Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the eARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was initially super excited to read this book. While I'm not of Filipino descent myself, I was particularly excited about having Asian-American representation and the OwnVoices multicultural account. Again, I can't speak to the accuracy of the representation, but I do believe these aspects of the story were some of its best. The story was also much more spicy than I expected, which may be encouraging for some readers.

However, this is a romance story, and the romance was my least favorite aspect. I felt that there were so many red flags in the relationship between Nate and Claire that I just couldn't get behind the idea of them being together. The start of their relationship and ending of the novel also felt very abrupt. Additionally, I felt that there was a lot of room for character development that wasn't fully explored for many of the characters. More generally, the story seemed to lack a clear structure -- the same conflicts appeared to reiterate themselves without being resolved or flowing smoothly across chapters. Unfortunately, this really prevented me from forming an emotional connection with the characters. I can see how this story might be enjoyable for those looking for spice and Filipino representation in romance, but it really just wasn't for me.

This was definitely cute and a very fun spin-off on a fairytale and I love seeing multicultural characters! This was a fun book to just rest and relax with to just let the story take you on a journey.

That cover too! Love it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the earc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Entangled publishing for giving me an ARC of the book in exchange of a honest review.

So, no surprise given the two-stars I've put, I didn't like this book. It sadly, has all my romance red flags : the love at first sight, the billionaire guy who flies the girl everwhere with his jet, the guy who use his power to make the girl spend more time with him.
All the time I was reading, I was waiting for history to stop and another guy arrive to save the girl 🥲
All the plot were convenient and I saw them coming from miles away...

3.25 stars

How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale has a ton of charm and heart. And it was a nice take on the classic Cinderella tale - for the most part.

Claire wants to start her own cookie decorating business, but between balancing her role as peacemaker in her family and caring for her Lola, life is kind of stressful. After a chance encounter (& meet cute) with a handsome stranger who happens to be a billionaire CEO, Claire's life starts to feel like a fairy tale. But sometimes a modern-day fairy tale isn't all happily-ever-afters and riding into the sunset, sometimes you have to overcome some modern problems before and after the HEA.

The reason why I didn't love this one as much as I wanted to boils down to one thing: communication. I didn't really feel like the two leads really communicated future plans to each other - or even some present plans. And this kind of took some of the enjoyment away because I wasn't sure about their relationship.

But other than that, this is a nice rom-com about a whirl-wind romance.

Special thanks to Entangled Publishing (Entangled: Amara) for this NetGalley eARC! I really appreciate the opportunity to read this! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an amazing spin on the fairy tales that we know and love! Claire is quirky and the peace keeper in her Philipino family. She works as a bookseller, but her dream is to do her small scale cookie decorating business as her full time career. When she almost hits Nate with her car one day, she and he are instantly taken with each other. When Claire finds out that Nate is the billionaire founder of a tech company, she is almost disappointed rather than excited.

Claire and Nate have a whirlwind relationship, each knowing almost instantly that the other is their perfect match, but knowing that fairy tales aren't reality, Claire is scared of how perfect their relationship seems. This is a fun spin on the aftermath of the fairy tale meeting, and does a great job of exploring so many issues that crop up in our modern day lives.

I loved the wonderful sense of family that came from this book, the side story of Claire and her love and care for her grandmother whose health is failing; her relationships with her sister, and an overbearing aunt. I really appreciated that along with the almost instant love that occurs between the two characters, that there is also the regret and the soul searching that accompanies knowing that such a situation just doesn't happen very often in real life.

I enjoyed this book immensely, and will be looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun, steamy romance story this one turned out to be! How To Survive a Modern-Day Fairytale focuses on Claire, and all the things that makes her who she is. One day when she's been circling for a parking spot, she almost runs down someone who happened to be in the way (also behind a large pickup in the next spot over). She was already frazzled from dealing with family...so her mind is already all over the place. Imagine her surprise when the very person she nearly killed is Nate Noruta. Nate is a the owner of a billion-dollar tech empire and much to her dismay, the silent partner of the Thai restaurant she ducked into to get some food and some peace. Nate, of course, has other ideas. Their chemistry is believable from the start, except Claire can't wrap her head around why someone like Nate would want to be with her, who is totally plain.

