Having never read any of the other books that come before The Peasant’s Dream, it was fairly easy to fall into the world without having to know what happened beforehand. This is one of the amazing things about fairytale retellings/fairytale styled books. Also, then I wouldn’t have to read a whole eleven books before diving into this one. Which I only picked up to know what happens before my sister, who’s obsessed with the series. (Judge me all you want. I will stick to my sibling rivalry till the day I die.)

I have to say, I was surprised by the mere lack of action in this book. Like, there’s conflict, but not much else. A whole lot of picnicking and talking and walking and carving, but not much else in the first half of the book. I’m used to this in Contemporary, because that’s just the style of the genre. But not in fantasy. I mean, there isn’t really much emotional depth going on either. It’s almost like the author is so used to writing books with similar plots that she hasn’t really put any effort into making it interesting.

I’m not saying that it isn’t interesting. Frederick is the embodiment of every girl’s dream in his own quirky way, and Princess Adela is naïve in a sweet way. There’s also some character conflict on Frederick’s side of the story. But The Peasant’s Dream just didn’t grab me the way I hoped it would. The romance was too easy and the plot very predictable. I don’t know. Maybe I just have to be a Melanie Dickerson fan to get it.

But, hey, at least now I can chant, “I know what happens!” every time my sister brings up the series!

So, to wrap this up, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves sweet romance, fairytale-like stories, and anything Melanie Dickerson.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I WAS SO EXCITED - AND SO DISAPPOINTED

I absolutely love fairy tale retellings, so learning that this was supposed so be a reverse Cinderella story really had me excited to read it. Sadly, nothing about it lived up to my expectations. I have read other of Dickerson's books and been slightly underwhelmed, but this fell flat in every way.

👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎

Cinderella: What attracted me to this book was the premise of a reverse Cinderella, but I can honestly say that I don't see anything related to the Cinderella fairy tale. Sure, Frederick is a peasant and Adela is the daughter of a Duke. And Frederick has two sisters. But that does it - that's where it ends. Sorry, but that to me is not enough to call it a reverse Cinderella story.

Writing: As with other Dickerson novels, the writing of this one struck me as half-assed and slightly amateurish. It felt like she just wrote without editing herself or ever using the option to delete - but she still backtracks and takes stuff back. Why not just delete it? It just didn't feel like there was any effort put into it.

Bible stories: Why include Bible stories that play no part in the story? Honestly, I found it a bit offensive. Felt like a sermon in the middle of the book. I am really not okay with that.

Plot: If you read fanfiction or Wattpad stories, you are familiar with those stories that are written chapter-by-chapter. They often don't have a red threat that takes you from beginning to end and that guides the actions in each chapter. I had the same feeling while reading this book. It was just a bunch of chapters strung together with seemingly no thought to the overall storyline.

The Peasant's Dream captured my attention with that *gorgeous* cover and the concept of a male Cinderella story, but unfortunately, I lost interest in finishing - I think I just couldn't get absorbed in the narrative style and the dialogue, which is not so much old-fashioned as kind of stilted. However, the characters themselves were interesting (especially Adela, the artistic daughter of a duke), and I got the feeling that Dickerson has taken great care to lavishly build her world - although upon requesting this novel, I was unaware that it was part of a series of eleven books, so many of the references to previous characters and events were were lost on me.

While this book wasn't for me, I think anyone who'd enjoyed the previous novels will also enjoy this one!

Another winner by Melanie Dickerson. I read this in one sitting because I enjoyed it so much. I like her take on classic fairytales but reimagined. They don't feel like reading just another fairytale re-write but you can lose yourself in the story. I love being able to lose myself in the storyline. The theme is of trusting God to work a situation to His glory and fighting for those whom you love.

I got this book for free but I would definitely buy it. I've recommended to others as well as the library. While this is standalone, I do recommend reading the rest of this series as characters from other stories show up (as they are family). I also love the rest of her books for the record - I suggest these too!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I appreciated this story! It was a take on Cinderella which I have never seen before (and I thought I had seen it all!). A Cinderella story with a male as the Cinderella character. I had read the description and thought it interesting, but when I was actually reading the story I completely forgot until almost halfway through. That was delightful! The last thing you really want with a retelling is to feel like you are in the middle of a remade story. You want to believe that you are in the story being told, you don’t want to be distracted and constantly thinking about the parallels. Mrs. Dickerson did a wonderful job here! Another good young adult fictional retelling.


*Even though I received this copy for free all thoughts and comments here are my own*

This book was so quick ... Or at least it felt like "The Peasant's Dream" was an easy book to read.

I wanted something sweet and yet adventurous to read before falling asleep, this fit the bill! Though I felt that this was more of a stand-alone than the 11th book in the Hagenheim series.

This tells the story of Adela the youngest daughter of Wilhelm and Rose. In The Peasants Dream, Adela and Frederick become aquatinted through circumstances and come from different backgrounds. I love how Frederick was wanting a better life for himself and his mom and Adela wanted to make his dreams come true any way she can. While this is not my favorite of the Hagenheim series, the author has become a favorite to read. 3.5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DNF

Ugh. I really wish I could've finished this, because I was liking it so far! Reading books on my laptop just isn't the easiest for me and I get sidetracked until, well, my e-ARC expires. :( Maybe I'll buy it sometime after it comes out.

I love retellings of old fairy tales or myths or stories. This book was a fun gender swapped version of Cinderella. The atmosphere was so beautiful. I really felt immersed in the setting. It wasn't super original, but when you are re-imagining Cinderella, there are only so many ways you can change things up. I don't think that really diminishes it though. If you hadn't read 5000 versions of this story like I have at this point, it may seem really original.

I did enjoy the characters. They were rich and well realized. I wanted everything to work out for them and it is important that I can root for the characters.

Melanie Dickerson has a whole series of re-tellings and I highly suggest you check them out if you like this one.

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own."

The Peasant's Dream by Melanie Dickerson is an interesting take on a fairy tale. The characters are entertaining and believable but the setting is more old country than new. There's a dukedom with a town and it's people and an outlying farm area with workers and families. The gist of the story is that the Duke's daughter wants to get out and enjoy the town but is not able to go out without an escort of bodyguards and there's a peasant's son who works the farm for his disabled father but would rather be artistic as a carver. Adela, the Duke's daughter, is being encouraged to find a husband, but is also encouraged to make sure she loves the man she selects from those she is introduced to by her parents. Frederick is the peasant's son. His father is abusive and Frederick is determined to become a carver. Frederick and Adela have a chance meeting at the castle when Frederick goes for help for a sick child in his farm area. As the story continues, Frederick goes to market day to see if he can make a living as a carver and Adela sneaks out of her home to go to market day on her own. The two seem destined to be together and the story continues in that direction until circumstances take matters in a totally different direction and the two are separated by an evil person. The story ends happily as Frederick makes his way back to Adela. I enjoyed this story. It was intriguing, suspenseful and uplifting and was a quick read.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Thomas Nelson- Fiction. It is a reverse Cinderella/Aladdin like story about a duke's daughter who sneaks away into the marketplace where she meets a poor woodcarver and falls in love. As their friendship progresses, so does the drama.

While I did enjoy the easy read, it did feel a bit too obvious for me. I feel like I've read/seen this story before and it fell into several fairytale tropes. Just a few were a terrible stepparent, an evil advisor, and a hidden identity. As I said, it was still a fun easy read, especially for these pandemic times, but I found myself wanting more.

I think I could enjoy going back and reading some more of the Hagenheim series, however. Thank you to Thomas Nelson- Fiction and NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity to read this book early!

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This sweet romance is a satisfying conclusion to the Hagenheim series. (Although this is the eleventh book in the series, it is a stand-alone and perfectly enjoyable without reading the others.)I like the reverse Cinderella aspect, with hard-working Frederick trying to win Adela's heart, albeit without knowing who she truly is. Frederick is a great leading man, gentle and loving while also strong and protective. Adela was sweet and I mostly liked her character, although her constant worrying about being perceived as spoiled got a little tiresome. The story was a little simple, without the action of several of the other books in the series, but all in all, it was a satisfying read and a good choice for those looking for a quick, clean romance.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Be ready to swoon. Dickerson has created a beautiful fairy tale featuring a kind-hearted young man who wants nothing more than to provide a better life for his mother and sisters. Then he meets Adela, the lovely daughter of a duke. With elements from the Cinderella story, she's woven a delightful tale filled with adventure, chance meetings, deception, and of course love. The Peasant's Dream is book 11 of the Fairy Tale Romance series. I loved the setting and the story. This a book that made me smile, laugh and fret. If you enjoy fairy tales, or beautiful love stories, pick up a copy of The Peasant's Dream and drift off to another world and time. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A lovely, faith based story of a young woman who yearns to experience the world beyond her pampered life inside a castle.
Adela, daughter to the Duke of Hagenheim fortunate to live a comfortable life within the castle walls, wants more to life than being waited on and sheltered, she yearns to smell the flowers outside her windows, meet people and paint. But, being able to walk out and do just as she pleases is not an easy task because she is always under the watchful eyes of her parents and the castle guards. Tired of her mundane life Adela dons her servant's clothes and sneaks out to visit the marketplace where she encounters a young, poor farmer named Frederick. Frederick too dreams of a better life, a life where he can escape some day, produce his carvings and provide for his mother and sisters without living under the abusive hands of his father. On the same day Adela visits the marketplace she meets Frederick they immediately are drawn together, but Adela knows that falling in love with a poor farmer is frowned upon and yet with all her might she cannot forget the strong, but kind young man who eventually changes her life as well as his own. I thought this was a sweet, romantic read infused with faith and encouragement that appealed to me especially at a time right now when I could use a little boost of positivity. The storyline also had it's moments of drama and intrigue that kept my attention to the end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Melanie Dickerson for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the twist of gender reversals of this Cinderella-retelling.
Our hero is a poor farmer with a good heart and our heroine is the daughter of a duke trapped with a forthcoming arranged marriage she doesn’t want. There’s lots of drama, twists and interesting spins on the plot. Our hero and heroine meet early in the novel for a brief moment, but later on their lives intersect in ways neither expected.
The narrative is suitable for YA readers so it pulled me out of my “normal” narrative, but the storytelling is wonderfully done. I think YA readers will quite enjoy the story and it’s not your traditional Cinderella story (so no eye-rolling).
I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Melanie Dickerson's latest YA fairy tale retelling is a fun twist on the traditional Cinderella story. Dickerson rules the genre at being able to tell these tales in new ways while still keeping a historical, medieval bent to them. I love that element, and Dickerson has researched the setting well. The details she incorporates into the background add depth to the story.

