This is a beautiful Tangled retelling. Including foster families and wonderful storytelling. A must read for everyone.

I want to start by thanking NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to receive an ARC of Lightkeepers by Kennedy Plumb. The cover drew my attention, but the description had me wanting to read it as soon as possible.

Here are some thoughts on my during read, if you are just interested in my overall thoughts, feel free to skip to the end 🙂

⚠️ content warning taken directly from book: abuse by parent, cult attributes and themes, forced self-harm and verbal sexual harassment of a minor⚠️

First thought, I LOVE that there is content warning. Many people don't read the copyright page, so I would prefer it to have it's own page, but that's on the reader for not reading that page.

Second thought, WOW that's small print. I'm not a fan of books with such small print, hopefully when it goes to print they use larger font.

Similarities to Rapunzel so far: both girls have an animal.. cat - gecko.. both girls are stuck up in a tower away from the world.. both girls have only a mother..

I enjoy having it switch back and forth between characters. I always love the multiple perspectives.

Oh no, he's going to be the "funny" but rude new kid..

It always breaks my heart when older foster kids get bounced from house to house and they don't want to believe it when they finally get to a house with parents who care for them.

Do they beat children that come to them at an older age or do they kidnap older children? Zella said most new children are babies..

They cut Brooke off because she said "at least she'd be free" because Zella doesn't understand that the world outside isn't terrible like she's been told.

Could these children be kidnapped and that's why they have to wear a hood when on public video? To hide what they look like? I know Zella was "born" into it, but was she really?

Greg is a perv.. I can tell just with him introducing himself and I can tell that his call is going to make me feel uncomfortable for Zella.

Also, the application for joining the Program.. needing to change their names.. I mean, I don't know things about cults besides what I see on TV, but that makes me feel like my thoughts on kidnapping kids is accurate..

It makes me feel sad for Ryder that he is basically waiting for the shoe to drop with the family..

All I could think about when her mother gets on to her for opening the window is "mother knows best" by Mother Gothel.

Oh my goodness! She has to burn herself?? Ouch.

Why didn't the 2 guys with the beer run to the car and wait there while Ryder made his display? I think if he would have paid for the milk he spilled and acted like he was sorry the cops wouldn't have been called..

It makes me sad that Zella is leaving Pax in the lighthouse.

I feel so bad for Zella finding out her whole life is a lie.

The kiss 💗

Awe, his comment about the kiss working to get her to not call the cops hurt her feelings.

I was right! Zella was kidnapped as a baby!!

I'm so glad she said she can't leave her cat. I was getting worried for a minute.

I know what happens in the Tangled movie, but as I'm reading this I'm anxious to find out how it compares.

The way Ryder looks at the picture of the pregnant Mother makes me feel like he recognized her..

She's had a gun in the room the whole time? She's threatening to shoot her!!!

I love that his foster parents were worried about him and not pissed.. well, not in a "you're getting sent to juvie" pissed..

Travis and Tracy are going to know as soon as they notice he's gone where he went and they will send cops there.

The picture he had in his box of belongings!!! It's his mom!!

OMG, did she kidnap Zella because Ryder was taken from her by someone? Like she wasn't mentally stable to care for him or something?

Ryder and his mom did the love you forever, like you for always. He has memories of knowing her 😭😭 that kind of makes it worse. She was having visitations with him and then going home to the child she kidnapped.

They want to adopt him!!!

When Zella is reunited with her mom, her family, I am in literal tears.

I like how the author incorporated both the name Ryder and Eugene.




*Overall thoughts* I love fairy tale retellings, probably one of my favorite types of stories. With that being said, this book was wonderful! I loved that it stayed pretty true to the Rapunzel story with the male character showing the female character a life she never experienced before. The plot twist was great, Mother being Ryder's mom, I didn't see that one coming! I loved that Ryder became an honorary Lightkeeper because his biological mom was the psycho that started it. 5/5 would definitely recommend to my friends.

Great fast read. I enjoyed the formatting of this book a lot. Would definitely recommend this to readers. I don’t think you would have to know the rapunzel story to enjoy it.

