Glimpsed – G.F. Miller – Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers – Published 5 January 2021

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Synopsis

Charity is a fairy godmother. She doesn’t wear a poofy dress or go 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 fulfills 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?

My thoughts

I wasn’t entirely convinced from the summary that Glimpsed was going to be the right book for me. Then one of my favourite authors, Abigail Johnson, posted her enjoyed of the novel and I knew I needed to give it a go. Despite my dislike of the cover (sorry, it just doesn’t appeal to me), this is a really fun, flirty, enjoyable romp. And yet, it also has a depth of character, character growth and introspection, enough for me to really enjoy it.

Charity is a fairy godmother. She’s also an average teenager – student bogged down by homework, cheerleader, and daughter of an absent workaholic mother. Her mission is to grant the wish of her Cindys and she is good at it. But when she receives a message telling her to stop or face having her secret revealed, Charity decides she will not bow to her blackmailer. Instead, she decides to grant her blackmailer a wish – he wants his best friend back – but it means working closely with Noah and he is determined to change her mind about the good she does with her fairy godmother skills.

This book reads like a contemporary YA romance novel, but of course does have a bit of paranormal – Charity can grant wishes after all. She also sees Glimpses. These are people’s wishes and uses Nudges, kind of like temporary mind suggestions, which helps her make the wishes come true. The wishes are not an instant thing, both she and the Cindys (Cinderellas) have to work at it.

It is refreshing to have a book from a cheerleader’s point of view. And a positive one at that. Yes, she wears the short, tight uniform to spirit days. Yes, she is on the top of the school food chain, but she is smart, athletic, kind, and not at all like the usual stereotypical cheerleaders we so often see as the bad girls in YA fiction.

Charity is asked by Noah to examine her wish granting and by doing so makes her look deeper at her relationships with her family and friends and see her influence and use it in a more positive way.

There are a few things that are never explained – like why Noah is resistant to Charity’s nudges, but overall this is a fun book that paranormal and contemporary readers alike will enjoy.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Young adult fiction

Genre: Paranormal

Themes: Wishes, fairy godmothers, sport, cheerleading, Star Trek, romance, family, working mothers, mother daughter relationships, friendship, 

Reading age guide: Ages 12 and up.

Advisory: Kissing and vague sexual references. Occasional coarse language, sh*** (1), bit** (2), pi** (4). 

Published: 5 January 2021 by Simon Schuster

Format: Hardcover, ebook. 374 pages.

ISBN: 9781534471351

Find it on Goodreads