Glimpsed - G. F. Miller (Blog Tour & Review)

Date of Reading: 15/2/2021

Author: G. F. Miller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Date of Publication: January 5, 2021

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4.5/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Favourite Pages Book Club)

About the book:

Perfect for fans of Geekerella and Jenn Bennett, this charming, sparkly rom-com follows a wish-granting teen forced to question if she’s really doing good—and if she has the power to make her own dreams come true.

Charity is a fairy godmother. She doesn’t wear a poofy dress or goes around waving a wand, but she does make sure the deepest desires of the student population at Jack London High School come true. And she knows what they want even better than they do because she can glimpse their perfect futures.

But when Charity fulfils a glimpse that gets Vibha crowned homecoming queen, it ends in disaster. Suddenly, every wish Charity has ever granted is called into question. Has she really been helping people? Where do these glimpses come from, anyway? What if she’s not getting the whole picture?

Making this existential crisis way worse is Noah—the adorkable and (in Charity’s opinion) diabolical ex of one of her past clients—who blames her for sabotaging his prom plans and claims her interventions are doing more harm than good. He demands that she stop granting wishes and help him get his girl back. At first, Charity has no choice but to play along. But soon, Noah becomes an unexpected ally in getting to the bottom of the glimpses. Before long, Charity dares to call him her friend…and even starts to wish he were something more. But can the fairy godmother ever get the happily ever after?

Review:

        Magic, teenager, happy ending --- yup! terrifying combination and that is what bought me. If you ask me whether I have ever spared a moment on fairy godmothers, that will be a big no. Wishes yes, but not them as flesh and blood beings with aspirations for their own happy endings. How does it feel to be a forever sidekick, never a heroine?

      Meet Charity. Our modern-day fairy godmother utterly devoted to the well being of her Cindies. The moment she glimpses their fortune, she is on it to make it a reality. Well, until her recent project backfired and is being accused of manipulating her Cindies' desires by Noah. That begs the question: Is the line dividing a fairy godmother and an evil witch really that thin?

        To tell you that this book has bewitched me from the very first page is an understatement. Hooked as if by enchantment, I even prioritised it over my work (I hope none of my colleagues will chance upon this post 😟) So what did I love? It's fast-paced, funny and does touch upon all teenage angst and drama without a single dull moment. Charity, once unleashed, is a storm that cannot be contained and her narration perfectly captures this persona. And the love story? So cute and adorable that you may forget your age (if you are as old as I am that is). Haven't I tempted you yet?

Favourite quotes:

"Sometimes an uncomfortably long pause is the thing that really draws people out"

"The fairy godmother doesn't get her own story. She just pops into other people's stories once in a while. We're the Universe's designated side characters"

"Mothers are just people with their own set of problems"

"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"

Meet the author:

G.F. Miller can write 80,000-word novels but ask her to sit down and write 250 true and meaningful words about herself and she is likely to have an existential crisis. Who am I, really? She ponders. What do I want to be known for? Does anyone even read the back flap or visit author websites?

But eventually, she will pull herself together and tell you that…She married her college sweetheart and is mom to three littles who routinely make her heart burst and her head explode (it’s a messy business, love). There are puppies big and small residing at her house (you’ll be seeing a lot of them if you follow her on Instagram). She’s been to a dozen countries, but not nearly as many as she would like. She loves learning all the things. She cries at all the wrong times. She makes faces at herself in the mirror. She believes in the Oxford comma. And she’s always here for a dance party.  

While the stories she has brewing in her soul vary wildly from one another, there are three things they will always have in common: love, snappy dialogue, and happy endings.