Perfect for both cozy fantasy and romance readers alike! This sweet and whimsical, yet angst-filled story explores the all too relatable themes of second chances, self-discovery, reconciling your past, old wounds, love, and friendship wrapped up in a witty and fun read.

I really wanted to love this book. At first, the grandiose fairy tale vibe in the writing style reminded me of The Princess Bride, and it had such a fun premise: a group of former heroes reuniting 10 years after saving the realm. But after a while, the style started to feel tedious and exhausting, making it harder for me to stay engaged.

The structure also made it tough to get into. The first chapter sets up their heroics from 10 years ago, and then the next three chapters catch us up on where each main character is now—essentially repeating key parts of the setup three different times from different perspectives. It felt like the story didn’t really start until chapter five, and even then, it moved slowly as the characters worked through their reasons for answering the queen’s summons, three times.

That said, once the story finally got going, I found the overall plot pretty interesting. The dynamics between the characters, their unresolved relationships, and the looming threat from their past had enough pull to keep me reading, even if I wasn’t always excited to pick the book back up.

If you enjoy slow-burn romantasy and don’t mind a meandering pace with intricate setups, this might be your cup of tea. It wasn’t quite for me, but I can see how the Shrek and Princess Bride vibes could charm the right reader.

Oh, "This Will Be Fun"—a title that promises so much whimsy and adventure; how could I resist? Throw in comparisons to "The Princess Bride," and you had me at "inconceivable!" I dove in, ready for a tale filled with charm, daring escapades, and laugh-out-loud moments. And for a hot minute, it delivered. The concept? Super fun. Certain characters? A delight to follow. But overall? Let’s just say this one didn’t sweep me off my feet.

Let’s start with the good stuff. At its best, "This Will Be Fun" was everything I wanted it to be: quirky, adventurous, and engaging. When the chapters focused on certain standout characters, I was in. Their voices sparkled, their adventures popped, and I was happily along for the ride. Unfortunately, the magic didn’t last. As the chapters stretched on, I found myself bored, my mind wandering to anything but the story.

The kicker? Turns out this book wasn’t penned by one author but three. Suddenly, the uneven tone and occasional disjointedness made sense. Some chapters felt alive and brimming with creativity, while others? Well, they dragged like a never-ending monologue from a character you wish had just taken the shortcut to the Fire Swamp. The multiple-author approach left the story feeling less like a cohesive adventure and more like an elaborate patchwork quilt—one with a few standout squares surrounded by an awful lot of meh.

Here’s the thing: I wanted to love this book. I really did. And I don’t regret giving it a shot. But would I recommend it to others? Eh, probably not. If you’re a die-hard fan of "The Princess Bride" looking for something to scratch that same itch, you might enjoy parts of "This Will Be Fun." But as for me, I think I’ll stick with revisiting Buttercup and Westley’s timeless tale instead.

Verdict: Fun in parts, but not quite the grand adventure I was hoping for.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Really great adventure story with a touch of some spicy romance at times. Everything about this worked well. The writing was clear and easy to read and the story was a blast. Loved the characters and world building. The ending was satisfying which is a rarity these days. It’s a cozy read but there is some touching on grief and loss in many ways. This is handled well throughout. My one complaint would be that a character mentions crocheting a phrase onto a … pillow.

I found it hard to put this book down.

I unfortunately had to DNF this book, I tried to push through but at 44% I gave up as it was becoming more and more of a task to keep on reading.

I do not like miss communication trope and to have almost half the book before the characters actually talked about why half of them had issues with each other, did not help me become engaged in the book.

In my opinion, having 3 different authors write this story did not help the story as at some points I did not think the story was flowing and that the characters POV were written cohesively.

On a positive note, I did enjoy Vandra, anytime she showed up in chapters she was a breath of fresh air. The cover for the book is also extremely cute.

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

I lOVE THIS BOOK!

Heartfelt, and true-to-life while remaining hopefully. I was hooked on the concept of the 'after', as I have always asked the question how do you just move on after an 'epic' quest? This book deals with heavy topics, but somehow also stays light and funny.

Recommend to anyone who has also wonders what happens to heros post-epic adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book!

Three heroes are reunited once more without their leader who did not make it through the realm saving event. They all have reasons to not want to be in each other’s company but they are all thrown together anyway. For me personally this book was too slow paced and the characters were a little too self centered because all their problems could have been solved it they just leaned on each other in their grief. Even though this book was not for me I do know several people I would recommend it to!

I'm not going to lie. This book was really not for me. While the premise of "The Princess Bride meets People We Meet on Vacation" sounded great but I just didn't care for the wrting. It felt very choppy. I really wanted to like it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

2 stars... // This book did not deliver for me, in all honesty. The premise seemed fun -- The Princess Bride meets People We Meet on Vacation?! Count me in. However, some things really are too good to be true.

