Customer Reviews

Cinderella Pact (Center Point Platinum Fiction (Large Print))

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"The Cinderella Pact" was, I feel, ehhh. The author has a good style of writing, and I applaud her for selecting a heroine that has challenges -- her weight, her over-adored ditzy sister, her conscience battling with her lapping up the attention she has never before received. As her alter ego, "Belinda Apple," Nola becomes everything she is not -- thin, stereotypically sexy, crazily successful. Not a new theme, but one that you could do a lot with.

But the author, sadly, gets off on this tangent of too many subplots that don't really matter to the outcome of the story, and are pretty dratted dull to read about as you're trying to get there. And the secondary characters were pretty two-dimensional. And, quite frankly, I didn't like the guy who was supposed to be Prince Charming. I thought Nola deserved better than him, and I really hoped that she'd find herself in time to go after it.

I like the idea of applying ancient fairytale themes to contemporary literature. Unfortunately, I don't think "The Cinderella Pact" pulls it off.

The first thing you should know is that this isn't your traditional Cinderella story, although it does have a fairy tale ending. This fab and funny novel follows the ups and downs of Nola Devlin, a plus sized magazine editor who is leading a double life. When her application for a job as an advice columnist is given the round file treatment, Nola creates the perfect alter ego, complete with British background, photo-shopped, bony chested, ultra skinny glamour picture and pink cowboy boots. To her surprise, "Belinda Apple" is a smashing success, and becomes the elusive star of the magazine.

One of her glib responses comes back to haunt her when her two best friends decide to follow Belinda's dieting tips after an embarrassing incident at a restaurant, and she reluctantly agrees to a "Cinderella Pact" to lose weight by a certain date. Her friends Deb and Nancy take different approaches to losing the weight, and each one has to face up to the consequences.

Nola herself has a hard time, not only with the diet and exercise, but also with keeping her identities straight, and her life becomes increasingly more complicated when:

1. Her sister decides to get married and wants Belinda to be the matron of honor
2. She meets a great mystery guy who may or may not be named Prince "Chip" Charming
3. A background check by the magazine reveals that Belinda isn't all she claims to be
4. She has to act as a go-between for a hot British columnist whom the tabloids have linked to the beautiful Belinda

Fast-paced and funny, with likeable characters and despicable villains, this one is a must for fans of Bridget Jones' Diary and the Stephanie Plum series.

Rated: 4.5 stars


Amanda Richards, July 21, 2007

THE CINDERELLA PACT by Sarah Strohmeyer
July 8, 2006

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars

THE CINDERELLA PACT by Sarah Strohmeyer is about an overweight woman, Nola Devlin, who is a frustrated editor at "Sass!" Magazine. Somehow she manages to create an alter ego, Belinda Apple, and after "interviewing" for the magazine through Nola, she manages to get Belinda a regular column in the magazine. Nola has always wanted to write, and knew this may be her only way to see her dreams come true, sort of.

In the meantime, Nola is leading a double life. Belinda supposedly lives in London, and is also supposedly having an affair with their "other" British employee, Nigel. Yet, no one has met Belinda, and at the same time she's so popular that Nigel tries to meet Belinda through Nola, hoping to make that so-called affair that is making the tabloids, real.

The Cinderella Pact refers to Nola and her two best friends, Deb and Nancy, who all vow to lose weight. After seeing Belinda Apple's column on weight loss, which Nola made up off the top of her head, Deb and Nancy are convinced this will work for them. So, now the three are trying to lose weight.

Between Nola's family politics (they all think Nola is jealous of sister Eileen who is about to become engaged) and Chip, a guy at work that seems to really like Nola, her life is pretty busy and somewhat stressful. And of course handling Belinda is not a piece of cake either, as she tries to continue this charade and keep everyone convinced that Belinda is a real person.

I highly recommend THE CINDERELLA PACT for those who love funny light reads such as Bridget Jones Diary. Sarah Strohmeyer is also the author of the Bubbles Yablonsky series, which sort of remind me of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. All these books have one thing in common - they contain women who are over the top that will keep you in stitches.

I've read all of Ms. Strohmeyer's books and have especially enjoyed her "Bubbles" series. This is a stand alone book about three girlfriends struggling with their weight and romantic relationships. The narrator Nora is also dealing with the fact that she's been secretly writing an advice column everyone else thinks is done by a thin, gorgeous Brit named Belinda.

As always, Ms. Strohmeyer's writing is extremely funny and exceptionally poignant as well. I, for lack of a better word, devoured the book in one evening staying up until nearly 2 a.m. to finish it, wiping away happy tears the last 40 pages or so. I absolutely adored it.

This is a light-hearted novel set in the contemporary world with the theme of - Every girl is a Cinderella inside. We are all hoping for a fairy godmother to turn us into a beautiful princess who will have a happy ending with prince Charming. Only, instead of changing the clothes, the fairy god mother should make the girl thinner and more confident. This is not a thought-provoking story, or a must-read. It is a light story to pass time in a nice way.

Having read a few of the books in the Bubbles Yablonsky series by Sarah Strohmeyer, I was curious about her most current novel. The Bubbles series is very similar to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The books are fun, and one can definitely lump them into the "beach read" category. THE CINDERELLA PACT, however, is a notch above Bubbles (who by the way makes a cameo here) and I want to compare it favorably to the Bridget Jones books.

