I love retellings, especially ones that are able to be made it their own, and David Clawson did just that. I loved the Fontaine-Bellows and Kennerly families. The characters were unique and well defined. I also liked that it wasn't just the families learning not to make assumptions, but Chris as well.

Will definitely be purchasing for friends and would definitely read again.

The writing was good, and the story line was realistic whilst still having a touch of the fairy tale drama to it. At least in this story the 'prince' got to know his mystery guest before things went any where, which is way more realistic in my opinion. The characters did develop throughout (for the most part, any way, I'm looking at you, Iris) and the ending was predictable, and both happy-ever-after but also a little bit annoying. Like 'that's it? No epilogue or anything?' I think it could do with an epilogue. Just to finish things off.

I had this book pitched to me that it was a gay re-telling of Cinderella, but after reading and finishing the book, it didn't seem like a re-telling at all. The book stood as its own novel. Sure, there were parts of the book that had the Cinderella trope such as the missing shoe, and the step-family, but that is where the similarities end.

Chris Bellows is just trying to get through high school and survive being the only stepchild in the social-climbing Fontaine family, whose recently diminished fortune hasn’t dimmed their desire to mingle with Upper East Side society. Chris sometimes feels more like a maid than part of the family. But when Chris’s stepsister Kimberly begins dating golden boy J. J. Kennerly, heir to a political dynasty, everything changes. Because Chris and J. J. fall in love . . . with each other.

With the help of a new friend, Coco Chanel Jones, Chris learns to be comfortable in his own skin, let himself fall in love and be loved, and discovers that maybe he was wrong about his step-family all along. All it takes is one fairy godmother dressed as Diana Ross to change the course of his life.

This whole book is sassy, fun, and there were some amazing characters that had brilliant personalities. However, I am not gay, nor do I know any drag queens, so I cannot state whether the representation in this book is problematic or not. At times, I did find that the character of Coco Chanel Jones seemed a bit cliché, but again, I do not know whether this is an accurate portrayal of a drag queen.

As aforementioned, the characters in this book were really well written, but the J.J seemed to annoy me so much! He just kept leading Chris on and I just felt so protective over Chris that I just wanted J.J to go away and never come back. I understand that J.J has his career to think of and his families political lifestyle, but I think that the way J.J spoke about this to Chris was just hurtful.

I also loved that, even though this was a 're-telling' of Cinderella, the dynamic between Chris and his step-family wasn't the stereotypical: 'serving them and doing whatever they need.' Sure, there was some element of this in the book, but Chris explains that because he and his Dad didn't have a great life before, he does all of the cooking and cleaning, because that's just what he's used to after living with his Dad in a run down house. So yes, Chris is still the 'servant' to his step-family, but he wants to do it, and it makes him feel comfortable.





"Straight person, I'm sorry if the differences in our sexual and emotional wiring makes you uncomfortable. Because that's something that seems to get forgotten in all of this talk of sexual 'preferences'. Being homosexual isn't just about sex. It's about who we have emotional romantic connections with, whose arms we actually feel at peace in, who completes the - dare I say it - fairy tale of what romantic and domestic bliss is for that individual... You know what, yes, I'm sorry I'm gay and if that creates issues for you, but I'm having to deal with it, and so must you. Because it's not changing, it's not going away, it's always been there, whether we're talking about my history or the history of the world, so we're all just going to have to deal with it."

- David Clawson, My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen





Now, the one thing that really got to me in this book was out *minor spoilers ahead* the family knew that Chris was gay and was waiting for him to come out. They understood that he would be scared so they thought - to make it easier - they would make a lot of derogatory and hurtful gay jokes to try and make him feel comfortable such as when Buck says to Chris: "first of all, I don't want you thinking about my ass". Actually thinking back, it always seems to be Buck that is making that kind of nasty comments towards Chris, and they all seem to go along similar lines.

Overall, this book was very enjoyable and I did read it in a day because of how funny it was because of Coco and Duane's personalities. And I really did love the ending. It was a massive cliffhanger and I just need a second book because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! Like seriously... I need to know. I do recommend this book because it is so good, funny, great characters (apart from Buck and J.J) and it just seemed so original. I've never read a young adult book like this before! If someone has read this book and knows if the representation of gay characters and drag queens is problematic, please let me know so that I can point this out in my review!

Disclaimer: this book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Released 16th May

Apparently I am on a Cinderella remake ride. This modern version of the Cinderella story centers around Chris, whose family was down on their luck for a long time, his mother died when he was young and he helped out as his father tried to change their circumstances. After making a fortune Chris's father meets a new woman and moves them into her brownstone along with her and her two children. After the market crashes taking all of their money and Chris's father, Chris tries to find a place in his new family with his step-mother and siblings.

