Review: Don’t Expect Magic

Don’t Expect Magic, by Kathy McCullough. The GoodReads summary:

Delaney Collins doesn't believe in fairy tales. And why should she? Her mom is dead, her best friend is across the country, and she's stuck in California with "Dr. Hank," her famous life-coach father--a man she barely knows. Happily ever after? Yeah, right.

Then Dr. Hank tells her an outrageous secret: he's a fairy godmother--an f.g.--and he can prove it. And by the way? The f.g. gene is hereditary. Meaning there's a good chance that New Jersey tough girl Delaney is someone's fairy godmother.

But what happens when a fairy godmother needs a wish of her own?

This is one of those books that was 100 percent saved by the last fourth of the story. Because, honestly, Delaney drove me so crazy for most of the book. I mean, not every character needs to be happy and bubbly and people-loving, but Delaney took the whole sullen-pessimistic-sarcastic-mopey teenager thing to a whole new level. I just wanted to smack her into a better mood. At first I was refreshed to see a main character who was a little more bad-A than most, but Delaney was just so grumpy.

But somewhere around the last fourth of the book or so, for reasons I’m not exactly sure of, Delaney gets a bit of personality makeover, and I started liking her much better. She was still snarky, but she was way less self-centered.

Her relationship with her dad was fun to read about because they’re both so new to the father-daughter relationship thing. And they’re both really bad at it. But I liked watching them change and grow closer to each other. It was pretty cute actually.

What I probably adored most about the book was Cadie--can I get an Amen for a popular head cheerleader who is kind and friendly instead of a petty mean-girl? I hate how in practically every YA, the popular girl is also such a bully--I just get so tired of the stereotype. But Cadie was awesome and was probably my favorite character.

Overall, this book started out a little rocky for me, but I ended up liking it fairly well. It wasn’t deep or anything, and some of the plot and character development could use a little work, but it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable light, fun read.