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ptoridactyl's review
3.0
It was cute! I really liked that Claire stayed a strong, independent woman and stood her ground but got the awakenings she needed to, both with her family and herself.
jasmyn9's review
3.0
Claire is an amazing character, but she isn’t perfect. And the balance between the good and not-so-good side of people is really highlighted with her family. We learn a lot about Claire and her extended family – and how they influenced Claire’s personality – through their interactions. She is especially close to her grandmother, and this relationship plays a huge role in her story.
The meet-cute for Claire and Nate was so great! And her not having any idea of who he was. Nate was pretty low-key at first, but as people started to realize who was around them, things got a little crazy. As much as I like Nate as a character, I didn’t always like him as Claire’s boyfriend. He didn’t always seem to act on what he said. He said he wanted Claire to pursue her dreams, but then kept dragging her away from them. It set up a great conflict, but it also made me like him a little less.
Things come to a head when Claire feels like she has to make a really big choice, and they both kind of freak out and overreact to everything. And I loved how Claire’s sisters and her best friend rallied around her to support and try to help, even though some of them were going through some pretty big things themselves.
This was a truly feel-good type of romance (with plenty of heat still) that really focused on family and how relationships are built, and it was a wonderful thing.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
The meet-cute for Claire and Nate was so great! And her not having any idea of who he was. Nate was pretty low-key at first, but as people started to realize who was around them, things got a little crazy. As much as I like Nate as a character, I didn’t always like him as Claire’s boyfriend. He didn’t always seem to act on what he said. He said he wanted Claire to pursue her dreams, but then kept dragging her away from them. It set up a great conflict, but it also made me like him a little less.
Things come to a head when Claire feels like she has to make a really big choice, and they both kind of freak out and overreact to everything. And I loved how Claire’s sisters and her best friend rallied around her to support and try to help, even though some of them were going through some pretty big things themselves.
This was a truly feel-good type of romance (with plenty of heat still) that really focused on family and how relationships are built, and it was a wonderful thing.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
2nd2lastunicorn's review
4.0
This book was super cute and a great modern fairytale retelling! Plenty of steam to keep you interested, but a whole lot of heart to keep you coming back for more.
buriedinbooks's review
3.0
3/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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How to Survive a Modern Day Fairy Tale follows Claire Ventura, an aspiring cookie decorator who almost runs over billionaire Nate Naruta and ends up falling head over heels for him in a whirlwind romance.
I really enjoyed this book, but I cannot in good conscience give it more than 3 stars. For one thing, the writing—it’s not good. Like, I was laughing at this book a lot more than the author probably intended because of the word choices and descriptions. A book with the phrase “panty melting smile” cannot be a four or five star read, period; that is the hard line I refuse to cross. And yet, the joy this book brought me is not to be discounted. This was so cheesy and the writing was of such a quality that it played out like a Hallmark movie in book form. It perhaps needed to undergo a few more edits involving the classic “show, don’t tell” rule. I felt like The characters emotions were all too often stated plainly, when they should have been more elaborated upon. The plot also had a lot of pacing issues, most of which revolved around the fact that the romance was insta-love. Not only that, Claire’s doubts as well as her frequent and sudden shifts in mindset really threw me off and there was not a lot of development. Speaking of Claire, I think that she comes from a very interesting standpoint. She’s obviously a hard worker with big aspirations, but she finds it difficult to juggle her dreams with her personal life. This is part of the primary internal conflicts of her character, and as I mentioned earlier, it makes her doubt herself all too often and so she backs out of promises too often. She has not a ton of growth in terms of standing up for herself against Tita Chriss, so it is a little odd to see her suddenly growing a backbone. I don’t think it is done very well. Now, onto the love and trust. Nate is very clearly a man written by a woman: he is a good man; he is very loving, attentive, and kind; he is good at pleasuring women; and he does his best to be there for Claire, even though he has a lot of responsibilities as CEO of a giant corporation. his main flaws are that he can be flaky because of work, he is a workaholic, and… That’s about it. Very reasonable things when considering a romance with a celebrity. Insta-love aside, I think that the couple had some chemistry. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but it wasn’t lackluster either. I really liked their banter, but I would get frustrated at their miscommunication.
