Saffron Sawyer is on her own. She’s no longer part of the Office of Faery Godmothers - in fact, she’s no longer part of anything, even if her magic is stronger now than she could have ever dreamed possible. Thwarted at every turn and stalked by monsters in the streets, her life feels like it's falling apart.
But Saffron isn’t going to give up hope. She’s sworn revenge on the Director and she can’t forget about Jasper and the way he makes her feel. And when some familiar faces come knocking at her door, she might just have found the answers she’s been looking for.
Best Wishes is the fourth and final book in the refreshingly original series How To Be The Best Damn Faery Godmother In The World (Or Die Trying).
I didn't like this as much as I liked The Lazy Girl's Guide to Magic.
I was excited at first, the idea of a Faery Godmother office and the Devil's Advocate, but it just wasn't what I expected. The faery godmother were petty and mean and the Devil's Advocate was basically an efficiency consultant, so it was a big let down.
I feel there was some holes in the world building as well, there is just quite a few things that doesn't make sense. Anyway, I liked Ivy and Winter better than I liked Saffron and Jasper :)
I have to be honest, the title of this series did not grab me at first, but since I couldn't really seem to enjoy any other books I was opening, I gave it a try. The level of complexity in the plot of this series is pretty awesome, while you can guess some of the main aspects, the final revelation makes you want to go back to the beginning of the series and read it again. I really appreciate the level of craftsmanship in the story. The main love relationship throughout the story kept getting better and better, and I was expecting a big moment in book 4. This moment didn't exactly come for me, it was more gradual than I would have liked and as a reader I felt completely excluded from that relationship once they finally get together. All those expectations didn't get quite fulfilled, but it was still cleverly written.
I loved everything from start to end. Although I was worried about this series sounding too similar to the Slouch Witch, this book from star to finish couldn’t be further from the series. The dry humor and wit was a plenty and Saffron’s optimism knew no limits. I wasn’t too keen on how the ending just wrapped everything up, but it was still satisfying in its own right.
In this final chapter, we see if Saffron and team can take down the director. With the help.of a few loyal friends, Saffron hopes to take down the director, but can she accomplish all of her wishes too?
So sad the series is over. It could have done with another book to close some more loose ends but overall this book was a fitting closure of the series.
Best Wishes by Helen Harper a five-star read that is the reading equivalent of a warm hug and a massive cup of tea. This is number four in the How To Be The Best Damn Faery Godmother In The World (Or Die Trying) series and you are best reading them in order as they flow and build and just grow into an amazing story. Saffron Sawyer will make you smile, given the time we are in, we all need some of those, and she is just so warm and funny that you cant help but fall in love with her, much like everyone else in this story (well most of them anyhow). This just wrapped the story up with a fantastically massive bow. I must say that one of my favourite scenes and background characters was Albert, I feel like he is my older male counterpart as we both have the philosophy that an Iced bun helps solve everything. Thank you Helen for amazing writing as always and I for one cant wait to see what you come up with next.
I really wish the other three stories were more like this one.
In the first three books Saffron Saywer tried her hardest to be the best damn fairy godmother for the most unpleasant group of asshats ever. Nepotism was rampant and the Director who brought Saffron in to use as bait for kidnappers, believes that Saffron isn't cut out to be a fairy godmother, which had to do more with breeding than qualification. At the end of book 3, Saffron told the Director to shove the job up her nose and left.
Well, I thought she had a plan to take down the Director and fix everything wrong with the Office of Fairy Godmothers. Well...I was wrong. We did start this story out with Saffron moaning because she didn't have a job, her old job with the Dope Fairies was now inundated with applications as everyone thought that would be the next step to becoming a faith godmother, and the Director had tainting Saffron's name with every other department head. Saffron resorts to working in the local human supermarket to cover her rent.
Luckily for Saffron that her former co-workers have a plan of their own and they want Saffron on their side. They want to open a competing office granted wishes. Apparently they can do this, but they need to get the approval of the Devil's Advocate. Jasper might say he can be partial in fulfilling his duties, but he is still hurt because he thinks Saffron turned away from him after he confesses his darkest secret.
They might have started out competing with the Office of Fairy Godmothers as a way to provoke the Director to strike out at them so they can get the proof they need against the Director, but the more this groups works through the possibilities, the more they want to make a success of their new venture. Except they might have underestimated how desperately the Director wants to win and how low she will sink to put them out of business.
