this book turned out not exactly as I had anticipated, but creative nonetheless. I liked the development of each of the characters, and LOVED the ending, it tied everything together perfectly.

I would read anything that E.B. Asher wrote. This book was extremely fun and good.

I took this book to read on a friend's bachelorette trip, and it was the perfect beach read. The description of it being like the Princess Bride was spot on, so kudos to y'all for drawing that parallel. The only thing I have to say about the book is that I wished that I wish we could have gotten Vandra's point of view. I think part of why I loved Beatrice and Clare's relationship so much was getting to see both sides of the story, to see both of them simp over the other while believing it not to be reciprocated. I think especially given that Vandra fought on the other side of the initial quest, seeing her perspective not filtered through interactions with Clare or Elowen would have really rounded out the story and her and Elowen's love story to me.

I think this had genuinely one of the most unique and well-used magic systems I have ever read about. I loved the differentiation between Head and Heart magic, and the evolution of Beatrice's magic throughout the novel.

I hope to see more books in this vein in the future,

tldr: I have never tried fantasy / am a typical contemporary spicy romance girlie and I LOVED THIS!
Immersive, but easy to follow. The idea that a fantasy world lacks our typical social constructs is so lovely to me - particularly the way Vandra and Elowen could be openly gay without consequence! Characters were expertly crafted with wit, vulnerability, and strength. The magic felt reachable, but fascinating. Rather than just flashy theatrical tricks for their magical powers, the authors crafted each character's particular magic skill to further the emotional connections within the stories in a compelling way. It is uniquely difficult to make a triple point of view where all the characters feel equally attended to, and I think the authors nailed this! I know why the synopsis references this being for Shrek lovers - it splendidly captures the way animated childrens' films weave in nuggets of pointed adult humor!

This book was a bit outside my typical genre but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the themes of belonging, growth, and discovery throughout the story. Thank you for the copy!

Well I had fun.

This book is in an extremely silly world and lets you know that immediately, think strong Ella Enchanted vibes and with hints of Shrek(pumpkin spice brew is canon). The tone matched the plot in the same way The Princess Bride technically had high stakes BUT rolls down hills, can be mostly dead, and "as you wish" somehow means "I love you". For a short romcom fantasy the world building was exactly what I expected.

The characters and their relationships felt fleshed out, you see reasonable emotional growth, and their actions make sense even if you don't like all of their choices. This book is an emotionally driven as it has very little spice and I would argue the theme of friendship is equally as important or more than romantic love.

ARC was supplied by the publisher Avon/HarperCollins, the author, and NetGalley

I won’t lie the description including “for lovers of Shrek” threw me a bit but this was FUN. I loved this book, it’s honestly one of my favorites this year. I loved the dynamic between all of our key players and that it was both entertaining while being engrossing. Will keep an eye out for this author after this.

I'll admit, when I first started reading this I felt like it was slightly more sapphic version of Shrek. We've got the girl who wants to stay in her protected tower, the quests, the oh-so-convenient magic. But ultimately I found myself delighted by this light-hearted story of grief and friendship. Does it wrap up with a nice little bow in the end? absolutely. Am I mad about it? no -- I'm really not. Will recommend to all those looking for a little quest adventure read.

Was this book good? No. I've stepped in puddles with deeper world-building. Was this book fun? It was indeed. I enjoyed it immensely.

This was an okay read. I do wish that the world-building had been more developed. A cozy romantasy is a good description of this book.

*3.5
ARC Reader- thank you NetGalley!

I LOVED the concept of this book- silly goofy, princess diaries & Shrek vibes (think Far Far Away- modern things exist in fantasy land due to magic substitutes). The execution of said concept fell a bit flat.

We're thrown into a group of friends that saved the realm 10 years ago and ended on bad terms, attempting to reunite for a wedding. They refer back to their quest saving the realm 10 years ago so often to inform the reader, but it honestly started to feel like I was missing a prequel book or was left out of an inside joke.

The plot was a bit slow... it takes the first whole 40% of the book to get to the wedding, and the plot does not show itself until after that point.

It is a cozy well written read, I really enjoyed the characters and the vibes- it was just a bit too slow/drawn out. The ending finally had all the pieces coming together with action and emotion, and I was glad I didn't dnf for that ending.

I loved so many parts of this story! I loved the representation in this book, and that they took modern things like soap operas and uber and dropped them into a fantasy setting. I really enjoyed the banter! It was a super cozy story, to the point where at some points it felt like there wasn't much going on, but still an enjoyable read!

In the famous words of Chandler Bing,
"Y'know what? We're not sad, we're not sad, we're just not 21 anymore. Y'know?"

So you and your friends defeated evil and saved the world, no literally, in your 20's. It was grand, you're a hero! Or, are you? The night the world celebrated, your own world fell apart. Now, ten years later- the Queen summons you.

