Member Reviews

This book was cute and fun but I didn't love it. Charity's narrative voice was unique but it felt like the author was trying to craft a super-smart teen which created someone who felt unrealistic. Charity's relationship with Noah moved a little too quickly with their evolution from hate to love feeling a little too much like instalove. Also, after spending more than 350 pages with these characters I never really liked them. The book is fast-paced and perfect for tween or teens looking for some mindless fun but I wanted a little more.

Was this review helpful?

It was a cute novel. There needed to be better character development, especially related to the secondary characters. Many felt surface level and needed more layers. The pop culture references and slang will date this book easily and may make it difficult to recommended in a not-so-distant future. All that being said, I will read more by this author because there is great potential here. The book was easy and quick to read. The premise was interesting.

Was this review helpful?

I'm not crying. You're crying. But seriously, this was probably the best book I've read all month and one of the best of the year. It was witty, nerdy, and oh so romantic. I already want to read it again!

Right from the beginning, I was laughing so hard. This book was hilarious! I especially laughed at Noah and Charity's relationship. Their banter was pure gold. Plus, they were both so sarcastic that it made things a lot of fun.

Speaking of their relationship, it was seriously the best. It was a beautifully curated slow burn that had me screaming at them and crying at the same time. Every time they argued or laughed together or schemed or anything, I was here for it. These two characters were just so well developed and worked so great together. I just really love them!

Also, there were sooooo many cute Noah moments. I wanted to squeal every time he did something dorky or awkward. He was just so cute when he was embarrassed or called out on being a little nerdy. I loved it and definitely swooned over him multiple times.

And I loved seeing the change in Charity. She goes through a lot of tough things throughout the book that cause her to change and shift more into the person she's meant to be. As well, she learns more about her fairy godmother powers (with the help of our lovely Noah) that help her to understand her purpose and how she's meant to help people.

Overall, THIS IS A MUST READ!! I repeat, read this book before all else! I'll be recommending this hilarious, well-written, and romantic book to everyone I know.

Was this review helpful?

***ARC Review***

“Ugh I hate cheesy romance novels,” she says while smiling, hugging the book, and internally screaming about how freaking cute it is. Seriously, this book is a ridiculous, unrealistic, cliched ball of warmth, laughter, and so much heart. Honestly, I hated the main character for the first half of the book but totally loved her by the end so the character development is great and the love interest is so adorable. Can Noah be my boyfriend please? My biggest problem with the book is that it felt a bit like the author had never actually been to high school. I mean as a high-schooler I can tell you that no one actually cares that much if a guy wants to do ballet and trigonometry isn’t even an actual class so the unrealistic-ness of it all was a bit overboard. The writing style wasn’t very sophisticated but it was cute and fun and it fit the story. I would’ve probably been thrown off if it was written in a more elegant way so I think Miller did a great job of keeping it light and sweet the whole time. Also, the story is hilarious. I can’t count the number of times I had to shove my face into a pillow to keep myself from laughing out loud while reading at night. In terms of the plot, I was fairly annoyed at the book for the first 40% because it was so cliched but after that point I was enthralled and couldn’t stop thinking about Charity and Noah’s story, picking up the book at every chance I got.
I absolutely loved reading about this chaotic fairy godmother and her Trekkie boyfriend and definitely recommend Glimpsed to anyone looking for an adorable pick-me-up read and lots of squeals and laughter.

Was this review helpful?

I was wrapped up in this fairy tale/romance mash up! What if fairy godmothers are getting it wrong? That's one of the main questions posed in this fun romance. Charity is a great character. I appreciated that she was equally strong in her academics as she was at Poms and granting wishes. I also need to know exactly what hair color products she uses that allows her to change her color every week and not have her hair fall out. She is lively and well-intentioned and fun to read about. I'm very tired of stories where the main characters have major personality flaws that are only resolved thanks to true love or tragedy. I was also totally taken with how much Star Trek fandom figured into the book through Noah's family. That was a perfect addition for me but I DO wonder if that might be an issue for readers who are not as familiar, especially the Deanna Troi references. The one trope that was included that did annoy me is the busy, seemingly uncaring mom who we find out is only that way because (insert reason that is supposed to show how she has been abdicating her parenting responsibilities for some really good reason). Other than that, great fun!

