Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this super fun book! It's a fun twist on many well-known fairy tales, featuring a strong female protagonist and several multi-dimensional supporting characters. I generally love books that have a sort of book within a book thing going on, and this book does not disappoint on that front. The story of Never After, which is a series of books that Filomena, our protagonist, loves to read, comes to life for her and she becomes part of the story. I love the crossing over between the real world and the world of Never After, and I think the worldbuilding on the whole is very well done. I enjoyed all of the plot twists, and I loved getting to know all the characters. It's a fun, fast-paced fantasy that readers of any age can enjoy. I will definitely be reading the next one in the series, and I highly recommend this book to fans of fairy tale twists and fantasy in general!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-arc to review.

This is my first de la Cruz book (I know, I know) - and I've been missing out!

Filomena Jefferson-Cho is <i>obsessed</i> with the Never After series. So when she goes to pick up the final installment, only to find out that not only was the publication cancelled but the book was never even written... well, to say she's upset is an understatement.

The story follows Fil as she goes to school, where she is relentlessly bullied; at home, where she is hopelessly suffocated, and as she discovers her true self, her origins, and learns exactly what <i>really</i> happened in her favorite fairy tales.

I adore Filomena. She is a wonderful heroine, full of encouragement to those she loves. Her clan - Jack Stalker, Alistair Bartholomew Barnaby, and Gretel - are well rounded characters with enough back story to be satisfying.

I will say that her parents went along with the whole "Never After is real" thing a bit too easily, and I think that the story ended very suddenly. But there is plenty of room for continuing the series, which I am so excited for.

There are a few instances of swearing and a lot of references to it, but overall a solid middle grade read. I will definitely be purchasing for my library!

This is a wonderful adventure that children will devour. I love how relatable Filomena is. She is just a regular girl who discovers that she is actually something magical. The excitement and adventure is tangible in this story. This is a great book for anyone who loves the magic of fairy tales.

This book just wasn't for me. While I enjoyed learning about the magic, the narrator's voice really grated on me. Normally I don't mind quirky narration but this one just really got on my nerves. I can definitely see how kids would enjoy the voice though.

Filomena Jefferson-Cho is an adopted girl living in North Pasadena with her overprotective parents. She is a big fan of the Never After series waiting for the final book. In her middle school, she experiences a good deal of bullying that is denied by the school. Her books are her escape. When one of her favorite fairytale characters appears at her school and asks for her help, she is worried about her parents’ reactions. Yet she goes.

In spite of the fairly predictable story, I was on the edge of my seat and thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. My middle school readers will appreciate Filomena’s typical middle school struggles. I’m certain my students who read the Descendants series will devour this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I may rate this 3 stars, but I know a lot of young readers will rate it 5! Why the difference? Probably because I just couldn't set aside my adult sensibilities. There seemed to be huge holes in the plot, such as why Filomena's parents are so protective. When we find out the reason, I rolled my eyes thinking, really? This could never really happen. But, that's part of the point: although it starts in our world, it's really about the world of Never After, and that's why young readers are going to love it. De la Cruz is a good writer, and while I was reading, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. But when I finished, I immediately forgot about it. Rather like cotton candy, it was enjoyable fluff, fun while it lasted, but not filling. That's not bad. These days we all need some fun. Recommended for middle grade readers who want something with a bit of a Disney vibe.

4 stars

Filomena Jefferson-Cho is a smart, less-than-popular, incredibly charming middle schooler who *loves* the _Never After_ series. These books are a kind of adventure/fairy tale mashup, and when the novel begins, she's off to pick up the latest installment. But from there, nothing goes as expected for Filomena.

There is so much to love about this book. Filomena is such an endearing m.c., and de la Cruz accomplishes something magical here: a character who is quite atypical in the most relatable packaging. Filomena struggles with bullying, with not quite knowing how to interact with her overprotective parents at times, with believing her best opportunity for friendship is her Pomeranian, and with crawling into a world of books: a friendlier place than reality. But Filomena is so much more than that in every sense.