The second I saw this cover I knew I just had to read it! And I am so so grateful that I did! Plumbs writing was absolutely magical and I flew through this in just a few hours. The sass and realness of it all made it that much better. I loved Zella and Ryder so so much, they were both raw and real characters going through their own things. I loved seeing the similarities to the original Rapunzel story. especially because tangled is my all-time favorite movie. Overall this was such a blast and I will be recommending this to literally anybody and everybody!

A modern day, YA retelling of Rapunzel. Zella grew up in the Lighthouse - both literally a lighthouse but also an organization run by her mother. She has never been outside and for a long time has not really questioned her life. Ryder is a foster kid who finally has a family he likes. However, he has to be careful since he knows he can get in trouble easier than other kids. After a party goes wrong, he seeks refuge from the cops in a lighthouse. There he meets Zella, who begs him to take her with him when he leaves. As she sees the outside world, she starts to realize maybe her past is more sinister than she realized.

This was an easy read and lots of nods to what is imo the best version of Rapunzel, Tangled. There were a couple twists I didn't see coming as well.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be publishing this on Friday on my Instagram blog:

Lightkeepers is a modern take on the movie Tangled written by Kennedy Plumb. Tangled is my favorite Disney movie, and this book is a beautifully written tale that draws familiar elements from the film without being a carbon copy. I went into this book as a cautiously optimistic fan of the original, and I was not disappointed in the slightest.

The book centers around Zella who has lived her entire life in isolation in a New England lighthouse, and Ryder who has found himself in a new foster home as he is about to age out of the foster care system. Their core personality traits will be familiar if you have seen Tangled. Zella is brave, clever, and upbeat and yet she struggles with guilt of letting down her mother by leaving the safety of the lighthouse. Ryder is flirtatious and sarcastic, usually overcompensating for his insecurities. As they spend a night exploring the world outside of Zella’s tower, you can’t help but be charmed by their innocent chemistry.

One of my favorite things about this book is how it was about so much more than a retelling of Rapunzel. Under the surface of a sweet and adorable teen romance is a beautifully written story of a teen who is struggling in the foster care system. Ryder’s life and his story are explored in the chapters when he serves as the story’s narrator, and the audience gets a look at his emotional baggage that leads him down the path he is on when he meets Zella. His story arc is what drew me in on an emotional level, and the author did an amazing job making his journey and past so realistic. It made the book as a whole that much more touching and memorable.

Overall, this is a fantastic read. The plot, writing, and characters are all incredibly well done and I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a sweet YA romance or is a fan of the movie Tangled. This book is a 5 out of 5 for me and on my all time favorites list.

With thanks to Netgalley and the author and publisher for allowing me fo review this book.

dly I couldn't get into this book, it just didn't hold my attention.

Very interesting read , this is a great introduction to heavier topics for young adults. The story brought both humor and trauma. The storyline was interesting and kept me reading it all night.

Zella has lived her who life in isolation at the top of a lighthouse located in New England. One night, a foster kid named Ryder stumbles through Zella's window and discovers she is part of a cult that is not everything it claims to be. The premise of the book caught my attention, and then I fell headfirst into the story, much like how Ryder fell in through Zella's window. There was enough mystery of the cult mixed in with romantic humor between Zella and Ryder to keep me reading all night long. Although the book contains themes of darker topics, such as trauma, and abuse, it is offset with wit and humor to make it a great introduction to these themes for young adults. For a teen reader looking for a good thriller, this is the book I would recommend.

'Tangled' is my absolute favourite film of all-time, so when I saw this, I knew I would have to read it! And I really enjoyed it!
I've loved similar books in the past--this one really reminded me of 'Everything Everything'--and I loved Zella's narrative and journey she takes throughout the novel. I thought the 'Tangled' elements were woven in really well without overshadowing the plot, and still managing to remain its own individual thing.
My only issue with the writing came in Ryder's chapters, as I found a lot of the dialogue, especially within the school, to be rather unrealistic and cliche--very much like a tween movie. I also thought his arc was slightly rushed with the ending, though I did enjoy the message of it, and the awareness his character raises.
All in all, if you enjoy 'Tangled', you'll enjoy this!!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC!)