Review: Don't Expect Magic by

If you had the power of wishes, would you want to have the power to grant other people's wishes? Or would you want to have the power to make your wishes come true? Perhaps for most people, it is a little of both. For Delaney Collins, she doesn't have that choice.

Book Description:
Publication Date: November 8, 2011

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 some one's fairy godmother.

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

My Review:
Delaney's story begins on a plane. Her parents are long divorced, her father estranged and her mother has just passed away. It is a tragic beginning to her story and it is not surprising that she has a bit of a chip on her shoulder and acts out a lot, especially since she is being forced to move across the country to live with her estranged father who is a celebrated author of self help books. What she doesn't know and what she comes to find out is that he is also a fairy godfather, which is hereditary, but is known to skip generations. He is certain that she does not carry the gene, that is until Delaney starts making inexplicable things happen, usually to the detriment of those she is trying to grant wishes to. In order for her to get her fairy wand, she must find a client and successfully grant them their wish. Granting wishes for others is not an easy as it seems, especially when she finds she has a wish of her own that won't come true if she can successfully grant the wish of her first client. But what she thinks people want and what they actually do want are not always the same thing.

I had a hard time with this book in the beginning because I just wanted to slap Delaney upside the head and tell her to get over herself. She is self-absorbed and doesn't seem to care who she hurts around her. It is a mask to hide behind, though, because she is hurting inside. She thinks her father abandoned her, but as she learns the real reason her parents' split and exactly what his job entails, she finds that she can start to forgive him and understand him. She begins her journey as a fairy godmother for purely selfish reasons, but she starts to change inside and open herself up. She finds that she really does care about the people around her and the new life she has been given. It is a worthwhile journey and I enjoyed her transformation. I found that along the way, I came to care about her, too. I really enjoyed this book and while it is not your every day book about about magic, it is comforting to believe that there is power in wishes.