The references were a little too modern for me. However, if you enjoy Kimberly Lemming's writing, then you will probably enjoy this book a lot.

I needed This Will Be Fun by E. B. Asher more than I ever realized.

This is the story of what happens AFTER you save the world. After you have tried to move on from losing family. After you have lost everything that made you you. I love the characters Elowen, Beatrice, and Clare who are all deeply troubled in different ways and less than thrilled to be pulled back into their old life.

This will be fun is fantasy at its best!

This book was cozy but felt super sad, even at the points where there should have been happiness. This just didn't excite me as I expected. I was annoyed by the luxuries of today in a setting that seemed to be Camelot, and the neverending misunderstandings throughout, Throw in a reincarnation of a hero 10 years deceased, a clumsy sapphic second chance romance, and a painfully clumsy second chance romance between two heroes, and a quest to find the protagonist from 10 years ago and you have the book.

It just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley and E. B. Asher for the ability to read this e-ARC and voluntarily leave my honest opinion.

Quick overview:

Have you ever wondered what happens to the heroes after the realm is saved and the story ends? This Will Be Fun follows three heroes ten years after their mission is complete and they are called upon to reunite for the Queen's wedding.

My thoughts:

All the characters are a mess and I absolutely love them, especially Vandra! I love a good fantasy adventure story, and this one does with with three POVs, brilliant foreshadowing, and a really fun writing style. (Technically, three fun writing styles, as I had no idea the author is three people until the end!) There is found family, romance, and a luxurious bubble bath and I would like to live in forever.

I was really looking forward to this based on the description. I had seen it listed in other's posts about upcoming books and I really thought this was going to be a great romantasy. I simply cannot get any further in this book. I fall asleep every single time I try to read it. At first I thought I was enjoying it but I just can't get over the current slang. The fart joke also just didn't do it for me. I'm going to have to DNF.

3.5 - ⭐⭐⭐💫

“What a fool I am, letting you walk away without saying what my heart has sung since the very moment you entered my life.”

This Will Be Fun is a standalone fantasy romance following a group of heroes ten years after they saved the realm...and they are all variations of miserable. See they haven't spoken since that fateful day and have all thrown themselves into extremes to cope with the cost of saving the realm. When the queen of Mythria invites them to her wedding they know they can't refuse. What they never expected was to find themselves on another quest...to save the realm again. Add in a helping of pining, guilt, and old flames and the gang, Clare, Beatrice, and Elowen (plus Vandra), must decide if they can overcome their old wounds to find the happily ever after they desperately wanted the first time.

This is a book of messy people who finally start to figure things out when they rely on each other. It is sweet and has a feistiness to it.

I felt the dynamic of these characters worked well for the story. You have Beatrice who has recently divorced and finds herself confronted by her old flame and questmate Clare with some unresolved issue. Clare has spent the last ten years building an image of being a hero but secretly harbours guilt. Elowen has spent ten years in seclusion avoiding the world as much as possible and Vandra, their old foe, is working alongside the Queen to show she has changed. I felt overall the characters were interesting and had life to them that drew me...although it does take time to warm up to them. I would say once they start bantering with each other I was more able to connect to them.

There was one side character that I absolutely adored but I don’t want to spoil. Suffice to say their positivity and enthusiasm just worked so well with the grumpiness and awkwardness of the gang while they were trying to figure each other out. Also Vandra was so great as she challenged the characters (especially Elowen). She has such attitude and personality - she is the most put together and still has a morally grey vibe.

In terms of spice, this book is 2 spicy peppers out of 5 spicy peppers. There are two spicy scenes in this book and they happen towards the end of the book. This book has MF and FF relations and I felt both were well done. They aren't explicitly detailed with more romantic undertones. I thought they really worked for their relationships as they rewarded everything for the time it took for characters to figure things out. Also the couples were so cute afterwards with intimacy and blushing and support (Elowen and Vandra especially just had me grinning).

