An intriguing retelling of The Wizard of Oz—the first time I’ve seen a modern retelling of the story. Overall it was done thoughtfully.

I adored The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale. I love that Virginia Kantra isn't retelling but reimagining these classic stories. The set up is hard hitting. I can't stand a person of power taking advantage of a student. Love that our protagonist sets off for Ireland and this is where the plot takes off for her. Virginia's writing is magical, every page felt strategic and calculated and important.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thanknyou NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this arc!

4/5 stars!

This was a sweet and quick read. We follow Dorothy as she completely uproots her life and moves halfway across the world to complete her masters due to a scandal at her previous school. The character growth and the found family were fantastic! Great retelling

Thanks to Berkley for the gifted copy.

I have loved The Wizard of Oz since I was little, so I was really excited to read this book. A modern day reimagining? Yes PLEASE! And this cover????? I LOVE IT.

Dee Gale leaves her aunt and uncles home in Kansas for grad school in Ireland after a scandal involving her ex and his newly released book.

The parallels to The Wizard of Oz are so much fun - Oz, the witches, the 3 companions...I really enjoyed piecing it all together to match up to the original. I loved Tim and Reeti a lot, and Sam was fun too.

The pacing of this book was soooo slow though. I just really struggled with the slowness and the dialogue. It took me way too long to read this one and had to break it up with other books in between.

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra is a wickedly clever & fantastic story that will take you down the yellow brick road with this contemporary romance inspired by The Wizard of Oz
I read this story in awe. It is a beautiful tale of discovering oneself while dealing with twisted trials of heartache, grief, family, careers, life, love & so much more.

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy is great for fans of…
👠 Contemporary Romance
👠 Reimagining Classics
👠 Wizard of Oz
👠 Ireland
👠 Journeys of Discovery

This is certainly not Kansas anymore, but it was a gorgeous adventure to Ireland. I loved being able to experience Ireland through this story. It felt like I was actually there & it made me want to visit there even more.

This book gave continuous nods to the original story as it showcases important & well-known bits of past into the tale of today. It could’ve easily felt forced, but this was the complete opposite. I sat & constantly marveled at the cleverness of this book. Reading this story left me in smiles & awe at the author’s brilliance. This was such a treat as someone that grew up on The Wizard of Oz. I give the author so many props because I also didn’t know where it was going to end up & I loved that.

I was fortunate enough to listen to the audiobook of this one & it was wonderful. I love multiple narrators & this delivered with three incredible narrators. I really appreciated the accents, which helped bring me even more to a world far away.

If you’ve been a fan of Wizard of the Oz like me, you will read this & grin. If you’re looking to escape into a heartwarming adventure, click your heels three times & check out The Fairytale Life of Dorothy. Oh & don’t forget your little dog too.


Massive thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing & PRH Audio for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

●Dorothy "Dee" Gale embarks on a quest for belonging after her globe-trotting mother's demise.

●Dee settles in Kansas with Uncle Henry and Aunt Em until she faces heartbreak and public scrutiny following a failed romance with a faculty member.

●Seeking solace, Dee applies to Trinity College Dublin's writing program, leading her to new companions in Ireland.

●Dee's growth is shaped by powerful women in the writing program, challenging her self-perception and approach to her work.

●With newfound confidence and supportive friends, Dee is able to confront her fears, reevaluate her relationships, and ultimately recognizes her inner strength as she faces a pivotal choice.

🎧Rachel L Jacobs, Damian Gildea and Christian Coulson did a fabulous narration and truly captured the heart of the story.

This was such a charming and heartwarming retelling. I really enjoyed the nods to Oz in the book.

I loved this book so much. It was both nostalgic and fresh at the same time. The characters are perfectly written to conjure up just enough to make you realize what Oz character they would be, while still being completely their own persons.

This one takes the original classic and moves it into the twenty-first century. Dorothy is now "Dee"; sister Toni's nickname is "Toto." After they're orphaned, they move in with their aunt and uncle on a Kansas farm, where they're provided everything they need but never feel the warmth of love Dee craves. So when that tornado of bad publicity, instead of moving home, she travels to Ireland (Oz). There she meets her scarecrow, tin man, lion, Glenda, and a wicked witch.

This being not just a retelling of The Wizard of Oz, but also a romance, you know that everything will end well. The fun is all in the getting there, in seeing each of the characters get what they want (or, in at least a couple of cases, what they deserve), in seeing the ways that Kantra works in so many parts of the classic while still telling a story that sounds contemporary. It was just what I needed when I read it - fun, an ending I wanted, and all of the familiarity I seemed to have craved.

i loved this book so much!! this was so fun and i'm so thankful that i got to read this one early! thank you so much to netgalley and everyone should pick this up soon!!!

This was a cute story that's billed as contemporary retelling of Wizard of Us. While there are parallels, they were subtle (the main character, Dorothy (aka Dee) is from Kansas, arrives in Ireland wearing red boots, etc.) and I might not have realized the connection if not for the title.

I wanted to love this book but found myself struggling to stay engaged at times, especially when it came to the "heartless" Tim and the "brainless" Sam. I was confused about Dee's relationships with them, and the heavy focus on her dissertation became monotonous. That being said, I enjoyed the message, the Dublin setting and the reminder that home is where you make it.

3.5 stars

Thanks to Berkley for the copy to review.

Dorothy (“Dee”) Gale is at a crossroads in life. She’s a writer involved in scandal while in grad school. She needs a fresh start, and she finds that at Trinity College in Dublin. She makes friends with someone who to be less astute (though things aren’t always what they seem) and someone else who is lacking in heart. You get where this is going? She also makes friends with someone who is hugely courageous.

Dee excels in the writing program while mentored by women who want her to grow and flourish, and her friends boost her up, up, up, and along with that comes peace, healing, and happiness.

