The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson

Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust. But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old? Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston. Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake. Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school. And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her.

I ended up really enjoying this one. I got it when it was a kindle freebie and I'm not sure why I waited so long to read it. I liked Mattie. She starts with a low self-esteem, but I like how she sticks up for herself and stands up for what she believes in. She just doesn't see herself the way other people do. To say she was obsessed with Jake would be a it of an understatement, but I liked how even though she was all swoony about him, she still didn't let him push her around. I just thought this was a fun Cinderella type stories. It had fun characters, a good plot and was well written. I thought it had a good message about believing in yourself, taking risks and standing up for what you believe in. I liked the relationship between Ella and Mattie, and how supportive Ella was of Mattie. She was just a cool chick. I liked Jake, he was a fun character.

Overall, this was a fun, heartwarming type book. One I would easily recommend to anyone, especially teens. It's really hard to find good clean teen-lit now days and I was glad to have found this one.

Content: Clean