I received an advanced copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (thanks!)

This is not my favorite of the Twisted Tales series, but it’s also not my least favorite. It starts… stilted. The initial few chapters are very clearly the author getting their footing in this world and establishing what’s going on. Honestly, the full first half could do with an editor’s eye, and then I think it would be much stronger.

The book hits its stride in the back half, when Meg makes her way, alone, down into the Underworld. Her self-actualization is earned and her sacrifice is felt. Plus, I’m a sucked for Disney’s Hades and an even bigger sucker for anything that includes Persephone. A story that has both? Dude. Yes please.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲! 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘆!

These Disney Twisted Tales are always so much fun to read! I’ve loved all the ones written by Calonita and Lim, and this one did not disappoint!

There were a couple little things that threw me off for just a second. There was one thing that was not consistent with the movie. Obviously it’s a retelling, so it’s going to be different, but the events in this book take place after the events of the movie, so technically everything before the movies ending shouldn’t change, but one thing did slightly.

Another thing was that sometimes Meg didn’t quite seem like the Meg in the movies, but overall she did, and I loved seeing her strength and growth!

Besides these two small things, I loved the novel! Hercules and Hades felt exactly like the movie characters. I swooned whenever Hercules smiled and loved on Meg. I laughed and rolled my eyes at Hades antics.

Hades, now his story arc in this book was interesting 😂 but only because I was thinking about the Disney Hades, and not the actual Hades tale. Still, it was fun.

Another thing I loved was seeing familiar phrases from the movie. They’re in different contexts and scenes, but it just feel like a comfort seeing pieces from the movie woven into the retelling. My favorite was that special meaning was put into Meg saying she’s a tough girl and can tie her own sandals.

The ending was so perfect. Sweet as nectar and as brilliant as Hercules as a good! I was thinking that these books would make amazing graphic novels. All the familiarity of the images from the movie, and the fun and excitement from those characters living a different story. Can we make this happen Disney Hyperion? Yeah? 😉

Thank you NetGalley and Disney Hyperion for an e-arc to review!

This book is a great read. We really learn about Meg.
I don't really see it as a twisted tale it's more of a sequel to the film, but still a great story and well worth the read.

I absolutely loved every page of this book. I am a fan of the Twisted Tales series and also a fan of Hercules so when I saw that Meg’s story was going to get the Twisted Tales treatment, I was SO excited to read it! After the events of the movie, Megara is now faced with a problem. In order to be with Hercules, who is now a god, she needs to become a goddess herself. Her quest is to travel to the underworld to retrieve the soul of the woman her ex left her for. I love that Meg isn’t some wilting flower, she is a tough, strong woman who knows what she has to do and will do whatever’s necessary to get it done. She constantly questions why she’s doing this and concept of happily ever after with Hercules, which is refreshing because life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The book really showed her growth as a person. She’s really unlike any other Disney “princess” because she’s a multi-faceted woman with both good and bad sides where with most other “princesses” you only see the good. There was drama, twists and suspense that kept be quickly turning the pages to find out what happens next. This is a great addition to the Twisted Tales series and I will be getting a copy for our library to add to the rest of the Twisted Tales collection that we have.

There are some middle grade books that are written in a way where all ages are able to connect... and then there are others that are written with the one age group in mind. Go the Distance definitely falls in the second category. The story continues from the movie Hercules, but this time Meg is on a quest to become a goddess. She faces trials and tribulations, but learns about what love truly is along the way.
It’s a great story for middle schoolers, and I can appreciate that the writing will connect with them. It wasn’t personally my favorite, but I will be adding it to my classroom library when it comes out.

I watched Hercules the cartoon movie to refresh myself on Meg's character. I really enjoyed this story. It dived into who Meg was in her past and how she grew as a character. It was a great story. I would love to have a movie from it. It was good. Hades is not a nice guy. It did have nods to the story of Hades and Persephone. It was a good addition. If you liked the other twisted tales, you will enjoy this one too.

I was not sure if I was going to like this book but I was pleasantly surprised. This book was a very interesting take on Hercules. It was full of adventure and I really love the Hercules story. I will be purchasing this book for my libraries YA collection.

As someone who loves Hercules growing up and whose favorite character was Meg, I really enjoyed this one. I’ll hand it to anyone who enjoys Hercules. It’s an interesting read to get Meg’s tale and own adventure. Definitely enjoyable.

I love that this isn’t so much a twisted story, but a continuation for Meg. I think it fit well with Hercules, and I enjoyed the smaller twists within the story.

Jen Calonita is back with her latest book in the Twisted Tales series. Go the Distance, like the other books in the series, is a fractured fairy tale that poses a what if. What if Megara, from Disney’s Hercules, had to undergo a quest in order to be with her Wonder Boy turned god? With the help of Hera, Meg is sent on a mission that sets her on a collision course with her former love. (Fans of the movie will remember that Megara gave up her soul to Hades in exchange for him saving her love.) A love that immediately moved on with another woman. Or so she was told.

Pros: Megara is just as sassy in this book as she is in the movie and the gods have personalities more in line with Greek Myth. (Which this archaeologist was happy to see.)
Cons: While I loved getting more of her backstory, I wish the book had more scenes with Hercules and Meg together.

In this twisted tale, Megara is the main character, and she is on a quest of her own to obtain godhood-but it that what she really wants? Will she let herself forgive the past? this is a thoughtful sequel to the Disney version of Hercules that rounds out some of the characters, and makes the reader realize that sometimes things aren't always what they seem. A solid addition to the rest of the Twisted Tale offerings from Disney-Hyperion.

What would happen if Meg became a god?
In this twisted tale, instead of Hercules returning to earth, Meg has the chance to prove her worthiness and become a god to join Hercules on mount Olympus. In order to prove herself she must complete a quest set out by Hera. If she can’t complete complete her quest then she must return to earth without Hercules .

I love a good fairy tale retelling but this just wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy the writing- it seemed juvenile . The author didn’t portray a strong independent woman but someone who seemed to want to prove herself and would lash out or throw a tantrum whenever she felt she was being slighted . This was purely Disney retelling and cliche. Not at all like the true myth of Megara and Hercules.

This book was received as an ARC from Disney Publishing Worldwide - Disney-Hyperion in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I absolutely loved every page of this book. I am a die hard fan of the twisted tales and I am also a die hard Hercules fan too and reading this from cover to cover put a huge smile on my face that my cheekbones are now sore. I absolutely the approach Jen Calonita took with this book and how Meg had to become a god in order to be with Hercules and start their lives together but her mission is to save the life of the woman her ex-boyfriend married and now she is left with old wounds that are now open and she is questioning every life decision before her even if she and Hercules are meant to be. The drama, the twists, and the thrilling suspense in this book just kept my heart fluttering so much that it made my stomach hurt. I am highly anticipating the release of this book to add with the rest of our twisted tales book that are very popular in our library.

We will consider adding this title to our YA collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.