My Fairy God Somebody: A Contemporary YA Mystery Novel of Identity, Family Secrets, and Romance

by Charlene Allen

Author Charlene Allen blends mystery, romance, and friendship in this contemporary YA novel perfect for fans of We Deserve Monuments and Far from the Tree.

The way Clae’s mom tells it, her dad took off when Clae was a baby, end of story. Ever since, it’s just been the two of them, living in the coastal city of Gloucester, where Clae is one of the only few Black girls. But when Clae discovers clues about a mysterious person she calls her fairy god somebody, she’s determined to know more.

Her chance comes when she’s accepted into a summer journalism program in New York City, where her parents lived before she was born. With a couple of leads and a steel resolve, Clae leaves home for the first time to find out about her history.

New York is as full of magic as it is mystery, not to mention romance. From Brooklyn to Broadway, Clae and her new friends, Nze and Joelle, explore neighborhood haunts and hustles, discovering a family trail that someone’s tried hard to bury. So who is the fairy god somebody? And can Clae use her sleuthing skills to find out the truth?

Set against one unforgettable NYC summer, this is the story of lies that run deep and patterns that are meant to be broken. Clae, Nze, and Joelle will stick with you and remind you that every girl deserves to write her own story. 

Genres: Young Adult, Coming Of Age, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Grief

272 pages, Hardcover

Published December 3, 2024

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not prepared for just how much a enjoyed this YA coming of age story about a Clae, a young Black teenager who has never known much about her father. Growing up with just her mom Clae has always felt a piece of her identity was missing.

When she stumbles upon a mysterious 'Fairy god somebody' who has been helping her mother out, she takes the opportunity to try to learn more when she's in New York for a summer internship. NYC is a wonderful experience for Clae where she befriends two other Black girls with their own issues and meets a new guy who is all too happy to show her the city.

Full of female friendship, romance, great disability rep (Clae has asthma and her friend Nze has a condition that's causing her to go blind), African American history and a family mystery, this was wonderful on audio narrated by Angel Pean and perfect for fans of books like Keah Brown's The secret summer promise.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Harper360YA for the digital review copy!

My reading has been pretty slow lately, but I ended up reading this in one sitting on a quiet Sunday morning. The story mainly centers family secrets that the main character is trying to figure out, and I found it so compelling. The writing was solid and all the side characters felt really distinct, even though there were quite a few of them. Tying so many smaller and larger storylines together made this feel like a very realistic story.

[Hana (the bookish banana) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable YA coming of age/mystery book. I loved the New York City setting and the adventures that Clae and her friends, Nze and Joelle, had together. The heart of this book is about the family we choose, and I loved the chosen family feel of the friendship between the three girls, each of whom is dealing with their own issues. Their friendship was heartwarming and was my favorite part of the book.

The family mystery was intriguing, but ultimately, I thought the ending was a letdown. It felt abrupt and unresolved. I definitely think this story would've benefited from being longer and fleshed out more. Overall, though, I still enjoyed it.

[Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

didnt really wow me but i liked the message that family is the people you surround yourself with not just blood relation

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think this book fits a good niche--it's definitely YA, but content and writing feel appropriate for strong middle grades readers as well. young YA, like middle school, but with late HS characters. it had gloucester as a setting but feels like the author hasn't been to gloucester in the last 20 years so that was questionable but i liked it!

[Virgil · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF'd at 78%

I do think this book is a good read, but unfortunately I was just struggling too much to feel strongly about parts of the plotline, although I thought the friendship between the three FMCs was really cute!!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't too wow-ed by it.

[Felicia Bisaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars again and again. Charlene Allen writes in a way that can distill complex adult-worthy topics in a way that everyone can understand them, and find a way to relate. The writing is punchy, the friendships are beautiful. You find yourself along on an adventure in NYC and reflecting on your own self-searching along the way. Plus, you’ll never guess the ending!

[Chris G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clae’s off to a prestigious summer journalism program in NYC and she’s already starting to bond online with two other Black girls who will also be there. As they work on a group project about Freedom Schools going back to the time of enslavement and connect what they find with modern attempts to suppress or alter Black history, Nze and Joelle share their secrets with Clae. Supporting each other through Joelle’s wedding plans, Nze’s illness, and Clae’s discovery of the lies her mother has been telling her, each girl comes to grips with a happier future. EARC from Edelweiss.

[Joplyn Raavel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love loved this lil mystery. Girl friendships and community are so SO important and this book does an amazing job of highlighting both.

[The Keepers of the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clae’s father ran off when she was a baby. Living in Gloucester, Clae has lived with her mother. Every time her mom is running tight on money or needs extra things for Clae, however, she always calls some mysterious person. Clae pinipoints down the address to where her mysterious fairy god somebody lives. When she gets into a summer journalism program in New York, Clae is sure it’s fated for her to meet her fairy god somebody. Staying with a friend of her mother’s, Clae makes new friends, Joelle and Nze. Together, the trio work together to face their challenges together. As Clae delves further into her own mysterious benefactor, however, she uncovers more about her family history than she ever thought. Can the trio overcome their challenges? Will their summer in New York be all they hope it will be?