The rest I'm sure you can guess but either way the addition of Coco Chanel makes this story worth reading. There is nothing like a snarky drag queen to uplift a story and have you chuckling to yourself. The dashing prince doesn't find his princesses but rather his prince this time helping bring this story into a modern retelling and makes it accessible to so many lgbt teens who are looking for their dashing prince or princess.

Well written and funny this book holds your attention and is another great retelling of a classic story.

Actual rating: 3.5
Retellings weren't my cup of tea, but this book changed my mind.
My Fairy Godmother Is a Drag Queen is a loose Cinderella retelling with LGBTQIA+ characters, and good writing. It's an entertaining read with great characters, realistic interactions, and laugh-out-loud moments throughout the text.
The reason why this isn't a perfect five-star rating is because there was some stereotyping involved into this story, as well as fat jokes which were the last thing I expected.

I needed this story. My run of recent reads have ranged from lackluster to disappointing, so I needed something fun and engaging to bring me back to life, and this was perfect! This modernized Cinderella retelling has so much humor and fun, it’s such a quick read, and I really loved it.

Things I Liked :
-Humor. This story is laugh out loud funny. I had a great time reading it. The situations and the characters create a fun and dramatic environment that carries humor really well. The humor never felt forced to at the expense of others (except the instances noted below) and really makes this book a breeze. The humor flows in the story well and isn’t stiff or awkward.
-Writing. The writing was almost conversational. It was friendly and open. It made Chris instantly likable and accessible and helped me become enveloped in the story immediately.
-Characters & Relationships. The characters felt authentic and that made all the relationships believable. All of the character were well developed and played their parts well without feeling boring. We get more than is expected and that helped the story feel fresh and compelling. I loved that we got to see friendships and family relationships develop as well as romantic relationships. It helped the world feel more real, because it wasn’t only about the romance.
-Modern Retelling. This was a fantastic modernized retelling of Cinderella. We have genderbent characters, more diversity, a fantastic setting. The characters have been modernized incredible well, they aren’t just the stereotypes of the evil stepmom and step siblings, they are real people. They have a life of their own. They just felt like real people and it was fantastic. I liked that the story got into the plot quickly, there wasn’t a bunch of waiting around for Chris and JJ to meet.


Things I Didn’t Like :
-Fat shaming jokes. There were 2 fat shaming instances passed off as jokes, one at the beginning of the story and another about halfway through. I personally thought they were done in poor taste, and were not funny. I could have done without them.
-Ending. The ending was actually awesome. I loved it and it made me happy. It felt earned and had the culminating and grand Cinderella feel, I just wanted more. I wanted to see more of Chris and JJ after the big reveal: their relationship, their families reactions, the public’s reaction. I would have loved to get more.

This was such a great FUN book. I loved this modernized Cinderella tale and thought it was executed very well. I would definitely recommend.

Although this book starts as a trope from the beginning (Gay Cinderfella in modern-day New York City), this book is filled with emotion and heart. Also, gay representation is SO important. I'd recommend it for the gay youth in your life.

God, this book was fun! And I mean “I-had-diet-coke-coming-out-of-my-nose-more-than-once” funny! I’m not a fan of Cinderella -at all- but this updated retelling is so… I guess the word I’m looking for is REAL, and at the same time uplifting that I’m sure I’ll be re-reading it whenever I feel a bit low.
If you think Cinderella = Cringe worthy cliche with a helpless main character, prince charming, evil step family and fairy godmother all dipped in sickly, sweet milk chocolate, covered in sugar sprinkles and a bit of glitter, you are in for a good surprise. The characters are super loveable. All of them, including the ones that you don't see yourself even linking at first! The only thing that might be covered in glitter in this story is Coco Chanel Jones, who almost steals the show… *almost*. They are all so believable and have so much more depth than in your usual Cinderella retelling.
Too bad it's a galley and I can't quote from it because it’s an EXTREMELY quotable book!
If you need a fun, light, but not dumb book, do yourself favour and read this. I can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

I really wanted to like this novel because it had a GREAT premise but I'm really not a fan of talking directly to the reader and unfortunately I felt this had a lot of it. I DNF'ed

I received a copy of the book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author, David Clawson, and the publisher, Skyhorse Publishing, for the opportunity.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I believe we need more YA books with LGBTQ+ characters and characters with non-traditional gender expressions, as there's lots of young adults who don't see themselves represented in books due to the lack of them. However, not all representation is good representation and even if the author had good intentions when including said characters in the book it doesn't seem like the author took the time to really understand what it is like to be LGBTQ+ or someone with a non-traditional gender expression. One of the main things I found problematic with this book is how it seems to propagate the erroneous idea that gender identity and gender expression are the same thing and that gender is determined by what's in your pants, as can be seen from this comment: "Bitch, you are one pair of scissors away from going drag queen to transsexual, understand?".