Nola Devlin is an overweight woman who works for Sass! magazine as an editor. What she really wants to do though is write, so she somehow manages to create an alter ego, Belinda Apple, who finds her way into writing an advice column for the publication. No one knows that Belinda does not exist. Everyone thinks Belinda lives in London and is very chic (a doctored photo of Nola convinces the staff of this), but no one has yet to meet the popular columnist. Nola gets away with her charade by creating an email address for Belinda along with an American cell phone number, explaining to co-workers that it's cheaper to use than a direct British phone line.

In the meantime, Nola and her two best friends, Deb and Nancy, decide that they are going to lose weight, and they form the "Cinderella Pact." They vow to become trimmer versions of their present selves, inspired by an article penned by Belinda Apple no less. While Nola knows that the article is a bunch of bull, the other two are convinced this is the way to go.

While the three pursue their dreams of becoming thin, Nola meets "Chip," a computer geek who also works at Sass!, and is surprised to find that he is attracted to her. But she's somewhat convinced that he is already in a relationship (possibly married) and thus keeps disappearing on her, giving her the impression he's really not that serious about her. Nigel, the "other" Brit on staff at Sass!, also shows interest in Nola, and she isn't sure what to think of him. (Actually, rumors are flying that Nigel and Belinda are having an affair, and Nigel tries to get a hold of Belinda through Nola.)

On the home front, Nola's family thinks she's jealous of baby sister Eileen, who is almost engaged to be married, while overweight Nola never seems to get a date. When Eileen decides she wants Belinda Apple to be her maid of honor, Nola is about to have a heart attack. How is she going to pull this one off?

I thoroughly enjoyed THE CINDERELLA PACT, which had me laughing out loud. I hope Strohmeyer continues writing books with these fun and crazy characters because they are delightful, funny and always amusing to read about. I'm recommending this book to readers who enjoy well-written Chick Lit, but also may be looking for something more.

--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton (Ratmammy@lofton.org)

After reading this book, I have to declare myself a Sarah fan. This is an "everywoman" kind of book, both funny and poignant, often at the same time. I found myself slipping into a mental British accent at the appropriate times (how I'd love to see Renee Zellweger in a movie version). Simply put, this is a book to be enjoyed and savored right up to its fairytale conclusion.

This past weekend I was on a long car trip and the books I had brought turned out to be duds. So rather than be faced with a 10 hour ride and nothing to read, I made a stop to find some more books. Cinderella Pact happened to be one I came across. And I'm glad; it turned out to be a worthwhile and enjoyable find.

I loved the preface of a list of ways to embrace your inner Cinderella- absolutely hilarious! (For example, allow birds to land and sing on your outstretched arms and animals to hide in your skirt...) The first chapter starts with: "I believe that within every one of us is a woman of undiscovered beauty, a woman who is charming and talented and light of heart. I believe that all we need is a fairy godmother to dust us off and bring out our potential, and, while she's at it, turn the rats in our lives into coachmen." lol. So true... I can think of a few rats...

Cinderella Pact is a sweet, touching story about Nola Devlin, an undervalued and underappreciated editor for Sass! magazine. She wants to be noticed for who she is. She and her three friends embark on a journey of self-discovery and weight-loss together. The results are funny, bittersweet, and heart-wrenching. Nola is a real heroine- not a size zero twig, but a real woman with real issues- physical and emotional. She has created an alter-ego in Belinda Apple, a thin, red-haired Brit who is the author of the So Fab! column for Sass!. Things get sticky when people start wanting to meet and find Belinda... This is where the real fun begins. Reminiscent of Little Lady Agency and Melissa's `Honey', the best parts of the book are covering up the non-existence of Belinda. There's elements of intrigue, self-discovery, drama, and some sweet romance (plus a cute guy!)

Overall a great, fun, unique read! My one complaint is that at some points the story reads like a self-help or weight loss book. Luckily it's not so much so that it's annoying. I'm looking forward to reading the Sleeping Beauty Proposal... Hopefully it's just as good.

I found Sarah Strohmeyer's other books much better. I found the writing much less snazzy and found the plot totally unbelieveable. In a fantasy world, the publisher's son with washboard abs would go for an overweight insecure editor but not in the real world. And how can that couple be so in love after two dates???? I know it's fiction, but give us some element of reality.

I hate to read! I went to Barnes and Noble with a friend and she was buying this book, so I read the back. It sounded okay, so I asked if that when she was done I could borrow it. Normally its forced for me to read a chapter in a week, but with The Cinderella Pact, I could not put the book down! I would say to myself "okay after this chapter i'm going to put it down" and then found there was no possible way to put it down. I sat reading the book for 5 hours straight on a saturday afternoon to finish the book. (I had only read less than half before that) Excellent book, kept me completely entertained and dying to know what was going to happen next. Very light read and very comical. I would be reading to myself at work and I would catch myself laughing out loud (to which I'd have to look around to make sure no one saw me). I recommend this book to anyone: readers and non readers. I went to the bookstore as soon as I finished The Cinderella Pact to find more books by Sarah Strohmeyer!! I can't wait to dig into her other books!