About My Not-So-Fairy-Tale-Life

Reviewed by Andrew Hall

"Another trend in 2005 was the publication of serious novels which explored difficult social problems in with less caution than seen in the past. A leading example is Julie Wright’s My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life (Deseret Book), a novel written in the first-person about a young woman from a dysfunctional family who indulges in drugs, become s pregnant, and then decides to change her life. Wright has received substantial praise for her ability to fully portray the protagonist's mistakes without turning her into a villain or preaching to the readers. Jeannie Hansen at Meridian Magazine called it "The best book I’ve read yet about a young woman who must make agonizing decisions concerning the fate of her unborn child . . . it is an absorbing, thought-provoking story." ...As an LDS father who has adopted through LDS social services, I certainly am glad Julie has written a book which talks about a subject that needs to be addressed more.  Julie can be glad that she has written a quality work."

Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle

"The Quincy family of Boston, Massachusettes is, in a word, dysfunctional.
Mom is an abusive parent, regretful that she ever bore any children.  Dad,
although kind and a hard worker, is afraid to confront his wife about the
abuse.  Sam, nearly a year older than his sister Suzanna, suffer the
constant abuse and neglect until they're finally old enough to do something
about it.

Sam becomes a Latter-day Saint early in life and moves to Utah.  Suzanna is
left to deal with her mother (she calls her mother "Doris," she can't bring
herself to call her "mom").  Suzanna has since turned to drugs, alcohol,
crime and sex to fill the emptiness in her life.

The real problems begin with Suzanna learns she's pregnant.  Unwed, and not
entirely sure who the father is, her mother throws her out of the house,
forcing her to find other housing.  She ultimately decides to travel to
Utah to stay with her brother Sam and his new bride until the baby arrives.

What follows is a gripping story of a young woman with a desperately bad
past, a questionable present, and not much of a future.  And with a baby on
the way, how can she learn to cope with the pressures of everyday life, and
a past she can't seem to shake off?

In the course of telling this story, Wright develops several themes -- the
value of life, the power of the love of family and true friends when times
get tough, and the unpredictable path life can take when God is in the
equation.  As we follow Suzanna's journey through this difficult time, we
may even recognize people in our own lives who have played similar parts.

Other themes emerge -- the healing power of community and the transforming
power of the Atonement, for example.  Suzanna learns she isn't traveling
this perilous path alone.  She has some family, some friends, and a few
strangers anxious to see her make it through.

There are some cautionary notes, too.  Religious caring can sometimes
become spiritual smothering, and Suzanna, not one to hold back in her
words, has no trouble telling her Mormon family and friends to back off.  I
liked this; it recognized that sometimes too much religion is, well, too
much religion.

I liked this book, and think young people can benefit from reading it.
Parents can also learn much from it, as it speaks clearly to issues of
family relationships and Church life.

I hope to see more from Wright in the future."

Reviewed by Jennifer Wilks, LDSFiles.com Staff Writer

"My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life follows a young woman on a path of self-discovery. Filled with choices and consequences, laughter and tears, romance and broken dreams, it is a novel for all ages."

 I really loved this book! It gripped me from the very beginning and I had a hard time putting it down until the last scene was over. I haven't yet read either of Wright's other books, but after reading My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life, I'm anxious to do so.

Wright says that she was challenged to make Suzie likable and I felt she achieved that goal. Despite Suzie's bad attitude and poor choices, I found myself rooting for her and liking her a lot.

My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life is a very well-written, down-to-earth book. As Suzie faces challenges and makes decisions, I agonized over her dilemmas right along with her. The book is not too formulaic and the scenarios Suzie is faced with were very realistic and believable.

I highly recommend My Not-So-Fairy-Tale Life as a compelling, eye-opening read. I feel I should say that although there is a lot of sensitive subject matter covered, (including child abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, and unwed pregnancy) I never felt it was overly explicit or that those serious issues were handled lightly. On the contrary, the book was very tastefully written. I give it two big thumbs up!"