This book is one of the most creative and imaginative books I’ve read in a long time, and that includes some of the epic romantasy I’ve picked up recently. It was totally unique and original! The world was kind of medieval, definitely magical, completely made up but also a version of our modern world with a twist. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t hold my attention captive nor did it make me laugh enough to elevate it from a “like” to a “love.” It was more slapstick surrealism than I tend to prefer, more Monty Python than Princess Bride. Although if you like either of those then I would definitely encourage you to pick this up! I really appreciated the character growth and development, the found family and second chance of it all, and the triumph of good over evil. If you need a balm for your spirits right now, this is an excellent candidate!

So curious how the writing team (three of them) behind E.B. Asher did it!

This was not the book for me. The weird mix of modern lingo and 'stuff' like soap operas/reality dating shows in the fantasy setting didn't work for me. I did not care for any of the characters and their dysfunctional lives and relationships. I found myself struggling to want to read this by the 10% mark and after forcing onward to about the 25% mark, I decided it wasn't getting better and my time would be better spent with a different book.
This book had the hallmarks of things I would like - romantasy, humor, a group of heroes banding together many years after an initial quest - but something about the writing style and my initial dislike of the characters ended up with me DNF'ing this.

This Will Be Fun was surprisingly actually fun! I loved the premise and I loved the authors who came together to write this so I had high hopes! Even if it wasn't a one hundred percent homerun for me it was still a fun read!

I was excited for this, because it sounded like a great idea. But, I really struggled getting through this book and kept hoping at some point it would get my attention.

there were too many cooks in this kitchen.
this book is mostly about beatrice and clare hooking up and when they can hook up again.
the ending made no sense. there’s modern technology in a feudal society.
it’s just not very cohesive.

Solid "what happens after the quest ends" that blends some interesting commentary about the celebrity machine with that feeling of "oh fuck I have to go to this wedding where I will know too many people and it's going to be Awkward". Was surprised when this turned out to be three separate writers writing under one penname, but at least theyre honest about it. Also takes place in this weird setting where you're not entirely sure why there's modern aspects to the fantasy world but meh, just go with it. Still had a fun time with it.

I really enjoyed this one. I saw a blurb about it which compared it to Legends and Lattes and to The Princess Bride. Both of those comparisons are right on point. It it set in a very Princess Bride type universe where magic is real, and so are heroes. After defeating a villain and saving the world ten years prior, you'd think that the heroes would get their happily ever after, but that is where you would be wrong. First they must go on another high stakes quest, and learn and grow about themselves along the way.

Thanks to Avon & Harper Voyager for the digital advance reader’s copy of This Will Be Fun. It took me absolutely forever to read this book, which is no fault at all of the book itself. Sometimes I get in a place with my anxiety where I can't concentrate enough to read, but this book was interesting enough that I kept coming back to it over and over, knowing the payoff would be worth it. I was right. The romance in This Will Be Fun is absolutely lovely. There are two main couples that we are rooting for from the beginning. The friendships, though, are also in need of repair, and reading that journey was so enjoyable. The plot points here are novel, and the world building is really neat. Other than the evil villains, their world seems like it would be a great place to live.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy romance fantasy. It turns out that this book, will in fact, be fun. (Even though I'm probably the 154th person to put that comment in my review).

I am not usually a fantasy reader, but the concept of this book seemed so clever and interesting I wanted to try it. This ended up being a bad call on my part. I got bogged down immediately in the fantasy stuff and couldn't very far into the book at all. The writing seems great, and I love the cover, but my non-fantasy brain just couldn't connect with even this low level of fantastical content.

The book follows 3/4 of the team of heroes who saved the realm 10 years ago except, after their fourth died in the final confrontation, none of their lives have turned out quite how they expected.
A decade on, the Queen is getting married and has insisted that the realm’s heroes attend, much to most of their chagrin, but when they arrive her fiancé has been kidnapped. The three must once again team up for another quest, and along the way they encounter old friends, enemies, and are forced to confront each other and their feelings around the original quest.

I really loved the characters, and the multiple POVs gave a variety of perspectives which I always enjoy. The characters all have their own hang ups and impressions of how the quest, and the intervening years, went, and it adds interest to get to see them balanced against each other as well as how much they differ. The writing was very readable and enjoyable, there’s a strong vein of humour, despite the sometimes serious topics, which is great fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed This Will Be Fun and would recommend it for anyone looking for a lighter fantasy read!

What happens after you save the realm, are lauded as heroes but don't feel like them? This story follows our heroes 10 years after they saved the world from evil, but destroyed themselves and each other in the process. Can they come together for one more quest and salvage their friendships?
This was a sweet story that shows many ways that we deal with grief and how we can let ourselves stand in the way of our own happiness. I needed something lighthearted and this was a great book!

I really wanted to like this book - it had so much potential and pulled together a lot of the things I find appealing in books. But, I honestly couldn't get into this book at all and it just fell flat for me. I think that the issue was the "voice" or tone of the book which just didn't gel together very well. I ended up DNF-ing and won't be doing a public review on Goodreads as a result.

That said, I sincerely appreciate the ARC and hope that others enjoyed themselves and the story.