What do you think?
Rate this book
Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother
The fairytale ending was just the beginning?Jessie Woods absolutely believes in fairytale endings. So would you if you had a recession-proof career as a daredevil TV host, a palatial pink mansion, and the dream boyfriend.But, quicker than you can say Cinderella, her life falls to pieces and suddenly her prince isn't quite so charming, her party-loving friends disappear and even her faithful friend Visa no longer loves her?Utterly heartbroken and jobless, Jessie is forced back home, to live with her stepmum and two evil stepsisters.Is it time for her to give up on the dream - or will Jessie learn that happy endings can come in the strangest of places?Avon's hot new acquisition presents a tale of princes who turn out to be frogs, Manolo Blahnik glass slippers and not-so-happily-ever-afters?
436 pages, ebook
First published May 3, 2010
40 people are currently reading
1864 people want to read
About the author
Claudia Carroll
42 books454 followersClaudia was born in Dublin and is a graduate of UCD, the College of Music and of the Gaiety School of Acting. Since then she has worked extensively as an actress on the Irish stage, but is probably best known for her role as TV’s Nicola Prendergast in the long running Dublin soap opera, ‘Fair City.’
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
November 11, 2024
Read this book in a day. 100% my kind of book. Easy read, funny and fab storyline. I do love a bit of chick lit :).
Five stars.
Five stars.
September 20, 2015
This was a cute book. Funny, fast paced, and Cinderella themed. It’s a fall-hard-then-pick-up-the-pieces-and-get-even-better sort of book. The ending is fairly (ah, ah, sorry for the bad joke) predictable, but the story is not banal, and you still get some surprises.
However, the Cinderella theme stops at the fact that the heroine has a step-mother and two step-sisters she doesn’t really get along with. Considering the title of the book I had expected some fairy magic to be involved, but no. There’s no fairy Godmother in this book, nor any magic at all. (I love books with magic, so for me it was a tiny let down – hence the start deduction.)
This said, the book is nice and enjoyable all the same and
However, the Cinderella theme stops at the fact that the heroine has a step-mother and two step-sisters she doesn’t really get along with. Considering the title of the book I had expected some fairy magic to be involved, but no. There’s no fairy Godmother in this book, nor any magic at all. (I love books with magic, so for me it was a tiny let down – hence the start deduction.)
This said, the book is nice and enjoyable all the same and
August 24, 2021
I think I did finish it only because I was "condemned to" this book. I had chosen it for my time as a nanny of my nieces. There was not much time for reading, just a few pages on the playground, a few pages on the beach, etc. ;-) It is why it took me so long. So perhaps, the way I read it influenced my impression. I don't know, but I want to do this disclaimer.
It was an interesting chick-lit with a bit of romance. I can't tell it was dumb or "shortcut". Nonetheless, almost all the time "it was only ok". The first part, the downfall, was too long. Moreover, I appreciated how went family dynamics - but I was little interested. And although Steve was the kind of beta-hero I love, he appeared not enough times. I liked too how Claudia Carroll twisted Cindarella's story.
2.5 stars, rounding up because the novel saved my sanity a few times in the last days ;-) [As someone who has no contact with children for most of the time, more than a week with them as a sole nanny, without their parents, was very stressful and insane. PS Of course, there were great times with them too ;-) ]
It was an interesting chick-lit with a bit of romance. I can't tell it was dumb or "shortcut". Nonetheless, almost all the time "it was only ok". The first part, the downfall, was too long. Moreover, I appreciated how went family dynamics - but I was little interested. And although Steve was the kind of beta-hero I love, he appeared not enough times. I liked too how Claudia Carroll twisted Cindarella's story.
2.5 stars, rounding up because the novel saved my sanity a few times in the last days ;-) [As someone who has no contact with children for most of the time, more than a week with them as a sole nanny, without their parents, was very stressful and insane. PS Of course, there were great times with them too ;-) ]
May 16, 2016
★★½
All that internal monologue in the first 50 or so pages gave me a raging headache. I’m not saying it was all boring, but the fact is that the protagonist Jessie Woods has a habit of saying ten different things before she can actually come to her point.
Also, the fact that the same sentiment kept being repeated in different (admittedly, humorous) ways felt redundant to me. She kept moaning about what could have been instead of trying to do anything, and that really didn’t help my weariness.
All that internal monologue in the first 50 or so pages gave me a raging headache. I’m not saying it was all boring, but the fact is that the protagonist Jessie Woods has a habit of saying ten different things before she can actually come to her point.
Also, the fact that the same sentiment kept being repeated in different (admittedly, humorous) ways felt redundant to me. She kept moaning about what could have been instead of trying to do anything, and that really didn’t help my weariness.
May 24, 2011
I love the story of Cinderella and most girls do too. We love HEAs and Prince Charming(s). In this book, I loved Cinderella less, and her step family more! This ia a hilarious modern retelling, where the "nasty" step-family stole the show.
Jessie Woods is living her dream. She's got a fantastic job on TV, she's got a gorgeous man who's nuts for her, and she's living the high life (while she freaks out over credit card bills). Due to a live, on air mistake, all of a sudden she has nothing. No job, no man, and no house. So she has to go home to live with her stepmother and two step sisters.
How Jessie deals with all of this sudden loss is quite engrossing. The first 100 pages were hard to get through, but eventually it caught my interest and I was set. Jessie's stepsisters, Maggie and Sharon, are the ones who really undergo transformations. It was lovely how they had their own tracks and how they grew as characters. The sarcastic one liners from Maggie and Sharon were on the mark!
The best part was that many of assumptions one had before reading the book were broken. It is a Cinderella story. But it's not just Jessie's. It's a book you are sure to enjoy.
