This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher takes us to what happens after the hero’s quest is over. The story is set 10 years after a group of four friends saved the realm from an evil order set on ruling the Queendom. We find the friends estranged and dealing with the toll that saving the world had on them and their relationships. A wedding and a new threat brings the group back together. They are trying to help the realm again and navigate each other.

This book is a great addition to the cozy fantasy genre. It’s an interesting concept to think about what happens to heros once they aren’t needed anymore. The majority of this book focuses on the relationships between the main characters and them dealing with their pasts and years of estrangement.

The book tied in modern concepts like Uber and Las Vegas into the story in fun fantasy appropriate ways.

The action in this book was exciting enough to be engaging but not enough to make me overly anxious for the characters.

The only part of this book that I didn’t enjoy was towards the end. The book tried to make the ending too tidy and in doing so something possibly confusing had to happen. It took me out of the story as I tried to reason with what took place.

Overall, a good read for those who want a story that focuses on character development in a fun fantasy setting.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and E.B. Asher for the ARC.

This was a humorous, somewhat sexy romp, definitely more focused on its multiple romances than its fantasy, and ultimately with the same kind of humor as the Shrek franchise. The jokes about the fantasy and fairy tale genres were pretty funny, all the bawdy humor was also pretty funny, and the relationships were clearly meant to be invested in. But it was difficult to really be invested in the plot! The whole save-the-world storyline, which did occasionally try to be interesting and exciting, was so clearly just a backdrop for the characters and their relationships that it was impossible to take seriously—never more so than when the ending was a kind of over-the-top deus ex machina.

3 heroes save the world. 10 years later they aren’t friends and none of them are where they want to be in life. They’re forced to come back together to rescue their Queen’s betrothed, and along the way they save the world again. Absolutely delightful. Cozy fantasy is my new favorite genre.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon for this e-arc.*

This book is a great choice for romance lovers who want to explore the fantasy genre. It’s a light fantasy with simple world-building, blending modern technology with magic. The second-chance romances are captivating, and there are plenty of humorous moments throughout. Although the pacing can be a bit slow at times, the story ties everything together nicely by the end.

Overall, it’s a solid pick for romance readers venturing into fantasy and for fantasy fans looking for a lighter, more romance-focused read.

The second half of this book would be a 4 star review on its own but I found the beginning so slow to get to the interesting action, that overall, it’s only a 3. The pacing was just a bit off for me, and I think it took too long to warm up to the three POV characters. This was a fun read. But I never truly felt like the characters and the realm were in danger, and that detracted from the overall impact of the book for me. Still, if you’re looking for a light fantasy read with a lot of reflections of the real world, this is a good one to pick up.

4 🌟
2.5 🌶️

This Will Be Fun was labeled as The Princess Bride meets People We Meet on Vacation. I don't see it this way; this was a playful romp a la Shrek 2. That's all I could think of as they utilized a fairy version on Uber, got their coffee fixes from the chain called Hind & Hart, and many other "modern" aspects that made this story so very whimsical. This is a lighthearted romp as three estranged heroes are brought together to go on a quest to find the Queen's fiance and stop the dastardly plans of the evil guys. We see the result of ten years of guilt, fear, and imposter complexes for all three surviving members of the original four. As we follow them on their journey, we see them face all their issues and pain, experience two delicious slow burns, and watch them come through the other side. All along the way, we are drawn into this fairyland filled with all sorts of amenities that leave you giggling and imagining how they do it all. It's grown up, Shrek 2! This read was so much fun, with a genuinely satisfying conclusion. It left me with a happy smile and wanting to watch Shrek again. I would call this cozy fantasy at it's best.

An uproariously fun romantasy that left me smiling from start to finish!

Ten year ago when the famous "Four" saved the realm of Mythria from the Fraternal Order, none of them could have pictured how it would affect them. Broken and devastated by the loss of their leader, Galwell, the remaining members of the Four fractured apart to nurse their wounds in their own separate ways. Beatrice, by marrying and then divorcing a nobleman, Elowen by retreating to a cursed forest far from other people, and Clare by embracing the fame shelved by his two remaining compatriots and trying to live up to Galwell's example. They were content to remain apart, nursing wounds that felt like they would never heal. That is, until Queen Thessia summons them all to celebrate her upcoming marriage.

But when tragedy strikes and Mythria is once again in need of a savior, can the Four put aside their differences and rally once more to save the kingdom they call home? Or will the pain of the past prove to be too much for them to overcome?

