I'm Only a Stepmother But My Daughter Is Just So Cute! - Volume 1

계모인데, 딸이 너무 귀여워 [Gyemoinde, Ddar'i Neomu Gwiyeowo] (Light Novel) #1

by ｉｒｕ, Yir, Hive (Illustrator)

My name is Baekhap Lee. I was just an ordinary designer of children's clothing, until one day I woke up as the main villainess of the fairy tale I was reading. It seems like I’ve died from overwork and reincarnated as Abigail, the stepmother of Snow White. But who cares about that? Right now, I’m sitting next to my lovely daughter, Blanche Friedrikin. As always, she’s looking at me with her scared puppy eyes. It can’t be helped since Abigail was known to have a ferocious appearance. Her smile alone would make anyone cry, not forgetting to mention that Abigail tried to poison her stepdaughter out of jealousy.

‘Even so, I want to hug her! I want to dress her up! Ahhh! She’s so cute! It should be a crime for my daughter to be this cute!’

Even though I want to shower her with affection, my husband continues to look at me with suspicion. How can I overcome his interference and get closer to Blanche?

Genres: Light Novel, Manhwa, Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Fairy Tales

393 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 10, 2020

About the author

ｉｒｕ ( 이르) ( Yir) is a Korean manga-webtoon author.

Reviews

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you ever think about what you would do if you were in the shoes of the (evil) stepmother in Snow White?
If she were so adorable you can’t contain your happiness (and your evil smile)?
Well, think no more because this one is exactly that!

It’s super funny and kinda cute and wholesome!

That one is just the first part (in many more, I guess) and I absolutely loved it!
But: it’s pretty light and doesn’t have thaaaaaat much plot :) just so you know!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger warning, not in your face, but a sickly 14-15 year old boy is forced to impregnate a 26 year old woman, causing him massive mental and emotional issues, understandably.

And thank GOODNESS the age thing is realistically discussed. I am really disliking huge age gaps in manga/light novels where it’s treated as if it is ok. It is NOT ok and this book touches on that.

Also, the story is adorable and I LOVE the magic mirror. My fav character, for sure!

5, not all fluff but a great read and I REALLY want the next one now, stars.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of my favorite light novels of the year. I am so happy that I got it through Kickstarter and it was worth it.

The story is light and fluffy. It gives you all the sweetness you want, but the heavy stuff is put in a light (sugarcoated) manner. So in case it triggers you it contains rape, child abuse, and fear of women.

Now on to the good stuff. The main character adores her stepdaughter and the way she shows it is a riot. If she could, she will have the whole world know of Blanche cuteness. Blanche is a sweet cinnamon rule and we can see hints of her and her dad being alike.

We can’t forget the male lead. Once you understand his past, you’ll discover how childlike he can be. Also, the way he slowly becomes aware of the female lead. He can be such a dork, but it’s one of his charms.

I love MC. I believe we can relate to her. She has body issues and feels like she is not pretty. She constantly dieting and pessimistic. Even when she becomes Abigail, a beautiful sexy queen, she still struggles with her body image. She stills tries to eat less and feels like she isn’t beautiful cause it’s not her real body. She struggles with this. This is not a quick issue to fix, so we will follow her journey to see how she will overcome this. Which is remarkable in itself, since we usually do not see this kind of aspect in light novels.

In short, the story is a sweet one, which overcomes their issues and get to the heart of the manner. Also, contains cute moments of daughter and mother; female lead and male lead.

Okay, I’ll stop blubbering and contain my squeals to daydreaming for vol 2.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Season 1: (Chapters 1-40)

Somehow, after I died I was transported to a different world and found myself as the evil stepmother of the beautiful little princess named Blanche-but I inhabited a woman so jealous of her stepdaughter's beauty that she resented everything about her, and was known for her wicked deeds.



Sounds familiar?

However, as a child clothing designer in my previous life, I’d much rather shower my cute and lovely Blanche with all sorts of affection! She's just too cute!

But now the only thing that stands in my way from fan-girling my cute daughter is...my husband. While his give me and his daughter the cold shoulder he also is suspecting my extreme change of heart with suspicion. Can I get closer to the both of them with my new lease of life?

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/UexkXRSvWik

Be still my heart, I MUST get this in paperback!!

There have been digital titles I have desperately wanted in print before and this one is joining the list! I picked this up during a sale and though I am not a huge fan of light novels, I was deeply intrigued by the premise. And I must say, it was perfection!!