Jessie Woods is living her dream. She's got a fantastic job on TV, she's got a gorgeous man who's nuts for her, and she's living the high life (while she freaks out over credit card bills). Due to a live, on air mistake, all of a sudden she has nothing. No job, no man, and no house. So she has to go home to live with her stepmother and two step sisters.
How Jessie deals with all of this sudden loss is quite engrossing. The first 100 pages were hard to get through, but eventually it caught my interest and I was set. Jessie's stepsisters, Maggie and Sharon, are the ones who really undergo transformations. It was lovely how they had their own tracks and how they grew as characters. The sarcastic one liners from Maggie and Sharon were on the mark!
The best part was that many of assumptions one had before reading the book were broken. It is a Cinderella story. But it's not just Jessie's. It's a book you are sure to enjoy.
October 7, 2015
This is a great book, it's a fast easy read and a definite page turner.
If you like the confession of a shopaholic books you will like this one as it's the same writing style.
I'd say it's a loose retelling of cinderella and has a great twist to it, I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author
I've also done a review on Youtube about this book
Book review
If you like the confession of a shopaholic books you will like this one as it's the same writing style.
I'd say it's a loose retelling of cinderella and has a great twist to it, I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author
I've also done a review on Youtube about this book
Book review
November 22, 2018
Honestly I hated the first half of the book. Nearly put it down. I couldn’t warm to Jessie, found her deluded.
But the second half turned really nicely!
But the second half turned really nicely!
August 12, 2010
Jessie Woods is a modern day Cinderella: she lives in a fabulous pink ‘palazzo’, has her very own TV show as a daredevil and has managed to bag herself her very own Prince Charming in the shape of Sam. However before you can say ‘fairytale ending’, Jessie finds herself jobless, friendless, boyfriend-less and moneyless all within the space of a couple of days. There’s only one thing Jessie can do, and that’s to swallow her pride and go back to her childhood home, to stay with her evil step-mother and wicked step-sisters, despite cutting them out of her life as best she could after leaving home at 16. Will Jessie be able to claw her way back to the top again, or is she destined to spend her days suffering with her family for ever more?
I read my first Claudia Carroll book around three years a go, in the form of her debut novel He Loves Me Not… He Loves Me. I wasn’t too impressed, but I’m well aware of the fact that sometimes the debut novel of any author isn’t going to be spectacular and I decided to pick up some more of Claudia’s books to read. I managed to get my hands on another two books of hers, but have yet to read them (as is usually the case) but when I heard the sound of her new book Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother, I was intrigued, because I’m a huge fan of the Cinderella fairytale and I love it when authors decide to do a modern version of classic fairy-tales.
Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother is unmistakeably one big homage to Cinderella. The Cinderella fairytale is everywhere, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but which I enjoyed. Jessie Woods has managed to achieve her ‘happy every after’, until it all comes crashing down around her ears. Which makes it a reverse Cinderella tale, if you like, as Jessie already has her happy ever after (or so she thinks) and the real Cinderella stuff only begins after her happy ever after collapses all around her. We have the not-so-charming Prince Charming in Sam, Jessie’s boyfriend, the wicked step-mother and evil step-sisters in the shape of Joan, Maggie and Sharon, not to mention the passed-away father. The absolute clincher, though, is the Cinderella-type-duties her step-sisters and step-mother have Jessie do when she has to go and stay with them after her life falls apart. I thought the references to Cinderella were a bit cringe-worthy in how stereo-typical they were, but I mainly just found them amusing and they made me smile.
The book starts well, with Jessie doing her latest daredevil TV stunt (as well as having a TV crew filming it for a ‘Day in the Life’ feature), until, of course, it all goes wrong for Jessie. It did seem to slow down a little after Jessie lost everything, as she wallows around wondering what to do, but it soon picks up again when Jessie realises she has to move in with her step-family. I did manage to get into the book easily, despite some of the slower moments, and the only problem I actually had was just how long it took Jessie to cop on to the fact Sam was not going to be reuniting with her anytime soon; it took an inexplicable amount of time (and embarrassment) for her to finally see that! Once Jessie did finally realise Sam wasn’t coming back, the book really managed to hook me, as Jessie tries to get her life back to some kind of normality. From then on, I couldn’t help hoping Jessie would be able to claw back some of her dignity and be able to work again at some point and get the happy-ever-after she was after!
I must admit, I did like Jessie. Yes, her denial over Sam irked me a little bit, but apart from that I liked her. She isn’t exactly a ‘girl next door’ type character, not when we first meet her anyway, with her fantastic house and platinum blonde hair and mountains of debt. It’s Jessie’s massive debts that help force her back to her childhood home (will these characters ever learn? – spending beyond your means doesn’t work and always ends in tears!). Having to move back to her childhood home and how she handles it, is what made me like Jessie because it meant she could act ‘normal’ instead of having to keep up with the Jones-es, which is what got her into trouble in the first place. At the beginning of the book Jessie’s step-mum, Joan, and step-sisters Maggie and Sharon are portrayed similarly to Cinderella’s very own, evil, cruel and they make Jessie do all the house work after she moves in. But once we scratched the surface of all three of them, we learn why they are they way they are towards Jessie. Joan didn’t seem too bad, and Sharon became one of my favourite characters as the book progressed. It took me the longest to warm to Maggie, but I managed it eventually, she had some hidden depths! I didn’t like Sam, Jessie’s boyfriend, at all, not even at the beginning when he was portrayed as some sort of Prince Charming replica, I wasn’t convinced.
Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother is written fairly well. It’s written in a typically Irish way with ‘so you know’s and all things you usually expect from Irish novelists. It isn’t a criticism, just an amusing quirk with Irish writers and I’m sure English writers have a similar style. The book is told entirely from Jessie’s point of view and I enjoyed getting into her head, the writing style works well for the tone of the book. It was a bit slow to begin, as I said, not to mention I just didn’t get the chance to sit down and read it fully until I was a third of the way through and then I easily got into it and managed to finish the book within hours. I look forward to diving into Claudia’s earlier books as she certainly has a writing flair and she seems to have made the successful transition from actress to author, not something that happens every day.
I read my first Claudia Carroll book around three years a go, in the form of her debut novel He Loves Me Not… He Loves Me. I wasn’t too impressed, but I’m well aware of the fact that sometimes the debut novel of any author isn’t going to be spectacular and I decided to pick up some more of Claudia’s books to read. I managed to get my hands on another two books of hers, but have yet to read them (as is usually the case) but when I heard the sound of her new book Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother, I was intrigued, because I’m a huge fan of the Cinderella fairytale and I love it when authors decide to do a modern version of classic fairy-tales.
Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother is unmistakeably one big homage to Cinderella. The Cinderella fairytale is everywhere, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but which I enjoyed. Jessie Woods has managed to achieve her ‘happy every after’, until it all comes crashing down around her ears. Which makes it a reverse Cinderella tale, if you like, as Jessie already has her happy ever after (or so she thinks) and the real Cinderella stuff only begins after her happy ever after collapses all around her. We have the not-so-charming Prince Charming in Sam, Jessie’s boyfriend, the wicked step-mother and evil step-sisters in the shape of Joan, Maggie and Sharon, not to mention the passed-away father. The absolute clincher, though, is the Cinderella-type-duties her step-sisters and step-mother have Jessie do when she has to go and stay with them after her life falls apart. I thought the references to Cinderella were a bit cringe-worthy in how stereo-typical they were, but I mainly just found them amusing and they made me smile.
The book starts well, with Jessie doing her latest daredevil TV stunt (as well as having a TV crew filming it for a ‘Day in the Life’ feature), until, of course, it all goes wrong for Jessie. It did seem to slow down a little after Jessie lost everything, as she wallows around wondering what to do, but it soon picks up again when Jessie realises she has to move in with her step-family. I did manage to get into the book easily, despite some of the slower moments, and the only problem I actually had was just how long it took Jessie to cop on to the fact Sam was not going to be reuniting with her anytime soon; it took an inexplicable amount of time (and embarrassment) for her to finally see that! Once Jessie did finally realise Sam wasn’t coming back, the book really managed to hook me, as Jessie tries to get her life back to some kind of normality. From then on, I couldn’t help hoping Jessie would be able to claw back some of her dignity and be able to work again at some point and get the happy-ever-after she was after!
I must admit, I did like Jessie. Yes, her denial over Sam irked me a little bit, but apart from that I liked her. She isn’t exactly a ‘girl next door’ type character, not when we first meet her anyway, with her fantastic house and platinum blonde hair and mountains of debt. It’s Jessie’s massive debts that help force her back to her childhood home (will these characters ever learn? – spending beyond your means doesn’t work and always ends in tears!). Having to move back to her childhood home and how she handles it, is what made me like Jessie because it meant she could act ‘normal’ instead of having to keep up with the Jones-es, which is what got her into trouble in the first place. At the beginning of the book Jessie’s step-mum, Joan, and step-sisters Maggie and Sharon are portrayed similarly to Cinderella’s very own, evil, cruel and they make Jessie do all the house work after she moves in. But once we scratched the surface of all three of them, we learn why they are they way they are towards Jessie. Joan didn’t seem too bad, and Sharon became one of my favourite characters as the book progressed. It took me the longest to warm to Maggie, but I managed it eventually, she had some hidden depths! I didn’t like Sam, Jessie’s boyfriend, at all, not even at the beginning when he was portrayed as some sort of Prince Charming replica, I wasn’t convinced.
Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother is written fairly well. It’s written in a typically Irish way with ‘so you know’s and all things you usually expect from Irish novelists. It isn’t a criticism, just an amusing quirk with Irish writers and I’m sure English writers have a similar style. The book is told entirely from Jessie’s point of view and I enjoyed getting into her head, the writing style works well for the tone of the book. It was a bit slow to begin, as I said, not to mention I just didn’t get the chance to sit down and read it fully until I was a third of the way through and then I easily got into it and managed to finish the book within hours. I look forward to diving into Claudia’s earlier books as she certainly has a writing flair and she seems to have made the successful transition from actress to author, not something that happens every day.
October 18, 2019
First half of the book was impossible and hard to read. I kept rolling my eyes as it was annoying and there is ‘eejit’ everywhere. 2nd half is heartwarming and funny actually!! Absolutely loved it. I mean it is kinda predictable but was fun to read and see how the events turned out. I was still hoping Sam would get a proper punishment just like Emma, something that would hurt his reputation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2024
DNF grappig, maar er zat geen plot in
September 5, 2010
Any story that begins with “Once Upon a Time,” captures my insatiable interest. Jessie Woods aptly compares herself to the story of Cinderella. From the early death of her mother, her father remarries Joan who has two daughters, both are older than Jessie, Maggie and Sharon. Then the story becomes more evidently similar to the fairytale especially after the unforeseen death of Jessie’s father….
The actual story begins right when Jessie is in the middle of an interview which is clear to the readers that she has made it big on her own. Her hard work paid off – and now has her own TV show. In addition to all the glamour and success, Jessie is involved with Sam, an entrepreneur who has his share of media exposure because of his latest book launch. For years life has indeed been a dream for her.
