Julie Wright – The Book Diva's Reads

Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright
ISBN: 9781629726076 (paperback)
ISBN: 9781629737942 (ebook)
ASIN: B07WC3XMKT (Kindle edition)
Publication date: October 21, 2019
Publisher: Shadow Mountain

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.

“This sweet, heartfelt tale of authentic characters facing intriguing challenges is at once very romantic and charmingly chaste.” –Booklist, starred review

“Wright spins a modern-day and very meta Cinderella tale. This fast-paced, lighthearted romance also carries a moral lesson about falsehoods getting in the way of the quest for true happiness.” –Publishers Weekly
“Aspiring author Charlotte ‘Lettie’ Kingsley writes fairy tales and hopes to be published. When she gets one more rejection, her feelings of pique lead her to an inspired idea: She’ll write a self-help book called The Cinderella Fiction that will encourage readers to live their best lives. Lettie’s agent has big plans for the book and has created a team to make it a bestseller, including a PR firm that demands a complete makeover for Lettie. From wardrobe to apartment to a new nickname, ‘Char,’ every detail is changed to create an image that inspires admiration and a legion of followers. However, it also means that her real-life relationships are affected, and the new Char is so different from the old Lettie that she’ll have to sift through what she wanted, and what she’s gained, so she can live her own best life, authentically. Wright updates ‘Cinderella’ with a modern twist and smart, satisfying details.” -Kirkus

Charlotte ‘Lettie” Kingsley has always dreamed that she might be able to make it as an author. She’s written eight novels and received over 160 rejections. She truly believed her last novel would be “the one” to get accepted by her dream agent and she’d be on her way to becoming a published author. Her hopes and dreams are dashed when she, once again, receives a rejection letter. After pitching a fit, drowning her sorrows in ice cream and Thai food, Lettie decides to write the anti-novel. She takes three weeks off from her job and writes a nonfiction self-help book entitled The Cinderella Fiction. This isn’t the usual self-help book, but it does focus on being true to oneself, no matter what, and fighting for what you want. This book not only gets accepted by her dream agent, but she also gets a massive contract from a publishing company for the book in mere weeks after she’s submitted it. Lettie’s life is turned upside down because she now has to become the personification of a self-help guru. She hires a PR agent, meets her favorite author who becomes her mentor, and completely reorganizes her life. This wouldn’t ordinarily be a problem since she doesn’t really like her job, her furniture is mostly thrift-store finds, and she’s always been frugal when it comes to buying clothes, etc. Now her social media persona has to match her self-help author persona. She has a boyfriend that she isn’t able to acknowledge publicly, even though that is one of the few relationships in her life that seems to be doing well. She’s also dealing with family issues, namely, her mother doesn’t seem to understand or appreciate what she’s doing or her goals, her stepsister or “sister of the heart” is also struggling with her relationship with Lettie’s mother and wants to move in with Lettie. Most people would think a mega publishing contract for a first-time author, best-selling author as a mentor, and a boyfriend that’s actually a best friend would make for a fairy tale existence, but looks can be deceiving. Lettie has to decide who she is so she can be true to that person whether it’s Lettie or the new “Char” created by the PR firm. Can she be true to her boyfriend Anders, her sister Kat, and her former friends, with all of the changes being asked of her or is this new person a fictional creation no one can live up to? Will Lettie make the right choices about her new dream life versus reality before she possibly loses the love of her life?

I read Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me by Julie Wright in just one afternoon. This was one of those stories that once I started reading, I simply couldn’t stop until the end because I didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed the characters, especially Lettie, her sister Kat, her boyfriend – Anders, the best-selling author aka fairy godmother – Lillian, and more. There aren’t any bad guys in this story, just people with good intentions gone astray, including Lettie’s mother. The main character is faced with a dilemma that we all must deal with in terms of being authentic in a time when social media doesn’t want to face imperfections. One of the many things I enjoyed about this story, other than the Cinderella retelling, was the family drama, the romance, and the dream-nightmare scenario Lettie faces by having everything she ever wanted coming true. But one of the things I think I enjoyed the most, were the “quotes” from the fake book, The Cinderella Fiction written by the main character. I’ve got to say, I really want to read this fictitious nonfiction book! Ms. Wright has crafted a story that is sweet, wholly realistic, beyond witty, and, yes, romantic. I could go on about this book, but let me just say that if you enjoy well-written contemporary romance with smart and witty dialogue, and realistic scenarios then I highly recommend you grab a copy of Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me to read. If you’re not sure about the romance element, but enjoy reading contemporary stories dealing with family issues, then again, I encourage you to grab a copy of Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me to read. This was a highly enjoyable read for me and I’ll be handing my print copy over to my 84-y.o. mother to read (she read the back cover and has decided it’s her next read). I look forward to reading more from this author in the future and maybe even rereading Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss+, I also received a free print review copy from the publisher. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Meet 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.