Its like a mashup of the family aspect from Spy x Family, the reincarnated villainess trope without the reverse harem, and a chef's kiss enemies-to-lovers slow burn romance. All mixed in with a fairytale vibe!

I absolutely devoured this despite being sick and having a fever. I only put it down because I WAS sick and HAD to go to bed. Otherwise, I would have stayed up to read this in one sitting! SO GOOD!

I found it to be a very fun read and loved our main character Baekhap/Abigail! It was SO adorable seeing her love her daughter so much and constantly gush about Blanche's cuteness. Abigail mentions at some point that she is an otaku for Blanche and it is 100% true! While I could imagine some people might find Abigail *constantly* pointing out how her daughter is the cutest in the world annoying, I found it was quite charming and a beautiful highlight of this book! Beside Yor from Spy x Family, I am not familiar with any other manga having a female character who longs to be a good mom to their now daughter. Maybe it's because I am a mom, but I absolutely loved it! I thought it was beautiful to read on page and laughed so much. I also thought it to be very pro-family, which I am always down for in manga!

One thing that I realized that I really love about the reincarnated villainess trope is that usually the new woman now-"turned"-villainess is actually a "good person." Baekhap was a child's designer who overworked and ended up dying. While obviously that has not happened to me, hearing her share her "real-world problems" of overworking, being worried about weight, and social/society pressures made her very relatable and grounding. Plus, seeing who she was and now having to clean up the "dirty work" of Abigail just for whatever reason pulled at my heart strings. It's almost like a redemption arc, but not really.

Forwarding, Sabelian was a straight jerk in the beginning. ;p Could not stand him, which is probably why I was impressed how much I was on this ship sailing by the end! LOL! He had a GREAT and moving backstory that just made me want to give him a hug!

Blanche is darling and because of Abigail, she is the cutest. LOL! I totally need more of her and Abigail's relationship in my life.

I highly recommend this light novel! While there a few parts a little distorting due to wording/repetition and the occasional language, this is a light novel I am so very excited for more of! I love the characters, the creativity of certain magical tools, the emphasis on becoming a family, and a whole bunch of other things that I will definitely be recommending this A LOT!

Let's hope volume 2 releases ASAP because I needed it yesterday!

[Camy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really enjoyed the heroine of this book, as well as the hero. And the hero has a surprisingly serious backstory that makes him very sympathetic. There were lots of cute and funny lines from the heroine, and I thought the plot moved along quite well.

However, all that being said, I was really distracted because despite the fact the copyright page of the book lists 3 editors and a proofreader, the text was rife with errors. The grammatical and punctuation errors were more obvious in the beginning and got a bit better by the end of the book, whereas the editing was good at the beginning but by the last 1/3 of the book, the text was still a raw translation that hadn’t been properly edited into a smoother reading flow. It was such a shame because the characters’ relationships were starting to change significantly by then, and the choppy text kind of annoyed me.

The book ends not quite on a cliffhanger, but a bit abruptly, making it obvious it’s a web novel and the story continues in the next volume. I will probably get the next book, because the characters, story world, and storyline were very good, but I’m not looking forward to the poor editing job. If you’re someone who doesn’t like reading some fan translations of light novels because the translation is so choppy, then this might annoy you as much as it did me.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wholesome Must Read

I absolutely adored this story so much! Family-centered isekai stories are my favorite and this did not disappoint! Abigail is a very interesting and fun MC. Sabelian seems like your typical stoic and cold love interest but he’s a very complex character with a difficult past. The story touches upon some very serious issues and I cannot wait to see how it progresses. Of course, princess Blanche is the star of the book and like Abigail, I adore her completely. Vol. 2 cannot come soon enough!

[Elizabeth Aguilar · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC

Generally enjoyed this one!

P.S. If you're reading the manwha, the first half (48-50%) covers the first 18-19 chapters.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had a more consistent way of rating webnovels, but alas...I'll give it my best shot and see where it goes.

In I'm Only a Stepmother But My Daughter Is Just So Cute!, our MC, Baekhap Lee, dies in modern-day Korea and wakes up -- or, transmigrates -- in the fairytale world of Snow White. The problem? She's now the evil stepmother! But MC is not going to take her new role lying down -- her mission, which she jumps into immediately, is to pamper the little princess that will become Snow White until their relationship is that of a loving mother and daughter! If only her husband the King didn't suspect her change of heart as being a ruse to plot something even more nefarious...