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale is now my favorite book by Virginia Kantra. The parallels she drew to The Wizard of Oz were so clever, and I thought the whole thing came together masterfully well. It’s a romance at its heart with a strong female lead who grows and heals with her found family. She uncovers her own heart and power in the process, and it’s an absolutely beautiful and inspiring awakening.

I received a gifted copy.

I really loved the nod to The Wizard of Oz in this one. Thank you for the early read of this sweet novel.

Having grown up just 45 miles from Dorothy’s House in Liberal, Kansas, The Wizard of Oz was always one of my favorites. So this reimagined retelling grabbed my attention right away, before I even read it.
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After reading The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra, I can fully recommend it, especially for fans of everything Oz. I thoroughly enjoyed picking out the parallels as I read this book and really loved reading about Dee’s time in the land of green- Ireland, not Oz.
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Dorothy, who goes by Dee, and her little sister, Toni, were left in the care of their Auntie Em in Kansas while their mother traveled the world. After their mother died, Dee felt responsible for Toni and didn’t want to be a burden to their aunt and uncle. Staying close to home, she went to college in Kansas, only to get involved with a professor who used their relationship as fodder for his new book, thus humiliating Dee and driving her to Dublin for a writing program in order to escape the whirlwind destruction her life had become.
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There she makes friends and finds a life, honing her craft as an author in her own right, growing all the while. I loved that there were two new men in her life that were possible love interests and the author did a great job of keeping me guessing how things would play out. There is also a fantastic new best friend whose friendship is exactly what every girl, who is lost in a foreign land, needs.
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This book made me all kinda of happy and I enjoyed it very much. It is a totally unique story that has the little hints of Oz that make it feel like a well loved tale.

A fun book, Irish setting (I always love), and cute cover. Thanks for allowing me to read and review!

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale is a contemporary romance inspired by The Wizard of Oz. As an Oz superfan, obviously I was going to read this. Some of the nods are "drop a house on you" obvious and some are subtle. You don't have to know the movie/book to enjoy this one although for me it helped.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

This book just wasn't really for me. I did not hate it, and I liked parts of it a lot, so I'm giving it 3 stars. At the beginning I liked the premise of loosely basing the story on a real life Wizard of Oz set in Ireland, but soon the story started dragging and the WoO premise seemed more and more vague.

There were some character issues, and I did not understand Dee treating 18 year old Toni like a helpless toddler, though there were some family dynamics that could explain it - it still felt weird to me. And they both treated their Aunt Em pretty horribly at Christmas, with no acknowledgement or apology that we see.

I did like (love) the confrontation at around the 65% mark, and the book started moving along better after that. I was a bit confused by Dee's relationships with Tim and Sam, but it seems it all worked out... in the end... I guess?

One glaring problem for me which I haven't seen anyone else writing about yet, so it might just be me, but it turns out that Dee Gale writes the Wizard of Oz. She's the author. The Wizard of Oz doesn't exist otherwise in this world that is 100% real, non-magical, and post-Covid. The Wizard of Oz doesn't exist until Dee writes it. I cannot accept this part and it stuck out and kept bothering me until it was finally over.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I cannot recommend this book as there's nothing of real interest in it, it drags through a large part, the WoO theme becomes too distant and vague to make up for anything, and Dee Gale is not the author of the Wizard of Oz. If you just want a light little romance with family issues and some loose WoO references, then you probably won't be disappointed.

The Wizard of Oz has never been my favorite, but leave it to @virginiakantra to change my mind!

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale was such a heartwarming and magical retelling. I adored Dee, Aunt Em, Toni, Reeti, and even Maeve grew on me! Dee’s personal growth was lovely to behold, and set against the backdrop of Ireland (her own Emerald City!), the subtle nods to The Wizard of Oz were masterfully interwoven 😍

The romance aspect was the only thing that didn’t quite work for me. I wasn’t sold on the romantic connection she had, and in my heart she belonged with someone else, but I think that’s just my personal preference!

If you’ve loved @virginiakantra ‘s previous books and are a Wizard of Oz fan (or even if you’re not!), give this one a try! Virginia’s writing style is easy and effortless, and it’s just a sweet, wholesome, fun tale that is purely lovely 😍

Thank you to @virginiakantra @berkleypub @netgalley and @prhaudio for my gifted galley and audiobook!!

This was a cute romance/finding your way in the world book, with many references to The Wizard of Oz.

Dorothy had a really horrible relationship with one of her professors in her graduate writing program. To escape from the attention she's getting after he wrote a book with a character that is more or less her (and not a flattering portrait of her), she applies and is accepted to a writing program in Dublin.

Dorothy and her little sister Toni lost their mother young, and were raised by Aunt Em and Uncle Henry in Kansas. Dorothy feels that her aunt and uncle loved them, but their no-nonsense, reserved temperaments didn't make her feel cherished and celebrated.

In Dublin, Dorothy makes friends in her program as well as in the neighborhood where she lives, and slowly gains confidence in her own voice and beliefs. Toni is struggling in college in the U.S., and makes a surprise visit to Dublin, with a new plan for her life.

If you love The Wizard of Oz, you'll enjoy all of the little nods towards this iconic story. The romance in this book is enjoyable as well, but in my opinion, it falls a little flat.

I'm giving this book 4 stars, but it's really a 3.5 star book. Even for a romance, there were parts that were hard to believe. But it is a sweet, enjoyable story with a great ending.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

I love a good retelling and this is my first Wizard of Oz retelling. It was charming and fun. I loved all the little nods to Oz (like a blue and white gingham bedspread on Dee’s bed at the farm)!
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Dee was such a great character and her growth was amazing!
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Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for an Arc in exchange for my honest review and allowing me to be
a part of this Berkley Buddy Read!