The pacing is excellent. This is a quick read with an ideal balance of adventure, play with popular fairy tale motifs, and the most appealing m.c. I really enjoyed this, will absolutely recommend it to students, and will be on the lookout for what I hope will be more installments in this series.

For Filomena Jefferson-Cho nothing ever happens in the sleepy suburban town of North Pasadena where she has lived all her life. Her parents are writers who are super overprotective of her. She doesn’t get to go out by herself so she mostly stays at home and she is bullied at school so doesn’t have any friends. The only thing she has is her favorite books series Never After which is about Jack Stalker and his friends that are trying to save their land from an evil enchantress. When she gets to walk alone to the bookstore to pick up the 13th and final book in the Never After series which turns out to never have been published she ends up being followed by Jack stalker the hero in her book series. She saves them from an ogre attack but she doesn’t believe that it is real, she thinks it is a stunt for the book launch meant to appease fans because they didn’t have the last book. She goes home and tries to forget what happened but when she gets to school the next day her bullies start harassing her and jack saves her. Jack and his friend Alistair who escaped to this world through a portal need help to get back to Never After which is a real place and the books are based on the real accounts of the fairy tales.

I really enjoyed this book and it was a great read. I love that our versions of the fairy tales are the twisted versions and what is shown in Never After are the real versions. I like that Filomena turns into a hero and she helps rescue the land from Queen Olga who has been terrorizing all the kingdoms while trying to take everything over. And that she finally gets a great group of friends and finds out where she belongs. So just super cute and the ending sets it up for the next book in the series and there next adventure in Never After.

Thanks to Macmillan/Roaring Book Press and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.

A retelling that's great for introducing middle grade readers to new perspectives on fairy tales.

This retelling didn't feel particularly "fresh" or new, but will sell well thanks to the author's brand recognition!

I really enjoyed this story, and the narrator's voice. A fun, engaging take for fans of Land of Stories and other fable based stories.

This was a fun, fairly short book that I enjoyed reading. It was somewhat predictable, given that it follows the formula for fairy tales, but there were twists and turns I wasn't expecting, which made it more interesting to read. Filomena is a happy, adopted girl with overprotective parents, one many readers can relate to; she is bullied by a group of students at her private school, which her parents report and her school claims isn't happening. As do many bullied children, Filomena has few friends, and most of those are in books - in her case, the Never After series.

At the very beginning of the novel, she encounters Jack Stalker, who asks for her help getting back to Westphalia, a fairy land under attack by ogres - he came through a tree portal, along with his friend Alister, but they were running in fear and lost the tree, which turns out to be under the Hollywood sign... and the adventure begins. As Filomena begins her quest, she realizes that her beloved fantasy book series is actually the history of Westphalia, and the thirteenth novel, which was widely publicized but inexplicably never published, is missing because it wasn't written; instead, she's living it now!

As with many fairy tales, there is an interlude section, title Prologue, throughout the book, which refers back to events that happened earlier; in this novel, it's fairly well written, and provides foreshadowing which may make it a little too easy to figure out some things that the reader is supposed to discover much later in the book - but my problem with the prologue is not the foreshadowing, but the almost, but not quite, poetry in which it is written. The lines almost rhyme; they almost have scansion - but not quite, enough to distract from the content without really adding to the story. Other than that, this book was well-written, easy to read, and a fun romp through updated fairy tales, with an enjoyable twist.

I was excited for a new series from a popular author. I was hooked from the start and I really could not put it down until I was finished. I am sure many of the students will feel the same way. I love fairy tales and enjoyed the references and perspectives for them.