Overall, Stepmother was a fun webnovel. If you've never read a webnovel, the pacing and structure may throw you off a bit, but I've grown fond of how they tend to be formatted. This one, in particular, is a pretty quick read -- the MC's POV is sharp; she knows when people are trying to manipulate the royal family thanks to her familiarity with the fairytale and the magic mirror she now indulges in some light espionage with. Once the King reveals why he's so cold and distant to his daughter and others in general, the MC works to help him overcome his trauma (and there's a warning here for sexual assault; it's not graphic, but the King makes it pretty clear what happened to him), and, ofc, Blanche (Snow White) is adorable, absolutely blossoming under the first real instance of familial affection she receives once she's sure her "evil" stepmother is not longer evil.

Is this a perfect webnovel? No, and it's not really my genre of choice outside of the transmigration aspect. Is it adorable and super enjoyable? Yes!

Regarding the Amazon Kindle Version: In the Kindle version of this book, which I purchased and read on a Paperwhite, there are several instances of font changes between chapters and repeated paragraphs/pages later in the novel. I don't know how often publishers go back through their digital copies and check for that sort of thing, but I've heard it does happen every once in a while, so I suppose it may be fixed eventually?

Sadly, I don't know if Vol. 2 is ever coming. The link to the publisher's website provided in the ebook shows a site that hasn't seen activity for about a year, and this first volume is nowhere to be found under their listed novels. However, you can read the manhwa version relatively easily online (though I won't say exactly how...support your authors officially, people!).

**STAR BREAKDOWN - WEBNOVEL EDITION**
Cover: ★★★★★
Story: ★★★☆☆
Characters: ★★★☆☆
Enjoyment Level: ★★★★☆
Easy For a Beginner?: yes; only the concept of transmigration may confuse a first-timer, everything else is explained in the narrative
One-And-Done?: no - source text is 186 Chapters + 24 Extras (via NU)
Bonus?: a manhwa to read along with!
Support the Author Through: amazon, kakao book (korean txt)(?)
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 *MC punching the wall because of how cute her daughter looks*s

Parting Words:

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was unexpectedly really charming and sweet! A retelling of Snow White that has a lot of new elements interwoven in and creating a slow-burn that’s so fun to watch.

“I don’t look scary or anything?”
“You do, but it’s all right!”

This series utilizes an interesting trope I see in these novels/webcomics every so often, where a character is actually taken over by a “normal” person who knew the story already. Abigail in this is so fun to read because of her doting personality towards Blanche, contrasting the originally scripted evil stepmother. The way she also has a history in children’s clothes production makes her super fascinating too, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with that career as a protagonist before! Blanche is, indeed, super cute.

Sabelian begins as not the main focus of the story, as Abigail is focused on fixing her relationship with Blanche. But his arc is just as interesting and the slow-burn relationship between the two of them is so good. His history is darker than one would think and his cool demeanor gets an explanation that hurts.

Also I really like the fantasy politics in this, the way Abigail is defying the expectations of her position while also being more well liked because of it. The messed up hold that social standing has on these young women, where Karin views Abigail as an enemy instead of a friend. Kinda hope Karin takes an extended vacation from her overbearing father who refuses to even try to understand why Sabelian doesn’t want to associate with them anymore.

All in all, had a fun time with this, excited to keep on reading sometime soon!

[Sasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm only a stepmother but my daughter is just so cute! (alternative title: not-sew-wicked stepmom) is a snow white retelling, except snow white is a toddler and the story is told from the pov of the stepmother whose soul was isekai'd (portal'd into a different world). she used to be a modern-day 30y/o children's apparel designer-seamstress who died from overworking. there are flashbacks from abigail's (protagonist; stepmom) past before she died and her soul swapped that have a lot of child abuse and abuse of service people. it was a little triggering, but it passed quickly. i absolutely loved how goofy the facial expressions were. they cracked me up! 😂 i also really like how hard abigail tries to gain the trust of her maids and stepdaughter. as of where i left off, she doesn't care about the king/stepfather (aka the man she's married to) because he's a cold and callous deadbeat and they were in an arranged marriage between kingdoms (so fake dating!). i'm okay with it never turning into a romance but i also see the potential for one. the writing was a little clunky because the narrative relied a lot on flashbacks and adding bits of information that felt like an afterthought. i love that abigail's main drive is that she wants to shower snow white with clothes that she designed and wants her to have all of the comforts she wants. what a great series to read on mother's day!