I repeat: I cannot in good conscience give this book more than three stars. However, if you’re looking for a fun, trashy read, I think it is pretty enjoyable! I’m not entirely sure if the ridiculousness was intentional or not, but it made the book very comical and entertaining. 3 stars, and that’s my final offer.
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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How to Survive a Modern Day Fairy Tale follows Claire Ventura, an aspiring cookie decorator who almost runs over billionaire Nate Naruta and ends up falling head over heels for him in a whirlwind romance.
I really enjoyed this book, but I cannot in good conscience give it more than 3 stars. For one thing, the writing—it’s not good. Like, I was laughing at this book a lot more than the author probably intended because of the word choices and descriptions. A book with the phrase “panty melting smile” cannot be a four or five star read, period; that is the hard line I refuse to cross. And yet, the joy this book brought me is not to be discounted. This was so cheesy and the writing was of such a quality that it played out like a Hallmark movie in book form. It perhaps needed to undergo a few more edits involving the classic “show, don’t tell” rule. I felt like The characters emotions were all too often stated plainly, when they should have been more elaborated upon. The plot also had a lot of pacing issues, most of which revolved around the fact that the romance was insta-love. Not only that, Claire’s doubts as well as her frequent and sudden shifts in mindset really threw me off and there was not a lot of development. Speaking of Claire, I think that she comes from a very interesting standpoint. She’s obviously a hard worker with big aspirations, but she finds it difficult to juggle her dreams with her personal life. This is part of the primary internal conflicts of her character, and as I mentioned earlier, it makes her doubt herself all too often and so she backs out of promises too often. She has not a ton of growth in terms of standing up for herself against Tita Chriss, so it is a little odd to see her suddenly growing a backbone. I don’t think it is done very well. Now, onto the love and trust. Nate is very clearly a man written by a woman: he is a good man; he is very loving, attentive, and kind; he is good at pleasuring women; and he does his best to be there for Claire, even though he has a lot of responsibilities as CEO of a giant corporation. his main flaws are that he can be flaky because of work, he is a workaholic, and… That’s about it. Very reasonable things when considering a romance with a celebrity. Insta-love aside, I think that the couple had some chemistry. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but it wasn’t lackluster either. I really liked their banter, but I would get frustrated at their miscommunication.
I repeat: I cannot in good conscience give this book more than three stars. However, if you’re looking for a fun, trashy read, I think it is pretty enjoyable! I’m not entirely sure if the ridiculousness was intentional or not, but it made the book very comical and entertaining. 3 stars, and that’s my final offer.
aliciasplendeur's review
4.0
My rating is really 3.75.
The book is overall good. I enjoyed it and could identify with having sisters and I know a little about Filipino culture. But I found myself annoyed almost the whole way through. At first with her sisters than our main character.
I liked Nate and Claire. I can handle instalove but this one felt like it was missing something. What? I don't know.
They never really took time to get to know each other better and only shared issues when they were close to walking away from one another.
The book is overall good. I enjoyed it and could identify with having sisters and I know a little about Filipino culture. But I found myself annoyed almost the whole way through. At first with her sisters than our main character.
I liked Nate and Claire. I can handle instalove but this one felt like it was missing something. What? I don't know.
They never really took time to get to know each other better and only shared issues when they were close to walking away from one another.
rva_reader's review against another edition
3.0
This is sort of a retelling of Cinderella. It's the story of Claire, who works at a book store but also had a side job/hobby of decorating cookies. She has a huge, close family, including two sisters (although not evil step sisters but they aren't angels either). One day, she almost hits a guy in a parking lot, who ends up begin tech billionaire Nate (similar to Mark Zuckerburg) and sparks instantly fly.