If you had told me when I started reading this novel that it was written by not one, not two, but three authors, I wouldn't have believed you. I could not have imagined that such a fun and cohesive adventure was written by three separate authors. But it was! And boy did they knock it out of the park!

I loved everything about this story. Right from the start I got intense "Shrek" like vibes from the world of Mythria. The hilarious combination of fantasy and "modern" elements created not from technology but from magic absolutely made this novel. From Elowen's plays (very clearly soap operas) and the message "tapestry" she used to contact other fans to Clare's beloved "Harpy and Hind" (here's looking at you fantasy Starbucks), I loved it all. We even got a magical Las Vegas in the Vale! Mythria was the perfect kooky backdrop for our group of misfit heroes struggling with being heroes.

I feel like not very many novels deal with what happens after the end of a quest, especially when such a vital part of the party is killed. But this novel does. We see the effects of survivor's guilt, the need to live up to the legacy of the downed party member, the way friendships crack and fracture under the pressure, as well as how time and understanding can heal even the most grievous of wounds.

Each remaining member of the Four dealt with Galwell's loss in their own way, giving penance for what they felt were their wrongs. And each member of the Four had to heal before they could grow, before they could reunite and save the realm once more. It was so very easy to root for them and I am so happy with the way this story ended. If you want to see why, you'll just have to read it yourself.

I also feel that the fact that ten years have passed, our heroes have aged, and their skills have grown rusty was a particularly intriguing detail. If you've retired from adventuring, you're not going to bother to keep up your skills. And if you are called upon once more, let's just say your road might be a little more bumpy than it seemed the first time around.

Honestly, I'd love to see them continue their adventures. Surely their days of adventuring aren't over yet!

I read a review that says “for lovers of shrek” and i cackled out loud for how on point it was. I genuinely loved this. I was not sure because there are a bunch of mixed reviews out there, but the premise is so fun and I was instantly drawn into this universe. You have to dispel what you know about your typical romantasy story because there are bunch of modern turns of phrase but I think that just adds to the fun. Described as The Princess Bride meets People We Meet on Vacation and i fully agree. It’s so cute and thoughtful and enjoyable in every way!

Thank you to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5 Stars

This is a 3 POV romantsy story about 3 friends who lost contact after they saved the realm 10 years ago. When they reunite they’re thrown into second chance romances and another quest.

This would be a good book for people that are more into romance novels that want to branch into fantasy reading. It’s fantasy, but light fantasy (world building was barely there and there were a lot of modern technologies being used because of magic). I did enjoy reading about the second chance romances, and the story was funny sometimes. The pacing was a little bit slow at times, but it does end up wrapping up at the end.

Like I said above, I would recommend this for romance readers that are looking to move into reading more fantasy. I would also recommend this to fantasy readers if they’re looking for a light read or maybe wanting to get into reading more romance.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for my honest review of this ARC.

I’m one of those people who always wonders what happens after the big battle. What happens to our hero’s and how do they deal with the trauma they have gone through to save the realm.
This book does such an amazing job of showing exactly that. Highlighting how the surviving three members of a quest have dealt with the fame and the hate 10 years after their quest and how all of them have only done what they believed was the best way for them to survive.
I wish they had gone more into the magic system because every time they talked about anyone’s powers I felt like I just had to go along with it because I didn’t know enough to argue or agree.
Aside from that I think this book not only shows an amazing group of friends but how grief can ruin and alter so much if you let it completely consume you

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for this eARC!

This was a fun and cute and heartwarming story! Rom-Quest is truly the perfect subgenre under which to classify it.

While this book was riddled with cliches, they were charming and suitable for the story. This book juggled two romances and a severely damaged friendship - and while most of it stemmed from pretty heavy miscommunication, every character was still responsible for their suffering in one way or another.

I enjoyed the puns and the modern-mythical elements quite a lot. Clare was, by far, my favourite character. He was charming and had very classic golden retriever energy. While he had semi-self destructive habits, I think of the Four, he was the kindest. Most of his failings hurt him more than the others around him.

While the bit at the end was sweet, I did feel like it took away from their growth and development a tiny bit. But again, it was sweet, and didn’t take away from the story too much.

Maybe the real rom-quest was the friends we made along the way :)

Unfortunately had to DNF this one which was disappointing because I was looking forward to it based on the synopsis. The writing style was okay, but the worldbuilding felt off. It was hard to understand the characters and their motivations. I felt bored several chapters in and did not care enough to read on.

This was such a fun book! I enjoyed the aspect of getting into the characters heads. It did sow down a bit in the middle and towards the end, it got a bit tough to finish. but I did enjoy it overal.

