I love fairytales with witty dialouge and over the top elements and this one had plenty of both. The talking cloak who believes that he is a horse is absolutely hilarious! But what really makes this book stand out is the growth of the characters and the positive message about being willing to take risks and make sacrafices for another person. Great for fans of fairy tale retellings especially fans of My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand.

I ADORED this story! A royal, lovers to strangers to lovers once more (upon a time hehe) with a one bed trope! What’s not to love?

I got sent a digital advanced reading copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

“Once upon a dream, there was a prince named Ambrose
and a princess named Imelda who loved each other...
But alas, no more.
"What a witch takes, a witch does not give back!"
their friends and family warn.
They resign themselves to this loveless fate...
A year and a day pass.
And then their story truly begins...”

The writing was so incredibly beautiful. I felt like I was a kid again, reading my favourite princess books. It was like reading a more mature fairy tale. Nothing too extreme or anything, though I couldn’t help but blush at a few moments.

This story is filled with little nods to different fairy tales (The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Sleeping Beauty, Snow-white, and more!). I’m sure I missed loads of references because I was so heavily focused on the tension between Imelda and Ambrose. They were such perfectly imperfect characters who I couldn’t help but love instantly.

I rated this novella 4/5 stars. It was a bit hard to get into but once the store picked up, I was hooked. 5/5 stars for the pining though.

If you want a quick and cute read, definitely check this out!

Forgotten love can be remembered. That is the lesson of this fairytale. Great imagery gives the story life.

I absolutely adore Roshani Chokshi writing. I will literally read anything she publishes in the future. Once More Upon a Time was absolutely adorable. It was a quick fairytale read and I loved Imelda and Ambrose. I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy for my collection. Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an amazing short story.

I received this book as an eARC from Netgalley. All opinions are my own!

Ambrose and Imelda used to love each other, but that time has passed and now they both simply want to be free. So they'll do whatever it takes to find that freedom, but maybe it will find them first.

I can't even begin to describe how much I loved this book! It was so freaking cute and beautiful and I adored literally everything about it! For starters, it was beautifully written, and the narration was so unique that it really stood out from all the modern fairy tales that I've ever read.

This story was light-hearted and just made me feel good all around. It was funny and entertaining even when it touched on the heavier topics of the characters' lives and artfully weaved that into the story. The romance was the cutest thing I have ever witnessed and I found myself smiling so much while reading this. This will definitely be a go-to for me whenever I need a pick-me-up!

If you like light-hearted fantasy and fairy tales, please pick this book up! You won't regret it!

I've LOVED every single thing Roshani Chokshi has ever written, and this was no exception.

A unique take on a few lesser known fairy tales from the Grimm vault, Once More Upon a Time offers gripping prose, unexpected plot twists, and characters that grow through a familiar yet fresh journey to find a solution to a problem they didn't create.

The pacing in this novella is perfect--there wasn't a single moment that I lost interest or found my thoughts drifting. The sizzling chemistry (not just the romantic kind!) between the two main characters electrified the dialogue and added tension to every action. I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Wow. Wow. Wow.

This was a lot shorter than I thought it would be! It’s a novella duh Genesis!

Fairytales. True love. Second chances. Culture. What more could I ask for? I wanted more of this. So much more. I’m disappointed it ended but so so glad I decided to request this arc.

Pick this up! It won’t take more than a couple of hours of your life and it’s a great investment of that time.

This is the novelization of the audible original book by the same name. It's an interesting take on true love, and how you can find it. I enjoyed my time with it! I would love more stories about these sisters.

Thoroughly enjoyable with the jovial tone, Chokshi again shows us that she not only can poke at the heart of a story but also open it up to let us have a look inside. Sure this is a short novella that pokes fun at familiar fairy tale stories - and you know exactly how it's going to end - but we also get a few poignant lines about control, freedom, power, love, expectation, and what it means to know another person (or yourself).

There are a few fun nods to ridiculousness (talking horse cloak??) and then a little bit about the small impacts of trauma (told through the lens of a fairytale about shoes and dancing). There were also a few funny one-liners. Again, highly enjoyable.