I enjoyed the multi-cultural aspect of it and I loved seeing the relationship between Claire and her Lola. However, the instant-love, billionaire trope didn't work for me. I also didn't care for Nate. He seemed sort of toxic and I didn't like the character development of Claire in regards to her relationship to him. Parts of this book were really sweet and I thought they did a good job describing what a patient with Alzheimer's is like towards the end. But there just wasn't enough banter or chemistry for me to enjoy the romance part of it.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.
I enjoyed the multi-cultural aspect of it and I loved seeing the relationship between Claire and her Lola. However, the instant-love, billionaire trope didn't work for me. I also didn't care for Nate. He seemed sort of toxic and I didn't like the character development of Claire in regards to her relationship to him. Parts of this book were really sweet and I thought they did a good job describing what a patient with Alzheimer's is like towards the end. But there just wasn't enough banter or chemistry for me to enjoy the romance part of it.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.
rva_reader's review
3.0
This is sort of a retelling of Cinderella. It's the story of Claire, who works at a book store but also had a side job/hobby of decorating cookies. She has a huge, close family, including two sisters (although not evil step sisters but they aren't angels either). One day, she almost hits a guy in a parking lot, who ends up begin tech billionaire Nate (similar to Mark Zuckerburg) and sparks instantly fly.
I enjoyed the multi-cultural aspect of it and I loved seeing the relationship between Claire and her Lola. However, the instant-love, billionaire trope didn't work for me. I also didn't care for Nate. He seemed sort of toxic and I didn't like the character development of Claire in regards to her relationship to him. Parts of this book were really sweet and I thought they did a good job describing what a patient with Alzheimer's is like towards the end. But there just wasn't enough banter or chemistry for me to enjoy the romance part of it.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.
I enjoyed the multi-cultural aspect of it and I loved seeing the relationship between Claire and her Lola. However, the instant-love, billionaire trope didn't work for me. I also didn't care for Nate. He seemed sort of toxic and I didn't like the character development of Claire in regards to her relationship to him. Parts of this book were really sweet and I thought they did a good job describing what a patient with Alzheimer's is like towards the end. But there just wasn't enough banter or chemistry for me to enjoy the romance part of it.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.
thebashfulbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
How to Survive a Modern Day Fairy Tale by Elle Cruz is a nice, modern-day re-telling of Cinderella, with a multicultural twist.
Claire Ventura works in a bookstore with hopes of starting her own cookie decorating business. She’s the daughter of first-generation Filipino parents and has two sisters and a very large extended family. She’s always put her family first and doesn’t want to disappoint them. She has a special bond with her grandmother who has to live in a facility due to her advanced Alzheimer’s disease.
She literally runs into Nate, the CEO of a tech company and they fall for each other almost instantly and he flies her to Paris for a first date. But, with completely different backgrounds and financial statuses, can their love survive?
I enjoyed Claire’s family very much, their large loud gathering reminds me of Filipino families I’ve known over the years. I liked Claire’s determination to become a business owner and do something she enjoys.
I was not a fan of the romance. I didn’t feel the connection between Claire and Nate and found their instant love a bit unbelievable. Not that instant love is not believable, but the author did not make me feel this connection was realistic. I thought Nate was very nice and sweet, but I didn’t understand his instant connection with Claire.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Claire Ventura works in a bookstore with hopes of starting her own cookie decorating business. She’s the daughter of first-generation Filipino parents and has two sisters and a very large extended family. She’s always put her family first and doesn’t want to disappoint them. She has a special bond with her grandmother who has to live in a facility due to her advanced Alzheimer’s disease.
She literally runs into Nate, the CEO of a tech company and they fall for each other almost instantly and he flies her to Paris for a first date. But, with completely different backgrounds and financial statuses, can their love survive?
I enjoyed Claire’s family very much, their large loud gathering reminds me of Filipino families I’ve known over the years. I liked Claire’s determination to become a business owner and do something she enjoys.
I was not a fan of the romance. I didn’t feel the connection between Claire and Nate and found their instant love a bit unbelievable. Not that instant love is not believable, but the author did not make me feel this connection was realistic. I thought Nate was very nice and sweet, but I didn’t understand his instant connection with Claire.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.