How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale
Ratings3
Average rating2.3
Claire Ventura is nothing like the poised and perfect heroines she reads about in her favorite romance novels. She’s a quirky, people-pleasing bookworm with a loving yet obliviously intrusive family and a passion for cookie decorating—all rolled into a five-foot-two Filipina American fueled by chamomile tea. Then she meets Nate, billionaire CEO of a global tech company, the modern-day Prince Charming who sweeps her off her feet. Though he does his best to convince Claire that he’s genuinely head over heels for her, she knows he’ll soon realize she’s more underwhelming Plain Jane than jet-setting socialite. And once he meets her family, if their initial questioning doesn’t scare him off, then their tendency to decide “what’s best for her” certainly will. Between her whirlwind romance with Nate and her meddlesome family, Claire wishes she had a fairy godmother to guide her. But this is the real world in the twenty-first century, and the only way to get her happily ever after is by grabbing firm hold of what she really wants—and letting her heart be her guide.
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I wanted to love this one. I love that its ownvoices, I love retellings/fantasy, and I'm a sucker for some good romance and smut. But this book felt...ridiculous. What was advertised was not present hardly at all in the book and the writing itself was....cringe. No steaminess, just awkwardness. Not for me, dnf around 80% (and I got so far!)
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I would be lying if I said I didn't sob my eyes out on certain moments with Lola.
I utterly enjoyed the book but, to be honest, I did have a though time in the beginning to get thru some tropes: not like the other girls, gay best friend with no character development, rich but kind love interest. What saved the story for me, its the fact that the tropes felt minor introductions to the cast and faded away once we got more into the story.
Even during the (several) conflicts along the story, they always felt true to them, even if most of the resolutions came too quickly.
This book will always have a special place in my heart on showing grandmother-granddaughter relationship once half of it is consumed by the Alzheimer's disease. It was loving and heartbreaking to see on the pages something that feels so personal to your life.
Don't be fooled, this is a fanfic, but a quite enjoyable and well written fanfic.
I really wanted to like this book, but the romance is incredibly rushed, forced, and unrealistic. The author's description of a Filipino family and the family dynamics are wonderful, but the romance totally sunk this book. There's no buildup and there's no ‘getting to know you' stage. In the course of one day, Claire meets a stranger, goes on a date, and suddenly they're dating like they've known each other for weeks? The author definitely has potential, but this romance unfortunately falls flat.