Was this review helpful?

Fairy godmothers don’t just exist in storybooks … they exist in high school, too. Since she was 12 years old, Charity has glimpsed people’s deepest desires, and she’s done everything she can to make them come true. But all it takes is some good old-fashioned blackmail for Charity to see that some of the “Happily Ever Afters” have turned into “Happily Never Afters.” Charity must correct her mistakes before she ruins her Cinderellas’ destinies forever.

I really enjoyed this book! G.F. Miller managed to convey the real struggles high school students face - parental divorce, isolation, low self esteem, bullying - while making the reader believe that there is hope for a happily ever after. Both the romance and the everyday high school vibes reminded me of As You Wish It by Jackson Pearce. It was all at once sweet, sassy and utterly wholesome, and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to read it.

Was this review helpful?

I have been begging the universe for modern-day fairy tales (Penelope is one of my favorite stories of all time, for example) and Glimpsed by GF Miller absolutely delivers on this front! Highly recommended!

Was this review helpful?

Really entertaining book. I laughed out loud many times. I couldn't put this book down. Each page drew me in deeper and deeper. Loved the characters! They were well thought out and well rounded. Really endearing. I'll be thinking about them for a long time to come.

I was so invested in this book and these characters, I read this book in one day. I just loved it!

Was this review helpful?

I LOVE this book. The premise is so smart and clever. I love seeing things from the perspective of the fairy godmother. The love story is so sweet and I read this book so fast because I just couldn't wait to find out what happened.

Was this review helpful?

If you are looking for a fun, light-hearted, romance with a touch of magic, look no further! Glimpsed follows Charity, a modern day fairy godmother, as she is forced to rethink her wish-granteing, all while dealing with the cute dorky boy down the road.
-
This book was adorable! I loved how each character was given their own, distinct personality which doesn’t always happen in contemporaries, and I fell in love with each of them! Both Charity and Noah broke some cliches in the “popular girl” stereotype and the “nerdy boy” stereotype, and that was very refreshing.
-
There was also some great discussions centered around family, and finding your way back to your family.
-
I would definitely recommend this book to readers newer to the YA genre! It is the perfect mixture of magic, fun, and hair dye!
-
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

What if the fairy godmother in Cinderella comes back as a savvy, fast-talking, very funny high-schooler with neon-colored hair to match her moods? What if she could “glimpse” her classmates’ secret wishes and make them come true? And what is she discovers that interfering with destiny has unintended consequences? All this and much, much more is in Glimpsed, the funny, heart-warming new novel by G.F. Miller.

Charity, from a long line of family fairy godmothers, believes she must use her special powers. At least that’s what her grandmother always taught her. But she learns that her blessing comes with a price. And that price is that she must keep her “professional distance” from her Cindies, the recipients of her interventions. Noah, a self-proclaimed nerd, breaks through the emotional barriers Charity has erected as they try to undo the damage Charity’s efforts have wrought. He teaches her that instead of focusing on helping other people find happiness, she should focus on her own.

You can’t help but fall in love with them and the other story’s characters. They are earnest, unpredictable, and laugh-out-loud funny. But some deeper themes run through this modern re-telling of the Cinderella story - how far will we go to protect our own hearts?

This line, towards the end of the book, sums up what Charity learns: “If you spend your life trying to protect yourself from getting hurt, you’ll end up missing the best parts. Some people are worth breaking your heart over.” I loved that line - and this very very special book. Read it and then give it to the people you love!!

