Charlie Glas'ss Slippers
Genre: Adult, Contemporary
Source: I received a review copy in exchange for my honest review.
Book Blurb
When Charlie’s beloved father,
iconic shoe designer Elroy Glass, dies after a long illness, everyone expects
that he’ll leave his business to his glamorous wife and eldest daughters. After
all, they’ve been running the company for years. But Elroy surprises everyone
from beyond the grave: at the will reading, it’s announced that his fashion
empire has been left to Charlie, his youngest—and plumpest—daughter.
Before she can run the company, Charlie decides she needs to make a few changes in her life. After several weeks at a California boot camp, she returns to London a new woman: thinner, blonder, and ready to revitalize the Elroy Glass brand. But as she’ll soon discover, a good esthetician and a killer pair of stilettos can only go so far, and there’s more to reinvention—and running a fashion empire—than meets the eye.
My Thoughts
Holly McQueen has taken one of my
favorite fairy tales and created a wonderful modern day story. Let me tell you some of the things that made
this really stand out in my mind. First
we have Charlie which is short for Charlotte.
She is the plump member of the family. She gets walked on by her sisters. She is a peacemaker. She is not exactly a
fashionista. Her sister Gaby is all show
and about as snooty and uppity as they come.
Robyn tries to put on airs. She definitely has some problems. She’s just
come back from getting help from having a break down.
Charlie has a small dinner and ends
up trying to keep peace the entire time. When two of the guests, one of whom
was not originally invited complain they can’t eat the food and order food in,
she takes it in stride. She is definitely
someone who needs to stand up to others. I love that she considers her
step-mother the “Ice Queen”, “High Priestess of Mordor”, She Who Must Not Be
Named.” It gives us an idea of what she
thinks of the woman. Something else unique about this story is the way she
became Charlie’s step-mother. Charlie’s
father was married to Gabby and Robyn’s mother.
They got a divorce and later he married Charlie’s mom and they had
her. Charlie’s mom died when she was run
over and Charlie went to live with her Step-family. She was always considered
lowly because her mother was a domestic and not high society like her
step-mother. Charlie’s step mom is so verbally abusive to her. In front of
other people she tries to put on a good act.
I believe that is one reason I really could not stand her. I took great pleasure in learning Charlie’s
dad had left 51% of the shares to her because she had given up her own life to
take care of him, while the other members of his family only took from him.
Revenge might not be what Charlie
set out to get when she takes a leave and comes back with a new look and a new
idea for moving the business forward. That is exactly what she gets.
I loved the book. The characters were so well developed that
you could not help loving some and really despising others. I really look forward to reading anything
else this author puts out. I would
highly recommend this book with a lot of quirky twists. It is one you have to sit and read cover to
cover.
About the Author:
Holly McQueen is the author of four
novels—The Glamorous (Double) Life of Isabel Bookbinder, Fabulously
Fashionable, Confetti Confidential, and There Goes the Bride. She lives in
London with her husband. 
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