If you like romance, fashion, and Paris (and who doesn’t?), then Jennifer Kloester’s The Cinderella Moment will make you laugh and swoon in the perfect balance.

All Angel Moncoeur has ever wanted is to be a fashion designer – but as a cook’s daughter, her options are limited. But that has never stopped Angel, or her best friend Lily, from dreaming. A teen fashion competition in Paris could be her big chance, but she never counted on the competition.

Angel’s ticket to Paris seems lost, until Lily comes up with a brilliant scheme to get both of them what they want. The catch? Angel will have to pretend to be Lily for two weeks. No problem, right?

But things don’t work out how Angel had planned. With Lily’s grandmother bearing down on her, and her very own Prince Charming doing his best to win her over, Angel is no longer sure who she is, or who she is pretending to be.

How far will Angel be willing to go to get the thing she has always wanted? And can her new relationships be trusted, when no one knows who she truly is?

Review: ‘The Cinderella Moment’

The Cinderella Moment is a very particular kind of book for a particular kind of reader. If you want gritty, angsty teenage turmoil, this is not the kind of book to turn to. Instead, Jennifer Kloester’s debut novel offers a moment of escapism for its readers.

The characters in The Cinderella Moment have their moments of angst, but all in service of a larger happily-ever-after. And there is nothing wrong with that. The title itself observes that this is a story in which, for a moment, everything can work out for, well, everyone. Indulgent? Certainly. But no less enjoyable or deserving of a reader’s attention.

Angel is a highly likeable character, and it is no stretch for a reader to empathise with her wants and wishes. The supporting characters are not as developed, though that is not entirely unexpected for a novel so focused on a single character, but Lily’s grandmother is a stand out and a delight to read.

The romance plays out well, it is neither the most nor the least important aspect of the novel, and Angel’s Prince Charming is suitably dreamy (so prepare yourself). But it is in the description where this novel truly shines. Kloester brings the romance of Paris to life on the page, and her descriptions of the glorious clothes are more substance than style.

The Cinderella Moment is a gorgeous read. It is fun and light, without ignoring the more emotional moments of life. If romance is your thing, or you have a passion for fashion, you will absolutely fall in love.

The Cinderella Moment will be released on July 24 2013 in Australia, and on August 13 2013 in America. Look out for our interview with Jennifer Kloester later this week.