The banter and the wit were perfect 👌 There were some parts I felt that were supposed to be deep and meaningful, but honestly I skimmed. The vibes mimicked those of ASSISTANT TO THE VILLIAN & DREADFUL (my reviews for those are up too) Although, the steaks are super high in this book, the characters didn't seem to take it seriously and so neither did I. It felt like a bad high-school reunion- in the best way.

***Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for sending me an e-arc of This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher! All thoughts are my own!***

*3.5 stars

Ten years ago, they saved the realm. It ruined their lives.

Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the land from darkness. It’s a tale beloved by all—except the Four former heroes. They haven’t spoken in a decade, grieving the lost of one of their own, Galwell.

But when they receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria’s wedding, it’s a summons they can’t refuse . It's a reunion for the ages, with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return to society, and of her former flame, the cunning Vandra. All of them are lost without Galwell’s presence. And if reuniting with old friends and lovers wasn’t perilous enough, dark forces from their past have returned, plotting a domination that only Mythria’s one-time defenders can stop. Maybe.

I was really optimistic about this book, hearing it had Princess Bride vibes. It is definitely a cozy fantasy, but it's very slow. The book spends a lot of time talking about the characters and what happened since the day everything changed for them ten yeads before. Once we actually got to the action of the quest of finding the queen's fiancé and learning the Order was back, the pace increased. But it took half of the book to get to castle and then be given a new quest. I liked the characters; they felt like a D&D party. The magic system was very interesting, I enjoyed seeing how their abilities were used throughout the book. I just wished the book was a little faster paced, it was boring me at times.

This Will Be Fun is available October 29th!

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher [Frenzy Books #NetGalley]

What happens when a happy ever after doesn't happen at the end of a quest? This is where we start in This Will Be Fun when a group of close friends and questmates have not seen or talked to one another since the end of the quest that took away one of their own. Each of them have their own guilt and regrets to deal with and when they are drawn back together because the kingdom needs them again, they will have to confront their past in order to ensure the future of their kingdom. I really enjoyed the context and humour of This Will be Fun.

Every now and then you need a comedic and cozy happily ever after with found family and second change romance to lighten the mood. I can see where The Princess Bride inspiration pulled in. I'd place this with Travis Baldree's Bookshops & Bonedust and Legends & Lattes on my shelves. Solid 4/5.

I personally enjoy feudal settings that mix in tasteful modern day elements like this story does with things like chain coffee shops (Starbucks), gossip pages (Tabloids), and carriages for hire (Lyft/uber). The initial quest where the Four lost Galwell was certainly more epic than the quest the remaining Three/new Four/Five (six?) go on, but I liked the dynamics of them falling apart and then coming back together. The character development point that I liked the most (as it was the most relatable) is that after 10 years Clare, Beatrice, and Elowen had aged and gone through things and didn't try to pretend that they were still young twenty somethings. They have self-care routines, backaches, wrinkles, and baggage which makes them relatable.

I don't know if this is a standalone or if the authors plan to carry it on like B&B/L&L. I would be interested in a more Galwell focused story where he navigates being plucked from the past and finding himself ten years in the future where his betrothed is now Queen, married to another man, and the realm itself has changed. I'd also loooooove to see how Thessia reacts to his return!

Thank you Avon/Avon & Harper Voyager, E.B. Asher, and Netgalley for the eARC!

3.5/5

I can definitely see the Princess Bride comparisons in this book. And that is so much fun, the Princess Bride is a classic! But sadly, this was a bit lackluster for me. It wasn't as action-packed and attention-capturing as I would have liked for it to be.

I didn't find there to be much character development and I didn't find that the characters were that interesting to begin with. And as a character-based reader (I care about interesting characters over interesting plot), I found that disappoint for a fantasy. The characters could be kind of whiny and immature at times, and had so much potential to be so interesting and captivating, just based on the premise of the book alone. The characters have a past together and need to work together again - that could be so good and fascinating and dramatic! But it fell a bit flat.

I do wish that the fantasy world was built out a touch more, but I really enjoyed some of those fantastical elements that it had. There's a magical sword! That's so cool, I'm into that. And magical games!

Overall, this was a fun little fantasy romp! And it definitely had those cozier fantasy vibes. If you're looking for that type of fantasy, I would definitely recommend this. I think, for me, knowing it's more on the cozy side before I start reading would really help.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

This landed on the wrong side of cheesy for me. It’s a second-chance romance twice over, with two different couples who seem better off apart. The writing is clunky, particularly in scene and POV transitions. Hopefully that will be improved a bit before the final publication. I often like to read new authors unawares, but had I looked up the three authors behind the pen name I would have known ahead of time that this wasn’t for me.

The Princess Bride reference is totally accurate. I really enjoyed it. thank you NetGalley for early access.

Rating: 2.5

I liked this at first, but I started hating it at about halfway through. The amount of noncommunication was ridiculous and annoying.

This book was really cute! I loved watching the main characters as they each embarked on their own mental journeys while simultaneously working together to save Myrithian. If I had one complaint, it was that the epic fight scene was incredibly brief. Extra details would have really helped to solidify the story. Otherwise, really great read! I can’t wait to see them again in another installment in the series.