Is it addictive and fun? Yes. Is it predictable? Yes, though not in nailing down the specifics of the story, so that was a nice surprise. And honestly, I don't read this kind of book for surprises and twists, so this didn't really affect my overall enjoyment. There were plenty of happy feels and I felt like I was rooting for a lot of the characters to end up where they wanted to be, which is all that matters to me with romance. Elle Cruz crafted a really fun and lovely story, complete with Filipina-American details and lots of family drama thrown in. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good romance story as it was one of my favorites in recent months.

This is a book about how not to get in your own way. Generally if something sounds too good to be true, it is. But in this case the fairy tale was definitely true...right down to the gorgeous hunk of a rich guy who says he loves you. Is there going to be a sequel? Warning... Some parts may be too explicit for sensitive readers.

** thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for giving me an early copy in exchange for my honest review **

This was a fun fast paced book, I read it in 2 days. I'm not a fan of instant love but this book was ok, I read the premise so I knew what I was getting myself into. For any hopeless romantic out there this is for you. Claire is swept away by the handsome, billionaire philanthropist Nate Noruta. She has never felt so intensely for someone and he seems to do everything to make her happy but they come from two very different worlds. Claire is very close to her family, she is a people pleaser and she always wants to do the right thing for everyone, however she also has her own dream of becoming an entrepreneur and have her own cookie business. She is afraid that by being with Nate she will need to give up on her dreams and lose herself in the process, she also struggles to meet her family's expectations and dive into what she really loves to do, which is baking. Will she let her insecurities get in the way of what she feels for Nate? will she find the courage to launch her business and let go of what her family expects from her? Can she find a balance between Nate’s world and her dreams?

I was very pleased with this book in general, although the whole finding a billionaire to fall head over heels for you is not relatable at all, Claire’s struggles and the relationship with her family was. I loved her sweet, caring way of taking care of her Lola (grandma) and trying to get her sisters to reconcile. You can see she tries to please everyone and is afraid to let her voice be heard, I found that very relatable. Even when I got frustrated with her at times I understood her because I'm the same way. So, the book will not reinvent the wheel but it was entertaining and because I connected with Claire I was able to feel for her in some situations. The smut was really steamy and we had a few of those scenes throughout the book which is always a plus for me. I was really dissatisfied with the ending, did she just give up on her dream of being an entrepreneur to be with Nate, would they figure it out later? What was Claire’s grand gesture to get Nate to forgive her, she just showed up where he was and he figured it out so he walked off his anger? Open endings for me are just so underwhelming for me. Other than that the rest was good, I squealed, I laughed, I almost cried only because I'm very close with my grandma too and that just really got to me. If you are looking for a fast, enjoyable, instant love, fairytale in modern age romance, this is a good book to tickle your fancy.

🍪💰Loved the Filipino family aspects and Claire's devotion to her Lola👵

4-4.5🌟 stars
There were a number of great elements to this romance between a regular woman and a young techno-billionaire.

There's pure romance:
Yes, it does seem like a whirlwind romance that any girl would dream of and Nate's moves to woo Claire, a young Filipina from a large, close family, are over the top, thoughtful, and seem too, too perfect. He's generous to a fault, adept at romantic gestures that totally sweep her off her feet and a perfect lover. Expect some steam.

There's realistic friction:
But in some respects I found this romance very realistic. Nate, billionaire and outwardly the perfect man, actually does not seem to realize how difficult it is for Claire to move in to his life. Despite the way he arranges lovely surprises and occasionally up ends his schedule for her, he isn't as accommodating and flexible as he thinks! When push comes to shove, he's got expectations that don't brook Claire's disagreement and he's not particularly sympathetic about the problems, paparazzi for one, their relationship cause for her. Not exactly fairytale time for Claire!

There's quality family drama:
I loved Claire's closeness with her grandmother and the storyline about Lola's failing health. Add to that the cultural ethos of Claire's filipino upbringing, a whole army of relatives, a warring friction between Claire's two sisters that catches Claire in the middle and a bossy aunt who wants to orchestrate Claire's life.

There's an emotional hook:
When things go bad for Claire, they really made me tap into her sadness and despair. Wrenching stuff.

I also liked the travel aspects of the story.

In sum, a good read with a happy end.

Thanks to Entangled/Amara and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

How To Survive A Modern-Day Fairy Tale is a romance novel that sounded a lot of fun. It follows Claire, a Filipino-American bookworm who decorates cookies as a side hustle and likes to please her family. When she meets Nate, a handsome billionaire, she’s instantly attracted to him, and after he rushes her off to Paris, she has to try to figure out her way around their relationship.

