Thank you very much Entangled: Amara, NetGalley and Author for this addictive new novel!

I loved this book! Not only is it brilliantly written but the story is engaging and lovely
With likable characters, witty dialogue, a romance that made me swoon, as well as the most wonderful ending, all worked together to make A Sweet Mess a thoroughly delightful story!
Every word, every chapter just had me falling more and more in love with these people!
I had fun reading this, this was a great escape read, I could not stop turning those pages, and the romance was definitely swoon worthy.
Nothing makes me happier than reading a story that allows you to feel every emotion the characters are!

I will post closer to pub date!

For all the romance readers out there, Elle Cruz debut novel How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale takes the romance readers ideals and makes them come to life. This was such a fun "modern-day" twist on the standard fairy tale in which every girl wants to find her prince. He may come in all different forms but for Claire he came as the handsome CEO Nate. I absolutely loved their personal and professional relationship situations. Overall a great read and take on the modern-day fairy tale and keeps the romance reader dreaming of their own.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

In general I thought the story was sweet, the meet-cute was charming, and the leads were well suited. The female lead did feel quite young/immature - this may have been the intention.

Insta-love, or very little build up between the leads, doesn’t really suit my romance reading preferences. I would have enjoyed understanding *why* they liked each other so much, and some tension, rather than jumping into things so quickly. However, I appreciate this is a personal preference - I’m sure many will enjoy the whirlwind.

My other issue with this one is that I didn’t quite completely understand the tension between the sisters in enough detail - I would have liked more history of Ro’s behaviour.

In short: it was sweet insta love - not in line with my personal tastes but others will have a good time!

I know it is about a modern-day fairy tale, but it was a bit too insta for me and too unbelievable. Claire meets Nate, he asks her out and immediately she imagines a relationship, they are intimate very quickly. He flies her to Paris on their first real date... and her sister (who thinks she met someone at a dating app) is completely okay with Claire flying somewhere to meet an unknown person...
Yes, I know it is fiction and I love the heroine being swept off her feet... but it felt so odd. As if the author wanted this to be a fairy tale too hard.

Claire is a really nice person. She loves her family and is very sad her beloved grandmother is in a home after her Alzheimer's is worsening. She loves to bake special cookies and works in a book store. I immediately liked her, who wouldn't.
Maybe I was just in the mood for something a bit more realistic.

Anyway, I would love to see what this author comes up with next and please don't keep my opinion from trying out this book! Love the cover and the fact Claire is from an immigrant family and the family dynamics.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this modern-day spin on the wonderful fairy tale ending stories that I have grown up hearing. Claire was one of the most relatable MC's I've read in a while, capturing your attention with her quirky and very real personality. I adored that she was a bookworm, just like me and never shied away from being true to herself! We have the gorgeous Nate who is the CEO of a mega tech company who dotes on Claire and wants to show her that true love and those perfect fairy tale endings are truly possible. I enjoyed reading the challenges that Claire and Nate have to navigate with their professional and personal lives as they try to balance a new relationship that could possibly lead to their happily ever after. This was the perfect kind of read to pick up after a long day at work and brought with it plenty of smiles and oh so cute moments.

A delightful contemporary romance! I highly recommend for anyone who has contemporary romance burnout - this one is so fresh and so inventive. I couldn't get enough!

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.

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 fairytale endings are really just the beginning.

This is a nice twist on a fairy tale. I like how the heroine isn't the typical blond, blue-eye ingenue. The writing is sharp and entertaining. I like Claire's family as well. They are interesting and likable. What a nice happy story.