This was adorable! I didn’t go in with super high expectations, this just sounded like a fun time, and that’s exactly what it was. Think rom-com meets fantasy (but not romantasy!). Imagine Narnia without the lion, bandits instead of witches, and a storyline full of quests, rescuing princes and princesses, evil-doers, fallen heroes, and a couple sweet romances. It’s cozy fantasy and a true feel-good story. Cheesy? Absolutely. But that only makes it more endearing! Perfect as a palate cleanser.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books, I’m so glad to have received an ARC of This Will Be Fun! And…it’s out today!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, action-packed, steamy and interesting. I enjoyed this book and will look for more books by this author.

This Will Be Fun has such a great premise because it takes the core principle of fantasy, the quest, and turns it on its head: what happens when the quest is done? In this case, it’s been ten years since Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen saved the realm of Mythria. But it came at a great cost, and none of them have truly dealt with the resulting issues. But when their queen commands them to attend not only her wedding but also the anniversary celebration of their great triumph, they have no choice but to obey—and to confront what they’ve been ignoring for a decade.

I flat-out loved this premise, and I loved seeing how each of these characters had dealt with their quest, whether it was going for fame and adulation or completely withdrawing from the world. All these characters have connections with one another—from friendship to romantic—that suffered in the aftermath of their quest. This Will Be Fun is the story not only of what this group does in the present time, but how they address their past.

So the characters are great, the story is great—but the worldbuilding could have been more. Mythria is predicated on magic, but I never quite understood how that magic system worked. Things seemed to happen when they were convenient for the plot rather than as part of a structured system—and that left me confused. Some of the secondary characters were barely sketched out. The book also drags in the middle when the protagonists spend a bit too much time circling around in their heads.

Overall, This Will Be Fun is aptly titled. I loved the twists it took on fantasy tropes, and the attention to character and character evolution made this a truly fun read.

I have to say this cozy fantasy was fun. Four heroes on a quest that saves a kingdom but not without a tragedy that dismembers the friendships and parts them for ten years. Yet the kingdom of Mythria is not done with them and they must unite once more to save a prince. Nothing transpires that is unexpected but what I found “fun” was the use of modern conventions in medieval times.
An example of “wagons-for-you “ an Uber convenience for those carriageless, was clever and quite funny. There was frequent satire along with some magic and romance. This story was not for the serious and I think once you knew what to expect here you could sit back and enjoy. Thank you Netgalley and Avon press.

After a quest that saved their kingdom and catapulted them into legendary fame and prestige, a group of estranged friends come back together and reunite for a royal wedding, only to find themselves embarking on another adventure.

I loved the cozy fantasy element of this novel! That aspect, paired with the cast of characters, made this a light, fun read reminiscent of Shrek, Ella Enchanted, and The Princess Bride. It was such a cool twist to the classic, nostalgic quest tale.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

"Ten years ago, they saved the realm. It ruined their lives.

Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the realm from darkness. It's a tale beloved by all - except the heroes. They haven't spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them.

But when they all receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria's wedding, it's a summons they can't refuse...and a reunion for the ages - with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return of her ex-love (the cunning Vandra), and all of them lost without Galwell. And if reuniting with former friends and lovers wasn't perilous enough, dark forces from their past have also returned.

Dusting off old weapons and old instincts, Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen will face undead nemeses, crystal caves, enchanted swords, coffee shops, games of magical Truth or Dare, and, hardest of all, their past - rife with wounds never healed and romances never forgotten.

This time around, will their story end in happily ever after?"

If Lev Grossman and Travis Baldree wrote a book together.

DNF @ 45%
I think when I requested this book I was still interested in reading fantasy/romantasy books and for some reason lately I'm having such a hard time staying interested in anything that isn't a rom com/contemporary romance.
TBF, this is more like a modern/urban Arthurian type? Like the world building includes coffee shops and a messaging system (through tapestries?) but it's still fantasy enough that no matter how hard I try I can't get into it. I even tried skimming. It's not the book, it's me for sure.
Maybe one day I will come back and finish this book but right now I don't know when I'll be able to get in the right frame of mind.