✨multiple fairytale retellings + interracial couple + second chance romance all wrapped up in a fantasy romance? I am HERE for it!✨

Trope:
- second chance romance
- power couple
- interracial couple
- fairytale retellings (twelve dancing princess & dark sleeping beauty)

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I had an absolute blast with this book. Please go pick it up.

Chokshi uses lyrical, whimsical writing to seamlessly weave a fantasy romance that will leave us all stunned in the best way.

Chokshi’s writing is so whimsical and vivid, I was thoroughly immersed in the story from start to finish. I will note her writing did steal away from the development and the romance of the book at some points though.

The romance between Imelda and Ambrose was heartwarming and wonderfully done. You guys know that I am a sucker for a second chance romance. And this book was giving me all that realness. Watching our MCs find each other and fall in love again was heartwarming.

The side characters are truly what steal your heart. They are whimsical, tongue-and-cheek, fun, sweet, and entertaining.

I was enthralled and constantly smiling throughout this book.

This is a wonderful fantasy novella to get you out of a funk or make your day brighter.

I really want to listen to the orginal, audiobook version of this now!

Definitely pick it up!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5 stars | Steam free

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca, Roshani Chokshi, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion ❤️

I am a sucker for fairytales narrated from a sassy opinionated witches' POV so I enjoyed this one. Once More Upon A Time is a fairytale within a fairytale featuring:
-A hilarious lovers-enemies-lovers trope
-One bed/two bodies scenario
-A comical cloak that thinks he's a horse
-A Kingdom sustained by love
-Tons of flirting via insults
-A Princess afraid of shoes
-Feral mattress (don't even ask)
-Playful spins on classic fairytale favorites

Once More Upon a time starts, as all fairytales do, with a lovely princess, Imelda, who is fed up with being confined in her father's palace and yearns for freedom. She falls in love with Ambrose, the youngest of three sons in his kingdom and honestly just a spare to the heir desperate to prove he can rule.

What’s a girl to do when the love of her life sacrifices his love to save her?

In true fairytale style, their love must face trials and tribulations and this was no different as Ambrose traded his love for Imelda to save her from death by poison. As if this weren't bad enough, they were gifted a Kingdom that is sustained by the love of its king and queen (cue the sad violin music). As Ambrose and Imelda are quite literally loveless, it's a classic square peg in a round hole situation, and after one year they are asked to leave the Kingdom.

Here is where things get interesting as they are given a proposal by the same witch who cursed them, to fulfill their desire in exchange for completing a quest at her behest. To Ambrose and Imelda, giving up the kingdom isn't just losing a chance to rule, but saying goodbye to the freedom to be themselves.

I enjoyed that Ambrose and Imelda didn't "fall" in love but rather incrementally learned each other and rekindled the flame between them. The story also touches on different iterations of love, from an overprotective father to a selfish queen more in love with herself.

The ending may have been a discovery of the freedom of love, but it wasn't a definite happily ever after, but more a continuation of life and love with an earnest attempt at the happy.

Thank you Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a sweet and charming story! Almost like a fairytale, but more of a YA or adult fairytale!

The journey was filled with talking badgers, mystical capes that thinks he is a horse, and lessons in finding true love.

One bit of fun info. This is the first time in print for Once More Upon A Time. It has only been released prior as an audiobook in 2020. I'll be checking out the audiobook for kicks and giggles as I'm quite curious to hear the part of the mystical and intriguing cape!

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a fun read!

This book was so much fun!

I didn't know what I was getting into when starting this book, but it turns out that I really enjoyed it! I love the fantasy aspect of this book and the romance that's embedded within it, the cape that thinks it's a horse it actually everything and the most hilarious part of the story!

It's interesting how it feels like you're reading a fairytale because of how it's written but it feels more adult or YA somehow. It's really cool and I think everyone should definitely read it once, and since it's a shorter book, it's a nice and quick read to lift your spirits! It's super unique and entertaining and filled with magic and adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the earc in return for an honest review.

