Edit: Lure of Oblivion by Suzanne Wright is coming this Thursday so stay tuned for that!
I had the chance to read The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson (the link goes directly to Amazon where you buy or download the book for Free if you have Kindle Unlimited subscription, and you can download a free sample too!). I would not say this is an advanced reader’s copy, but rather a free book in exchange for an honest review. I review her other book: Once Upon a Time Travel in case you are interested in reading more of Wilson’s work.
Released via Amazon on November 14, 2017!
The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back (TUSSB) is a series and the next book will be released at some point next year I think. The main characters of the story do not switch as far as I know from the preview I found at the end of TUSSB.
Re: Two Versions of this BookYes. I think this book has two versions. The reviews on the version published in 2012 are mixed for a number of reasons I will discuss further down in this post. I saw the previous version of the book was published a few years ago back in 2012. If you look through Wilson’s Goodreads profile you will find a link to a sample version of this book in her published book list. I also noticed that this book is listed on her website as well with the same release date as 2012. I have not read the 2012 version and my review is for the book she released this year 2017 with the same title.
PlotEveryone knows how those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust. But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect–pretty, smart, and, worst of all, nice–stepsister is dating the charming, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine?
Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her online. The school mean girl has made it her mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister is the most popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret crush, Jake Kingston.
Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against Jake. Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school. And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her
The Story For me the story was simple and not something new, but like I said before about Wilson: she can write. Her writing is addicting and despite the tropes and cliches used in the two books I read that are hers I can see how good she as an author. She captures the reader exactly as a good writer does. You feels for the characters and there seems to be some reason behind each character’s dialogue. Things and objects are dragged out and over described, and towards the end of chapter five (where the real twists really turn) everything spins on its wheels and you can’t wait to see what happens next. I felt similar reactions to other reviews in terms of the how high school and cliche everything felt in the beginning. Mattie’s obsession wasn’t as extreme as Kpop fans (sorry, but you fans know what I speak off). I did skim a bit in the beginning since everything Mattie cared to explain was something I knew of or I wanted to get more progression in this plot since the beginning did drag a bit for my taste. But the moment where Mattie states, “I need to take some action in my life. It was time for the ugly stepsister to strike back” towards the end of Chapter 5 everything begins to change for everyone. This is the where everything hit the ground running. I fully enjoyed the story at that point for what it was. The plot and characters at times feel like cardboard cutouts, but in moments this is broken and you feel a refreshing sense as you read through the book. Rating 4 out 5 stars. It was well writing. The characters are teens and this is labeled as YA so more mature readers have to realize that the main characters are young and at times super dense of their social surroundings. Take this book for what it is: a light, high school romance novel with elite high schoolers. If you can accept this then the book is wonderful and a fun read. Subscribe to receive updates of when I publish reviews if you like what I had to say about books that is. Stalk all my social media all of which are located at the top under my menu bar in the side bar. I do have a Goodreads account where my reading list is! Advertisements Share this:
