If you love Disney, pick this up. If you love Princess and the Frog, pick this up! If you love spooky New Orleans settings and familiar, loveable characters, PICK THIS UP!!
Almost There is my third Twisted Tales read, and I loved every minute of it. It was fun, mysterious, and slightly spooky. I loved the chance to revisit our favorite characters and see what could have been if Tiana had taken Dr. Facilier’s deal.
I loved seeing Tiana and Naveen fall in love again. Farrah did really well writing both characters and managed to bring them together again in a new, yet familiar way. Also, I loved seeing Tiana struggle to keep her distance from Naveen for his safety, while Naveen felt drawn to Tiana for reasons he couldn’t explain—it was perfect! Seriously swoon.
And Tiana and Charlotte’s friendship! It was perfect. The girls would do anything for each other and were so close, despite their differences. Charlotte’s character was also *chef’s kiss*. She’s a bit ignorant about the differences in Tiana’s position and her own, but once she realizes them, she immediately goes to bat for her best friend.
And New Orleans. Damn. I just want to go there. Like when can I book my flight?? Farrah Rocha is from Louisiana too, so I imagine the setting was pretty accurate.
I only have 2 complaints, and they’re the only things keeping this book from 5 stars:
1. The ending was so rushed. I’ll admit, I personally feel like 99% of endings are too rushed (even my favorites), but when there’s unanswered questions, it really bothers me! There’s one big thing that was never revealed, and I really wanted to know. But no answers…
2. The flow. Maybe this is just the nitpicky writer in me, but Almost There tried really hard to make things happen, but things just didn’t flow together right. There was more than once where I just thought huh? There were some things that needed to happen for the rest of the story, but the way they came about didn’t quite make sense.
Overall, Almost There was an amazing revisit of The Princess and the Frog. Easily four stars.

I’ve read quite a few of these Twisted Tales now... and the last few releases have NOT disappointed.

I think these authors have been killing it with their research and time spent in the movie to make sure the books flow.

The characters, dialogue, and backstories were well developed and I was super invested!

I do wish Naveen had a moment where he remembered their time together before at the end of the book though!

Almost There was my first Twisted Tale and I'll be coming back for more. Farrah Rochon added so much depth and detail to a world and characters that we already know and love. Seamlessly adding in details about race, women's rights, grief and love that were nuanced but important to the story. I will be recommending this book to students because it builds and improves on stories and characters that they love while touching on deeper and more timely topics.

I am a big fan of The Princess and the Frog and have been highly looking forward to this new take on the story ever since I first heard about it. This story was absolutely beautiful!

Tiana is one of my favorite Disney princesses, and I was looking forward to seeing more of her story and the other characters. There was so much to love about this book, especially the characters and setting. One of the most important aspects of Tiana's story is the restaurant that she opens with her father. It was great finally getting to see her fulfill this dream and see the success she got from opening it. The setting of New Orleans is definitely one of my favorite aspects of the movie, and I love what Farrah Rochon did with that in this book. It feels so true to that setting.

Tiana is such a strong character that you can't help but root for in all her actions. The deal that she makes with Dr. Facilier makes sense for her to make, even though you know it won't work out in her favor. I love how hard-working she is as a character, but it was great being able to see her learn to let others help her. I loved seeing her work with Naveen, Louis, and Charlotte throughout this book. It was great being able to see even more of these characters and even Dr. Facilier. He's such a fantastic villain, and it was interesting to see more of his motivations throughout this book. I'm glad we got to see his perspective throughout the book. Naveen and Louis were just as great as ever. I won't spoil the plot with them.

I'd also like to talk about Charlotte. Charlotte is such a sweet character who cares so deeply for Tiana, and I'm glad we got to see so much more of their friendship. Her development and story with everyone else was probably one of my favorite aspects of the book. I love Charlotte in the movie, and I'm glad that she was given a more significant role in this book.

Also, seeing more of Tiana and her family was another great addition to this book. The ending was so touching and hit me hard.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book! I loved it!

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pub Date: September 6, 2022

This book is the best Disney YA book I have read! I really enjoyed this story about Tiana, and I thought the characters were so well flushed out and developed. Farah Rochon really outdid herself with this one! This is ALSO my favorite Farah Rochon book I've read!

I just felt like I knew Tiana as I read this story. Her character, her choices, and the ramifications from her choices were just so well established. Tiana was perfection in this book, and I think you don't have to be a Disney fan to enjoy her story here. Add in Naveen and Charlotte, and this book is *chef's kiss* perfection. I had honestly lost a bit of faith in Disney Publishing after my last few arcs, but this is the best book! My faith is restored. I read this one in less than 24 hours because I just had to finish it...it was that good!