I really had it wrong when I finished book three. I thought Saffron quit as part of a grand plan, which included why should couldn't be with Jasper. The Director wanted to blackmail him and need Saffron's help to do it. I also thought Jasper would figure out that there was something suspicious about the way Saffron turned away from him but left everyone to believe that Jasper wanted nothing to do with her. I though maybe he would even use his invisibility to spy on her because he needed answer, but this was not the case. For the intelligent Devil's Advocate, Jasper let hurt feelings keep him from seeing that there was a lot more going on .
Overall, this story was much better than the prior three. Here we focused on the fairy godmothers and not the very badly concocted fairy godmother job of figuring out wishes. They did have a time trial on granting a wish, which again was a stupid plot and we could too easily see the solution while the godmothers fumbled around.
I really liked the prior Helen Harper series and even have a copy of Book 1 of her next series, but this one just didn't do anything for me. While it started off as a cute idea of fairy godmothers being the pinnacle job, and Saffron being a dope fairy creating hallucinations for her high clients, and the Devil's Advocate being the overseer of Fairy Departments, the whole story device of how fairies grant those wishes with no database of information on the person, you don't get a card with their actual wish on it, and you can't even invisibly spy on them. Saffron is showing up at someone's door trying to meet her clients and obviously, "Hi, I"m your fairy godmother. What's your wish?" doesn't work. Then after we spent 200 pages watching her being knocked about or chased, she figures out some obscure wish. If I hadn't enjoyed her prior stories, this series would make me pass on further Helen Harper. I'll have to wait and see what the next series brings.
Received a review copy from Tantor Audio in exchange for an honest review.
I love Helen Harper books. LOVE. And this series has been no exception. Her books have hidden gems of the funniest little unexpected moments!
Many times while reading Best Wishes, my husband gave me odd looks while I sat snickering quietly next to him.
Saffron is such a great character. And she has grown so much during the series! While her ‘healthy’ ego has remained intact, we have gone on the journey with has a she learned to become a leader, as well as to compromise and play nicely with others.
And so many of the other characters in the book also has their own progression throughout the story too. But without question, the best secondary character has to be Pumpkin. He might only be a little dude, but he’s got a big personality!
I also really enjoyed the somewhat subtle romance threading through the books. Saffron and Jasper’s path to love wine an added dimension to every aspect of the story. And I’m glad that they got to have their moment in the spotlight too.
I feel it would be remiss of me to finish without mentioning my new favorite book quote - this is for all you romantics out there!
‘I can just tell when a couple are meant to be together. It wafts off them. Like a…’ he searched around for the right word ‘…a mutual fart.’
If you haven’t read the ‘How To Be The Best Damn Faery Godmother’ series, you’re missing out. These books are awesome.
I received this book from the author, but this is my honest review.
I have read nearly all of Helen's books now, but this series is definitely one of my favourites. Saffron Sawyer is a faery with no job after quitting as a faery godmother, a job she had dreamed of having for her entire life, but the reality definitely did not meet her expectations nor its reputation. Every time she tries to get another faery related job, something or someone steps in her way, so she ends up taking a mundane "human" job to make ends meet.
However Saffron is not easily defeated and knows that despite not belonging really to anything in the faery world, she has her friends and will do anything she can to prove once and for all that the big bad really is as bad as all that! It was fun watching Saffron, Jasper and all the others trying to come up with ways to prove who the bad guy was even though we, as readers, knew it already. The plan was a good one and proved that Saffron is not just some weak assed faery!
Thank you to Helen for sending me a copy of this book! Have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series.
The final installment in this creative series where fairy godmothering is an industry is a satisfying conclusion. The beginning starts a bit slow and to be honest there are a few seemingly pointless side plots that alternate between in exciting and very engaging but then seem to diverge from the main plot. Sometimes occurrences seem a little too fortuitous but it does make you wonder if it’s intentionally so with manipulations playing into the mess of Saffron’s life. In any case, it’s worth reading on because the culmination is very satisfying. The plot catches on to the questions raised in former books and the twists are in line with previous Harper-level surprises. Though the very end is a bit rushed, it leaves one with both a sense of happily ever after (with — thankfully — resolution with the Devil’s Advocate relationship) and a lingering taste of more intrigue for the canny Saffron Sawyer and her friends. A solid ending to this series that I’m glad I read, fun and interesting with an air of supernatural mystery.
Entertaining urban fantasy series. A world where the truly are magical beings. Fairies grant wishes of different types. The top of the heap are the fairy godmother‘s. The fairy godmother branch are the elite class of fairies above all else. When saffron a mirror dope fairy who is really good at her job but aspires to be a fairy godmother. Yet in reality probably will not ever be allowed to become one. Sadly is recruited to become one. As she struggles to figure out the ropes and learn how to do the new job. There are forces out she attacked a fairy godmother‘s and she is dragged into the middle of it to figure out what is going on. In the final book of this series everything is coming to a climax. A great cast of characters a fun and entertaining storyline that is very well written with humor emotion and a bit of snarky wit. Extraordinarily entertaining Series a definite fun read check it out.
