As a millennial who grew up on Disney movies, fairy tales have always had a special place in my heart. Of course, as an adult I now view them with a healthy does of skepticism. So the premise of this book intrigued me- a modern-day fairy tale with all of the reality. Being swept off your feet by Prince Charming isn't nearly as uncomplicated as Cinderella has made it out to be.

Our damsel is Claire- a modern day woman with an overbearing family, a secret desire to start her own cookie decorating business, and absolutely no spine. Our prince is Nate, the tech mogul billionaire who falls in love with Claire at first sight. Cue the romantic montage... or not.

My biggest issue with this book is the characters. Nate is just too perfect, and Claire... oh, did I dislike Claire. She is a people-pleaser, and her inability to communicate what she actually wants to the people around her drove me crazy. Most of the reason I took so long to read this book is because I just couldn't deal with the drama she created.

That being said, I did appreciate the less-Disney, more-reality take on a fairy tale. Great concept, eh characters.

This book started off perfectly for me but as it continued I found myself losing interest. I didn’t really care what happened to any of the characters (except her Lola). There was way too much smut way too fast. Before the book even hit 50% there had already been multiple sex scenes. It just felt like they had chemistry in the bedroom but had none outside of it.

I was excited to read this book and while I liked it, I didn’t love it. A modern day Cinderella type story, this book focuses on Claire Ventura, who works in a bookshop and has dreams of opening her own cookie shop knowing it will upset her entire Filipina family and Nate Noruta, a self made media/tech giant. While I did enjoy parts of this book, I felt like the relationship was rushed and a bit over the top.
All Claire has every wanted was her own business decorating cookies, after getting her degree she took a job in a bookshop while working at building her business and two years later she is still trying to figure out how to break it to her family that she doesn’t intend to pursue a job in the medical or science related fields they want her to. I liked Claire especially her dedication to her grandmother, but I didn’t see her as a strong character at all. I saw her as someone who refused to stand up for herself, was always trying to please everyone, and listened to much to the advice of others instead of listening to her head and her heart. I loved the way she met Nate, but the way he swooped in on her almost immediately for me was way too over the top.
I did like Nate and the fact that he was a self made billionaire, smart, funny, and charming, but also a workaholic. It was endearing the way he made time for Claire even when it wasn’t good for business because he wanted her to know he was serious about pursuing her. He wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but I do believe he had good intentions.
I understand that for Filipino-Americans that family is extremely important and I loved Claire’s dedication to her grandmother who had Alzheimer’s and was in a care facility. What I didn’t like was that she felt like she didn’t have a voice when it came to her sisters, her parents and her bossy aunt. She let them get too much in her head and she constantly doubted her ability to make a go of her business and her relationships. While she eventually figures this out, for me it came too late in the story and it almost caused irreparable damage.
What I really couldn’t wrap my head around is the fact that despite Claire being at a point where she could absolutely make a go of her own business, she was constantly dropping everything to go off with Nate. Yes, he was busy and yes he had to travel for business but in this day and age, meetings can take place virtually (considering he is in tech business, this should be a given) so while he did make her somewhat of a priority, I felt like his business travel added unnecessary angst to a story that already had way more than its share.
I saw hints of promise in Ms. Cruz’s writing, but How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairytale had the heroine giving up so much for a guy and that’s really not the message a modern-day fairytale should have.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled publishing for an ARC of this novel.

I was hoping for much more out of this novel than I probably should have. It was a pretty rote romance novel but I was definitely thinking there was a twist in here based on the title including the word "survive" and her Lola's instance on opening a special box. That is not what I got. It definitely had tropes with the billionaire CEO sweeping the heroine off her feet and being oh so different from any of his friends and having a way-too-late-in-the-novel tragic backstory and so it definitely scratches an itch. I also greatly enjoyed the look into a Filipino household as it reminded me of the family dynamics I have observed from Filipino friends. More novels showing diverse family backgrounds, like Filipino households being completely different than anything I ever experienced, is amazing and I want more of that in the world. While this was not fantastic for me, I am sure it will be great for others.

Described as a modern-day Cinderella story, in "How to Survive a Modern Day Fairy Tale", Claire Ventura, people pleaser and wanna-be cookie entrepreneur is shocked when she literally almost runs into tech billionaire, Nate. Immediately, Nate knows Claire is "the one" and sets out to woo her by whisking her to Paris.