A quick story. A bedtime story filled with a fairytale world. The journey Ambrose and Imelda was full of creatures, humans, and lessons. What they discovered in the end was love comes in all forms and it’s different for each person.

Big thanks to Sourcebooks for the e-ARC of this book via NetGalley. This review is being given voluntarily and all thoughts and comments are my own.

I'll be honest and admit that I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book but I enjoyed the heck out of it. I liked seeing Ambrose and Imelda's journey back to each other and their relationship. At first, I wanted to get some flashbacks into what their relationship originally looked like, but I ended up really appreciating the 'new' relationship.

I appreciate the fact it is very short and had a simple plot line, though the plot might have been a bit too simple for me. I feel like this mayy have been because if the book's original format as an audiobook, because if I think about it, it would make a lot more sense pacing-wise. This brand of storytelling was nice but I was not a huge fan of it. Overall I did enjoy the book but felt the hiccups in pacing were too much for me.

If you are big fan of classic fairy tales, this book is just for you! There are multiple classic tales in this book (ie. Sleeping Beauty and Twelve Dancing Princesses vibes) and I think that's what makes this such a unique book! The author did an amazing job of intertwining these fairy tales together without completely overdoing it. It's an adorable story and folks of all ages will enjoy reading this one. This is a second chance romance story which is my absolute favorite tropes. This one comes highly recommended this fall season (a perfect time to read it)!

What a sweet little story! I loved falling into the pages of a new fairy tale.

Roshani Chokshi has written a fairy tale inspired by The Twelve Dancing Princesses. In this story, Imelda, one of the twelve, falls in love with Ambrose a prince from a neighboring kingdom. The day after their wedding, Imelda eats a poisoned tomato, and in order to save her, the newlyweds make a deal with a witch--to give up their love.

At the start of the story, the two of them have lived together for nearly a year, but no longer have any love between them. They end up going on a quest where they discover themselves and each other again. They both must learn what love really is in order to find it. I loved the writing style, which had the perfect fairy tale narrator (who had a tiny bit of snark), and I loved the characters so much. This little book is my very favorite kind of thing.

This was such a sweet charming story. I would buy it to have on my shelves to pull down when I need a little dose of magic. I loved it. It would make a great gift too!

When I first started reading this, I thought the story sounded really familiar. And then I remembered I listened to the audiobook of this last year. What I thought was a brand new story really wasn’t, though it was fun to revisit this retelling of the 12 dancing princesses.

Short and sweet, this novella clocks in at a bit under 200 pages. Certainly a quick read, and made all the more fun because of it. Everyrhing does feel a bit rushed because of the space constraints, but the characters all have depth and are all given enough page time to really get to know them.

All told, a quick and whimsical retelling, and certainly one I’m glad to have revisited. 3.5 stars.

This was such a fun, sweet, short read!

We all know the story of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. Here out MC is one of the twelve Princesses.

She falls in love with the younger son of King (NOT the Crown Prince, mind you).
They are about to get married and embark on their Happily Ever After. But then something happens, they fall out of love, and well, things are Not So Happy after their marriage.

But an year later, they get a chance to set out on an adventure that might just rekindle their lost love!

What I loved about this story was that it focuses on the 'underdogs', the characters that are always sidelined and not given much importance in the main fairytale.

Plus, both our MCs are so relatable and adorable and perfectly imperfect!
I loved them! I loved their banter, their chemistry, I loved how they constantly bicker and yet support each other. I love how they help each other become a better version of themselves.

Plus, Chokshi's witty writing style is like a cherry on top of an already delicious cake.

The moral of this story is that there might not always be a "Happily Ever After". There are going be problems in any relationship. But we can hope that tomorrow would be better than today.

If you are in a slump, if you want a quick happy read, I highly recommend you pick up this book. It's all kinds of perfection!

I love a good quirky twist on an already established fairy tale, and that's exactly what this book provides. A short, quick, and absolutely delightful read, I rooted for Imelda and Ambrose from the very beginning. Their adventures along the way include a cannibalistic inn, a double crossing honey badger, and countless musings on what freedom and love actually are. This is a great book for the fantasy and romance lover alike.