Billed as "The Princess Bride" meets "The People We Meet of Vacation," "This Will Be Fun" by E. B. Asher a nom de plume for authors Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegmund-Broka, also reminded me somewhat of last summer's "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" film.

The story revolves around the three remaining heroes who saved the kingdom of Mythria, reuniting ten years later. Sadly, the group of legendary questmates, Beatrice, Elowen and Clare, split up and went their separate ways to lick their respective wounds after suffering a tragic loss in their final showdown against evildoers. The trauma of what they endured and what they lost has driven Beatrice, Elowen, and handsome rogue, Clare Grandheart to different extremes to deal with their losses. Beatrice seeks solace in marriage to a wealthy lord, while Elowen has become a recluse living in a treehouse in the Forbidden Forest. Clare has stepped up to fill the void left by the others' retreat from society to be the hero he feels the country needs as Mythria rebuilds, becoming the face of the legendary crew by making public appearances and accepting sponsorships for various sale products, much to the disgust of Beatrice and to some degree, Elowen. Now, Queen Thessia, who they saved years ago has summoned them all to attend her royal wedding. Reluctantly, they agree, but upon arriving for the festivities soon learn that the evildoers they thought they'd defeated for good have reemerged and it is up to them to once more save the kingdom.

While I did think the novel was reminiscent of "The Princess Bride" in tone and humor, I also found some references to modern society with a medieval twist to be similar in nature to last summer's D & D movie. References are made to ride sharing and soap opera dramas only with medieval or medieval and magical elements. Additionally, though there is adventure and questing in "This Will Be Fun," the first half of the novel deals more with the individual traumas of the characters and how they interact when they are forced to come together once again to celebrate the nuptials of their queen. It isn't until they arrive at the palace that the real quest begins. Once the adventure gets underway, I loved how it starts off as you'd expect, but then the authors have the final showdown take place in a funny and totally unexpected location. I don't want to give away too much, though. You'll have to read it for yourself to see how they change things up.

Along with the very real struggles the characters must overcome to move forward and be the heroes Mythria needs once more, there is also plenty of spicy romance of the slow build variety. All in all, I really did enjoy this fantasy adventure. The only thing that kept it from being 5 out of 5 stars for me was the fact that it took longer than I would have liked to get to the actual quest. While I do think the authors did a good job of portraying the very real scars that can result from battle and loss with these characters, I thought they dwelt on that aspect of the story a bit longer than I'd have liked. But I sort of felt that way with Emily Henry's "The People We Meet on Vacation" as well, which this book has been compared to. So, as a medieval fantasy version of that, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the slight issues with pacing I had with this tale. But if you love romantasy quests in the same vein as William Goldstein's "The Princess Bride," or even Travis Baldree's more recent cozy romantasy "Legends and Lattes" series, you will thoroughly enjoy "This Will Be Fun" by E. B. Asher.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage for the eARC.

This was a cozy, fun romantasy that asks what happens now? Enjoyable and easy to read.

This Will Be Fun by E. B. Asher is a humorous cozy romantasy story.
This book was a super fun read.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Avon for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

This Will Be Fun begs the question, "what happens once the adventure is over?" The heroes of this story are struggling with the not so happily after and have to confront what they've been avoided when summoned by the queen.

Fans of quirky, cozy reads will be in for a treat. The dialog is quick fitted and clever. The world building is quaint and charmingly anachronistic. The characters are a bit haunted by ghosts of their past, but who isn't?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

The book “This Will Be Fun” by EB Asher follows a small group of former friends and heroes who are reluctantly reunited, forced to confront each other and their own pasts.

I found the premise interesting but struggled with the execution and pacing. The story takes place in the aftermath of a quest.

