I just loved this!

This was a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses... well it picks up where that story ends for one of the Princesses. It is a retelling adjacent. Princess Imelda is cursed to a loveless marriage to live in a kingdom with King Ambrose. They are both resigned to their fate to live together for one year and a day. They don't remember they once loved each other because they exchanged their memories to save her life.

Once the time is up and they had not broken the curse the witch came back and would lift the curse but they must go on a short quest.  Then she will give them what their hearts desire. But will their hearts desire change with close proximity. And omg horse cape, I love you! It can't be a myth or legend without a strange character like you. or Honey badger.

This was a sweet love story of not taking chances, realizing that it's not the end of your story and getting do overs. A year and a day isn't that much wasted time in the grand scheme of things. I mean after this pandemic which has been longer than a year and a day we know that time can be wasted but also revalued in a way. Or the great 6 hour IG/FB blackout of 2021. 

The physical book looks like a little fairytale its so pretty!! 😻

Thank you sourcebookscasa and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

3.5 stars

This was short sweet and fun!
The main characters were adorable to read about. That slow burn romance was perfect.
My favorite character was the horse cloak tho. It stole the show.
Overall this was a fantastic magical read.

I think Roshani Chokshi's writing is absolutely beautiful and this novella was no exception. This was something I really needed right now. It was so cute and such a sweet story that I feel like I just blew right through. I hope more people read this retelling instead of steering away from it because of the cultural significance because of the author (a lot of people do that and it breaks my heart).

Long story short, Chokshi has done it again and has won my love! Beautiful, gorgeous, GO READ IT!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f second chance romance
-fairytale retelling
-a cloak that thinks he's a horse
-a hilarious narrator
-an escapist adventure

This book (novella?) was just what I needed. If you've seen the movie Stardust (I have not read the book sorry) this gave me all of those feelings. The fairytale romance with all of the humor and heart. This was just fun, pure fun and I highly encourage everyone to pick it up. Low steam I adored it.

Steam: 1

Once More Upon a Time is a whimsical bit of a fairy-tale read. It’s characters are bewitched by a – what else? – witch, in a this-for-that transaction that are common with fairy-tale witches. And when the terms of their transaction are done, Imelda and Ambrose embark on yet another (!) this-for-that transaction with the same (!) witch!

I enjoyed the humor in Once More Upon a Time, which was whimsical and lighthearted. And the story itself was sweet, adorable even. I didn’t get the horse cloak (though it was also quite funny, most times). And the novella wasn’t long enough for me to get invested in either Imelda or Ambrose. They’re both carrying baggage that interfered with love. They both wish wistfully while staring off into the sunset instead of actually doing something about their situation. And they both annoyed me when being stubborn about dumb stuff.

The story itself is classic fairy tale – there’s something to overcome, dangers to escape, and a lesson to learn. All in all Once More Upon a Time is a fun and entertaining story to while away a quick cool weekend afternoon.

drey’s rating: Pick it up!

Received this arc from NetGalley.

A very surface level story. Not a lot of depth so it is a quick and easy read.

Based on multiple fairytales interwoven together to create a love-story between a prince and princess. Both who have forgotten that they were once in love.

Again, very surface level and not as entertaining as you would think. The highlight of this book is the beautiful cover. The story inside does not hold up to the same standards.

Also, kinda confused on the whole "they forget they're in love" aspect. I know that the prince made the deal with the witch in order to save the princess but it seems like they remember all of this, just not why they were in love? Then they spend a year avoiding each other? Like what? They remember that the deal was made but not their love story. You would think that they would try to figure it out in the year but no they just avoid each other? Okay...

I was hoping to love this more than i did, but it was still a good little read.

It's a classic fairytale retelling, but with a little spin. I found it enjoyable to read, but i would have preferred a bit more? It felt very short. For example, the main part of the story where the action is supposed to happen..... doesn't? Atleast not in a very loud way!

I liked both characters, they felt realistic (as much as they can be) and throughout the story, i did want to know what the outcome would be!

I also love the cover, it is beautiful! It's very different writing than what I am used to with Roshani but its still good and i enjoyed it.

