It kept me entertained and wondering where the direction would go next, while still giving me a sweet, blossoming, and very slow growing romance.
I loved the messages of hopes and dreams, priorities, staying true to one’s self, and not allowing outside influences to dictate what’s truly important in life. If you love modern fairy tales with a sweet love story, this one is definitely for you.
Content: mild romance
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.*
I’ve been waiting and waiting to read this book. It’s been taunting me from the TBR pile for a bit, waiting for it’s turn. That’s a real thing- the taunting. Seriously. I’ve moved my TBR pile to an end table that has a door so I can close it and not see those taunting books. It helps me stick to the reading schedule. True story. But not the one you came here for.
This book was fun. Julie Wright incorporates humor and wit in her books that always has me smiling. Told in first person, Lottie’s inner thoughts and desires come through loud and clear. She is a bit quirky and someone I think I would love to be friends with. I love the relationship between Lottie and her sister. Lottie is the best kind of big sister. I liked that Lettie was an author and that bit of insight into a writers mind and world.
As for Anders and Lottie, well, that is a different type of story. It’s a bit of a journey with them and while they are great together, it takes work to make a relationship work- especially when lots of life changing things are going on. Things get a bit bumpy with Anders and Lettie but they sure do learn a lot about themselves and each other. It was sweet. I especially enjoyed Lottie’s realization that we can add to who we think we are. We don’t have to stay in the confines of one definition. As we live life and learn new things, we evolve and become more. I like that.
As always, I am happy to have another book by Julie Wright. She doesn’t disappoint. Until the next one. . .
– I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
(4.5 stars) – A witty and surprisingly thoughtful story
This book is more of a relationship development romance despite its classic plot conflict structure. The story reads like you’re there in the middle of all that’s happening to Lettie. I loved the interactions and dialogue between her and Anders – they were so sweet and funny.
I also liked seeing how Lettie was growing as a person. She was pretty remarkable already for having such a difficult family life & still being able to view them fairly honestly, but having grown up with a dictatorial mom has left her somewhat vulnerable to her dictatorial publicist.
So even though she’s learned when and how to navigate thru & around her mom’s dictates, she’s fearful and insecure enough to be uncertain of where to draw the lines in her new situation, even at those times when she knows better logically. She keeps moving forward, though, and that’s one of the things that I loved about her.
Anders is a little more challenging because we don’t have as much insight into his thought processes & what makes him tick. He’s a wonderful friend, for the most part, but he emotionally swamps (understandably, with his job, and the way Lettie helps him thru it is another touching aspect of their relationship) and it seems like he keeps too much to himself.
That’s part of the story’s weakness though – a lot of Ander’s efforts to tell Lettie are mentioned in the narrative rather than the dialogue & we don’t fully get where he’s at mentally with it all.
***SPOILER-ISH (I think most readers will see it coming)
I’m not sure if that would even be enough because it still ends up seeming like a betrayal when he essentially puts her struggles “on display” for public consumption without talking to her about it first. As well as he knew her, it was very odd that he didn’t anticipate how upset she would be, nor seem to understand when she was.
***END SPOILER-ISH***
The reconciliation feels so real and beautiful that you can easily believe they’ve found their happily-ever-after.
I’m a sucker for fairy tales, even modern re imagined ones. And while I think the Cinderella Fairy Tale is overdone, I did thoroughly enjoy this take of Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me. I found the characters to be fun and real (towards the end in regards to Lettie’s mother). I liked the different layers of each character, and more than that, I liked that Lettie grew into herself. She discovered that she wasn’t the same as she was in the beginning of the book, and she wasn’t the person the publicist made her into. I liked that she had to figure out who she really was, and which of those things were a lie.
I did feel like the story went super fast, and then just kinda resolved before I was ready for it too. It felt like build up, build up, build up, and then a really quick resolution. However, this could be because I kept waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop, and it never really did until the end. I thought things were going to get super awkward with her publicist long before it never really did. I’m super sensitive to awkwardness in my books, and I just kept waiting for that, and since it never really happened maybe that’s why it seemed a little quick for me.
It is a cute read though, and I will reread it again, and I’ll definitely listen to it on audio book if they come out with that.
*I received a copy from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.