Connect with the author via Twitter or her website.

This review and blog tour brought to you via Shadow Mountain Publishing

Lies Jane Austen Told Me by Julie Wright
ISBN: 9781629723426 (paperback)
ISBN: 9781629735580 (ebook)
ASIN: B075TR2TGM (Kindle edition)
Publication date: November 7, 2017
Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing

Ever since Emma read Pride and Prejudice, she’s been in love with Mr. Darcy and has regarded Jane Austen as the expert on all things romantic. So naturally, when Emma falls for Blake Hampton and he invites her home to meet his parents, she is positive an engagement is in her future. After all, Blake is a single man in possession of a good fortune, and thus must be in want of a wife.

But when it turns out that what Blake actually wants is more of a hook-up than a honeymoon, Emma is hurt, betrayed, and furious. She throws herself deeper into her work as CMO of Kinetics, the fastest growing gym franchise in the nation. She loves her work, and she’s good at it, which is why she bristles when her boss brings in a consultant to help her spearhead the new facilities on the East Coast. Her frustration turns to shock when that consultant turns out to be Blake’s younger brother, Lucas.

Emma is determined not to fall for Lucas, but as she gets to know him, she realizes that Lucas is nothing like his brother. He is kind and attentive and spends his time and money caring for the less fortunate.

What she can’t understand is why Lucas continues to try to push her back into Blake’s arms when he so clearly has fallen as hard for her as she has fallen for him. It isn’t until Lucas reveals to Emma that he was adopted into the Hampton family that she begins to understand his loyalty to Blake as well as his devotion to the child April-she is Lucas’s biological niece.

Emma opens up to Lucas about the feelings of abandonment she has harbored ever since she was a child and her mother left the family. As she helps Lucas deal with his past demons, she is able to exorcise some of her own.

Realizing that her love life is as complicated as anything Jane Austen could have dreamed up, Emma must find a way to let Blake know that it’s time for him to let her go and to let Lucas know it’s time for him to love her back.

Emma Pierce is fierce when it comes to her marketing job. She appreciates her team and is able to pull what is needed from them without hovering, which is probably why she was named chief marketing officer for her company. If only her romantic life was as easily managed as her career. Her boyfriend, Blake Hampton, had invited her to San Diego for a quiet weekend to meet his parents and she had begged off due to work. When one of her coworkers talks her into leaving work and meeting up with Blake, she arrives in San Diego only to find that Blake is entertaining a coworker…a female coworker. Emma had already decided that her hero, Jane Austen, was a liar when it came to romance and this just proves it to her. Fortunately, Blake’s younger brother Lucas comes to her rescue and drives her to the train station as she storms away from the Hampton home estate. Sadly, she returns to work on Monday with her team expecting to find an engagement ring and she has to disappoint them. She’s further disappointed when an East Coast consultant is brought in and it’s Lucas Hampton, who begins to plead his brother’s case during lunch and every spare moment they’re together. A scouting trip to the East Coast with Lucas results in Emma being massively confused and torn between her attraction to Lucas and previous feelings for his brother Blake. What’s a girl to do?

I’m obviously in an Austen frame of mind at the moment (trust me, it’ll make sense when you see my next review), and I found Lies Janes Austen Told Me by Julie Wright to be a fast and engaging read. I liked the characters, especially Emma and Lucas. Emma Pierce is, at least to me, an amalgamation of Emma Woodhouse, Elinor Dashwood, Elizabeth Bennet, and Fanny Price. Lucas seems to be a little bit Edmund Bertram and Edward Ferrars with dashes of George Knightley. There aren’t really any bad guys in this story (hey, it’s a romance and pseudo-coming-of-age story), just lots of misunderstood situations, jumps to conclusions, preconceived prejudices, and romance. Emma is initially disillusioned with reality versus the fictional world of Jane Austen, but once she becomes more self-confident she’s able to trust her feelings and decisions when it comes to romance. If you’re a romance reader, then you’ll definitely want to add Lies Jane Austen Told Me to your TBR list. If you’re looking for something a little different to read, grab a copy of Lies Jane Austen Told Me to read. If you take today’s suggestion along with tomorrow’s suggestion (trust me on this one my friends), your weekend reading has been planned and you’re welcome!

Disclaimer: I received a free print review copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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