I missed the deadline for this so I had to purchase it. This was a cute Disney filled treasure chest of a book. I was smiling, laughing, and enjoying it. Its perfect for teens trying to find something new and exciting to read. 3 stars

This was a cute book, perfect for fans of Disney and the narrators did a good job in bringing the story to life.

Do you live and breathe Disney? Do you love YA? Then have I got the book for you.

Madison and Lanie are college freshmen and beat friends, although as different as can be. Madison isn't quite ready to grow up, while Lanie spends most of her time studying and stressing over her pre-med path.

When Madison wins an all-inclusive trip to a new Disney resort for Spring break, she ropes Lanie into coming with her.

This is basically a manic pixie Disney Dreamworld. I think it could've dug a little deeper into the girls' issues and relationship, but that didn't stop me from devouring it in a day and enjoying the ride.

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I devoured the audiobook in just a couple days. I love how Disney incorporated an LGBTQ character, I didn't expect that from them.

SUCH a cute and fun Disney story for any Disney fan who wants to be transported back there. It sort of goes a bit too far into the camp of it, but I think that adds to its charm.

Madison has always loved Disney, mainly because of her grandma, but she doesn't see why there's a problem with being a grown up with dreams. She may have big dreams but she has no idea what she wants to do at college and has changed her major so many times. Her best friend, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Lanie is a serious student and has always known what she was going to do when she graduated. They work together at the college coffee shop. Madison has entered a contest for a new Disney resort called Happily Ever Island that is a remote Island resort where you can pick a Disney character to cosplay and act as and live out their magical Disney moment. It sounds like an absolute dream to Madison and she is so excited to go with her girlfriend. Until her girlfriend breaks up with her for being to "childish" for liking Disney so much. The following day Madison gets the news that she won the contest to go to Happily Ever Island and convinces her bestie Lanie to go with her.
The rest of the story is a fun travelogue of the girls being pleasantly surprised by what happens to and around them at the Disney Island Resort. They both realize new things about themselves and come home new people.
This was a fun read that any Disney loving person will enjoy.

I loved this book! Fair warning, I love Disney, so this book was right up my alley. This book left me feeling happy and nostalgic. A must read, especially if you love Disney!

This book was absolute Disney cuteness.

In this book, we meet The MC Madison mad her best friend Lainey who have the opportunity to visit a Disney-themed island, which as a Disney nerd, sounds like a LARPing dream!!!

Madison had me from the first page with her charming dreams and her quirky awkwardness, and my heart hurt for Lainey who seemed to be holding back, but proved a genuine friend who embarked on this fairytale adventure, even though she doesn’t understand any of it.

Together, or separately rather, the girls learn about love, identify, themselves, one another. I will not unveil any spillers, except for this:

In all of Disney, Lady Tremaine is the villain I hate the most, and how the author managed to make her just as insufferable—fantastic

Thank you to Disney-Hyperion and Netgally for this audio ARC!

This is one of those cute, feel good kind of books. The premise of the immersive Disney island sounds....well, insanely expensive, but also really cool. The playout of the scenes and hero moments was really fun to read and sounded like it would be so fun in real life. In the story, two college friends embark on this spring break trip to a Disney island resort where you play out various Disney storylines as the title characters. One is a Disney fanatic, and the other, not so much. It was interesting to see Lainie develop, but I found Madison a bit annoying and frustrating. It is a light and enjoyable read, and I was never bored. It will definitely make you want to break out the Disney Pandora station!

I really liked this book! It was sweet and light even as the main characters grappled with internal dilemmas. I enjoyed the twist towards the end, especially since I didn’t see it coming. I think this book is a fabulous choice for teenagers, but I can see it being a little harder to relate to for adults older than around 21 years old. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the book based around Disney but I was pleasantly surprised.

PLEASE may there be a sequel! I really want to read more Happily Ever Island stories! I definitely have a big book hangover from this book.

