This book was such a breath of fresh air! We get the differing viewpoints of 4 (but mostly 3) main characters throughout the story, and the was done very well! Clare, Beatrice and Elowen were best friends/heroes of the realm (this is definitely a dungeons and dragons kind of world, minus the dragons, which was super fun) until a tragedy caused the troop to break apart. The story officially starts 10 years later and none of our friends are doing very well. Luckily an urgent quest reunites the group and we get to see them slowly piece their relationships back together (along with guy scenes and quest-y escapades)! Clare was my absolute favorite character as the cinnamon roll/rogue of the story but I also really really liked Beatrice and Elowen (and Hugh and Vandra!). This book definitely delivers what it's title promises!

Thank you to Avon for review consideration via Netgalley! This was an absolute joy to read!

Not my favorite. I felt like a lot of things were unsaid or unexplained. Also really repetitive. But I loved the idea of the book.

This was such a good and quick read that i devoured this book literally in two days. The writing was amazing and the pace was well maintained throughout the whole book.
The characters were well penned and drafted, I had a great time reading this book. This was my first read from the author's work and now I am definitely looking forward to read more works by the same author.

I very rarely DNF books, but I gave this one an honest effort and just couldn't finish it. I do think that the world-building could use a little more work and there was just a lot going on so my brain struggled with this one a little. I'm sure some readers will really love this one, but I don't think I was in the right mindset for this one to fully appreciate it like others will.

"This Will Be Fun" by E.B. Asher is written by three authors. This character-driven cozy fantasy offers a delightful escape into a whimsical world filled with quirky characters and charming settings. While I appreciated the depth and development of the characters, the plot felt a bit slow at times, making it hard to stay fully engaged. However, the authors’ talents for creating a warm and inviting atmosphere kept me turning the pages. It's a sweet, light-hearted read that's perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in a gentle fantasy without too much drama or high stakes and features LGBTQIA+ characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for giving me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a little different from the fantasy books I have read before, but in a good way. The magic was believable and, thank God, the names weren’t unpronounceable. I truly enjoyed the characters. The quest the group embarked on was expected, but not. The challenges they faced were exciting and the outcome was a plot twist for sure. The final battle was so good and again, the outcome was totally unexpected, including the ending. This book reminded me a lot of the Shannara Chronicles.

If you're in the mood for a fun adventure with a feel of nostalgia and a lot of humor, This Will Be Fun will be right up your alley! As the description says, this novel definitely has The Princess Bride and People We Meet on Vacation vibes, and I kept thinking of how much fun this would be as a movie someday! There were SO many moments I was laughing out loud, and it truly was just a fun adventure.

The story picks up ten years after the heroes of Mythria—Beatrice, Elowen, Clare, and Galwell—saved their realm and went their separate ways. Now, they're reluctantly brought back together for a royal wedding that turns into a quest to save their world yet again, but this time they don't have their leader, Galwell, with them. Each of our heroes has their own internal battles they've been dealing with over the last 10 years, and the book shines in its character development. The humor between the characters is top-notch, but there is still a lot of "realness" to what they experience as well.

However, the book does leave a bit of a gap in explaining the specifics of how these heroes originally saved the realm and what their skills are, and the focus of the book is heavily character-focused versus worldbuilding or action focused. I enjoyed the character focus, but there were moments that I was wishing for more detail on certain aspects of these characters' pasts and what makes them so legendary. What the book lacks in world building, it makes up for it in giving us characters that are so lovable and clever. I loved the nostalgic feel of classic fantasy with a lot of modern twists thrown in as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the eARC of this fun read!

Reader: this WAS fun! 3.5 ⭐

This Will Be Fun follows a group of former questmates a decade after they saved the realm. With one of their group lost in the final battle ten years prior, they fell apart as teammates and friends, reuniting for the first time for their Queen's wedding. Things don't stay that simple—there's a new plot to arise evil again, and the Queen's betrothed is missing. Oh, yeah—and there's some awkward feelings between former romances in the questing party and their acquaintances.