“I think I am the biggest accident that’s ever happened in your entire life.”

The story itself wasn’t anything super wowing to me. They all kind of start the book in some way lost and a bit of a mess. They end up on a quest as a result of something that risks the wedding and find themselves down a rabbit hole with caves, bars, and more. I felt the story moved well and there was plenty of banter and fun with fighting, bar chats, and a convention. I loved the world as it gave me a movie Ella Enchanted vibe with magical elevators and Ubers. One critique was how flat the villain turned out to be. I would have liked a bit more grit there. I also was not expecting the twist at the end and I am still unsure how I feel as it kind of took away from the ten years these characters have struggled. That said, the romance won me over.

Overall this is a fun quick fantasy for those not looking to throw themselves into a massive world. It's easy to follow, the characters will amuse you, and there is a bit of spice to tie it all together.

Thank you Avon for this arc!

This was really fun (no pun intended)! Have you ever wondered what happens to your beloved characters after they vanquish their enemies and save the realm? Look no further! Elowen, Beatrice, and Clare are part of The Four, the group who did just that a decade ago. Now in their 30s, the group is forced to reunite at the Queen's upcoming wedding and are (spoiler-alert) sent on another quest to rescue the future King and save Queendom again! (Side note, LOVE that it's called Queendom.)

This story was equal parts second chance romance, fantasy, and adventure. I really enjoyed the three POVs and getting to see Elowen, Beatrice, and Clare's character arcs through their own eyes. It was a playful, heartwarming, joyful story, and I was laughing out loud throughout. I particularly enjoyed the modern concepts weaved into the story (Wagons-For-You aka Uber + Harpy & Hind aka Starbucks), and all of the Clares (IYKYK).

The writing felt very cinematic too - maybe one day we'll see this on the big screen! Either way, I hope to see more stories from this author trio!

This book was comped to Shrek, which really had my hopes up. I don't think it's a bad book, but comparing it to Shrek gave me inaccurate expectations. I thought overall this was just okay. The characters fell kind of flat and one dimensional for me. But if you're looking for something fast paced that has high fantasy setting with modern elements, I definitely think you should give it a try!

Thank you to Avon for the ARC!

Ten years ago, the hero's saved the world. their lives, well... they super suck. this is a book filled with tongue in cheek humor, sarcasm, witty banter, and a delightful poking of fun at cliche's and tropes. a Kingdom filled with the magical equivalents of daytime soap opera's, celebrity magazines, and the most important of all, starbucks. we follow the lives of the four heroes who saved the world, as they are forced once again to step into the roles they'd played so long ago. only, none of them are what they used to be, and now they have to figure out who they are... as well as finally confront the trauma, and the fight, they all believed they'd never have to deal with.

this book is cozy adjacent with not one, but two slow burn romances, a focus on emotional growth, and a delightful commentary on miscommunication, forgiveness, and learning who you are, as well as embracing who you want to be.

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher is a delightful, feel-good read that lives up to its title. The story is filled with humor, charm, and endearing characters that make you root for them from the start. Asher’s writing style is engaging and easy to follow, with witty dialogue that keeps the tone light while also touching on deeper themes of friendship and self-discovery. While the plot can be a bit predictable at times, the heartwarming moments and overall fun vibe make it a thoroughly enjoyable book. It’s perfect for readers looking for an uplifting, breezy read that still packs an emotional punch.

Loved this book! The plot, magic and friend group were enthralling. Found that it was the perfect culmination for the events and character arcs. Really enjoyed the development. From book 1!

Have you ever read a book and felt like it was so incredibly familiar? This fantasy quest based off four former “hero’s” truly was like if Shrek met The Princess Bride and fell flat.

The best part about this book was it felt like relatively amusing read.