This book really didn't start out very strong as it was quite choppy giving brief looks into Tiana's life as a child with her father. They were just a bit too concise to really add to the story. However, I enjoyed the story more as it continued. I enjoyed the added glimpses into the culture and addressing the challenges that Tiana faced and that she kindly explained this to Lottie rather than resenting her for not having the saming challenges or understanding. Overall, it was an entertaining and fun read.

I loved this book it was actually pretty believable and I enjoyed that the author seemed to take the critiques of the movie feeling unrealistic and bring it to reality. Focusing on the setting of New Orleans, Dr.Facilier and his background and deepening Tiana's relationships w Charlotte and her Father were AMAZING choices. The pacing was also great. I personally always knew that this story should've been better told by a black woman and I'm glad the same mistake wasn't made twice. Farrah Rochon did an excellent job!

This book was amazing! I absolutely loved it. It stayed very true to Tiana and the other characters, while adding fun new characters and elements. Definitely one of my favorites of the twisted tales

Almost There has to rank as one of the best Twisted Tales to date! I’m so grateful to have gotten an advanced copy and am more than happy to throw my two cents in. Be it Rochon’s deft work putting so much heart into it or the fact that The Princess and the Frog is one of my top Disney Princess movies, Almost There was beautiful and fun. It was more about grief and living with our mistakes than it was an all out love story like it’s source. That was perfect. What also makes this well done is the fleshing out of many aspects that didn’t get as much light before. That is always my benchmark for a good Twisted Tale. While it it technically an alternate version of the story, it fits seamlessly. I hope that to see more Twisted Tales from Rochon in the future and if not, this was a great entry!

I really enjoyed this book! It was just the right amount of original with delicious twists that made me oh so happy! Great plot, not incredibly predictable,

I love The Princess and the Frog, so I was excited for this book. In some ways, it worked really well, but there were aspects that I felt detracted from the story overall. Kind of almost by necessity, as there probably not a lot of ways to change up the story, the plot picks up right at the end of the movie, glossing over Ray's death and jumping right into Tiana confronting Facilier. This time around, Facilier doesn't stop at offering Tiana a restaurant, he instead promises to bring her father back to life. The deal is too hard to resist, and Tiana takes in, in exchange for her relationship with Naveen. The story picks up a year later, with Tiana and her dad finally opening their own small restaurant, Tiana dodging Naveen, and strange things happening in New Orleans. The way they jump forward and gloss over the original ending of the movie (with Lottie seeing them as frogs and trying to help, etc.) is confusing, it's stated Naveen lost his memories as part of the deal, but Lottie not remembering anything was never addressed. I didn't feel like, for a book set in New Orleans, the setting was particularly noteworthy, and 95% of the book happens within the city around Mardi Gras. The resolution was fine, but came a bit out of nowhere, and could have been much better integrated into the story. The best part for me was actually Naveen's character, his B plot at the sugar mill was very interesting and I felt like he had the strongest character arc. While I did ultimately enjoy this book, there were definitely parts that left me confused and disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion/Disney Publishing Worldwide for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

To be honest 'The Princess and the Frog' isn't one of my favorite Disney Princess stories. However, reading this book has made me appreciate the story more.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story being told here, I enjoyed the multiple points of view, and I enjoyed the writing.

The sacrifices we will make in order to regain a loved one, and the consequences of those sacrifices is played out beautifully in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this novel. I am rating this book based the stars due to lack of time to leave a full review. #NetGalley #AlmostThere

Praise goes to Farrah Rochon for bring Tiana and crew to life in a twisted tale that filled each page with suspense and intrigue! This novel is an absolute plus to have in the hands of every reader. The characters pull so many emotions from you that you find yourself intertwined in the plot, as well!! This is a definite must for your own library and for the classroom!!

Wow! This was my very first Twisted Tale and it definitely will not be my last because this was amazing!

I love the Disney Movie Princess and the Frog and I equally loved this book. This is the first time I read a book by this author and I absolutely loved it. Twisted Tales is a favorite series of mine.

When I heard Farrah Rochon would be writing a Tiana story for Disneys Twisted Tales book series, I knew it would be amazing. And it was! We get to see Tiana get to live the life she wished for— her father is alive, she’s opened her restaurant, Nareen and the rest of her friends and family are safe. Everything is perfect. All she had to do was make a deal with Dr. Facilier. But strange things start going on in the Big Easy and Tiana will need the help of her friends to set everything right.

I absolutely loved this. Tiana is one of my favorite Disney princesses and actually get to see her not as a frog! She gets to have a wonderful adventure and her relationship with her parents, particularly her father, is so sweet and loving. The grief she feels for her father, even when he’s restored to life by Dr. Facilier is so moving and feels very real. Her friendship with Charlotte is precious and I love that we get to see Tiana and Naveen fall in love in a completely new way. That’s part of the magic of these twisted tales, we get to see our main couples fall in love/stay in love even when the story changes. And would you look at that cover! I will definitely be owning a physical copy of this for my shelf.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Hyperion/Disney Publishing Worldwide for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.