First, we have Clare, the hero working to live up to their dead leader's image, and Beatrice, a mind-mage who can't stop reliving her guilt over said leader's death. Their decade old one-night-stand was a typical "emotionally difficult, stubborn duo", where their banter overlaid their continued feelings for one another. Of the two main romances, this one felt more cookie cutter, though I still had fun.

The other duo is Elowen, the younger sister of the deceased leader who had isolated herself in the trees for a decade, and Vandra, a former rogue who caused the team trouble a decade ago between trysts with Elowen. Their dynamic was a ton of fun, exploring the idea of the more morally grey character years after falling for someone and how that might have changed her.

As a whole, my two major issues with the book came in 1: some of the surface level exploration of the character's issues after ten years—references to isolation, drinking habits and other unhealthy coping mechanisms seemed to heal themselves a bit quickly, only boiling down to communication issues towards the back half of the book. And 2: the tone of the world. This book fully embraces a more quirky, modern take on a fantasy world, with allusions to this world's version of 21st century trends and habits. Sometimes this worked—in particular with the idea of the group being famous in their world, with people asking for autographs or in one notable instance, having a festival where hundreds of people were dressed like them. Sometimes it felt like it was trying too hard, though; for example, with a shadow play that a character watches weekly having fandoms and cosplay forums, or the gossip columns and "sexiest man alive" magazines. There are ways I think these concepts could exist in a fantasy world but it didn't work for me in this book, and sometimes just felt awkward.

As a whole, This Will Be Fun was a bubbly read with an interesting band of characters in a very typical fantasy world. Don't go into it expecting anything too deep—take it for what it is on the tin. Fun!

This was a good read!
It started out a bit slow, but getting to know each character was really fun. I think everyone will find a character they can relate to in this story.
Overall, the story was a fun romp in a quirky fantasy setting. It had the feeling of a really good DnD campaign with your friends.
Unfortunately, I was not a fan of the ending. It didn't fit the story for me.
Otherwise, it was a great read, and I'd like to see more in the setting.

Thank you to Avon, Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

A decade ago, four comrades saved Princess Thessia and her realm, Mythria. Tragically, it cost them the life of their noble leader, Galwell. In response, Elowen became a hermit, Beatrice threw herself into a loveless marriage, and Clare became a parody of roguish charm. Forcibly reunited for Thessia's wedding, the trio (plus Elowen's old flame, Vandra, for good measure), bicker and snipe until a new quest forces them to work together and deal with their issues. Two vituperative second chance romances and a fantasy world with everything from teletherapy to pumpkin spice lattes is far less charming than it thinks it is. Thanks, Netgalley.

This book was cozy and fun, but there was too much angst to really enjoy the characters to their full potential. It wasn't bad, just didn't love!

This is more a romance than fantasy. A lot of character dialogue and bickering with a slow moving plot. Not what I was expecting and felt underwhelmed. .

Nice romantasy take on several tropes, including friends-to-lovers and second-chance romance (I'm a sucker for these). Great premise but I struggled a little with the execution and pacing, although in general this was overall a quick read. I liked the chemistry between the characters, and I actually liked the characters quite a bit but I did find some of their interactions frustrating. There were a lot of modern parallels here, especially with the kingdom's "technology," almost to the point where it felt a bit over-done. Can you call it world-building if they're really just analogs of our own world? That said, it did make the fantasy structure a bit easier to digest since there were so many "real-world" touchpoints. I gave this 3 stars but it was closer to 3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for an Ebook ARC of this story, all opinions are my own.

2.5⭐️

I knew This Will Be Fun was a must read when I saw it marketed as The Princess Bride meets PWMOV - these are two of my most favorite things - and I can definitely see the comparisons. I’m feral for friends to lovers and a second chance (and we get two!) and was looking forward to these seeing these tropes woven in with a quest. Unfortunately, for me, the pacing of this story was very uneven and the quest storyline was muddled with the “will they or won’t they” drama.