Like Casey McQuiston’s "The Pairing," readers are thrust into the present day, surrounded by the remnants of what was once a happy relationship. Unfortunately, this means we miss the joyful moments and adventures that led to their current difficulties, making it hard to connect with the characters at the outset.

While the novel has some cozy elements that could make it a nice rainy-day read, it doesn’t fully live up to its title or description. If you adjust your expectations, you might find the book more enjoyable.

Thank you to Avon/HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m torn between giving this book 2.5 and 3 stars. The first half was a delight—funny and light-hearted, with an intriguing rift among a group of friends. It reminded me of Shrek 2, particularly the moments in Far Far Away, filled with quirky modern elements like coffee brews, shadow plays, and an Uber-like system. It’s a charming, comedic fantasy novel that I genuinely enjoyed.

The characters were engaging, and I was curious about what had caused their ten-year silence. Each character’s journey through the grief of losing their beloved friend and leader was compelling. The romances were sweet, especially Vandra's tender support for Elowen in her grief. I also adored Clare and Beatrice—the tension and longing between them was just perfect.

However, I found the pacing problematic. While the first half was gripping, the second half slowed down considerably. For a quest to save Hugh and confront the Order, the stakes felt too lighthearted. I was hoping the tone would shift to something more serious as the story progressed. The ending also disappointed me; it oversimplified grief in a way that felt unrealistic.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and loved the characters. Their humor and chemistry were spot-on, and the buildup to uncovering the cause of their rift was well executed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I found it very difficult to embrace this book. My brain really couldn’t get past the modern feudal society mashup. Also, I really struggled with the characters names, I found them truly distracting.

I loved this book! Such a fun story and I lived the cover as well! I felt like it captured the feel of the story very well! Would definitely recommend

The title is true - this WAS fun. A little more romance than fantasy, but full of comedy, adventure and FUN. The characters were enjoyable and I was interested in their progressions. A really cute, cozy read.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

This was a cute story focused more on the romance aspect than the adventure quest. The world building fell a little flat for me, but had some entertainment value!

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher takes us to what happens after the hero’s quest is over. The story is set 10 years after a group of four friends saved the realm from an evil order set on ruling the Queendom. We find the friends estranged and dealing with the toll that saving the world had on them and their relationships. A wedding and a new threat brings the group back together. They are trying to help the realm again and navigate each other.

This book is a great addition to the cozy fantasy genre. It’s an interesting concept to think about what happens to heros once they aren’t needed anymore. The majority of this book focuses on the relationships between the main characters and them dealing with their pasts and years of estrangement.

The book tied in modern concepts like Uber and Las Vegas into the story in fun fantasy appropriate ways.

The action in this book was exciting enough to be engaging but not enough to make me overly anxious for the characters.

The only part of this book that I didn’t enjoy was towards the end. The book tried to make the ending too tidy and in doing so something possibly confusing had to happen. It took me out of the story as I tried to reason with what took place.

Overall, a good read for those who want a story that focuses on character development in a fun fantasy setting.

Thank you NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager, and E.B. Asher for the ARC.

This was a humorous, somewhat sexy romp, definitely more focused on its multiple romances than its fantasy, and ultimately with the same kind of humor as the Shrek franchise. The jokes about the fantasy and fairy tale genres were pretty funny, all the bawdy humor was also pretty funny, and the relationships were clearly meant to be invested in. But it was difficult to really be invested in the plot! The whole save-the-world storyline, which did occasionally try to be interesting and exciting, was so clearly just a backdrop for the characters and their relationships that it was impossible to take seriously—never more so than when the ending was a kind of over-the-top deus ex machina.

3 heroes save the world. 10 years later they aren’t friends and none of them are where they want to be in life. They’re forced to come back together to rescue their Queen’s betrothed, and along the way they save the world again. Absolutely delightful. Cozy fantasy is my new favorite genre.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon for this e-arc.*