[Jalessa Bettis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is pretty simple. A woman named Baekhap Lee woke up in the body of Queen Abigail after taking a nap at work and dying. The difference here is that the new Abigail adores the very sight of her stepdaughter, Blanche, wants to do whatever she possibly can to get close to her and dress her up. Since Baekhap Lee used to make children’s clothing. The problem? Even while being the most beautiful woman in the woman, Abigail was not a nice person. She was quick to abuse and punish anyone for little to no reason. Even Blanche, a child, she found fault with and gossip about.

I think the only reason why I read this light novel was because (1) it’s an isekai so the MC is not going to be evil, she is going to be nice. (2) the snow white character is a child, as in she’s much younger than the age she is normally casted in (3) that same character is also secondary. I can stand by that without getting an eye twitch. I don’t have to explain that Snow White is at the very top of fairytales I don’t like. None of my reasons make any sense, and I don’t want any logic to them.

In all, I had fun with this book and can’t wait to see what happens next since I will admit that the book ended right when it was getting good. I very much want to see what happens next.

[Nitzan Schwarz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one a lot! I love the webtoon, one of the few cases where we see a male lead who has haphephobia (with women), and it doesn't just *magically disappear* when love enters the picture. It takes time and effort and there is actually a conversation about men being raped by women. Sebaline marrying a 26 years old woman at 14 that was only interested in producing an heir and would do the deed with him even when he was sick and unable to move is just so... ugh, sends shivers down my spine. Especially when you consider that, in a way, Blanche is just a reminder of the repeated assaults he experienced..
Abigail is a great character. She is really likable without being perfect or all capable. Her being such a die-hard fan of her stepdaughter is really endearing haha. As for said daughter, Blanche often feels *younger* than her 11 years of age. I often thought she was 3-4 years younger, she is so sweet and naive and trusting. I wonder if this flaw would be further explored in the future.
Anyways, I'm really glad I had a chance to be a part of the Kickstarter and get this hardcover version, with its stunning color art. Fingers' crossed the next installment will be published soon!

[Sharakael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick, fun and somewhat light read with comedic undertone.
As long as you go in knowing to expect that, then you should be OK. Don't go in expecting a deep or complicated story, and even the darkest aspect of the story in volume 1 was delivered with a lack of gravitas. But, again, as long as this was what you're expecting, then the story lived up to it.

The story was meant to be fun and entertaining, I think, and it got it without fleshing any of the character (which also includes the main character). There's a lack of depth in the character (I know very little about the main character even after 1 volume, for example), but I guess given the type of story it might not need it? Every character is a stereotype within the "transmigrated villainess" genre, but at least it's pretty entertaining.

I read the digital version and the formatting with line breaks etc can be a bit funny, but I was a Kickstarter backer so my version is the first release, which the publisher acknowledged needed to be improved so there's likely a newer version down the track with better formatting.

[celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

maybe it's because i'm still new to reading korean web novels, but i love this book with every fiber of my existence. some people may remark about how it has its faults, and it honestly took me a while to warm up to the male-lead (even though he's, like, super handsome in the manwha), but eventually as i continued to read, everything... just fell into place. the interactions between the characters were genuine; the development between their relationships were well-paced, so, really, there was no instance wherein i felt that it was rushed. and i like that. actually, with how much i love this story right now (and i just started reading this a few hours ago), i'm probably going to be more in-depth with my review upon finishing it. (that is to say, it's overall a very good read. i'm so excited to continue reading the next volumes!)

[acreativename · Rating 5 out of 5]

so cute!! manhwa adaptation of a novel with the same name about a woman who transmigrated into the body of the evil stepmother in snow white! love that the mc who isn't a pushover but also doesn't overdo it trying to get "revenge" and is more concerned with raising snow white with love and care. this manhwa has really mature discussions of many things such as childhood sexual trauma, eating disorders, gender roles, oppression, and so much more! there are also two canonically sapphic characters who are fleshed out and depicted really well in later chapters.

unfortunately goodreads has just the first volume of the manhwa which i believe only consists of episodes 1-15 of the webtoon, but at the time of making this review i'm caught up to chapter 115 of the webtoon!

[Nicole Cluver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I'm happy to see more and more books like these being translated.