I’m not sure if fans of legends and lattes would enjoy this—it is very high stakes, even if those stakes are sometimes treated with emotional distance and humor, though I guess there are all of the real-world references to a chain coffee place, manicures, soap operas, etc so maybe that’s the touchstone. I do think Shrek makes a surprising amount of sense as a comp though. This constantly toed the line between comedy and cringe, but ultimately I think the result was fairly sweet. I liked Clare and Beatrice‘s arc quite a bit, found Vandra to be a little one dimensional, and Elowen mostly annoying but with a lot of growth in the end. The long chats between Elowen and Vandra about the state of their relationship where everyone sounds like an ad for Better Help felt like something out of You Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea. The ending was… fine, but kind of felt like it undid a lot of the purpose of the growth of the book.

Overall a really interesting premise with some hit or miss execution. On balance, this was an enjoyable, light, fun read more than it was frustrating.

Cute read! I had fun with this was and enjoyed all the characters. This delivered sweet moments with comedy and even a little bit of steamy scenes! This has a bit of a slow start to me but in the end delivers a HEA!

This book was so much fun! I read some other reviews where readers didn't like that the "real world" was mixed with the fantasy, but I really enjoyed! I thought it was a fun adventure filled with conflict, romance, and intrigue.

I didn't love this one. It had fun elements but they didn't all come together. I like the fact that there is a friendship base here and loved the cozy fantasy vibes. I did struggle with the queen's quest and didn't feel like it was fully hashed out.

Thank you Net Galley and Avon and Harper Voyage for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

There were a lot of different elements in this book, Grief, loss, found family, reunions, and much more!

I enjoyed how it shows how friendships and relationships can go through different stages but how you can still care about each other even in low moments!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 48% — For a book that is labeled as “cozy romantasy,” this has given me nothing but anxiety.

Clare, Elowen, and Beatrice are a former adventuring party who saved the realm ten years ago, but could not save the fourth member of their team. This has lead to irreconcilable differences, fights, and a decade of solitude that has driven a wedge between them, but they are now brought back together for the happiest of all occasions, a wedding.

Clare is the best character of them all. Despite being a former rake, he actually seems to have morals. He regrets the way he’s treated his former flame, Beatrice, in the past, and wants to make things right. He also strives to live up to their deceased leader, Galwell’s, legacy. He repeatedly tries to make the other two characters more comfortable and fix their problems, but is met with their ire simply because they don’t want to fix their problems, and I just felt bad for him the whole time.

Elowen is the reclusive sister of Galwell who went into hiding after her brother died ten years ago. She spends all her days watching magical soap operas and wallowing in her loneliness, thinking she doesn’t deserve to be happy because her brother died. When her ex-lover “kidnaps” her to take her to this wedding, Elowen repeatedly says things to her that she knows will offend and upset her to try and drive her away because she “doesn’t deserve to be happy,” but it really just makes her a horrible person for treating someone else this way.

And then there’s Beatrice, who was honestly the worst for me. Beatrice blames herself for Galwell’s death, and relives it nightly through her powerful memory magic, effectively torturing herself and eventually leading to her divorce from her husband. We eventually learn that she did not actually kill Galwell. She was planning on sacrificing herself to stop the evil villain ten years ago, and Galwell prevented her from doing so, thus sacrificing himself in the process. However, before she went off to die, Beatrice decided to cut ties with Elowen and tell her she never really was her friend and she would have nothing to do with her after that night, basically treating her childhood friend like a dog in those old movies and effectively ruining that friendship into the future when Beatrice did not, in fact, die. She also kissed Clare, giving him hope for a future between the two of them, but when he learned that she never planned on a future, he moved on in the bed of another, and Beatrice had the nerve to be mad, even tho she had planned on being dead. She also was mad at Clare for sleeping with other women while Beatrice was married, so she’s a real piece of work.

All in all, this book is made up of unlikeable characters arguing with each other. I feel like there’s real potential here, the execution was just not for me. I definitely think it has an audience, I know there are people who would enjoy this more than I did, and I hope they find this book.

This will be fun is a cozy romantasy that follows multiple POV’s. I felt that E.B. Asher did a great job integrating each POV so there was no context missing.

This story follows 3 hero’s 10 years after they save their kingdom and now have a new quest to save the queen’s future husband. This was a great and easy book to read. I felt like about 60% through the book that I really began to enjoy the multiple POV’s and the character growth.

This book was very quick and more focused on the multiple POV’s growth throughout the book. I did love the found family trope that this ended with.

Thank you so much to Avon&Harper Voyager for the eARC of this book and NetGalley!