I love a fantasy that is brimming with quirky and whimsical elements, but I was a bit confused by this world, especially since the world building was nonexistent. The magic embraced all things whimsical, but the inclusion of more modern technology and speech felt very out of place - think Ella Enchanted the film. The tv shows, magical message tapestries, elevators, and holograms, to name a few, left me baffled. It was a bit odd and I struggled with the marrying of medieval and modern.

It’s always fascinating to read stories with multiple authors and this book has three. I was intrigued how multiple voices would translate on the page with the characters and overall story. Beatrice and Clare’s POVs felt similar in tone, but their voices overshadowed Elowen and the story became heavily focused on their fighting and relationship drama. I was very invested in Elowen’s and wanted more of her and Vandra, the sexy assassin.

I think the authors had an excellent premise and I really enjoyed the beginning of the story and seeing the characters heal and mend their friendship, but ultimately, I think there were too many competing storylines which led to the uneven pacing - and said quest didn’t even start until well over the halfway mark and then the drama of the defeating the villain was over in the blink of an eye.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Trope: Magical/Romantasy
Spice: 🔥🔥

Synopsis: Imagine "The Princess Bride" meets "People We Meet on Vacation" in this romantasy tale. A decade ago, a group of friends—Beatrice, Elowen, Clare, and their valiant leader Galwell the Great—saved the magical land of Mythria. Their heroic deeds became legendary, but the cost was high, and they haven't spoken since. Now, they're brought back together by an invitation to the queen of Mythria's wedding, setting the stage for an unexpected adventure.

Thoughts: I felt like the world building was lacking in the book. The world was essentially the 1600s with castles and castles with people who can wield magic sporadically missed in. The book focused more on the characters and how they handled the previous quest and how they reacted afterwards. They all went on their own journey and we see this with the 3 POVs. Miscommunication was a big part of this book, which is my least favorite. I did enjoy the rekindling of the relationships.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the advanced Reader e-proof for my honest review.

This Will Be Fun is an interesting concept with good humor that failed to grab me like other fantasy comedies such as Princess Bride or elements of D&D.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early e-copy!

*3.5 rounded down*
I loved the idea of this book! The low-stakes/cozy vibes were pretty spot on, but for a story that depends so much on the characters, I think I was just expecting more- more to make me truly care about them and more information on the world that they’re in.

I would definitely suggest this to any cozy fantasy reader, and I do think I would read it again.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC. It was a fun fantasy read that focused heavily on relationships. Though a slower read, the plot was very character driven with a lot of great depth and growth. We see life after loss with their first quest, and then rediscovering how to process emotions and repair both friendship & relationships in their second quest. The mental health representation was excellent which I think is rare for a fantasy book. If you’re looking for simple world building and an easy to follow magic system, with characters who will make you laugh, this book is for you.

This was a fun, low stress, rom-quest! A story of friendship, fresh starts, and defining what it means to be a hero. I loved the quirk characters, but also discovering their back stories and emotional issues - particularly pertaining to their quest to save the realm 10 years in the past. They've since parted ways and have their reasons for not speaking to each other. However, when the Queen needs them once more, they put their issues behind them to journey once more. I loved the silly "modern" aspects thrown in, the funny towns and festivals, and the romances sprinkled in. It felt a little slow at times and the quest was almost too low stakes. Overall super enjoyable and cozy!

*3.5 stars*
I had a hard time getting into this book. It’s more character driven than plot driven, which wasn’t quite what I was expecting. For the first half, it felt like not a lot was happening, and there was a lot of eluding to past events without completely revealing what exactly happened (until around the 40% mark). Things did pick up a bit maybe around the halfway mark, but I wasn’t really feeling either of the romances. The magic in this world led to a lot of modern-world parallels – chain coffee shops, riding sharing, tabloids, social media, video streaming, etc. It made the story a bit quirky, though for me this magic almost felt a little too convenient at times. In the end, this book didn’t capture my interest as well as I thought it would, but I could see how others might really enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the review copy of This Will Be Fun! All opinions in my review are completely my own.