The modernization of the language for a fantasy realm (i.e. spa’s, stag parties, soap opera’s, etc.) threw me off as it felt hard to make me believe this was a fantasy realm with magic. This also was a “second-chance” romance between two of the 3 main characters that fell flat and seemed to lack chemistry. Perhaps it felt forced to me given the comments of the gossip magazines pushing for them.
The overall pacing of this book was off, in my opinion. The first 50% of the book was spent convincing the “hero’s” to go to the Queen’s wedding. The next 20% was the first quest, the next 20% was the actual quest and the last 10% was a hail mary attempt at a Lord of the Rings style twist that I assumed would be coming since the first few chapters. It felt clunky and lacked character development- any arcs felt rushed and had no depth.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Fun was promised but sadly very little was had. E.B. Asher is actually three authors and it shows. The story feels disjointed and a bit clunky and so, so, oh so very long. I had high hopes that this would give Legends & Lattes vibes but set in Far Far Away from Shrek 2. Instead, the world building felt forced and more important than the character development but none of the details provided really mattered that much. Don't get me started on the coffee...what was up with the nonstop description of the knockoff Starbucks? This was unfortunately not for me.

Many thanks to Avon and Netgalley for the ARC.

I didn't love this book. I felt that it fell a bit flat for me only because it was a bit too slow to build up to what felt like the whole plot. The characters felt very one dimensional for the first half of the book and we don't find out anything solid for too long in my opinion. It was a bit difficult for me to get into the story and I didn't feel attached to the characters.

I did not end up finishing this book.
It wasn’t for me but others might like it. I didn’t like all the modern language and phrases in a fantasy novel. I also do not like waiting so far into a book to know what conflicts happened and why all the characters hate each other.
I think there were too many POVS for this novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the e-arc!
If you have ever wondered what happens to the hero's party after defeating the big bad, this is for you.
When I saw Shrek + Legends and Lattes, I was super excited, but the story definitely ended up being less cozy/romantic fun than I expected. I am always here for another cozy fantasy, and I ended up enjoying this story immensely even though I am still undecided if I would call this cozy! I'm not going to lie; I was a bit skeptical to start, but as the story continued, I got more and more invested.

I was so intrigued by the premise, although Ella Enchanted is a better comp than The Princess Bride. At the beginning, there were parts I found humorous. However, the pacing and world building are all over the place, and This Will Be Fun sealed its two star rating with an entirely unearned eye-rolling twist in the final chapters. This was entirely too long, with 200 pages of learning about the characters before you even get into the quest, which is also 200 pages. Plus the quest is meh at best.

As I leaned from Currently Reading’s Love and Chile Peppers podcast, I much prefer external conflict to internal conflict. Pages and pages (and pages) of grown-ass characters lamenting that they could never be worthy of love is not only not for me, but not what I would expect in a novel for adults. That seems much more YA territory.

This book was non-stop enjoyment from beginning to end. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy, this is your next read!

The relationship between the three main characters is where the story really shined. Elowyn and Beatrice's friendship was very relatable. You could see the bond but also the cracks that broke them apart. To me, Clare’s actions did not always seem to connect to his inner motivations. However, I really enjoyed his overall character arc. Anyone can relate to the pressure of needing to emulate someone else and struggling with the inner shame of not being able to.

The plot was secondary to the characters’ relationships. It didnt matter if their quest succeeded, as long as they healed from the collective grief they experienced. That being said, I didn’t see the end coming. It ended happily but honored the reality of loss.

Perfect for fans of Assistant to the Villian and Legends and Lattes.

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

An anarchic, anachronistic, subversive take on fantasy epics which revisits the heroes who saved the kingdom ten years later to explore their messy lives and relationships since. This is an engaging, chaotic story about grief, trauma, the price of fame, and the inescapable bonds of friendship and shared experiences.

I was a little surprised to learn this was written by a team of 3. It’s not bad per se, but I’m not sure it reflects the work of 3. There’s a lot to like, but the plot points and development don’t hit exactly right, and the end twist is a little too convenient.