How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale

By: Elle Cruz

Narrated by: Jennifer Aquino

This is no ordinary Cinderella story from #OwnVoices debut author Elle Cruz. Claire never believed in fairy tales - that is, until she met Nate - in this fun, flirty rom-com.

Claire Ventura is nothing like the poised and perfect heroines she reads about in her favorite romance novels. She’s a quirky, people-pleasing bookworm with a degree in women’s studies and an internet cookie decorator all rolled into a five-foot-two package fueled by chamomile tea.

And most of all, Claire loves her grandmother, Lola. Claire was always her favorite grandchild, and they shared a special bond. So when Lola inches into her 90s and Alzheimer’s starts chipping away at the vital and independent woman she used to be, the whole family dynamic starts shifting in a new direction.

Then Claire meets Nate, the CEO of a mega tech company, and he takes her to Paris. Hailed as the next Mark Zuckerberg, Nate is a fast-rising star in the tech industry, and he’s just fallen head-over-heels for Claire. Together, Claire and Nate must learn to navigate their personal and professional lives and, in the end, Nate proves to Claire that fairy tale endings are really just the beginning.

©2021 Elle Cruz (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Narrator makes this one tough

There’s a good story here but the stilted narration makes this a hard one to plod through.

Predictable and Silly but still some sexy

Reads like a debut novel, relying on all the old fantasy rom-com tropes. Characters not well developed, unclear antagonist, besides the main character and an over reliance on “need to be strong,” and crushing insecurity. I like the focus on family and how cultural pressures create the humans we are, but the absolute perfection of the love interest was boring and trite. It’s Pretty Woman meets Disney meets Bridget Jones, but less funny and a bit tiresome.