Candidly, there were just too many unrealistic elements in this book for it to be enjoyable to me. The fact it relied on the instant love trope did not do it too many favors, but, combined with a billionaire hero and the many smaller things that had me thinking "yeah, right" seemingly every other page (what kind of billionaire stays in those hotels?), it felt like a slog to get through at some points. It was incredibly distracting.

Claire herself was not quirky, but rather irritating and spineless- seemingly the only thing keeping her from going after what she wants is her inability to speak up for herself in the slightest when confronted with her family's pushy behavior. Understandable when it comes to her Aunt, but it was frustrating to see the same with her sisters over and over again. She can only be compared to Cinderella because she put herself in that position, and was unwilling to do anything about it. The slightest hint of challenge to her cookie business had her running for the hills. And for such a large family, why is Claire the only one who is able, or willing to take care of her grandmother?

The pacing was very methodical and the plot points for the most part just seemed convenient. But, then the ending felt rushed. There was no mention of Nate's family background throughout the book until Claire freaks out about how fast they're moving and he cuts her out, saying his father left him and now she is too. It came out of nowhere for a character who was understanding and sensitive previously. In fact, we learn very little about Nate, other than he is a workaholic, has a few friends with who he also works, and has a dog.

If you can suspend disbelief and are looking for a fluffy, feel-good sorta-Cinderella story, you might enjoy this book, but it was not for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Claire and Nate, although at times I loved one or the other more. It’s a great spin on the classic billionaire falls for “normal” woman trope, and I thought it was done with a lot of real-life situations thrown in. I liked that. I did think one of them held more blame than either of them acknowledged for their conflict, so this was almost a 4 star. I loved lots of other things, so it stayed a 5 star. I’d definitely recommend it!

This debut novel is a Cinderella retelling, but with its own original elements.

Claire and Nate fall fast and hard for each other after a very quick encounter. I enjoyed the moments when he showed up to help her with her cookie business. It was sweet to see him step up for her. However, I still would have liked more build up to their relationship. I am not the biggest fan of insta-love when I just don't feel the connection between them and it seemed like they jumped all in very quickly. It made the pacing feel a little off.

I did like that the romance was balanced with Claire's family relationships and issues. I thought her love and caring for her grandmother was one of the best parts of the story. It was also interesting seeing Claire's complicated relationships with her sisters and extended family. I was curious how they would grow and change as she found herself in a new relationship.

Overall, I thought this was a nice debut book, but it missed the mark in a couple places for me.

Passionate love-at-first-sight romance with lots of angst, humor and meddling family members
Ms. Cruz has written a very relatable character in Claire. We can understand her being overwhelmed but entranced with Nate and his world. Then dealing with her intrusive family, her sick Lola, keeping everybody happy and trying to keep up her hopes for her own business. This is a lot for a 30yo Filipina American introvert who has lived vicariously through the characters in her Regency romance books. The meet-cute with 33yo Nate is really sweet. Meeting his mother on the other hand not so cute nor sweet. Poor Claire, she’s so torn. Can she have Nate and a career? Will Nate fit into her busy-body family? Will she fit into his world of jets, high-powered meetings and all the rest?
This was a fascinating story. I’ll admit that Claire could make me so irritated at times because she was so easily swayed by being too much in her head about everything! Loved the secondary characters too. Todd was sweet but honest with Claire. There will be angst, steam, romance, meddling family and friends but a wonderful happily ever after. I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through Entangled/NetGalley and I give it 4.5 stars. If you like “falling in love across a crowded room” romance with some passion and lots of angst, read this book. You’ll love it!

When the heroine meets the hero, it's love-at-first-sight. But as the relationship deepens between the two, the heroine struggles with familial expectations, her own independence, and being in the spotlight. How will the heroine balance everything as her world upends in a direction she never expected?

I enjoyed reading this debut story by Elle Cruz. My favorite part of the book is the cultural representation that is exemplified in the heroine's family. The secondary characters really made the story for me, especially Lola. I liked the romance between the main couple, but I feel it needed a bit more exploration in the book. Both main characters are relatable in some way, but it would have been nice to see a better transition in the changes that this journey made for each of them. In a sense, what I really wanted was more details in some parts of the story, but that's a personal preference of mine. Overall, an enjoyable read and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more Elle Cruz books in the future.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

This was a fun, SEXY, Cinderella style romance between a Filipino American aspiring cookie decorator and the hot billionaire she accidentally almost runs over. When Claire runs into Nate (literally) the sparks are instantaneous and she is unable to resist his many charms. This was such a fun love story but you really have to suspend reality to enjoy it fully. For me this was somewhat of a cross between Arsenic and adobo and Crazy rich Asians. I enjoyed it for the entertaining escapist read and the steamy open door love scenes. Highly recommend and much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

Review ⭐️⭐️💫  How to Survive a Modern-day Fairy tale by Elle Cruz

Claire is a people-pleasing bookworm with a degree in Women's studies and an online cookie decorating business.With the pilar of their family slowly fading away, the family dynamics changes.