The term fairytale, implies both a promise of magic and something of an end. Yet, from the very first chapters of Once More Upon A Time it’s clear that one fairytale’s end is just another’s beginning. Roshani Chokshi weaves fairytales into a vibrant and quirky pastiche of a world that’s an ode to the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson.
Once More Upon A Time is told from multiple perspectives. A whimsical, if not benevolent, witch begins the story as the narrator. It’s a lovely nod to the traditional cinematic retellings of fairytales’ opening sequences. The witch introduces readers to Imelda, one of twelve dancing princesses, and Ambrose, the middle brother of three princes who were each challenged to face a dragon. Imelda is an untamable free-spirit who refuses to wear shoes. Ambrose is a thoughtful, chivalrous leader whose talking cloak insists that it’s a horse. Once upon a time the two of them fell in love. But then they forgot. That was okay for a while, but now then they are going to lose more than just the loved they once had. So they take a chance to embark on a quest that could get them and the witch what they all want. Readers will discover if the road there leads to something more precious, like a second chance at love.
Reminiscent of the film Ella Enchanted, Chokshi’s new novel instills a similar tone of fun and whacky scenes littered with romance. The story draws on several well-beloved tropes like enemies-to-lovers, and the one bed trope. Moments of silliness and sincerity occasionally feel cast in hyperbole, however that still remains faithful to the genre of the book as a feel-good fairytale of romance and adventure. As well, as a shorter novel with a fast pace, it was certainly an easy and quick read. Dissimilar to books like the Lunar Chronicles, I’d rather recommend Once More Upon a Time to fans of Stitching Snow or A Kiss In Time. Here’s hoping it finds it’s way to readers seeking a story that’s altogether upbeat, magical, and romantic from start to finish.

I got a free ARC through Netgalley, this in no way influenced my review.

In this book, we follow Imelda and Ambrose, a prince and princess who once were in love, before a witch took their love away in exchange for saving Imelda’s life.

I really enjoyed the fairytale vibe this book gave of and it kind of made me think of the book Stardust by Neil Gaiman. It’s told in a very captivating way and I really enjoyed when it broke the fourth wall from time to time.

Imelda is a fierce princess who was shackled too long by her father and Ambrose is a stern prince who hides away his feelings in fear of being hurt. Imelda definitely was my favourite out of the two POVs as I found Ambrose to be a bit of a bore.

While the story wrapped up nicely, I do wish this book had been longer. It was difficult to form a connection with the two of them and really root for them in so little pages. The pacing however didn’t feel off and I ended up liking this book.

Roshani Chokshi's easy to read and charming fairytale with a twist took me by surprise. It kept me entertained with all the different take on the tropes!

*ARC kindly provided via NetGalley by SourceBooks Casablanca in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting novella that had potential in the way that its elements were presented at the beginning of the story, unfortunately I think it didn’t have much substance in the way it was presented. If the idea would have been developed further, I believe that the concept presented by the author would have made much more sense in the form of a longer novel.

I feel like I would have been more invested in both the story and Imelda and Ambrose’s relationship dynamics, both as individuals and as a couple. The structure of the story didn’t help either when it comes to connecting to the novella. I thought it was going to be told in fairytale mode from what was narrated in the beginning but then we get Imelda and Ambrose’s POVs after the events of them meeting each other and it didn’t make much sense. I think it would have been fir to know the characters a little bit better as they were before the curse since I found it difficult to connect to them and their feeling in the present timeline.

Another example of underdeveloped plot points was the families of both protagonists, how they came to know about one another and how their relationships defined their characters apart from the little glances that we’ve got from past events.

Overall, it was interesting enough to make me read the whole novella and find out how everything will be sorted out in the end.

Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy of this eARC!

This is was a quick, quirky, if not downright bizarre book.
The story was fine, if not a little shallow and easily worked, but I spent most of the book trying to figure out if this book is MG, YA, or adult. I do know it’s the bookish box’s adult pick, which sort of answers that question, but the content does not.
The humour in this book is spot on, with the “boring bits” hilariously taken out, but what is with the horse cloak? Like, what?
Still, it’s a cute book, with a nice message. I wish it wasn’t so quick, or so shallow, but it’s still enjoyable.

I initially read this as an audiobook, and I loved the way the characters unraveled and came back together. I'm not really an audiobook person, so it was wonderful to be able to read the words. Love a retold fairy tale and Roshani always delivers.