Then the clock strikes midnight and everything turns back to reality, so to speak. It begins after her car was repossessed, Jessie was blindsided when she was accused of accepting a bribe – to which the story was leaked to the media. Thus, comes the end of her career and her lifelong work. Also, Sam, who was her source of comfort, was keeping his distance and eventually told her (and his publicist) that they were on a break. Without a home, the love of her life, and with the disappearance of her so-called friends, Jessie’s last option was to go back to her old home and live with her step mother and step sisters.
Since Jessie did not have an income, Joan, Maggie and Sharon decided that in order for her to live in their home (although she legally owns half of the house), she should do household chores. Life for her became a struggle at first but soon enough, her relationship with Sharon started to unravel into a friendship. Jessie provided her with support as she coached her with the latest trend in the dating world. Maggie and Jessie also had a chance to get to know each other at a deeper level and talk out all their past hurts which gave them an opportunity to work on rebuilding their relationship.
Some of Jessie’s friends came back to her life including Steve, he paved the way for her to work at their local radio station. His friendship and intentions were genuine and in the brief moments they spend together, it was obvious that they were a good match.
Jessie found a shocking surprise - Emma, whom she looked up to and respected was the person behind the bribery and the downfall of her career. When the truth came out, Emma’s old job was offered to her, with that Sam was back in the picture. For a moment Jessie seemed confused with Sam but soon realized that her Prince Charming is Steve and now Jessie did live happily ever after.
This is my first novel by Claudia Carroll and I truly love her writing style. The story flows well, I truly enjoyed Jessie’s story being referenced to Cinderella’s. Jessie, is a wonderful character, she is naïve in some ways, and resilient. There were a lot of funny moments and also heartwarming ones like when Sharon who was initially overweight, have never been on a date was asking advice on how to meet men. Another moment was when Maggie and Jessie had that long overdue talk and realized that they had more in common especially because they both loved their father. This is a story about finding oneself and what family truly means.
The actual story begins right when Jessie is in the middle of an interview which is clear to the readers that she has made it big on her own. Her hard work paid off – and now has her own TV show. In addition to all the glamour and success, Jessie is involved with Sam, an entrepreneur who has his share of media exposure because of his latest book launch. For years life has indeed been a dream for her.
Then the clock strikes midnight and everything turns back to reality, so to speak. It begins after her car was repossessed, Jessie was blindsided when she was accused of accepting a bribe – to which the story was leaked to the media. Thus, comes the end of her career and her lifelong work. Also, Sam, who was her source of comfort, was keeping his distance and eventually told her (and his publicist) that they were on a break. Without a home, the love of her life, and with the disappearance of her so-called friends, Jessie’s last option was to go back to her old home and live with her step mother and step sisters.
Since Jessie did not have an income, Joan, Maggie and Sharon decided that in order for her to live in their home (although she legally owns half of the house), she should do household chores. Life for her became a struggle at first but soon enough, her relationship with Sharon started to unravel into a friendship. Jessie provided her with support as she coached her with the latest trend in the dating world. Maggie and Jessie also had a chance to get to know each other at a deeper level and talk out all their past hurts which gave them an opportunity to work on rebuilding their relationship.
Some of Jessie’s friends came back to her life including Steve, he paved the way for her to work at their local radio station. His friendship and intentions were genuine and in the brief moments they spend together, it was obvious that they were a good match.
Jessie found a shocking surprise - Emma, whom she looked up to and respected was the person behind the bribery and the downfall of her career. When the truth came out, Emma’s old job was offered to her, with that Sam was back in the picture. For a moment Jessie seemed confused with Sam but soon realized that her Prince Charming is Steve and now Jessie did live happily ever after.
This is my first novel by Claudia Carroll and I truly love her writing style. The story flows well, I truly enjoyed Jessie’s story being referenced to Cinderella’s. Jessie, is a wonderful character, she is naïve in some ways, and resilient. There were a lot of funny moments and also heartwarming ones like when Sharon who was initially overweight, have never been on a date was asking advice on how to meet men. Another moment was when Maggie and Jessie had that long overdue talk and realized that they had more in common especially because they both loved their father. This is a story about finding oneself and what family truly means.
January 4, 2024
I really enjoyed this story, I found Jessie, the main character likeable and you found yourself really wishing for things to work out. Some of the character developments were fab, particularly Jessies sisters, and I just loved following her journey from losing everything and having to start again, and doing so rather humbly. The writing was super fun and I just loved the dynamic between Jessie and her step mum and two sisters and the comedy it brought to the story.
I predicted what was going on fairly early on but it didn’t ruin the story at all. All in all this was a fun read and a very similar style to Sophie Kinsella. If you like her books, you will like this.
I predicted what was going on fairly early on but it didn’t ruin the story at all. All in all this was a fun read and a very similar style to Sophie Kinsella. If you like her books, you will like this.
April 9, 2011
What girl doesn’t love the Cinderella fairy tale? A young woman coming from nothing, living with her horrible stepmother and retched step-sisters, only to fall madly in love with Prince Charming and live happily ever after. Jessie Woods believes her life rivals the one of Cinderella. She didn’t have much as a child, but with the love and support from her father, she determinedly made something of herself. Working as a daredevil TV host, living in a mansion, and dating one of the most eligible bachelors, Jessie’s life couldn’t get better.
But it could get worse. When Jessie gets offered to accept a free car after one of her daredevil shows, she greedily accepts- on live TV. She is immediately sacked from her position, and with no job and the credit card bills becoming more and more demanding, Jessie is forced to cut back on her lavish lifestyle. Way back. And then more. After losing her house, she is forced to move in with her stepmother and her two grown daughters- still living at home with no husbands or social lives to speak of. To make it all worse, Jessie’s boyfriend will no longer return her calls. Can she still find a happy ending after all?
Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother by Claudia Carroll is a riot! I was laughing out loud at the crazy situations Jessie finds herself in- from working fast food to breaking and entering her ex’s house. The stepsister’s are a story in themselves, and the stepmother and her start-up internet business- genius! Though the story might be seem all light and comical, there is a lesson to be learned from many of the characters. The only part that sometimes got under my skin was the constant complaining about Jessie’s failed relationship. But I loved the stereotypes and the many comparisons to fairy tales. I thought that really worked for what Carroll was trying to achieve, and I definitely recommend this Brit Chick Lit novel!
But it could get worse. When Jessie gets offered to accept a free car after one of her daredevil shows, she greedily accepts- on live TV. She is immediately sacked from her position, and with no job and the credit card bills becoming more and more demanding, Jessie is forced to cut back on her lavish lifestyle. Way back. And then more. After losing her house, she is forced to move in with her stepmother and her two grown daughters- still living at home with no husbands or social lives to speak of. To make it all worse, Jessie’s boyfriend will no longer return her calls. Can she still find a happy ending after all?
Personally, I Blame My Fairy Godmother by Claudia Carroll is a riot! I was laughing out loud at the crazy situations Jessie finds herself in- from working fast food to breaking and entering her ex’s house. The stepsister’s are a story in themselves, and the stepmother and her start-up internet business- genius! Though the story might be seem all light and comical, there is a lesson to be learned from many of the characters. The only part that sometimes got under my skin was the constant complaining about Jessie’s failed relationship. But I loved the stereotypes and the many comparisons to fairy tales. I thought that really worked for what Carroll was trying to achieve, and I definitely recommend this Brit Chick Lit novel!
September 15, 2013
It was slow to start with and Jessie was hardly likeable at times, but it had a good ending! I love Steve of course, and it was entirely cliche, but I also love a good cliche so that's alright.
There were some annoying parts though, and here come some SPOILERS!
1. I don't like that she went back to Channel Six; hasn't she had enough of that world?
2. I don't like that she was made to seem like a nice person but she was quite mean herself! I mean I get that her stepsisters were horrible to her but jeesh, it wasn't a good look on her whenever she wrote something nasty about Maggie's weight or whatever, mean mean mean!
3. Her stupidity when it came to Sam at the end was upsetting and such a waste of time. I guess it goes with the whole cliche thing but she can't have been that dumb surely.
Things I liked that made up for the above!
1. IPrayForYou.com LOLOL the absolute randomness of this was too much!!
2. The whole community thing that they had with her neighbourhood was lovely.
3. The odd funny thing that made me laugh out loud, can't remember now but there were a few!
Would recommend for someone who isn't looking to read anything mind blowing, just a quick laugh, although you'll have to get through the first bunch of chapters.
There were some annoying parts though, and here come some SPOILERS!
1. I don't like that she went back to Channel Six; hasn't she had enough of that world?
2. I don't like that she was made to seem like a nice person but she was quite mean herself! I mean I get that her stepsisters were horrible to her but jeesh, it wasn't a good look on her whenever she wrote something nasty about Maggie's weight or whatever, mean mean mean!
3. Her stupidity when it came to Sam at the end was upsetting and such a waste of time. I guess it goes with the whole cliche thing but she can't have been that dumb surely.
Things I liked that made up for the above!
1. IPrayForYou.com LOLOL the absolute randomness of this was too much!!
2. The whole community thing that they had with her neighbourhood was lovely.
3. The odd funny thing that made me laugh out loud, can't remember now but there were a few!
Would recommend for someone who isn't looking to read anything mind blowing, just a quick laugh, although you'll have to get through the first bunch of chapters.
August 5, 2015
Wow, that was dire. I kept reading until the end, hoping that there would be some redeeming twist, some gem I could take away from the experience. There were maybe two lines in the book that I really thought were of value. Someone forgot to tell Claudia Carroll the importance of original ideas and of likeable main characters. Also, having characters comment that "you couldn't make this up!" in a fiction book seems rather ridiculous - obviously you *could* make it up, and you have, and it's terrible. I don't know how to dispose of this book now.. At least in a charity shop it might help raise a little money. (I'm really not mean by nature, but I seem to feel quite strongly about this one!)
October 3, 2016
Ik heb er een hele tijd over gedaan om dit boek te lezen.
en toch kan ik niet negatief zijn over het boek.
het duurde gewoon heel erg lang voor het me beet had en ik helemaal mee in het verhaal zat. Pas in de 2 de helft van het boek was ik mee en wou ik blijven lezen.
een monderne assepoester, leuk om te lezen, maar voor mij geen boek dat ik 2 keer lees
en toch kan ik niet negatief zijn over het boek.
het duurde gewoon heel erg lang voor het me beet had en ik helemaal mee in het verhaal zat. Pas in de 2 de helft van het boek was ik mee en wou ik blijven lezen.
een monderne assepoester, leuk om te lezen, maar voor mij geen boek dat ik 2 keer lees
August 1, 2013
Read my full review, including spoilers, here: http://fairytalecritic.tumblr.com/pos...
Spoiler-free version:
The book begins by introducing us to our main character, Jessie Woods. Jessie is a TV personality with her own show, Jessie Would, which is a show where the audience members dare her to do things. She’s dating the handsome and rich Sam Hughes, an entrepreneur, and they are apparently one of one of the tabloids’ favorite couples to gossip about.