Maybe what she needs is Prince Charming? Nate the CEO of a Mega tech company, rumored to be the next Zuckerberg, takes her to magical new places, but navigating their relationship and their career won't be easy.

CW: Character with Alzheimer disease, death of a grandparent, gaslighting, self-depreciating language.

Unfortunately I wasn't a fan of this one. My first impression was proven correct, and had my eye rolling through all of it. It had the potential of something good, the author's writing was beautiful and flowed well. However, the characters just weren't for me. I was really looking forward to seeing Claire's big family dynamics in action, but except the love she had for her grandmother, I didn't feel any love from her family until the very end of the novel. I wish we would have seen sister bonding, I wish we had seen them love each other in other ways than the assumption that they must because they are siblings.

My other major concern was about how critical and judging she was of the women in her life and the ones she met. It was really disappointing to hear her ridicule women for their own choices, which goes against the values she praises. But she was also putting herself down, not believing herself deserving of love. While I know how hard it is to defend ourselves to our family, in this book it didn't feel like respect to them, it only felt like avoiding confrontation, which she does repeatedly in the book and became both redundant and toxic.

As for the romance part, unfortunately it also felt flat for me. This one was definitely an insta-love, which I don't have a problem with, but with this one every interaction felt like their was an undertone of money underneath it, from the very expansive first date of two days in Paris (what the h***) from their cookie-making date to cover the orders for her website. There was also a huge power-dynamic, and you peeps know how I dislike those, especially if boundaries aren't clearly discussed. And even if Nate is described and was meant to be her knight in shining armor, but only a little oblivious, when they fought he gaslighted her, and it was once again disappointing.


Thank you Entangled Publishing for the advanced reader's copy via Netgalley, as always all thoughts and opinions are and will be honest and my own.

Who doesn’t want wild, irrational love, right? Well, Claire might be one of the few people who fear their own passionate nature. She is definitely not ready for Nate; a tech genius and famous billionaire. But when the cupid throws an arrow, then what can you do? Claire is going to get her very own fairy tale, whether or not she is ready.

It’s a beautifully written, sweet, and romantic story that will warm your heart and put a smile on your face. Claire is quirky. She works in a bookstore, and loves baking. I mean, talk about perfect. And Nate is every woman’s dream. He is considerate, kind, and generous. Also, not a bad-looking fellow. If you know what I mean. When the two meet, the sparks fly and it’s instead attraction for both, but when is life so easy? Soon, they will face the challenge of making things work. Will Claire survive this Modern-Day Fairy Tale or is their relationship doomed from the start.

I absolutely loved the story, characters, and all the family drama that went hand in hand with romance. I’d definitely recommend this book to all romance lovers; it’s a real treat; a perfect read for a cold winter evening.

3 1/2 stars - Loved how Nate knew from day one that Claire was the one for him. I think that by the time you hit your thirties, you know what love looks like to you. I don't know if the family dynamics were a cultural thing but the aunt's influence and the way she thought she could tell Claire what to do was not anything I've experienced in family life. Also, I don't know any 30 year olds who visited their grandparent in a nursing home daily, again maybe that's cultural. I wish there had been more explanation of the sister Sam's behavior but as far as the romance of Nate and Claire, enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute contemporary romance with some fairytale elements. I really liked the main character, Claire, and overall her love interest was good, but I did not love the side characters which were mainly her family members. I felt like they were really only placed there to cause doubts in Claire about every aspect of her life. They were not really fleshed out very thoroughly. I also felt as though this romance was extremely fast-paced. Most people love a slow burn, and while I do enjoy that, I do not mind fast-paced romances. However, this one really went from 0 to 60 in no time at all. I also wish that there was a particular fairytale this was based off of. Cinderella is briefly mentioned in some descriptions, but it did not really feel like a retelling.

Even with these criticisms, it was a cute, contemporary romance with some scenes that will definitely appeal to those who love spice. It is a very easy read so I can definitely see it as the perfect read for any winter holiday trips!