This book is such an amazing twisted-fairytale type book, which I would definitely recommend to younger readers. Roshani Chokshi's writing is so capitvating, and makes me want to keep on reading. This story is filled with twists and turns, and I would definitely recommend !!

"Lost love doesn't have to stay that way."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 Fairytales are still being written! How can something classic also be new? How can an age-old lesson brim with relatable wit and humor? It's sorcery, I tell you! I mean that in the best possible way.

There is something special about Once More Upon A Time. Something that made me feel like my book shelves are incomplete without it. Something that made me feel seen as a reader...gave me hope that this kind of creativity and magic-making still exist. I'm gushing, I know. I just...feel like it's my duty to humanity to sing this book's praises!  Read this!

I wasn't sure what to expect when I went into this book - something vaguely fairytale of course but beyond that no expectations.
What I got was a story that basically had me experiencing every possible emotion in terms of my reaction to the book - one moment I was loving it feeling totally engaged the next moment I was still having a good time but I was also deeply confused.
I would say this story requires you to suspend belief to the point where you just have to say yes to all of the things. Which to be honest is something fairytale require you to do - because why would a shoe literally only fit one foot? So if that's something you can do I think this story has a lot of merit.
I really liked Ambrose and Imelda as main characters and their relationship's growth across the story is certainly a satisfying one. I liked the idea of having to rediscover a lost love and the way that (eventually) they managed to communicate their needs and concerns. I will say there are a few moments of 'oh please just talk to each other this is exhausting' but I have seen much more heinous examples of that in recent years that I'm willing to let that slide.
I'll confess I'm still unsure about the significance of the cloak that is a horse? (You'll have to read it to see what I mean). I wonder if maybe it's a reference I'm missing but I haven't found anything after a quick search! I *liked* the characterisation of the horse cloak I was just a bit bamboozled by its very nature.
Overall this is a good novella, it has everything you need to set the scene and the tone, the characters are fun and it simultaneously leans in to the fun parts of fairytales whilst playing with some of the more questionable aspects.
Oh and there's only one bed - but it doesn't go like you might expect...
I'll be very interested to see what other people think about this book!
I received a free review copy from the publisher via NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

I love a good fairytale trope so this book was right up my alley. A short and sweet whimsical tale with some humorous dialogue. Exactly what I wanted from this . I recommend this one for anyone who enjoys fairytales and feel good stories.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcearcbooks for the chance to review this arc.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a short (less than 200 pages) but still had a lot of action. I'm sure that had to do with the way it was set up with the narrator not liking all the boring parts of an adventure. The way it is told, we just get all the good action bits.I will definitely read it again in the future!

The book pokes fun at most novels you think of when you hear the words "once upon a time". It was lots of fun. I laughed, I snorted, I got invested in the characters. Again, less than 200 pages. I have note read anything else by Roshani Chokshi, but if she can get me to root for characters in so little time, I can't wait to read her longer novels.

This book has it all. Independent characters, a talking cloak that thinks it's a horse, humor, cute moments. It's great. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Roshani Chokshi, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute novella about fairy tale retelling! It was a cute, fun short read with endearing love between Ambrose and Imelda!

The story was amazingly charming with all its whimsical fairytale world and all about what it takes to fall in love!

I enjoyed Roshani Chokshi’s writing style and will definitely check out her The Gilded Wolves series!

I highly recommend you to add this cute little novella fairytale on your reading list when it releases on Oct 5, 2021

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the gifted galley in exchange of my honest opinion.

ARC received for an honest review.

This was such a fun book! I have never read a book by this author before but this short story made me want to pick up more by this author!

I think the idea for this book was super creative, I love thinking about what side characters have going on in their life or what happens after the happily ever after! This book takes two characters that wouldn’t normally get a story and gives them one.

I found the characters in this book really interesting and likeable for their own reasons. Not going to lie I shipped it from the beginning! I was very intrigued from the beginning and think the plot did a great job of bringing the characters together.

Even though this was a short story I didn’t feel as if this story was rushed at all. I think the author included the best parts and the pacing of the book moved quickly enough that I was never bored.

I want more of this story!! I wish there was more depth to this story only because I loved it so much.

Would recommend this to anyone needing a book to get out of a slump or looking for a fast paced adventure!