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book. This is about Charity who is a fairy godmother and helps those who she gets glimpses of. One day Noah shows up to ask her to get his ex back and to stop granting wishes. Now Charity is wondering if she is helping people or hurting them. I enjoyed the story plotline and most of the author's writing. The pacing was a little off and on in this book though. As a fan of Cinderella, I enjoyed reading the POV of the "fairy godmother".

I enjoyed the main character in this book, Charity. I love how she focuses on helping others and also her hair dye obsession. I enjoyed reading about her development and finding out if her glimpses do help people. I also enjoyed Noah but not as much as Charity. Sometimes I felt he was just there but he was a great supporting character. I didn't enjoy the romance in this book as much because sometimes it felt a little forced and there were basic signs where the other was saying they liked them but they didn't know which annoyed me. Other than that I think the characters were well done.

This was a lovely and cute book, kind of similar to Instant Karma. My problems with this book were the pacing and mostly the romance. My favorite part of this book was how Charity just dyed her hair basically every day. This was an enjoyable read and I recommend it to those who love realistic books with fantasy like Instant Karma.

Was this review helpful?

DNF'd pretty early on. Extremely cute concept, but I really couldn't stand how childish Charity sounded. It wasn't for me, and it made it pretty much unbearable to read. She sounded like she was in middle school, and it just wasn't what I expected.

Was this review helpful?

“He looks cocky in a way unique to dorks—like he just leveled up in Dungeons and Dragons.”

Okay, so I loved it. I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings, and this one asks what would happen if the fairy godmother made the wrong wishes come true, and I’m here for it.
I really liked the way that Charity grows as a person throughout the story, and she learns some hard lessons from Noah. At the same time, Noah puts in a lot of work and changes a lot by the end as well. They are both obnoxiously stubborn but genuinely kind people, which makes it really easy to root for them. They’re also hilarious and super sweet, so there’s that.
Charity’s issues with her glimpses was a very strong plot, as she heads off on a quest to right all the problems she’s accidentally caused by helping people find their “happily ever afters”. I’m also genuinely concerned about her scheduling skills because I cannot believe that one person can do that much on a school night, but I digress.
I found the climax to be a bit overdramatic, and I felt like the conflict was stretched out a bit too long, especially toward the end, but it was minor enough to overlook.
Overall, though, this was a really sweet, magical story that I finished off in one sitting.

Was this review helpful?

3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4!)
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Ever heard the story of Cinderella? Or seen the Disney movie? Well, there’s one character who is often overlooked: the fairy godmother. Charity is a fairy godmother and she occasionally sees “glimpses” of other people. It shows her their wish that they want to have fulfilled and Charity is responsible for granting it. However, Noah, a random nerdy student, suddenly blackmails her, claiming that she more or less ruined his life by setting his crush up with someone else. He demands that she stops granting wishes for good and fixes what she messed up. In addition, one of the wishes she grants backfires and Charity suddenly wonders if she’s granting people’s wishes or ruining their lives.
This book was dorky and cute! I really liked the relationships between the characters! Charity was interesting; she struggled a lot with her identity as a fairy godmother, but I loved how she actually started to care more for people toward the end. I also loved all her hair colors! Noah was such a nerd and I could relate to that! He was constantly making Star Trek references and wearing nerdy t-shirts. He was so sweet and ended up being my favorite character! The side characters were also cool; I liked Sean a whole lot! I laughed out loud a lot towards the end of the book and Charity’s schemes were very amusing. The ending was a bit abrupt, but maybe that’s just me. Overall, this was a cute, adorable, and dorky YA romance!

Was this review helpful?

It was just what I needed. It's a realistic-but-with-a-hint-of-magic teen read where the stakes aren't TOO high, but keep the pages turning.

It's a remix of the Cinderella stories brought to a contemporary high school, where a teenager named Charity lives by her fairy godmother code: when she gets a glimpse of someone's wish of a Happily Ever After (which are realistic for a teenager--no pumpkins or kingdoms here), she follows through. Her "Cindy" gets in on her secret in exchange for her HEA, then once it's completed they part ways.