Jessie’s own personal back story is strikingly familiar; her mother died when she was very young and her father married a woman with two of her own daughters. Jessie never got along with her step-mother and step-sisters, and when her father passed away it strained their relationship even more. Jessie moved out of their house as soon as she could, went to school, got a job at channel six, and slowly moved up the ranks until she finally had her own show as well as her own prince charming. Everyone else notices the similarities as well; the media calls her rise to fame a Cinderella story and her step-sisters spitefully refer to her as “Cinderella-Rockefeller."
It seems that Jessie already has her happy ending, but we quickly learn that not everything is as good as it could be. Jessie is drowning in credit card debt; she’s spent ridiculous amounts of money on the rent for her mansion, designer clothes, and the expenses of going to all the parties and vacations that her boyfriend Sam insists she come along to.
As if things weren’t bad enough already, Jessie’s world utterly falls apart. While doing one of her dares for her show, she unknowingly accepts a bribe while on live TV, and within minutes loses her show, her career, nearly all her friends, and her home.
Jessie is faced with a startling and sobering conclusion; the only place she has any claim to live in is the house she grew up in, which she legally owns half of, but is also where her step-family still lives. Which means moving back in with them.
Joan, Jessie’s step-mother, is an alcoholic with mood swings, sometimes acting incredibly kindly toward Jessie and at other times scathingly rude. Maggie, the older step-sister, is a bitter woman working for the Inland Revenue Service and enjoys nothing more than making cruel jokes at Jessie’s expense, and Sharon, the other step-sister, lacks direction in her life, currently working at Smiley Burger and generally follows Maggie’s lead when it comes to heckling Jessie, though she can’t come up with much to say when left on her own. But I also think it’s important to note that Jessie isn’t exactly nice either. Although most of it remains in her internal dialogue, she compares the two of them to Selma and Patty from The Simpsons, speculates that their father was a circus freak, and makes constant judgments about everything from their eating habits to their body types. She is appalled that Maggie doesn’t do anything about her graying hair, as if this is the most important concern, and equally appalled that Maggie eats her microwave dinner out of the packaging without first transporting the food onto a plate. I mean…I’m guilty of that. Does it make me uncivilized or something? I also feel the need to point out that the things Maggie and Sharon make fun of her for are actually pretty accurate…they rightly point out that she judges them for drinking cider because she thinks it’s a lower-class drink. And I kind of agree…what’s wrong with cider? What’s wrong with not putting your physical appearance above all else? What’s wrong with microwave dinners, especially if your income isn’t that high?
Her step-family decides that she can only stay with them if she does all the household chores, as the other three of them contribute to mortgage payments but Jessie can’t pay a dime. And thus the Cinderella story begins again.
I found this book to not be terribly exciting. I guess one of the issues is that most of what’s in this novel can be taken at face value. I didn’t feel much depth from any of the characters, and not much ever seemed to be at stake, despite the fact that things clearly were at stake. It was just so light and fluffy. It almost felt like Jessie was going through the motions of being depressed rather than actually having depression, just from the way it was described and the way she narrated it. Not much of it really seemed to matter. I found much of the plot and the actions of the characters to be predictable and transparent. I could see most plot twists coming a mile away.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. I liked most of the characters, especially Jessie and Sharon. I liked their relationship and how they came to be friends. I liked how Jessie managed to pick herself up and jump-start her career with the radio show. I wanted to see what happened next. But many of the events that did happen just didn’t hold much weight to me.
One thing I didn't like was how women are portrayed in this book. Jessie places an inordinate amount of importance on how her step-sisters style themselves. She at first makes character judgments based not on the scathing comments they make, but on their clothing, hair, and body weight. Furthermore, I don’t appreciate that as Sharon gets a makeover, not only does she become more pleasing to the eye, but she also becomes a kinder person and suddenly becomes “datable.” One could argue the change in attitude is due to Jessie’s friendship, but I can’t help but notice her being a nice person is directly linked to a nicer physical appearance. Furthermore, Jessie herself is totally objectified by Sam. The worth she has to him is tied to her popularity as a TV host and her good looks and charm so that she can help land him on tabloid covers to help promote his next book or TV show or whatever.
And maybe part of the problem is that this is a Cinderella story. Because part of the heart of a Cinderella story is that ugly people have ugly personalities and beautiful people have kind hearts. But I guess it bugs me that although there were some exceptions to the general rule in the novel, notably with Sam and Emma, there were never any exceptions going to opposite way, where a non-beautiful person wasn’t immediately categorized as a bad person, and it also bugs me that the stereotype holds true in the four primary characters (Maggie, Sharon, Joan, and Jessie).
Like I said above, overall, I enjoyed this book. It’s a good, quick, summer, beach-y type of book. But would I read it again? Probably not. Are the characters ones that will stay with me for a long time? Again, probably not. But it wasn’t a waste of time either. There were some great moments with some good characters, and if you’re looking for some heartwarming character growth with some romance and family bonding thrown in, then this might be a book you’d enjoy.
Read my full review, including spoilers, here: http://fairytalecritic.tumblr.com/pos...
Spoiler-free version:
The book begins by introducing us to our main character, Jessie Woods. Jessie is a TV personality with her own show, Jessie Would, which is a show where the audience members dare her to do things. She’s dating the handsome and rich Sam Hughes, an entrepreneur, and they are apparently one of one of the tabloids’ favorite couples to gossip about.
Jessie’s own personal back story is strikingly familiar; her mother died when she was very young and her father married a woman with two of her own daughters. Jessie never got along with her step-mother and step-sisters, and when her father passed away it strained their relationship even more. Jessie moved out of their house as soon as she could, went to school, got a job at channel six, and slowly moved up the ranks until she finally had her own show as well as her own prince charming. Everyone else notices the similarities as well; the media calls her rise to fame a Cinderella story and her step-sisters spitefully refer to her as “Cinderella-Rockefeller."
