Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me

Glass Slippers, Ever After and Me is based on the classic fairy tale of Cinderella, but it managed to sweep me off my feet to the point that I wasn't comparing it to the original fairytale as I would have with other novels. Julie Wright managed to write an imaginative and smart modern-day love story that we can all relate to. This story follows Charlotte Kingsley--an aspiring author with commitment issues, and Anders, a hard-working, loving and fiercely loyal Swede, who happens to not only be Charlotte's neighbor, but also her best friend. The thing I loved the very most about this book was the fact that this was not an insta-love story! I was so excited when I got to a certain point in the story and realized that we get to see a long and progressive relationship that has to be navigated through loads of challenges. I also appreciated that Wright gave us a look at the role social media plays in our lives, and messes with our relationships. Wright's writing style was quite enjoyable, and I loved how she kept the classic fairytale woven throughout in an imaginative way. I also thought it was clever to include excerpts from Charlotte's novel "The Cinderella Fiction" at the beginning of each chapter. The only thing that bothered me at all with the writing was the fact that Wright did a lot more telling than showing. The MC had quite a few longwinded "info-dumpy" sounding paragraphs that could have been summed up in a few sentences throughout the book. I'll be the first to admit that when I come across these types of paragraphs I, unfortunately, tend to skim read. I really wish there would have been less of these parts, and more interaction and dialogue between the main characters. We spent a little too much time in Charlotte's head, which became somewhat tedious to read. This is the only thing that caused me to give one less star. I did think that the characters were well written. You felt like you were friends with them, and they were so relatable. Wright definitely has a way of making her characters leap off the page, and drawing you in to care for her characters. Anders was my favorite character in the book by far. I love him. Everyone needs an Anders in their life. He is such a sweetheart and is constantly making sure Charlotte is okay and doing everything he can to help her. Like I said in the beginning, I think the way these two come together and the way Charlotte realizes her feelings was very realistic I really loved seeing their relationship blossom and grow. This was also a very quick read for me, which I always enjoy. I can also see myself picking the book up again in the future, or listening to it via audiobook. Overall, I really enjoyed the message of the novel of being true to ones self. I also really enjoyed how the author tackled some harder issues such as social media, and it's control over our lives. This was a very fun, and cute romance read with deep and emotional characters that capture you from the first chapter. It is such a heartwarming story with wonderful family vibes and wonderful characters. I highly recommend this read if you love sweet, clean romances, and I look forward to reading more from Wright in the future. Special thanks to Shadow Mountain Publishing for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and review.