"The Peasant's Dream" is definitely at the lower end of the YA scale, and it's comforting to find such a great book there. While important issues such as true love, one's calling, adult relationships with parents, alcoholism, physical abuse, and sex outside of marriage are all a part of this story, they're dealt with in positive ways - sin is called out as such but human mistakes and the later forgiveness and redemption are also offered. Unrepentant acts face reasonable consequences. These big issues in the context of a young adult fairy tale make for an exciting read.

It's not always unpredictable - with every last thread - no, every last snag - wrapped up in neat little bows, parts of the story read a little saccharine at times. The story remains engaging, however, and in our sinful culture with freakish world events happening all around, a sweet love story may be just what the doctor ordered.

"The Peasant's Dream" was quite enjoyable. Frederick is stuck laboring on the family farm because his father injured his leg in an accident years ago and is unable to perform the physical labor. His father is also a bitter abusive drunk. While he believes farm labor is honorable work, he has a talent for wood carving and would like to be a professional woodcarver. One day, when his father is in a drunken stupor, Frederick heads to Hagenheim with some of his carvings and sets up a table in the market, where he attracts the attention of a local priest, who believes Frederick's talents might be beneficial to the Bishop of Hagenheim in improving the Hagenheim Cathedral.

Adela is the youngest daughter of the Duke of Hagenheim and is of marriageable age. Before marriage, Adela wants a grand adventure like her older sisters experienced, although with less danger (one sister was kidnapped). She is a painter and wants to travel around painting the people and things she sees before marrying a member of the nobility and settling into a life that is comfortable but probably unexciting. One day she decides to put on the clothes of one of the servants and visit the market.

Adela and Frederick meet in the market (they had actually briefly met once before) and develop a friendship around their mutual love of art. Adela keeps her identity secret, not wanting to scare off Frederick; she has found that people treat her differently as the duke's daughter. Adela helps Frederick so that he can work for the Bishop, while trying to keep her secret. They begin developing feelings for each other, but Frederick knows he cannot leave the farm long-term, while Adela, even though portraying herself as a peasant, knows that her father would never approve of her marrying a peasant and that she probably would not be happy without the servants and other benefits of being nobility. Making the situation more complex is that Lord Barthold, the son of the Duke of Grundelsbach, is in Hagenheim courting Lady Adela. She does not love him, but knows that the union would be viewed favorably.

Of course, events occur that result in Adela's identity being revealed and endangering the friendship (much less the possibility of a relationship) between her and Frederick. The characters of Frederick and Adela are well crafted. I especially like that Frederick turns to God for guidance and help and seeks to behave in a manner he believes will be pleasing to God, even if that means Frederick has to forego his own desires and dreams for the sake of his family or others. The author also does a great job of portraying the complexity of feelings Adela is experiencing as she wrestles with her growing fondness for Frederick, how to reveal her secret and the likely ramifications, and whether she has the necessary fortitude to give up the life of luxury she has enjoyed for a simpler and harder life as the wife of a laborer. Adela experiences considerable growth in the relatively short timeframe covered by the story. There are some significant secrets revealed and plot twists that alter the course of the lives of both Frederick and Adela. "The Peasant's Dream" is well worth reading.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley.

I truly enjoy Dickerson's retelling of classic fairy-tales. With a loose Cinderella theme in reverse, tons of danger and drama, yet with a gentleness that overset the evil, it was a wonderful tale, re-told.. I liked both leads and the settings are vividly drawn for the reader... and yet, there was a slight stiltedness to the book as a whole. I almost feel as if it was too long - too much dialogue or extra content that is unnecessary - and often found myself skimming to get to the good parts (but know those were good parts were wonderfully done!)

A reverse Cinderella story which is easy to read but predictable. I easily read the entire story in two settings. In summary, the poor mistreated hero manages to start pulling himself up by his proverbial bootstraps and in the process falls in love with a village maiden. But this maiden is not what she appears to be. She is not a village maiden but the youngest daughter of the local Duke who has snuck out, in disguise, in order to visit the village market. Mutual attraction is disrupted by unforeseen circumstances. But just like Cinderella, dreams and expections, have a way of becoming reality.

I will admit the story was in a different time period and country than I would normally read. However, that said, I have rated the book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the fact that the author did not have to stoop to pages of blaten sex scenes to tell the story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Netgalley.