Im not sure what I think about this read. Claire and Nate were instalove which I usually hate with a passion. Although I wasnt a fan of Nate and Claire I did love the other relationships in the book (Claire and her grandma!).

Altogether it feel kind of short for me!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale is a charming multicultural romance, and my feelings about it definitely evolved over time.

I loved the family dynamics in this one, especially following a close-knit Filipino-American family. Everyone from Claire’s siblings to her Lola were an absolute delight, and there are some moments here that truly tugged at my heartstrings, as Lola’s health deteriorated.

I really liked Claire, and could relate to her feeling pushed around by her family at times. While I did sometimes want her to have a bit more spine, it is very much part of her character growth to need to find a way to assert herself.

I didn’t know how to feel about Nate at first, as the story was told solely from her POV. However, I did appreciate that it added to the authenticity of being swept up in the fairytale with this unexpectedly sweet, rich guy, but then being faced with both reality and challenges to those insecurities once things get serious. I did think he came across as a bit dense in invalidating her in that low moment, but he’s just generally a solid guy. And the fact that not everything is perfect in his world, given his own fraught family dynamics, adds layers to his character.

This book is super sweet and fun, perfect for anyone looking for a multicultural romcom that pays homage to fairytales like Cinderella.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from How to Survive a Modern Fairy Tale. This was a quick instalove romance that bloomed between Claire and Nate.
Claire and Nate move very quickly toward love after an accidental meeting. Their story did feel rushed. There was however this piece of family expectations and demands that I enjoyed. I did like the importance on sibling connections and her relationship with her grandma.
Nate’s career was demanding; Claire’s was just starting. The angst in this story is the struggle of being in love and demands of careers/lifestyles. This was some of my biggest struggles with the story. I do feel this piece was a bit overplayed with in the story for Claire. She talks about wanting to establish her cookie decorating business to in the end give it up for Nate. Claire was very much sucked into Nate’s world. It felt forced and I think this was the bit of Fairy tale the author was trying to bring onto the pages and missed the mark.
I really did struggle with this book a bit. There was a lack of believability with this Cinderella tale of everyday girl meets famous guy. I struggled to make connections between them because of this. I think the very early love declarations from them had me a skeptic about their true feelings. I also felt like any roadblock they faced, or any stumble was quick to be resolved throughout the whole story.
I love a good insta love and fairy tale retelling, but characters need to be strong. The story needs to feel fresh and unique to escape into the story. How to Survive a Modern Fairy-Tale just fell short me.

Thank you NetGalley and Entangled Publishing LLC, for eArc access to How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale, by Elle Cruz.

When Claire, a Filipino book seller, and hopeful cookie decorator, runs into (literally) Nate, she is terribly embarrassed, as she's shattered his phone screen. Little does she realize she's run into Nate Naruto, a billionaire CEO. They have a very sweet, wholesome whirlwind romance (with a whole lot of spice), but Clair needs to decide if she can get over the fact Nate is needed for work 24/7 and the impact on her career goals while being the partner of a billionaire. She also needs to get over telling her very close and over-involved Filipino family, and their own opinions on the relationship.

My Rating: 4/5. I enjoyed this book for the most part. Was it totally unrealistic? Yes, but honestly, thats what's fun about fiction. It was nice reading a plain-jane girl that accidentally falls in love with a billionaire who seems to have insta-love for her, and flys her out to Paris for their first date. There were some quality spicy scenes in this book I honestly didn't expect, that made it more exciting. And if you can't swoon for the perfect character of Nate, then it may not be the book for you. Overall, I recommend it for any fairy-tale romance enthusiast!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

This is truly one of those books where you can love the concept, love everything about it, and not like the book. I wanted to like this book so badly and I just didn't. However, that does not mean that other people will not like it, it just was not it for me.

This book appealed to me as a twist on the normal Cinderella story - which if you look at my reading history, is a thing I will read any iteration of - and it is an #OwnVoices debut to boot! Plus, it takes place in my hometown(ish) so it just was filled with things that I was going to love and wanted to support. But unfortunately it just didn't hit the mark for me. It leaned into the insta-love more than I liked and the character personalities fluctuated too much for my taste. I appreciated all of the cultural aspects to this book, but overall this book just missed the mark for my reading taste. 2.5/5

We all know fairy tales are just fairy tales but it is really nice to see something that could actually happen in real life. After years of reading fanfiction and obsessing over the what-ifs, reading this book was a dream. I cannot help but get so "kilig" reading every scene. Some might be so critical and point out all the Filipino things that weren't on point, but I was too caught up with the romance to give such a huge fuss about it. The Filipino aspect made it feel home and I have to say, they were accurate. From the food we love and how "Marites" our aunts can be.