I received an electronic ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group through NetGalley.
What if everything we know about fairy tales is wrong? de la Cruz takes this premise and creates a full story line where the "real story" is shared. The messed up tales told in the human world are to protect the hidden princess and save her life. Even she doesn't know who she is. Readers meet her right away and learn about her life in North Pasadena. Filomena is a major fan of a fantasy series set in Never After and begins the book by heading out to purchase the final (thirteenth) book. Unfortunately, it was not written. To her shock, she meets a couple of the characters who are trapped in her world. Together, they set off on adventures to rescue the various lands and defeat the Ogre Queen. In this process, they are writing the thirteenth and final book. Readers will figure out who the missing princess is early on but that does not take away from the joy of the story. The ending opens the door for another book of adventures to begin.

This could be the perfect gateway to Seanan McGuire's Wayward Children series. Filomena Jefferson-Cho isn't popular, isn't cool but is an expert on the Thirteenth Fairy series of books. And when she discovers that the final book in the series not only isn't available on it's scheduled book birthday but doesn't actually exist, she's devastated. Then she meets Jack, who could be a normal kid but could also be the Jack she knows from the books... but no, that's not possible.

Except, as readers know, those things are possible. There are ways into the worlds previously thought of as fictional. And Filomena is about to go to this world, a world where she's apparently fitting right in. There's a twist that isn't that difficult to figure out, but will be explored in future books (I'm guessing). Yay!

eARC provided by publisher via NetGalley.

My students are going to love this one! A fun adventure through fairy tale land where readers will learn the truth of all those tales they’ve been told! Can’t wait to read the next one!

I was really enjoying the pacing of this book right up until the end. The ending felt rushed.

I liked the characters and the story. I liked that the parents were involved and actually grounded the MC for leaving without telling them.

Interesting fairy tale retellings never get old and this is very apparent in this new story by Melissa de la Cruz. Filomena Jefferson-Cho lives in North Pasadina California with her adoptive parents. Both of her parents are writers and she herself is an avid reader who is obsessed with the popular Never After series. She is very sheltered by her parents as they are very over protective and she unfortunately doesn't have a lot of friends. The Never After series are her escape and these books act as her friends. Little does she know that those books are about to change her life completely and become more real than she ever realized.

What I loved most about this story is that it was a true middle grade story. Our main character was in middle school, dealing with relatable conflicts that many middle schoolers deal with. There are a lot of stories that say middle grade but either the characters are dealing with more young adult aspects or are actual teens. I also feel that Filomena is a relatable character, even if at times the way she spoke came off a little too forced. Meaning trying to sound around that age.

I certainly depicted what the outcome of the story would be but nevertheless I devoured this story and enjoyed every aspect of this fantasy adventure. I do hope that there are possible other stories as I would love to hear more about their adventures, but this was a great stand alone.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.com.

First line: Once upon a time in the days of old, eleven fairies gathered at court before a child to hold.

Summary: A twist on the classic fairy tale, Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy follows Filomena Jefferson-Cho on an adventure that starts with the missing publication of the final installment in her favorite book series. She soon realizes that the fictional world she loves may just be real, and she might be a part of it!

My Thoughts: My favorite parts of this book were the flashbacks with the sing-song, rhyming prose.

This was definitely a different take on the fairy tale genre. While there are some references to classic fairy tales, De La Cruz deviates from most of the traditional stories to write her own.

The story does ramble a bit and is a bit formulaic. The heroine runs into trouble, gets out of it, runs into trouble again...lather...rinse...repeat. I will be interested to see where the rest of the series goes.

Perhaps Disney will make this De La Cruz series into a movie as well?

FYI: Nothing I can think of.

Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy is the first in a new middle grade fantasy series. The fairy tales that we know and love are wrong and this adventure sets us straight. Filomena lives a pretty normal morning life in North Pasadena but when her favorite book of al times comes to the real world what she thought she knew is no longer true. Filomena sets off to try and help save the kingdom of Wesphalia. I enjoyed the story and I think 5th grade-middle school will have a great time reading this adventure.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.