It seems that Jessie already has her happy ending, but we quickly learn that not everything is as good as it could be. Jessie is drowning in credit card debt; she’s spent ridiculous amounts of money on the rent for her mansion, designer clothes, and the expenses of going to all the parties and vacations that her boyfriend Sam insists she come along to.
As if things weren’t bad enough already, Jessie’s world utterly falls apart. While doing one of her dares for her show, she unknowingly accepts a bribe while on live TV, and within minutes loses her show, her career, nearly all her friends, and her home.
Jessie is faced with a startling and sobering conclusion; the only place she has any claim to live in is the house she grew up in, which she legally owns half of, but is also where her step-family still lives. Which means moving back in with them.
Joan, Jessie’s step-mother, is an alcoholic with mood swings, sometimes acting incredibly kindly toward Jessie and at other times scathingly rude. Maggie, the older step-sister, is a bitter woman working for the Inland Revenue Service and enjoys nothing more than making cruel jokes at Jessie’s expense, and Sharon, the other step-sister, lacks direction in her life, currently working at Smiley Burger and generally follows Maggie’s lead when it comes to heckling Jessie, though she can’t come up with much to say when left on her own. But I also think it’s important to note that Jessie isn’t exactly nice either. Although most of it remains in her internal dialogue, she compares the two of them to Selma and Patty from The Simpsons, speculates that their father was a circus freak, and makes constant judgments about everything from their eating habits to their body types. She is appalled that Maggie doesn’t do anything about her graying hair, as if this is the most important concern, and equally appalled that Maggie eats her microwave dinner out of the packaging without first transporting the food onto a plate. I mean…I’m guilty of that. Does it make me uncivilized or something? I also feel the need to point out that the things Maggie and Sharon make fun of her for are actually pretty accurate…they rightly point out that she judges them for drinking cider because she thinks it’s a lower-class drink. And I kind of agree…what’s wrong with cider? What’s wrong with not putting your physical appearance above all else? What’s wrong with microwave dinners, especially if your income isn’t that high?
Her step-family decides that she can only stay with them if she does all the household chores, as the other three of them contribute to mortgage payments but Jessie can’t pay a dime. And thus the Cinderella story begins again.
I found this book to not be terribly exciting. I guess one of the issues is that most of what’s in this novel can be taken at face value. I didn’t feel much depth from any of the characters, and not much ever seemed to be at stake, despite the fact that things clearly were at stake. It was just so light and fluffy. It almost felt like Jessie was going through the motions of being depressed rather than actually having depression, just from the way it was described and the way she narrated it. Not much of it really seemed to matter. I found much of the plot and the actions of the characters to be predictable and transparent. I could see most plot twists coming a mile away.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. I liked most of the characters, especially Jessie and Sharon. I liked their relationship and how they came to be friends. I liked how Jessie managed to pick herself up and jump-start her career with the radio show. I wanted to see what happened next. But many of the events that did happen just didn’t hold much weight to me.
One thing I didn't like was how women are portrayed in this book. Jessie places an inordinate amount of importance on how her step-sisters style themselves. She at first makes character judgments based not on the scathing comments they make, but on their clothing, hair, and body weight. Furthermore, I don’t appreciate that as Sharon gets a makeover, not only does she become more pleasing to the eye, but she also becomes a kinder person and suddenly becomes “datable.” One could argue the change in attitude is due to Jessie’s friendship, but I can’t help but notice her being a nice person is directly linked to a nicer physical appearance. Furthermore, Jessie herself is totally objectified by Sam. The worth she has to him is tied to her popularity as a TV host and her good looks and charm so that she can help land him on tabloid covers to help promote his next book or TV show or whatever.
And maybe part of the problem is that this is a Cinderella story. Because part of the heart of a Cinderella story is that ugly people have ugly personalities and beautiful people have kind hearts. But I guess it bugs me that although there were some exceptions to the general rule in the novel, notably with Sam and Emma, there were never any exceptions going to opposite way, where a non-beautiful person wasn’t immediately categorized as a bad person, and it also bugs me that the stereotype holds true in the four primary characters (Maggie, Sharon, Joan, and Jessie).
Like I said above, overall, I enjoyed this book. It’s a good, quick, summer, beach-y type of book. But would I read it again? Probably not. Are the characters ones that will stay with me for a long time? Again, probably not. But it wasn’t a waste of time either. There were some great moments with some good characters, and if you’re looking for some heartwarming character growth with some romance and family bonding thrown in, then this might be a book you’d enjoy.
Read my full review, including spoilers, here: http://fairytalecritic.tumblr.com/pos...
July 6, 2018
Jessie is a television presenter who loses her job for a reason so stupid it is hard to believe (how could she not know she wasn't supposed to do that? why wasn't it in her contract?). She's is massively in debt and loses her posh house because she hasn't paid the rent for months. And her glamorous, ambitious boyfriend dumps her because she isn't successful any more. At this point I am already sick of Jessie who seems to me a very tiresome character, but fortunately she is forced to move back into the house she co owns with her stepmother, Joan. Joan is an amusing character, as are her two daughters Maggie and Sharon, and the story picks up when they are around. Jessie naturally finds living in her old home in a lower class neighbourhood a frightful comedown, but eventually she begins to make some headway in getting to know her stepsisters. Personally, I would have preferred more of the steps and less of Jessie, whose woes left me unmoved. But the steps make the story tolerable.
