Ever since I took a German Fairytales course in college, I've looked at retellings, particularly of the Grimms' tales (or the tales they helped popularize), in a different light. I've also been looking to expand my reading, especially now that I've graduated. So I was, of course, excited to be asked to join the blog tour for Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright.

The book follows Charlotte Kingsley, a struggling writer who suddenly hits it big and gets a huge book deal. With the deal, however, comes a stipulation: a PR manager who dictates some major changes to Charlotte and her media presence. All in the name of sales, of course. She goes from struggling writer in an apartment filled with thrifted finds to a sparkling clean, inspiring self-help author. But all of this change is not so positively received, particularly by Charlotte's best friend-turned-boyfriend Anders. (Official summary can be found at the bottom of this post.)

The book was a relatively quick read, although the pace does drag in several places and does take a while to get into. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for some light romance, as I actually found that the romance isn't actually the central part of the book. I was pleasantly surprised by that and think it strengthens the book and the author's message. And I actually found that most of the plot build up in the book, although maybe supposed to be centered around the romance, really isn't revolved around Charlotte and Anders's relationship.

There's a lot going on in the book, from the publishing aspects to family drama to Charlotte's budding (I guess?) relationship with Anders to Charlotte's own internal struggles. I think these were all fairly well-balanced and in a refreshing way for a Cinderella retelling. That said, I don't know that I would really consider this a Cinderella retelling or even a Cinderella-type tale (it's okay if you don't know what the latter means, but it's something we spent a lot of time talking about in my German Fairytales class). I don't think it's a bad thing other than that it's advertised as a retelling. There are certainly elements that I can see were pulled from Cinderella, or rather from fairytales in general (particularly the Grimms' tales and the Disney adapted tales), but unless I knew this was a Cinderella retelling, I would not have pegged it as such. I would venture to say that in trying to make the story modern, it lost a lot of the connection to the original tale. I think the story could have been made modern without getting rid of the heart of the tale, which I do believe is what happened.

While there's a lot to the story that I thought could have been improved upon (pacing, characters, dialogue, how race/ethnicity is handled (especially with Kat and Anders), stakes), I think the strongest part of the book is the central conflict between Charlotte's "real" self, as defined by those around her, and her constructed, PR-directed self. It seems so relevant in the day and age of people talking about authenticity on social media/online. It seems so relevant to anyone on social media. It seems so relevant to anyone who has struggled to strike a balance between different parts of themselves, who has struggled to figure out who they are as they change and grow. Charlotte's revelation at the art gallery near the end of the book really struck me and caused me to pause while reading. Because it's exactly where I feel like I've been at in life but especially in regards to my social media (mostly Instagram) presence. I don't know how accurate the publishing portions of the book are (though, from my knowledge of the YA book industry, this seemed like a stretch and not super true-to-life), but the culmination of everything to that scene and to Charlotte's realizations by the end of the book were possibly the most real, most well-written parts and arcs of the entire book. It's what made the book really come together for me and made sticking with it so worth it.

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me isn't a book that asks to be taken too seriously. It's a quick, light on romance romance novel. It doesn't necessarily even realize its strongest parts, but they come together and make the last third or quarter of the book really engaging and worthwhile. The book is great in particular, I believe, for the true young/"new" adult audience--those in their 20s and 30s. It hits at insecurities and challenges that I think are particularly found in people in that age range--coming from someone who is still only 22 hahaha. I don't think this book will be for everyone, but I did find it enjoyable and would again recommend it for young people (young women?) in their 20s and 30s or for those who are struggling to fill the distance between who they are trying to be and who they were and struggling to figure out who exactly they are right now.

---

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright

Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
Release Date: October 21, 2019
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing
Art Direction: Richard Erickson
Design: Kimberly Kay

Can the fairy tale bring Charlotte the happiness she’s looking for, or was he always there to begin with?

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, 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.

About the Author
Julie Wright is the author of more than twenty novels, including the Proper Romance novels Lies Jane Austen Told Me and Lies, Love, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She is a Whitney Award winner and a Crown Heart recipient. She is represented by agent Sara Crowe. She loves reading and writing, playing on the beach or hiking with her husband and kids, and watching her husband make dinner.