This story is a heartwarming story about a woman finding herself being Snow White's stepmother. She, a fan of cute things namely Blanche, finds herself surrounded by people who fear and/or dislike her due to the original owner of the body she is now in actions. Yet she wants to be close to Blanche as she is an adorable and sweet child. So she sets out to better her image to Blanche and in doing so those around her as well.

More then anything this is a story about a broken family slowly coming together while navigating through the hazards a royal family faces.

[Sanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic isekai set-up, with an interesting twist: interdimensionary traveler is a lover of cute, particularly cute children. And a designer. This person ends up in the body of a hateful queen and stepmother character and you get chaos. This volume features a lot of relationship building with the stepdaughter as well as the start of some kind of relationship with the king. Highly recommended for the funny lines, and the adorable found-family trope (even if the family was sort of hers to start with).

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow I need volume 2

As much as I enjoyed anime and manga, light novels help get the feel of the inner emotions of the two main characters (the stepmother and father). If this story ever comes out in a comic form or anime I would enjoyed it; however, I will always prefer the rabbit hole of the novel. nice job in page turner. I enjoy this cute story but be warn. The father's tragic past do help explain why he is so cold and disconnected but not so deep to disturb the readers. But please be careful. Trigger warning.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Slow Romance

I really enjoyed this book and I happily waiting for the next. I enjoyed a lot of yh main characters depth. The author thought through the flaws of the main character and how this affects who they are
It's not just a flat character that just goes along with whatever. I also enjoy the way the king starts to slowly fall for the main character and his own development of getting past his shortcomings. It's a very interesting read. I also like how the mirror character talks back.

[Aditya Prasad · Rating 3 out of 5]

The manhwa has good art, the story is really tropey but it talks about male sexual assault which is refreshing since most of these novels are usually female focused. The FL enters the body of the evil step mother and quickly wins over the daughter she used to harass. There was scope for that to take time. The dress design was predictably chemise over corsets which every book in this genre says. It gets barely 3 because of the unabashed love FL shows for her stepdaughter and make trauma theme.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising

This trope is overdone now, but this story is a bit more unique compared to others. The characters are not teens. They’re actually adults, finally! The protagonist also does not body swap at a young age. It’s actually kind of funny when you learn how it happens in the story. Anyways, there’s enough originality but there’s more! The male lead is actually someone you root for a bit but it takes a while to feel that way. I’m definitely going to continue this series.

[Kaitlyn Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite

I'm only a stepmother is 1 of my favorite light novels I'm so glad that it's made it to English. A cute story about snow white and her stepmother, a reincarnation story with a fun twist. I especially like the male lead is not completely horrid. As you get to know him and his story He just seems more and more likable Which in a lot of these light novel romances it is really hard to find a likeable ML.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this take on the Snow White story. It was a delightful spin on the fairytale, and my only hope is that there will be a second volume as I'd love to watch the relationship between Abigail and Sabelian evolve over time. As it is, the story seems somewhat incomplete right now, but whether or not we get another volume, I'm happy with this!

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite good! It was translated well, and the characters were appealing and fun to read about. The character development was good. I read this in one sitting, and my only complaint is that occasionally there were small punctuation errors, but nothing super distracting. The story and characters make it worth the read! I want to read more in volume 2! Hopefully it releases soon. 4 stars.

[Taz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly wholesome!

Well that just about does it; this book was super wholesome! The isekai/reincarnation element is very small but it's pretty nice too. I appreciated the inner voice of the protagonist because she's relatable and believable. I also liked the timing of the other povs.

Overall I don't regret buying this book and eagerly await the next!

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute and endearing

Totally adorable book. Loved the characters a bunch. Abigail is adorable and i love both her fangirl moments and when she gets pissed at people.
The only negative was how abrubt the ending was. I really want more!
This would make a really cute and hilarious anime!

[Jamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh it's such a good story!

I love the twist to snow-white! How the queen punches walls because her stepdaughter is too adorable and she can't pinch her squishy cheeks. Just so much fun see everyone coming together in a goofy way. I'm waiting for the danm to break and the king and queen love freely flows. It really is a very good villainous isekai so far.

[Melissa Meline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent translation

Very engaging retelling of snow white with magical components. The main leads are very unique and engaging and the daughter a delight. Can't wait for volume 2. This ended on a cliffhanger.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vanilla

So much vanilla I’m in danger of getting diabetes. Cant wait for the next volume. I love the when the MC gets into her villain mode and would love to see more of that in the next one.