Narrator, Angel Pean unique narrative style and intonations help to bring to life the memorable, well-developed characters. The plot is engaging, heartwarming, and realistic. The characters dynamics are believable and authentic. Listeners who like realistic fiction, mystery, and coming-of-age stories will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections.

[Katie Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this YA story of adventure and identity and uncovering family secrets in New York City, but I think it ended very abruptly and had a weirdly anti-adoption message?? which I don't think was necessarily intentional, but was still really strange? The MC discovers she's secretly adopted and she gets super upset and stops calling her mom "Mom," which would have been fine as a temporary reaction, but she needed to get over that by the end of the book, and for some reason... she didn't. As if the adoptive mother COULD NEVER BE her real mom, because Adoption Bad, in her immature teenage eyes at least.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclosure: I am a white female living in a majority-white suburb of a 'blue' county.

If you are looking for a book with low stakes but real feeling, pick up My Fairy God Somebody. The novel centers around Clae, a black girl in a predominantly white town, who has always been told, her father left when she was a baby and that's it. But now she has an opportunity to find out more in NYC.
We also get to learn about two other black girls that are taking the same summer journalism program as Clae. Nze & Joelle.

All three women are exceptional, smart and dealing with their own issues in their own ways. That's my favorite part.

[Ella Vollmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really good, but the ending was kinda weak. They set up so many different things and I kinda think some of the characters could have gotten a really good character arc, but they only finished some of the things, and most of them weren’t too important. Like her mom could have become a better person, and they could have finished the love interest part. Although I thought it had a lot of things to work on, I also thought there was a lot of good things. I’m really liked how they explore the aspects of friendship and all the relationships in the book. The tension was also great. The clues were good and not super obvious. Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clae follows clues to discover the family that her mother has not been forthcoming about. I loved the warm and easy dialog between Clae and her friends, the support they give each other, and the way that Charlene Allen seamlessly weaves in fascinating history about Freedom Schools.
Angel Pean is fabulous as the audiobook narrator.
Thanks to Libro.fm and HarperCollins for the complimentary e-audiobook.

[Amanda Shepard (Between-the-Shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I think this book suffers from being too short. There are some great characters, and the premise was interesting and fresh, but it didn't feel like there was enough time to let them and the overall mystery breath. Things seemed to happen too quickly, and the resolution didn't feel as satisfying to me at the end.

Despite that, this would be a great read if you enjoy stories set in the summer in New York. I could definitely see it being a great summer book!

[Carolyn Tara O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a big fan of Allen's first book, so picked this one up eagerly. Whew. It's a fun, summer-in-the-city, girl-on-her-own adventure, shot through with family secrets and Black history.... until it gets beautifully, heart-achingly real. Has a flawed, endearing main character, and a really AMAZING cast of supporting characters. A wonderful addition to a classroom library, and a relatable read for any teen.

[TamColeCreates(MusicLover) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished and in awe. That twist had me shook. Overall really good story. Black girlhood and friendship strong in this one. There's hijinks. So many themes covered over such a story period of time. Disabilities, Black history, family dynamics(specifically with Black moms and daughters), estranged parents, so much in here. A good mystery. A good time. I feel some type of way it's over now.

[Linda Zvitkovitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A realistic story about a girl with questions about her unknown father and the family secrets her mother keeps from her. During a summer in NYC for journalism camp, she builds new relationships, reflects on old ones, and investigates the mysterious ones. The strength of the story, for me, was in the friendship development.

[jaylyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay so i actually really liked this book! i think the plot twist of clae being adopted by her birth mom's friend should've happened a wee bit earlier, as i thought it felt a bit rushed with only three chapters following it. overall, i thought this was a really good coming of age story

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the messages about friendships, but I could not get past the lies Clae has been told about her lack of family. Also, not sure I love a book featuring an 18 year old getting married and also successfully gambling when the legal age is 21 at casinos.

[Jennifer Abella · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. I liked the friendships between the MC and the two very different girls she meets at journalism camp the most. Other things made me go: "Wait. What? But...what?" (And of course the non-journalism-ness of the journalism camp was gonna irk me.)

[Sarah Bruer · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw this book’s average rating here on Goodreads just now, I was surprised. Apparently I enjoyed this book more than many have. The author is one whose name I have noted to watch for more books by her. While it apparently isn’t for everyone, this is a book that I would recommend.

[Stephanie Strick · Rating 4 out of 5]

“People should know who all they belong to.”

This book was an enjoyable read through the eyes of a black teen girl trying to find her family, friends, and herself, while exploring the new world of New York. I will admit, I DID NOT see the twist at the end coming.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Loved the premise, but the book was more YA.

[Caitie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story and one I would’ve liked more if it had more depth. For me, it was too short to get to know the characters, the backstory and solve the “mystery.”

[Terra Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Leah Hortin · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounding up... good characters and an interesting plot but felt rushed and incomplete.

[RWDHXBDYUGEIYSUAfg · Rating 1 out of 5]

meh

[Maggie Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was on board with this book one until near the ending, and then I just felt...meh. I can see where others might really love it, but it missed the mark for me.