I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the whole world to discover this book and fall in love with this.

And oh, did I mention, I crieddddd!

Unfortunately I could not make myself finish this book. I had problems from the beginning but I made myself stick it out until chapter thirteen. While I debated giving only one star I do that only when a book has major problems-- and while I feel this book had its share of problems I do believe some readers wouldn't see them as I do-- so two stars it is.

I absolutely love books about other cultures, especially when they include that cultures languages, food, and themes. What I don't love is when the author doesn't explain anything in the writing and expects us to either just know, or to use a glossary in the front of the book that I would have had to scroll BACK to find the first time I opened the digital copy. The author called many people Ate from the beginning that it made my head spin. It was always capitalized but never followed by a name. Finally around chapter three I got so annoyed I googled it. It's the Filipino term for sister. She just calls all of her sisters "Sister." At least with Tita (Aunt) or Tito (Uncle) it was followed by which aunt or uncle she was talking about, but with her sisters there were often no context clues.

In chapter one we hear how much the main character, Claire, hates celebrities. It is mentioned multiple times within the next few chapters. For it to be mentioned so many times tells me that she really hates celebrities... but the second she meets one she jumps right into bed with him!? Okay, maybe not the same moment-- but before the first date! What!? Apparently she hates celebrities, until she meets one, and then she bones him immediately.

Does this have anything to due with her lack of backbone? Because she seriously had absolutely no backbone. She lets EVERYBODY walk all over her. I understand creating growth in a character, and I sure hope she grew as the story continued, but I could not continue to read the amount of times her family trampled all over her.

While I could have possibly-- maybe-- probably not-- gotten past all of that I absolutely could not get past the jumpy writing style of the author. Problems with her sister spring out of nowhere and are often blown up like they'll never speak to each other again, but then the author doesn't bring it up again for five scenes? There isn't a hint of worry. And the jumping into bed with zero build up! The first time I honestly thing I got whiplash. They were baking cookies all business like with zero flirting, then she gets a crap text from her sister, then suddenly he's eating her out. What?

While I feel this story had promise, it sorely lacked structure and flow. If a good developmental editor got their hands on it, it could be fantastic.

Nate is a billionaire and Claire is a humble shop girl and cookie maker. Their worlds collide and they have to figure out how to make their relationship work. Can a simple girl find a room in the jet set world of her billionaire boyfriend without losing herself?

I found Claire annoying and felt Nate lacked depth. I never understood why this people were together. It’s a technically well written book, but it lacks the emotional depth you expect out of a romance.

I received an ARC for my honest review.

This was a cute story! I think everyone dreams of having a Nate in their life to sweep them off my feet. If you're looking for a fairytale, this is the story for you!

2.5 stars

I wanted to love this book but... I just couldn't.
The romance was pretty meh. I don't mind the instalove but I need more of the plot if you're doing it.
The plot was also... not my favourite thing ever. I felt like there was not really much going on. Everything felt too easy for our main characters. I get we had to expected a HEA in a romance book but everything felt too predictable like I didn't needed to read the last 20% becauseI knew what was going to happened which is a shame because again, I wanted to like this book.

Still I can see some people reading this and absolutely loving it it just... it wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to confess I was expecting this story to be quite fluffy and sweet. But there was actually so much more to it, and I enjoyed reading it a lot. And with a lovely mix of family who are in equal measure overbearing and caring, emotion as one beloved member of the family battles Alzheimer's and a romance with a billionaire that's engaging and sweet How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale was a delightful read and one that had me easily engaged throughout. Would recommend.

**I was kindly provided with an ARC via Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review**

Claire works at an Indie bookstore and has a side cookie business. One day on her way to work she “runs” into Nate. The meet-cute is pretty funny, and during the encounter Claire has no idea who Nate actually is. It becomes evident pretty quickly that he’s a famous tech company billionaire. Nate finds Claire adorable and is initially the one seeking out a date with Claire. She’s hesitant at first, but she eventually decides to take the chance. Sparks fly pretty quickly after that. There are private jets, a trip to Paris, and insta-love. Throw in a fancy gown, restaurants, a sweet boyfriend, and it’s as the title states...a modern day fairy tale. Nate was wonderful. His character was kind, patient, attentive, and understanding. He seemed almost faultless to where it was unbelievable. Claire was sweet, but she didn’t trust herself. I felt for her and her insecurities, but it definitely got to be a bit much and frustrating. Towards the end there is a decision made by Claire that creates a separation. Claire allowed others to influence her too much. She needed to trust her own intuition and heart. Claire does rectify the situation in the end and there is an HEA. The ending although sweet, is a bit abrupt. I would have loved more depth between Nate and Claire throughout the book. It was a very spicy read, but I didn’t really believe their connection. What I did enjoy was Claire’s willingness to correct her mistakes and admit them. I also loved her relationship with her Lola. She had such beautiful devotion and care for her grandmother and that was endearing. I give this 3/5 stars.
🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to NetGalley for and advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is set to release 11/30/21.

