Book Review : The Surprising Life of Charlie Glass (Size 18 and a bit) by Angela Woolfe

The Surprising Life of Charlie Glass (Size 18 and a bit) by Angela Woolfe

Published by : Arrow (17 Jan 2013)

Received a copy from the publisher, thank you!

The blurb: 

For years her excess weight means she's been the butt of her skinny stepmother and half sisters' jokes, and she's had enough.

So, after a few weeks at a boot camp, Charlie returns slim, gorgeous and ready to run the shoe firm that, to her sisters' annoyance, she has inherited from their beloved father. And when she bags a glamorous boyfriend, her transformation is complete.

Life is almost perfect (skinny stepmother aside), but her best friend Lucy seems resentful, Ferdy, the man she has secretly adored for years, apparently preferred her the way she was, and the constant battle to stay thin and beautiful is torture.

Would it really matter if the weight crept back on? There's only one way to find out..

To be honest, just take a look at the cover and you'll swoon. It's the softest shade of blue, almost Tiffany-blue but slightly lighter by a few shades and I love it! Sorry, I do love a good, GORGEOUS cover. It's swoon-worthy (that word is mine!). I didn't know I would be getting a copy of The Surprising Life of Charlie Glass, so I was pretty surprised when I got it in my mailbox!

As you know, I would get excited and giddy whenever I spot a parcel in my mailbox. I started on it immediately since I had nothing else to review for February, none that I have not! And let me tell you, you will want to lose all the weight and find a sexy man!

What I thought about it:

In case you're wondering, no, Angela Woolfe is not a debut novelist. She has been a chick lit writer for some time now, actually. She goes by the pseudonym Holly McQueen? Author of the Isabel Bookbinder series, starring the ever lovely, albeit a bit crazy Izzy? Well, yes. Now Angela is writing under her own name and let's be frank, don't you just love a good chick lit? I know I do.

What I'm going to write about is what I thought of the book, which will mainly be endless gushing of why I loved the book so much. Deep breath, here goes. The Surprising Life of Charlie Glass is about Charlie, a loveable, sweet twenty-something girl whose excess weight makes her the laughing stock of her family. Evil stepmother, vapid stepsisters, sounds familiar? Yep. Cinderella.

Although there are a few elements in the book which are inspired by Cinderella. This book is completely unpredictable when it comes to the plot. But we will get back to that later. My favourite character has to be the heroine, hands down. I really liked Charlie since the first page where we are introduced to her, handling an event which, clearly she isn't invited to. She is funny, warm and incredibly sweet, though that makes it easier for her nasty stepsisters to take advantage of her. I admit, at times I really wanted to shout at her for being so nice to everyone, even when she is being pushed around by them. Another thing I would like to point out is Charlie's relationship with her best friend/almost sister Lucy. Nothing warms my heart like a beautiful friendship with someone who has been with you through thick and thin.

The book mainly focuses on Charlie's life before and after her transformation. It just proves how judgemental and cynical people are. When you are unattractive and different, people tend to think of you as an invalid, a ghost, an invisible person because they aren't bothered to even acknowledge you. Whereas when you are gorgeous, super-model skinny, they flock over to you as though you're the most beautiful goddess. This book really accentuates the superficiality of society and acts as a wake up call for everyone - looks don't matter. What's the point of being attractive on the outside when you are hideous inside?

The book is about two inches thick, yes, over 500 pages. But don't let this fool you. It might seem really long and the plot will be really draggy and you'll feel your eyes drooping. No. Don't think that, think of it as a modern fairytale with really loveable characters and fast-paced chapters. Although it may seem to be your average light, fluffy chick lit, but there are a few elements in the book which delves into Charlie's heartbreaking past.

Verdict:

A feel-good tale of discovering yourself and finding The One who loves you no matter what you weigh or how you look like. A truly remarkable modern fairytale which will make you want to root for the heroine and keeping your fingers crossed for her till the end. Perfect for fans of Lindsey Kelk and Lucy-Anne Holmes.

Rating : 5/5

HILARY DUFF as Charlie

Anyone remember when the chubby, adorable teenage girl made the big screen as Lizzie McGuire? I do and I pictured Hilary as Charlie - sweet, warm and loveable! Of course, when she looked healthier (fuller cheeks)..