So we get to book 4 of 4. Sexy level 0.5 out of 5. There’s maybe 3 serious kisses and a suggestion that she was in his arms in the morning. Saffron has quit the Faery Godmothers but is being blackballed by the Director and can’t get another job in Faery. Alicia was best friends with the murdered Figgy and knows there’s something wrong with the Dept. She comes up with a plan to create a new FG agency with other staff who’ve left and recruits Saffron to help lead. Saffron reveals to the team and Jasper what happened to Figgy and Atwell. The new agency accepts the challenge to find the romantic partner for a pop music star and works to expose the Director. Urquhart’s narration fits the story.
Make a wish. Mine is for Helen Harper to keep writing short series like this one.
I’ve only recently discovered Ms. Harper’s books. This was the second series I read. (First was the delightful Lazy Girl’s Guide to Magic.) I truly appreciate that she has taken the initiative to create a variety of short series for our reading enjoyment. I’m definitely not against series that grow for years on end—like JD Robb’s ‘In Death’—but it’s great finding an author who gives us both a wide selection of characters and variety of worlds to love, plus a tight storyline with a satisfying conclusion. Kudos and thanks Ms. Harper!
3 flat stars because of Vincent (the Jaskier of this story), Melissa (who shouldn’t have been able to just walk off the face of the earth with Ethan in the end without properly saying goodbye) and Alicia (because she’s the bees knees and in an alternate universe, she is the star of this story).
At the end of the day, there were a lot of threads left dangling at the end of this story which realistically should’ve been attended to. And it all played out quite messily. But it was still entertaining. Sloppy, but entertaining. Am I satisfied with the ending? No. But I also think it could’ve been way worse. If I keep with my screenplay analogy, this would be the equivalent of a CW show getting prematurely cancelled because it’s not renewed for another season.
How to be the Best Damn Faery Godmother in the World (Or Die Trying)
I’ve now completed all four books in the series. Great characters and the focus was true to point from book one through all four. Truly a wonderful read, book by book. Helen Harper has become one of my favorite authors. It’s on to another series … can’t wait to discover what’s next on my horizon with her works … Thank you Helen Harper, you keep me up at night and often start my mornings.
It ends here? Not sure if I feel like everything is wrapped up properly but I guess that’s ok. Compared to the witch series this wasn’t as good but I think with that series it’s more about the cat more than anything. I feel like the narrator in that series does a fantastic job with the humour where as this one the humour doesn’t come across as well. 3 stars Worth the listen just not a favourite
I was so enthralled with finishing this story that I literally brought on terrible car sickness, because I refused to stop reading. That’s total deviation and addiction to a darn good story. Helen’s books are so fun, and I always find myself desperate for more chapters of the stories she writes. I’m so glad Jasper and Saffron got their happy ending!
This is the final instalment in this series, the storyline and characters were likable and different to the norm. Helen Harper is a very talented author who is not afraid to think outside the box. I would recommend giving all of her books a try, you won't be disappointed 😊
The tension and the questions didn’t ease until the very end - meaning this book moved, characters and relationships developed, and it’s a worthy finish to the series. No letting off the gas here! Thank you Helen Harper for delivering consistently strong, entertaining books! I can’t wait for whatever she writes next.
What it is about? POV? HEA/HFN? Funny parts? Sad parts? Love triangle? Insta-love? Cheating? Super insecure character? Trigger warning? How realistic is it? Who should read this Who Shouldn’t read this
This is the last novel of the 'How To b Be The Best Damn Faery Godmother In The World (Or Die Trying). Saffron has lost everything and cannot land a job. Luckily, she still has more friends than she is aware of and they are all ambitious to help. I don't want to spoil anything, so just read it for the final showdown!
I have loved this series since the beginning. Saffron was an incredible character and her story was interesting and engaging. I really enjoyed each step of the journey and I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.
I have read this entire series and loved every book. Saffron is someone to whom one can relate...a little bit of everything. No perfection...just trying to do one's best. Ms Harper has spun another good tale.
I've really enjoyed this series. Saffron is a great mc, simultaneously tough and compassionate. Only small downside for me is the lack of steam on the romance side.
Great storytelling through out all 3 novels in this series. The heroine is a great balance of courage and humility. Enjoyed all there novels from beginning to the end.
Fantastic series Definitely in the top of best writers in this genre. Super good series. You have a voice as a writer that I can really relate to. Top notch i absolutely loved it