June 7, 2017
I really enjoyed reading Meet me in Manhattan and In a NY Minute from Carroll so I was looking forward to reading this one, as the premise seems fun! But...
gosh.
I think the only reason I kept reading was because I expected something major/surprising to happen eventually as, imo, it was a very slow-build after she got fired. But nope.
Also, the lead character started out the story being really mean and I get it, it was a carapace, but I felt like still, after all, she was still pretty much a spoiled child. I feel like Carroll's light tone/style was indeed 'fun' to read but maybe didn't give us enough when it came to how she dealt with her family...and SAM. I wanted to slap Jesse close to the end, it's like after all this ordeal she only was bit more wiser but not wise enough to see through his sh##?!?
an OK read that I will most definitely forget all about in a few days lol
gosh.
I think the only reason I kept reading was because I expected something major/surprising to happen eventually as, imo, it was a very slow-build after she got fired. But nope.
Also, the lead character started out the story being really mean and I get it, it was a carapace, but I felt like still, after all, she was still pretty much a spoiled child. I feel like Carroll's light tone/style was indeed 'fun' to read but maybe didn't give us enough when it came to how she dealt with her family...and SAM. I wanted to slap Jesse close to the end, it's like after all this ordeal she only was bit more wiser but not wise enough to see through his sh##?!?
an OK read that I will most definitely forget all about in a few days lol
Read
April 29, 2020I’m glad I pushed through the start of this book to get to the great ending.
At first I really struggled with the book, I got frustrated with the characters behaviour and the constant yammering on about random shite (excuse my language) but I pushed through. I was going to finish this book.
After about 150 pages I really started getting into it, seeing the comparisons between the fairytales of old and the new adjusted version. As the character started to grow the book became more enjoyable, I’m not sure if it was I who struggled with the start because of situations or if it was the fact that I just got really annoyed and didn’t want to read it hahaha.
All in all “Keep Prince Charming and give me Buttons any day”
At first I really struggled with the book, I got frustrated with the characters behaviour and the constant yammering on about random shite (excuse my language) but I pushed through. I was going to finish this book.
After about 150 pages I really started getting into it, seeing the comparisons between the fairytales of old and the new adjusted version. As the character started to grow the book became more enjoyable, I’m not sure if it was I who struggled with the start because of situations or if it was the fact that I just got really annoyed and didn’t want to read it hahaha.
All in all “Keep Prince Charming and give me Buttons any day”
June 24, 2018
It did take me some to get into this story, even put the book away and started reading other things, because of the first chapters.
But at some point I picked the book up again and after her world came crashing down and her moving back to her old house I started enjoying reading it.
Especially when she really picked herself up and started building up things again.
Liked the end.
But not a book I would read a second time.
But at some point I picked the book up again and after her world came crashing down and her moving back to her old house I started enjoying reading it.
Especially when she really picked herself up and started building up things again.
Liked the end.
But not a book I would read a second time.
October 5, 2022
Jessie had made it to the top. Her own TV show, a celebrity boy friend, and a pink mansion, though rented. She lived the charmed lifestyle- and moved in elite circles. Till one day it all came crashing down. Out with her job went her boyfriend and her lifestyle. She was back home with her stepmother and her two evil step sisters, a life she had worked so hard to escape. But does every cloud have a silver lining? A lovely read
December 29, 2024
A funny and heart-warming riches to rags story - a Cinderella tale in reverse.
When high-flyer TV celebrity Jessie Woods' life falls apart, she suddenly discovers that the life she had was not at all as wonderful as she had thought. Now she must claw her way up from rock bottom and make a new life for herself and on the way she will learn a good number of life lessons and discover her true self.
A great read to round off the holiday season.
When high-flyer TV celebrity Jessie Woods' life falls apart, she suddenly discovers that the life she had was not at all as wonderful as she had thought. Now she must claw her way up from rock bottom and make a new life for herself and on the way she will learn a good number of life lessons and discover her true self.
A great read to round off the holiday season.
December 17, 2017
I had a hard time getting into this book at first. It took me awhile to warm up to the story. It was a little boring at times but I’m glad I persisted and kept on reading. Funny, realistic at times and definitely Cinderella back words. I’m glad things turned out for the best for Jessie as she deserved good things.
November 22, 2020
2.5 stars. Light hearted comedy romance. I found the first half of the book painful as Jessie continue to pursue her ex boyfriend Sam. And th eromance between her and Steve did not seem very convincing. However I did like the developing relationship between Jessie and her step-sisters. Silly but entertaining.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2020
I struggled with this book. Not my usual read but I thought it looked light and fun. I didnt take to the characters or storylin I very nearly gave up but did continue. The ending was the best bit of the story but I wont be reading anything g else by the author based on this.e
August 16, 2020
To be honest, the best part of this book was the prologue and the last 6 chapters. I didn’t enjoy this book at all, so much it took me a month to power through it. I didn’t really like the characters fir the first 60% of the book and found a few things predictable.
January 15, 2021
This story greatly mirrors most chick lit based in the UK. Same plot story, be a klutz with finances, lose everything, bemoan, then miraculous gain everything and more with a new boyfriend in tow.
Enjoyable light read buy really no structure.
Also main character was very whiny and unlikable.
Enjoyable light read buy really no structure.
Also main character was very whiny and unlikable.
April 23, 2023
Lovely, lighthearted and exactly what you need from this genre! Great characters that actually grow through the story. An unexpected villain and of course the dream that we are all a little like cinderella.
May 15, 2025
I really enjoyed this book, I couldn’t put it down! Not the usual type of book I’ve been reading lately but it gives Sophie Kinsella vibes, I love reading her books, and I would definitely read more from Claudia.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews