3 ⭐️

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for my ARC.

This is a very unique medieval meets fantasy style story about a group of friends who reunite to save the realm (again). There are two love storylines and an overarching conflict (hence the realm saving).

If I were to call this fantasy, it would be super light fantasy. Honestly, it was just enough to be a little confusing and in the way of the story — there were fantasy elements that were replacements of normal things (e.g., conjuring instead of baking —> conjuring competition instead of baking competition), which I found distracting and a bit annoying.

The love stories lacked chemistry for me and the saga lacked suspense. I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t feel invested in this.

It’s a fun romp and definitely lighthearted, unlike anything I’ve read before.

What happens to the heroes after the villains are vanquished? In a brief prologue, This Will Be Fun shows how The Four, a team of confident and hopeful new adults prevail against an existential threat to the magical kingdom of Mythria.

The action really takes place ten years later when only three are left. Each of the survivors is struggling with guilt and inadequacy. Beatrice is divorced and drinking too much. Elowen has isolated herself in a remote treehouse. Clare has become a celebrity spokesperson but still doesn't feel like enough. The book is told in alternating perspectives, with each of the 3 main characters voicing different chapters.

When a new threat shadows the realm, they grudgingly unite again and agree to set out on a quest - road trip!

This Will Be Fun is very humorous. While Mythria has medieval vibes, there are lots of comic takes on modern conventions - Wagons-For-You instead of Uber; Harpy & Hind instead of Starbucks; shadow plays instead of streaming.

The people of Mythria also have interesting magical talents using either their heads, hearts or hands.

Each of the characters is likable and you will empathize with their emotional struggles, misunderstandings, and resentments.

My primary concern - and the reason for my 3 star review - about the book was the slow pacing. After a quick introduction, the first half of the book examines the lows that each of the characters has hit. The second half follows the team on the new quest - both to defeat the villains and to gain emotional clarity and self-acceptance. What should have felt action packed still felt a little slow.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title! I really enjoyed this book. Perfect for people who love cozy fantasy rom-coms with lovable characters & a unique magic system. While all of the characters are incredibly likable, Elowyn was my favorite and I enjoyed her character development. I hope to be able to order this title for my library when it is published :)

4.5 on StoryGraph

After reading the prologue for this book, I was absolutely hooked.

We start with our heroes in their 20s about to fight their big end battle… but the book then launches us into the future where our heroes are now in their 30s and having to deal with the consequences of their previous quest.

I loved the take on traumatized heroes and the “what happens next” take post initial adventure. It was such a refreshing idea and I loved seeing the flawed cast come together and see how they each worked through what happened.

This book was funny, sweet, and heartwarming with the right balance of working through issues and fun plot twists. I do think it lived up to its name!

I would say that this could almost fit the cozy fantasy genre, but our cast is pretty traumatized so it does take some work before settling into the cozier aspects of the story. Princess Bride is a fairly accurate comparison. Go into this one blind with a cup of coffee, you’ll have a blast.

Thank you for the fun!

As the title promises, this is a fun read. It is a little silly and a bit repetitive but very entertaining.

Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen are lauded as heroes but they don’t feel very heroic a decade after their quest to save their realm. They reluctantly reunite to salvage the queen’s wedding and slowly come to terms with how they have all changed and what they want and need from each other. This was funny and adventurous and I was as invested in Clartetrice as their fellow Mytrians. It does take a while for the action to begin as there is a lot of context setting and flashbacks at the start. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

This book was, as the title suggests, a lot of fun! I liked the take on the chosen hero trope and the internal monologues we get, and I was seriously rooting for each character. The friendships and relationships were so heart warming and full of emotion. I especially loved Elowen and the queer/sapphic rep, and the commentary on being enough and deserving of love as you are. I felt the pacing was a bit off as we don't get introduced to the main quest mentioned in the blurb until almost halfway through which made the book feel drawn out. A lot of the conflict was based on miscommunication, which I personally don't like in books, and it was frustrating to see them continually jump to assumptions and basically self sabotage. These aspects made it harder to root for the characters as the book goes on. Overall, this was a really fun book with touching elements here and there, and a great read for any cozy fantasy lovers.

This was a light, heartwarming read with a lot of emotional reflection and growth from the characters. Exploring what happens to the hero's party AFTER the quest is over is always one of my favorite storylines to explore and this was a very cozy, happy-ending-energy read while still packing in plenty of emotional depth. The world building was a bit weak but at the end of the day, I thought of this as a D&D romcom beach read: fluffy, comforting, and engaging without anything too stressful to get bogged down in. This could have been paced a bit faster in the first half but I think in order for the character's emotional growth to be believable, the reader really needs to sit with their grief and ingrained issues before the changes we see in them in part 2.

Read if you like: second chance romances, adult characters with alllllll their baggage, romcoms, WLW romance, Dungeons & Dragons, a little bit of spice

Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Best I can describe this would be Chosen Ones but with a cozy fantasy ending. This is one of those books that drops you sort at the end of a story, beginning of another, the group of heroes lives after they defeated the big bad. They lost their leader and went their separate ways, most of them stuck ruminating on the past. The writing felt a bit slow because of that, but overall I loved all the characters and especially the ending. I also liked the magical abilities in this book. You have the usual strength ability but also a memory/time ability, a heart feelings ability and more.

Unfortunately, I found myself unable to finish this book. While I was extremely excited about its concept, the writing was stiff an unimaginative (the tapestry communication??). Missed the mark from me and I won’t be sharing a review for it elsewhere. Thanks for the offer of reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC of This Will be Fun by E.B. Asher.

I saw someone else mention this book is a rom-com, and yes, I think that's a good way to put it. In the story we join Beatrice, Elowen and Clare as they return to Mythria's capital to attend the queen's wedding. The friends have been at odds since they finished their realm saving quest 10 years ago, and while they are thrust together for the wedding, the stakes are then raised when a new threat comes to the land and these three are thrust back into their old roles to save the kingdom.

Asher does a good job of illustrating how guilt/trauma/grief can tear apart relationships or make it hard to reflect on past mistakes in a way that allows you to move forward. Each of the characters has to take time to evaluate themselves and what got in the way of them a decade past. They manage this through humor, truth or dare, and goading each other. While they all seem at odds for a large part of the book, the ways they come together in the end is very nicely full circle.

It was interesting to read at the end that E.B. Asher is three people - it made me wonder a lot about how they split who wrote what or if each of them took on a characters POV and they wrote the book that way. With how the book flowed and how it was really focused on being cozy overall, I could see it being a fun game of "And now they do this!" round and round. Considering three different authors wrote this, it's really fantastic that they managed to keep the flow and tone of the book so similar to each other - I imagine that was not the easiest.

They also remind me a bit of Meg Schaffer's writing (The Wishing Game to a degree, but very much the same vibes as The Lost Story). Both have a quest and a broken relationship from the past with just the coziest, low stakes atmosphere. So, if you're looking for a book to read that does not take itself too seriously and just here for a good time, this is a great recommendation. I think it would also work for fans of Travis Baldree's style too. It's like all of these authors just want to play a friendly campaign in Dungeons and Dragons.

This book was just delightful. I absolutely love the premise of "here's what the aftermath of saving the world looks like for the people actually doing the world saving". It is a very nice change of pace from those epilogues you get where everyone settled down, had babies, moved to farms or something along those lines.

The writing was a perfect balance where just when things would start to verge on too campy, the authors pull you back in with the heavy emotion side of the story. All of the characters and character arcs were well balanced and I loved all their healing journeys.

10/10, well done, would love to check in on them again in another 10 years. Maybe Beatrice has learned to cook.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

📣 a fantasy with two different second chance romance storylines

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what do you think will be fun later today or this week? I’m on vacay & currently looking forward to a trip to Jekyll Island today ☀️.

4 besties went into battle to save their kingdom. Ten years later, there are only 3 remaining & none of them talk to the other.

But a Queen’s bday, & then a quest, reunite them where they can save the day again & also hash through the many obstacles/poor decisions/etc. standing between their friendships & entanglements.

E. B. Asher is also known as authors Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegemund-Broka. The blurb on BM’s website mentions how this book is recommended for people who loved Shrek, & I can see how.

There is absurdity, a sense of whimsicality, & eccentricity when it comes to the characters & their movements throughout the book. My fave parts are the beginning & particularly the end, where it all comes together in a satisfying way.

But the middle bogged down things, & I found myself feeling like the book is too long *womp womp.* This Will Be Fun also had some of that dreaded back & forth that is not…fun for me.

So this one is enjoyable in spots but I wish it had been tighter.

3.5 ⭐️. Out 09/10.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: the ebook rests on an orange ottoman with a pink rose to the left of it.]

I really enjoyed this rather silly romantic comedy, please see my full review on Goodreads at
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199635075

Fantasy adventure at its very best! This Will Be Fun is what you’d get if you combined Shrek and Ella Enchanted, with a side of The Princess Bride.

I loved the medieval, but modern-influenced world, and the dialect of the characters. The story is written almost like a fantasy comedy, but does have some serious overtones, like coping with trauma after loss. While the first half of the story was paced rather slowly, the action takes off after the halfway mark. Our three main POV characters are extremely well written, with a cast of hilarious and heartwarming side characters. Vandra and Hugh stole every scene!

This is the perfect story if you loved character-driven novels and if you’ve wondered what comes after happily ever after. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The title of this book says it all. This will be a fun read for anyone! I was laughing from the first page. The way the authors tie in modern day elements into the fantasy world is entertaining. Though sometimes, I felt it could have been dialed back a little. Other than that, I loved everything about this book! Jodi Piccoult praised is has “…the best Princess Bride vibes…” and she couldn’t be more right! I will definitely be buying a physical copy, when the book releases in September!

This Will Be Fun is a story about what comes after the Happily Ever After. In the case of the four heroes of the realm, what comes after is a depressing downfall. With the main hero dead, one drowning in guilt, one hurt by losing her friend as well as her brother, and the last taking sponsorships and publicity along with a heaping of imposter syndrome, these four are certainly no longer the saviors the realm celebrates them as. This tale starts ten years after the good guys won, with a royal wedding bringing them all together again. It’s a fun read, but doesn’t hit too deeply with either its plot or the emotions it could have evoked.

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher was just that - a really fun book to read!

The book starts ten years after the end of our heroes great defeat of the bad guys and we find out what's happening to them now. It's not all fun and glory, it seems.

We see our main characters, Clare and Beatrice, still trying to deal with the adulation that came with their big win, trying to figure out who they want to be and how they want to live their lives. Their romance was integral to the story, but not THE story, which made it even better to me. It gave their lives more than just each other.

It's a perspective I haven't read before and I enjoyed it very much. I really liked that all of the secondary characters were fleshed out and were a great addition to the story - there wasn't a lot of fluff inserted to just fill pages.

I ended the book thinking about other characters from other books and wishing for more of their end-stories as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 🌟 The title of this book couldn’t be more appropriate. This book was an absolute delight. It reminded me very much of some of my childhood favorites like Shrek 2 and the Ella Enchanted movie with Anne Hathaway. If you love character driven stories, this is for you. I loved every single one of the characters and their perspectives. It is a quest story, but also so much more. It deals with important topics of grief, isolation, betrayal, and the need to prove oneself. Each of the characters grows so much from the beginning. It is about a family finding each other again, which is written so well that I feel like I as a reader became apart of the family. One of the main focal points of this cozy fantasy is the romance/friendships between characters. They have been separated for 10 years and are dealing with hurt feelings, miscommunications, and betrayals. Though they struggle with it, they also become stronger because of it. I loved everything about this book. It was hilarious, comforting, adventurous, dramatic, and entertaining. Everything I could ever want in a lower stakes fantasy. The part that really gripped me was the romance between two of the characters. The yearning and how down bad one of them was had my heart in agony. They made my heart sing. This book was such a good time and one I think a lot of people will enjoy.

First let me start by thanking NetGalley, Avon Books publishing and E.B. Asher for this electronic ARC of “This Will Be Fun”.

It was indeed a lot of fun and got a 4.25/5 stars from me!

Have you ever gotten to the end of a book, the heroes have just defeated evil and the land is celebrating, but you think to yourself what happens to these characters now? This is what “This Will Be Fun” gives you! A look into the heroes lives ten years later and how the happy ending we thought they were going to have isn’t always the case.

This book immediately pulled me into the story with multiple character storylines coming together, including getting 3 POVs. There’s romance, adventure, but also real emotion in dealing with the loss of a loved one and living with regret.

In the story expect to see these characters go on an adventure in a land with not only magic but coffee shops! Our main characters are challenged with facing their past, while once again being the heroes of the realm and trying to figure out who they want to be for the rest of their lives/what a happy ending looks like.

The book comes out September 10,2024 and if you’re a fan of the romantasy genre this book is going to give you everything you want!

Things to look forward to in the book:
Adventure and Romance
Magic powers
Old enemies and new challenges
M/F and F/F relationships
Slowburn/lots of tension into mild spice
Dealing with grief/loss of a loved one

3.5 ⭐️ This book was, as promised, very fun. I love a silly little fantasy where we have things like Sexiest Man Alive and delightful phrases like "Ghosts." I really enjoyed Clare's character growth throughout the story and it was very important to me that he find his back to being himself. He and Beatrice were my favorite parts.

This concept is really interesting. What *does* happen to a group of heroes once the battle is won? How do they adjust to real life? I think more books should explore this. I'd read them all.

I do wish we had gotten to the conflict of it all a little sooner (we don't get there until 50%). The journey to the castle with former friends and all if fun but it could've moved along a little faster and I think this would've given us more time to build out the quest and the final moments more. I also, unfortunately, think the ending cheapens the story a bit. We brought everyone back together and they all grew and found love and then they return to the comfortable. It was a twist I saw coming and one I didn't need. Happy books can still mean living with grief. It's life and I think it's important.

If you want a silly, good-time fantasy, pick this up!