The book also seemed to oversexualize drag queens, including several mentions to tucking that didn't seem to be relevant to the story or be educational to the reader. There were various comments made about not understanding why someone would dress in drag, which could've been replaced by respectfully asking Duane/Coco about it once their friendship developed. The book could've used Duane/Coco as an opportunity to introduce they/their pronouns to the readers and should've used they/their pronouns before Duane's/Coco's preferred pronouns were stated. All mentions of gayness seemed to be tied to stereotypes, including internal dialogue. However, LGBTQ+ stereotypes weren't the only ones to make an appearance in the book; it was assumed that Duane/Coco was from Harlem, just due to skin colour and the following also somehow made it into the book:
"[...] And I'd be married to J.J.-freakin;-Kennerly! Can I get an amen?" Of all the white girls in the world, Kimberly was among the least likely to pull that one off. "You've been spending too much time with Duane," I said.

So really this was a Cinderella retelling in loosest definition possible. There's a ball and a more-misguided-than-evil stepfamily and a lost shoe but it's really more of a contemporary M/M romance / coming-out story than anything. It was a pretty good story [even though coming-out stories are not generally my cup of tea] but overall it felt a little bit two-dimensional. I guess it is, at heart, a fairy-tale retelling and fairy-tale characters are generally more stereotypes than anything, but I think I would have cared about the characters a little bit more if they felt more like real people. But despite the insta-love and the [to me] a bit over the top teenage angst, it was still a pretty enjoyable and cute story. Although I wouldn't really recommend it to people who like fairy-tale retellings [what I was looking for], but more to people who like contemporary romance [something I generally try to stay well away from]. I just feel like fairy-tale retellings still need to have a little bit of actual magic in them, and this doesn't, but it was still a very unique story and I liked the casual narration style.

This book surprised me. I really liked the characters, even the stepfamily (which is rare in a cinderella remake). The characters are actually what made this book for me. The story isn't that original, but these awesome characters turned it into something special. I do feel there should've been a bit more of a resolution. It felt a bit too easy.

If you're looking for a fun m/m contemporary and love retellings, this is definitely the book for you.

Didn't care to finish reading it.

This is a totally fun to read modern Cindarellaish retelling. In this story, Chris is the Cinderella stand-in, living with his not really wicked step-mother and his step-brother and sister. When they all go to a fancy ball for the handsome and eligible bachelor, JJ Kennerly, part of a wealthy political family who his sister, Kimberly hopes to catch the attention of and marry for his money, Chris is left at home. That is, until drag queen Coco Chanel Jones shows up and takes Chris to the ball where he sees the handsome JJ and it is love at first sight for both of them. The story is funny and heart-warming and overall, a fun read.

What an odd little piece.
Oddly charming, oddly sassy and oddly emotional, to be exact.

This is a modern YA GLBT romance that is very (and I mean very) loosely based on the fairy tale of Cinderella. There's a ball, a missing shoe and a fairy godmother involved, as well as a selfish (yet strangely lovable) step-family and some sort of Prince Charming.
It is told from the perspective of adorable 17 year old Chris, who's been living with his step-family since his father's death a few years back. Chris likes his low-key existence, blending in while the rest of his family enjoys the spotlight. He wasn't planning on falling in love with her gorgeous sister's new boyfriend though, who's also arguably the country's most eligible bachelor and future President, nor did he expect to meet a bunch of sassy drag queens who gradually bring him out of his shell. When his life gets turned upside down, he's faced with involuntary outings, decisions he never wanted to have to make, and a love he didn't expect to find so soon.

I'm not sure how long I was lost in my unhappy thoughts before a voice said, "Child, if that frown gets any lower, you're gonna trip someone."
And then I looked up to see standing before me... Diana Ross?


When I first read this book's title, I just knew I had to read it. I also knew I was in for something fun, a lot of banter and quirk, but nothing could've prepared me for the giggles and laughing fits I found myself in during the first 15% of this book, mainly courtesy of Coco, Special Kaye and Aphra, the three gloriously bitchy drag queens. I really need a book that revolves fully around them. Stat.

"Bitch, you are one pair of scissors away from going drag queen to transsexual, understand?"


After the hilarious start though, I was surprised to find that it was actually a lot more than just fun and lunacy. It's also a story of self-acceptance, loyalty and friendship, sometimes emotional, but mostly light and humorous.

Also, there was so much character growth going on, especially in Chris's family. While they started out rather shallow and obnoxious, it wasn't long until their facades started to crumble, and the more layers of their personalities were revealed, the harder it was not to fall for them and their odd idiosyncrasies.

Why, oh, why was life always messing up my attempts to get some order and some metaphorical poetry into it?

This was a truly delightful read.