Glass Slippers, Ever After, and Me

August 19, 2019
Wright (Lies Jane Austen Told Me) spins a modern-day and very meta Cinderella tale. Aspiring author Charlotte Kingsley lives in Boston and writes ad copy for an eyewear company as she continues to get rejection letters for her fairy tales. Whenever a rejection upsets her, she leans on her friend Anders Nilsson, and soon a romance blossoms. Charlotte is inspired to write nonfiction and takes time off from her day job to work diligently on a book about living an authentic life, believing that all of her dreams have come true when a small press agrees to publish it. But her freelance publicist—whose fee has consumed every penny Charlotte can scrape up—wants to control every aspect of Charlotte’s life and believes she’ll be more marketable on social media if she pretends to be single, threatening her new romantic relationship with Anders. Charlotte’s friend Lillian Christie, a fellow author full of wise advice, provides her with the stabilizing force to remain true to herself. This fast-paced, lighthearted romance also carries a moral lesson about falsehoods getting in the way of the quest for true happiness.

October 1, 2019
When a writer's life is turned upside down by sudden success, she finds that getting everything she wants comes at a price. Aspiring author Charlotte "Lettie" Kingsley writes fairy tales and hopes to be published. When she gets one more rejection, her feelings of pique lead her to an inspired idea: She'll write a self-help book called The Cinderella Fiction that will encourage readers to live their best lives. She takes vacation days from her full-time job--which consists of writing "descriptions about fun and sassy eyewear that leads to a fun and sassy life, which is actually the most fictitious thing I've ever written"--and pours all the life lessons she's learned from her own disappointments into the book. Amazingly, she attracts the attention of her dream agent, Jennifer Apsley. Meanwhile, Lettie and Anders, her Scandinavian hottie neighbor, have realized their feelings about each other have moved beyond friendship, and Lettie, who's never been interested in a long-term relationship, decides to give one with Anders a chance. Lettie's agent has big plans for the book and has created a team to make it a bestseller, including a PR firm that demands a complete makeover for Lettie. From wardrobe to apartment to a new nickname, "Char," every detail is changed to create an image that inspires admiration and a legion of followers. However, it also means that her real-life relationships are affected, and the new Char is so different from the old Lettie that she'll have to sift through what she wanted, and what she's gained, so she can live her own best life, authentically. Wright updates "Cinderella" with a modern twist and smart, satisfying details.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from September 15, 2019
Writer of reimagined fairy tales Charlotte Kingsley is devastated when she receives yet another rejection for her latest book and is caught off-guard when she finds out that her best friend and downstairs neighbor, Anders, may be engaged. Angry as can be, she takes time off from her copy writing job, pounds out a self-help book, and sends it to her dream agent. She is shocked when she is invited to New York and ends up with a seven-figure advance. Alas, the publicist changes her name and makes her change her appearance, household furnishings, and social media accounts, dumping all her previous followers. Even though she has never wanted to marry or have kids she is happy when Anders, who wants a family, decides not to marry his girlfriend, and the two best friends start dating. Family issues arise, and while getting everything she ever thought she wanted, Charlotte feels as though true happiness may be slipping away. Anders is a hunk who is also thoughtful, kind, smart, generous, and loyal, but can Charlotte have him and her career, too? This sweet, heartfelt tale of authentic characters facing intriguing challenges is at once very romantic and charmingly chaste.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)