I think what I loved most about this book was how the romance and live action role playing were combined. I hope to find other books that also combine those elements.

I think this would’ve been a solid 4 or 5 stars for me when I was 18 (27 now).

I have so many mixed feelings about this book that I‘ve had a lot of trouble figuring out how to rate and review it. I wasn’t sure if I should go with 2, 3, or 4 stars so I went with 3. I found some parts of this book awesome and many parts of this book boring.

What I liked:
* How role play and romance were combined
* Madison, Lanie, and each of their love interests
* How well-written all the characters were
* The princesses, of course
* The romance
* The humor
* The friendship
* The live action roleplaying throughout the book
* The found family
* The magic of escaping into the fantasy
* The role playing of Cinderella’s stepfamily
* Themes of learning to be honest with yourself and others
* The excellent audiobook narration

Favorite Character: Prince Charming

Favorite Castle in the book: Merida’s castle

What I didn’t like:
* There’s a long time in the beginning (1.5 hours into the audiobook) before they arrive at the Island. I found this part of the story mostly really boring.
* After they arrive at the island, I started enjoying it more, but there were still kind of a lot of parts I found boring.
* No spoilers but at the end of the book I really wanted to read more about the main characters’ lives after the conclusion. I felt like the story towards the end was cut off too fast and like I didn’t fully get to experience the ending because it was cut short. I was very disappointed.

The premise of this book is fun, and the setting was well-developed. My issue with the book was the character. They were unlikable and underdeveloped. Also, I'm not sure who the intended audience is. The book is very Disney-centric, which may not appeal to older teens, but the characters' arcs are not relatable to younger teen readers. There are positive aspects of this book, but overall, it was just okay.

Thanks to NetGalley, Disney Hyperion, Disney Publishing Worldwide, and Disney Audiobooks for access to an audiobook and e-ARC of this title.

4.5 ★: multiple romances, meet-cutes galore, queer romance, femme friendship as the story base, escapism galore, a cute finding-your-path story (I love college age stories), and fluff! such fluff!

After an unexpected break-up and the sweepstakes win of a lifetime, college best friends Madison & Lanie head off to Disney's newest immersive experience: a luxury island getaway where you spend a full week cosplaying as your favorite Disney character, decked out in full costumed regalia complete with spotlighted "hero moments," where you get to play out your character's most iconic hero (or villain!) moment. A dream come true for Disney super-fan Madison and an appease-her-broken-hearted-best-friend trip for practical Lanie, this book is all precious romance, ridiculous high-jinks, and some great coming-of-age, discovering-your-own-path moments. All complete with queer romance for it's own sake, no coming out drama or straight character queer-bating needed!

I was surprised by how much this story charmed me. There are moments that are slow - I think the beginning takes a bit to pick up - and I was concerned in the first third or so that Madison was going to remain an insufferable character, but the personal growth on the part of both of the MCs is natural and sweet, and the outcomes of the story are the perfect balance of realistic with a bit of Disney magic. A real delight of a book!

Oh my stars. First thing's first: I was a Disney cast member for nearly 5 years. I was recommended this book by one of my coworkers who knows my history and my reading habits. I was very doubtful going in that this would be something I would enjoy. A new adult book that focused on Disney just seemed like a stretch. That being said, here are my honest opinions:

If you are a Disney adult you need to read this. So often Disney adults can be the butt of a joke about never growing up or being immature. We get told that we're obnoxious because we love something that was "made for kids". In this title the main character is a lover of all things Disney and wins a vacation to the brand new Happily Ever Island. a place where guest get to live out their fairy tale moments surrounded by others who share their love of all things Mickey. The only problem is that her plus one just broke up with her. The solution is to bring her Disney novice best friend along for a much needed break. Filled with ups and downs (much like our beloved Disney rides) this book has a little bit of everything.