How to Survive a Modern Day Fairytale follows our FMC Claire Ventura as she navigates her own real life fairytale. Claire is Filipina American with a large family who has a lot of opinions. She is the peacemaker and the caretaker of her family and friends. When she meets handsome billionaire CEO Nate, she is instantly swept up and head over heels in love with him. This is the craziest thing to happen to her and it's absolutely terrifying. Nate is literally her Prince Charming. However, her life is getting in the way. She has been influenced by her family and her friends her whole life. She doesn't know which path she should take. She is caught between living her best life with Nate and fulfilling the wishes of those closest to her.

This was such a cute story. It was cuteness overload. I enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure how I would feel about it after binging Mafia Romance for 2 weeks, but it was great.

This is a cute and easy read. I was able to finish this book within a day. I enjoyed the writing style although I do not read many books written in 3rd person. I found the book to have an easy flow with great humor, romance and of course SPICE! I'm giving this 3 stars mainly because it was too much insta-love. They literally didn't know each other and subsequently that was why things were rocky. But I did like that it was sort of a coming of age story for Claire. She finally made up her mind and stood on her own feet.

This was pleasantly refreshing.

I found this to be a well-done romance. I liked the characters right away and wanted to see things work out for them. This book was a pretty quick read for me and I was hooked very early on in the story. I thought that the story tackled a lot of interesting things including dealing with a family member with Alzheimer’s needing nursing home care and a large and sometimes demanding Filipino family. I am so glad that I decided to pick this book up.

Claire visits with her grandmother daily and works in a local bookstore. Her family is a big part of her life and they can sometimes be quite demanding. She also runs a cookie decorating business which is her passion. She meets Nate when she almost hits him with her car and she has no idea who he is. It turns out that he is a well-known businessman who happens to be incredibly wealthy. He is taken with Claire right away and I loved seeing these two get to know each other.

I loved Nate. He might have been a little too perfect at times but he was the highlight of this story for me. I liked Claire to a point but she did drive me crazy at times. I understand being insecure but her inability to stand up for herself and always do what her family wanted her to do drove me crazy after a while. The parts of the story that were focused on Claire and Nate’s relationship were the strongest parts of the story but I was less impressed those focused solely on Claire.

I would recommend this book to others. I found it to be a rather enjoyable read with an interesting cast of characters and a wonderful romance. I would not hesitate to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Entangled: Amara via NetGalley.

3.5⭐

I liked that this was a fast-paced, sweet insta-love story. Though sometimes I think the things the MCs do are a little bit unrelatable and it happened too fast, it's like a whiplash. I liked Nate's character. I was so intrigued reading about Claire and her life. I liked the familial aspect of the story, I enjoyed reading about her family life. I loved how Nate is with her. Their relationship was just a whirlwind. Though I didn't like that she gave up on Nate that easily. I mean, from the start there were some things that she does that's questionable. So I didn't really like her that much.

I DNF at 31%. I enjoyed the description and wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get past the red flags and the unrealistic situations of their relationship. What ultimately made me stop reading was Nate getting a jet to fly Claire to Paris, four days after having met her, and when she arrives she's told he's there to be the keynote speaker at a tech conference and has secured her tickets. It is unsafe (at best) to get into a situation like this so soon, and to arrive and be told what you're going to do, when there isn't anything in her backstory to make this seem like an appealing event to her, really bothered me. I get the fairy tale aspect and whisking her off her feet, but I just didn't care how it turned out and didn't want to find out any more.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book in turn for an honest voluntary review.

This really is set up as if it is a modern fairytale, which I think was my biggest problem with it. I'm going to be honest and say that I read up until 55% and then skipped to read the last chapter. The characters, the love story and the writing was too perfect for me- it was lacking personality and actual plot. Nate was too perfect, it didn't feel real and it started to get annoying which is I DNF'd at 55% because I couldn't even force myself to skim read it to the end. I will say that the spice surprised me by being really good but since the characters were boring, I couldn't enjoy it too much. The story is based around a Filipino American woman who struggles with her family, sickness and truly believing that the perfect love is out there for her. Just because I didn't enjoy it, doesn't mean that someone else couldn't.

I believe this comes out on the 30th of November.

My rating is really 3.75.

The book is overall good. I enjoyed it and could identify with having sisters and I know a little about Filipino culture. But I found myself annoyed almost the whole way through. At first with her sisters than our main character.

I liked Nate and Claire. I can handle instalove but this one felt like it was missing something. What? I don't know.

They never really took time to get to know each other better and only shared issues when they were close to walking away from one another.