I received this book as an E-ARC from Netgalley

Firstly, I would like to say that I absolutely wanted to adore this book. But from the first page, it was a story about a protagonist with no backbone and a progression of unhealthy relationships. The protagonist (Claire) wants to quit her job to be a cookie decorator and an entrepreneur. But she meets a millionaire and he wants her to be some version of a trophy wife. Her entire family tells her that that is the entire point of marriage, and so does every other person she interacts with. Not only that, but her sisters (who she is very close to), continually remind her that her own insecurities are incorrect and that she is actually ruining her own life when most of the time she is making semi-realistic decisions. And in case you were wondering, at the end of the book she does give up on her cookie business and her family to go marry a man who blocked her after one fight due to his own daddy issues.
I applaud this book for the representation it tried to convey, but sadly it was such a myriad of stereotypes and poor life choices that I couldn't enjoy it.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending me a copy of this book through Net Galley.

It takes a lot for me to DNF an arc and unfortunately this one was one of them for a few reasons. The book was unnecessarily long and the insta love trope wasn't done right. I could feel myself disconnecting from the book a bunch of times. I can see me picking it up later on for my second chance December reading challenge but for now, this is one of my less pleasant reads of the year.

This was a cute story that will have you rooting for the main characters! I love Claire. I kept picking this book up just to see what happened to her. Whether she was in her kitchen icing cookies or on a private plane over the Atlantic, I felt like I was right there with her. I wish I had friends like Todd and Ro. The plot is pretty simple, so this is an easy read perfect for vacation. If I could change one thing, I would make her love interest Nate a little less perfect and a little more believable. But, that's what steamy romance novels are for, right?

Fairy tales have always appealed to me. Nate swooping in and whisking Claire off to Paris made me swoon. But when reality hit and Nate seemed to expect Claire to do all the adjusting, I thought he was being selfish. Claire had her own dreams that she was unwilling to sacrifice. I felt like Claire had to do more of the giving in the story and accommodate Nate’s major hang up. The ending was typical for a fairy tale, but as I do with other fairy tales, I wanted to know what happened the next day. I was disappointed with Claire’s last action about her business at the end.

I absolutely adored this story! Claire is a sweet, authentic, lovable yet quirky girl. She visits her beloved Grandmother, Lola, who is suffering from
Alzheimers, every day. She is also talented at cookie decorating which is just a hobby at the moment but her dream is to have her own business. She meets Nate, a big name in the tech industry, who is also a billionaire. They fall madly in love but Claire is not sure she can adapt to his world. Will they make it together? Beautifully written and the ending was perfect!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. You do have to suspend disbelief a little bit for the insta-love aspect. It's not my favorite trope, but when the words "Fairy Tale" are in the title you know you have to go with it. The beginning was a bit cheesy, but once they got past the insta-love part the story was so much better. it had a lot more depth and struggle. I loved that it had a little glossary with common terms. I loved Claire's relationship with her grandmother. Her family was so dynamic they all had their charms and flaws. Considering how much Claire was with her sisters and grandmother I was surprised we didn't get more involvement from her parents. Her sisters were dramatic and hilarious, her rich aunt was infuriating and Nate was totally swoonworthy. I am so glad I picked this book up. 4.5 Stars!

How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale is a good read about self-discovery and finding love as you find your true self. I enjoyed the story even if I didn't connect with Claire all that much, not being a people pleaser myself. I admired her ambition and her loyalty to her family, especially her grandmother. I wish she would have put aside her family's feelings about her dreams and just pursued them, but that's not what happened.
I liked the story but I didn't love it and found it rather forgettable. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, I just didn't connect with the characters and therefore, their story.

Much like its leading lady, How to Survive a Modern-Day Fairy Tale gains confidence in itself as the novel progresses. Claire is a relatable bookworm with a sense of duty to her family who is seemingly content with her small life until Nate breaks her small world wide open. He is everything you could want in a romance love interest and at times I found myself wishing for his perspective instead. The novel is an enjoyable, escapist read but manage your expectations as there are no actual tips on surviving a a modern-day fairy tale but plenty of heart-warming moments a few steamy scenes for good measure.