All that being said, some of the plot points did feel like they were pandering. It is very obvious that this book is targeting a certain audience. My only wish is that maybe some of the character development was not forcibly tied back to Disney, because as in real life, not everything is going to center around one point.

Happily Ever Island was a sweet and relaxing story about finding your way, young love, friendship, and accepting who you are.

What I liked:
- The idea of this immersive Disney role-play world for adults that was fun-loving and allowed them to live out their Disney dreams (seriously, I would drag my best friend here too)
- Getting to see classic Disney stories overlap when characters would interact or they got to see the main hero moments play out
- The growing tension between the main characters weaving throughout the story
- The portrayal of two best friends with different interest and personalities
- The truly supportive and encouraging interactions between the characters
- The narration
- The lack of a love-triangle, which I feel could have easily become a crutch, and could have been used so easily in this setting/storyline
- The diversity in the characters. While it wasn’t a huge focus of the story I did really enjoy seeing how this was a place for everyone. We see representation of the LGBTQ+ community, characters struggling with their mental health, different races, a range of ages and life experiences, etc.

What I didn’t like:
- I really liked Madison and felt like she was a very sweet and likable character but it’s hard to disagree with the idea of her being selfish when you see her consistently getting wrapped up so much in her own life. Yes, she’s in a complex time-period of her life but I think it would have been great to just see the perception of her being self-centered during conversations with Lanie/others but then really see that care and consideration come through in her reflective moments so that character trait stood out more.
- This is me just being a little demanding at this point but I really would have liked to see more descriptions of the events on the island or the other visitors in character. It’s clear that the author loves Disney and the moments where the characters were interacting with the Disney stories really felt special. I just would have liked to see a little more of the magic of the island and Madison's love of Disney showing through those moments, like it does when she is with her Cinderella family.

Overall, I found this story enjoyable and I'd love to experience this setting Crystal Cestari created. I was left with a fuzzy feeling and a sense of joy for our main characters.

Once Upon A Time...

Lanie wins the Disney dream vacation of a lifetime. She's going to a Disney Resort where she eats and sleeps like her Disney character of choice. She will participate in full cosplay and play out the Disney movie.

With a touch of Disney magic and wonderful Cast members, Happily Ever Island is the most magical theme park. If you are dreaming of Disney vacation or consider yourself an aficionado of Disney's?

Read Happily Ever Island where all your dreams do come true.

Why did I love this book so much??? I guess because I saw so much of myself in Madison's personality and how she portrays her love of Disney, it was just so heartwarming and fun! I loved every single character and every single reference. Overall I would say that I loved just about every minute of this book. Reading this I was thinking of a Renaissance Faire meets Disney Island. I would love an opportunity like the main characters got--to basically live in the lives of any character of their choice. Singing, dancing, and romance included!

The premise sounded very interested and the cover intrigued me so I decided to give this book a try.
The story mainly follows Madison and Lanie.

I struggled to connect with Madison. Madison’s character was a bit overwhelming. Lanie is Madison’s bestie and they work together. Lanie seems like she has her life figured out. There is a lot of inner monologue. The story for me-picked up when the girls finally made it to Florida.

Things I enjoyed, were when the girls were trying to ignore a certain scene while arguing. It was hilarious.
The vivid descriptions of the island. I absolutely loved it!!
I really enjoyed seeing how Madison’s character matured.
Lanie finally letting go.

I really enjoyed the narrator, Reba Buhr, she breathed life into these characters and nailed their voices. Her performance was great.

If you’re looking for a bit of Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, consider grabbing this book.

While this book is uplifting, it also seems overly cheesy at parts. A fun YA book for Disney fans but this will not appeal to readers who are looking for a more realistic storyline.

I loved this cute story. As a Disney fan myself I could relate to Maddison love of Disney and her excitement to be able to go on this trip. I would love if this place actually existed and I could go. I enjoyed how the 2 main characters had their own issues and how they were able to work through them. Overall this was a fun book.