The downside? Each time Charity has the opportunity to get close to someone while doing her thing, she has to pull away. A commitment to no close friends, no dating, no asking for help or doing the kinds of things that relationships naturally blossom from.

But then in walks someone who has been paying very close attention, and is willing to blackmail her into undoing a HEA that got in between him and the girl he loves. Watching it all get shaken up is both moving and entertaining.

A fun read for anyone who like retellings/remixes, and contemporary teen reads with a hint of magic and a romance side story. (I'd say ages 12 and up.)

Was this review helpful?

In every story that has a fairy godmother, they are usually the side character that doesn’t have a big role besides getting their Cinderella ready for their big moment. That is also true for Charity but everything is from her point-of-view in this book and it’s hard not to feel for her, especially with the predicaments she faces. This book takes on fairy godmothers in a way new and I was here for it!

Charity is always quick to help others but never looks for her happy ending. Her family life is not good and it’s easy to see why she would want to help others find their happiness. I really liked her character and loved that her flaws were center-stage. She may have been able to hide them from many but not from the one who would soon be the one that knows her the best.

I wasn’t even sure where the plot would go but when the whole blackmailing started I knew this book would be hard to put down! I love a good enemies-to-lovers and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s also a slow burn and it just did wonders for boosting my mood. 😍

Noah is not your typical guy who you would see as the love interest. He is a massive nerd who references Star Trek more than anyone. I think it’s why I liked him so much. I always want to root for the underdog. The way Noah and Charity met was hilarious and I just enjoyed seeing the real him as the plot went on.

There are always bumps along the way when it comes to feelings. Sometimes teen love can frustrate me but with this book I found myself really understand Charity’s thoughts. A lot of what she felt were things I felt myself back in the day. It was just really easy to connect with. I also don’t think it was overly dramatic either which usually is what makes me lose interest in other books.

Overall, I loved this book! I could say so many good things about this book. I can’t think of one thing I didn’t like. It was fun seeing fairy godmothers in a new way and the romance had me in my feelings. I’d highly recommend checking it out!

Was this review helpful?

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

A delightful and fun YA contemporary that had me unable to stop reading. I loved the concept of the story, with Charity being a modern day fairy godmother. Despite this rather magical element, the story felt utterly grounded in real life (in the best way, of course). Charity is a great MC, and I loved her depth of character and getting to know her. Plus I totally adored her addiction to coloring her hair, and how that often reflected her mood. Noah was just perfect as our leading man, with his uber-geeky ways and sincerity. I really loved how he and Charity developed as friends and not just as romantic partners. This book had me laughing, crying (oh the angst and heartache!! SO GOOD), and unable to set it down! This is going on the reread shelf for sure!

Was this review helpful?

A lonely teen fairy godmother Charity who cannot solve her own problems trying to make her peers’ wishes come true by controlling glimpses( or the other way around) And of course she finds herself start to deeply fall for her quirky/ geeky but also heavenly sweetie nemesis Noah who finds out her powers and blackmails her to use her magic for getting back her ex!

But as you may imagine what if fairy godmother doesn’t want to help him riding into sunset with his ex, what if she starts to think instead of being controlled by glimpses, she should have a chance to have her own HEA! What if she just gets sick of her own dysfunctional family’s attitudes! Is it too late to stand for herself and instead of making everyone’s wishes come true, having a right to wish happiness for herself!

This is amazing, entertaining, unique, creative, magical, heartwarming, smart novel with enjoyably geeky Star Trek references and adorable characters!

I loved the world building, fairy tales meet emotional family drama and realistic young adult genres!

Overall: Well earned, feel good, poignant, clever five blinking, wishful stars!

Just read it and enjoy every second of it!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Simon &Schuster Children’s Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Was this review helpful?

This book was everything I needed at the moment. I have to admit I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. Such a light and easy read and the characters... I love them. Definitely recommend this one.

Was this review helpful?