I loved the idea of this book. I love fairytales and romance, so seeing a modern heroine trying to find her way around that sounded fun. This book started off strong with Claire visiting her Grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s in hospital. As someone who had a grandparent that unfortunately suffered from the same thing, I know how hard it can be. I loved how much she cared about her Grandma, but I get why she was so frustrated too.

Unfortunately, I grew tired of this book only a few chapters in. I was excited to meet Nate and see what this Prince Charming was like. Sadly, all I saw was a lot of red flags. Like, I was 30% in, and there was A Lot. I’m not kidding. You’re told about him whisking her to Paris in the summary, though that was a little weird. However, him buying her dresses and getting her to wear them, getting a relative to look after her grandma, finding her on a dating app she just joined that he owns and finding his way to her apartment when she hadn’t invited him over after reading her address on a blank cheque. So much about it was creepy, and I didn’t want to see them get to the happily ever after, and that’s a problem.

I guess these are all examples of Nate being a really nice guy. Like he has money and all these businesses, and he’s so spoiling Claire. He doesn’t know her though. They’ve barely met, and he’s basically forcing her way into his life and it kind of creeped me out. Plus, Claire was keeping it from her family, which is kind of risky.

The writing style was okay. It wasn’t amazing, but it meant I was able to get in as far as I was. I respected Claire in a lot of ways. She wants to work on her business and help her family and everything, which is all great. She’s just a bit too much of a pushover, and it was frustrating.

My biggest problem really was with the romance though. Usually, I’d end on a positive note, saying what kind of people would like the book. And with this book…I’m not sure. Check this book out if you’re curious about what I didn’t like, but I don’t think I can really recommend it.

This story is such a cute idea. I loved getting a look at Claire's family and her relationship with her Lola was beautiful and such a lovely thing to see. This story is very much a Cinderella tale, and I love Cinderella. Nate and Claire feel something for each other deeply from the beginning and their whirlwind relationship only grows bigger and bigger.
My only complaint is that the entire book Claire is battling her head and her heart and it was uncomfortable to see someone convince herself one way and then another about someone they love. There was no logic in her relationship with Nate - it was all very black and white with little to no compromise from either of them until the very end.

I liked these characters, but I wanted to see them literally meet each other in the middle and try better to see the others perspectives and I love the idea of getting swept off their feet, but this one seems faster than the Original Cinderella to me for some reason - though I can't figure out why.

A modern fairytale love story. Nate is a tech billionaire with a big heart. Claire is the girl who loves her big Philipino family and tries to play peacemaker. This is a lovely story about family and the cultural values they instill in us. Nate and Claire are both of Asian descent and understood the need to succeed while also still fulfilling family obligations. Nate sweeps Claire off her feet not with money but by being kind and loving.

I have to say I love a unique romance story. This one was just what I needed. Although, I don't read as much instant love -- I really enjoyed how it worked here. There are some steamy scenes in this book which made for a twist in a typical fairytale read. I also loved the diversity in the characters! I found myself smiling so many times for Claire and Nate and how this one played out.

This really is a modern-day fairytale. It has a Cinderella kind of feel Nate is a billionaire and Claire is trying to start her own business. Claire and Nate have insta-attraction/insta-lust kind of relationship that does blossom into more. One downside is that I would have liked this to be dual perspective. I would have liked to have known what was going on in Nate's head and what he was going through. Also, we would have gotten to know Nate more. I liked Nate and wanted to know him more. Suspend your reality and get lost in this fairytale.

I wanted to love this book but it just wasn't really my jam. The characters fell a bit flat. Nate was constantly unpredictable, running late so frequently that it wasn't cute when he lied about being unavailable to surprise Claire (repeatedly). Claire bounced back and forth between being strong and independent vs. insecure and unsure, and it was hard to reconcile these constant behavioral changes. I don't hate instalove as a trope but this just felt really unbelievable.

I did like the integration of Filipino culture and values, as well as some of the familial relationships in the book.

Overall, this one wasn't for me.

Thanks to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC.

Nate, a tech billionaire, has it all except "the one true love“ until he literally jumps out of way to save himself from being hit by a car. Behind the wheel is Claire, unsuspecting of the man she almost runs down. This meet cute accelerates quickly has he takes the wheel for a whirlwind, insta-love relationship.

Claire's heart is full but she lives in her head and the real world - questioning everything. Is this love to fast, to soon, can it last, etc.. Then there is her family which she is extremely devoted. Two sisters, always up in her business and one telling her she's a fool for believing in true love. Her wealthy Aunt doesn't support her dream of opening a cookie shop but rather dictates what she should be doing with her life. And then there is her beloved Lola, living out her days in a assisted care facility for Alzheimer's patients. She is Claire’s foundation for believing she can have love and so much more.

How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale is a multi-cultural romance and reminiscent of Cinderella finding her prince charming. Let’s just say we ALL need a Todd, Claire’s best-friend - this man needs love too!

Thank you @entangled_publishing and @NetGalley for the complimentary copy. Mark this down on your TBR list!

Tropes: insta-love, perfect love interest

Note: this review contains a NSFW quote at the bottom

Let me start by saying that I think this book can work for you if you're looking for a romance with a flawless male love interest whose entire purpose is fulfilling the heroine's wishes. However, that's not what I want out of my romances, so this fell flat for me.

The relationship between Nate and Claire developed way too fast, and Nate was flawless. He was sweet, supportive, hot, rich, and always forgiving of whatever Claire did, even if she hurt him to his core. It felt very much like the author had written him as wish fulfillment, and there's not much else to him as a character. For her part, Claire was understandably hesitant in some parts, and frustrating in others, but she never stirred anything better than apathy in me. I just couldn't care about her woes the way they were portrayed, even though I think the book was trying to have her deal with some deep-seated issues. But the way this was handled felt very simple and flat. She's clearly struggling between her feelings for Nate and wanting to safeguard her independence, but on the other hand she acts very unprofessional towards her customers in favour of said romance. Her back and forth almost gave me whiplash.

Claire Ventura works at a bookstore, belongs to a regency romance book club, makes/decorates custom cookie orders and dreams of running her cookie business full-time one day. She comes from a large meddlesome Filipino-American family and is very close to her grandma Lola who is in a care facility due to her Alzheimer's. One day Claire pulls into a parking spot at a new restaurant and almost runs over Nate Noruta, little does she know that he is a tech-CEO billionaire. When their worlds collide and Nate sweeps Claire off her feet, she soon begins to wonder if she can adapt to Nate's world.

Normally I am not one for instant love type stories, but this one worked for me probably because I love fairytales. There are some spicy scenes in the book and I was here for it! I loved the fairytale romance and Claire's family dynamics. The story is told from Claire's POV and I was happy to see her character grow over time. She stuck up for herself with her family and began dealing with her insecurities though her career decision at the end felt a bit disingenuous. Overall How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale was a fun read and one that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys insta-love stories, modern fairy tales, and/or multicultural romances.
True rating: 3.75 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book.

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book. This is my honest opinion/review.

The synopsis of this book initially drew me in since this book is about a Filipino American woman and her extremely intrusive family (relatable). She runs into (quite literally) billionaire CEO, Nate Noruta, and they instantly fall in love and start their whirlwind romance.

Although the plot was a bit predictable, I flew through this book. There are some SPICY scenes in this book.. like 4.5/5 heat level. This book was easy to follow along and was just a fun romance in general.
I enjoyed how much Filipino culture was included in this book. I think a lot of Filipino women can relate to the struggle of living your own life and having loyalty and responsibility towards family. I felt like I really could relate to Claire in that sense, not the CEO billionaire part, but the insecurities she felt with her career and identity.

3.75 stars!! It was a fun read, predictable trope and storyline, some red flags with the characters, a bit of an abrupt ending, but overall enjoyed.

I don’t read adult romances that often but after reading the synopsis of this novel, I was actually drawn to the story. After reading it, I do have to say that I was a little disappointed by it.

I am not a big fan of Insta-Love. I have said it before, and I will say it again, I love to see a relationship slowly building up. I love to see two characters getting to know each other and conquering challenges that every relationship faces. With that being said, the relationship between the two characters in this novel just lacked so much depth in that aspect. However, what annoys me the most is that there was so much room to build a good relationship between the characters, especially considering the fact that Claire hates celebrities, and Nate is a celebrity. Tell me if that just doesn’t scream “enemies to lovers” to you?

Despite all of this, I do see why some people might enjoy this story. For once, it is supposed to be a modern Fairytale (for all of you Fairytale lovers out there). Also, it is an #ownvoices novel, which is always refreshing.

Thank you to @netgalley and @entangled_publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!